Bar Harbor’s Best Bets
We agree that Mache Bistro, which was included in the Bar Harbor feature in your August issue, is a top choice for dinner on the island, but there are several more excellent options for those spending more than one night. In no particular order: Town Hill Bistro in Town Hill is worth the effort; Maureen is the former chef owner of Mache, so we have known her for a lot of years now. It has some outside seating for nice weather. In Southwest Harbor there is Red Sky and Xanthus — come early for cocktails on the boathouse deck overlooking the water. In Northeast Harbor, stop in at Red Bird Provisions for lunch or dinner. It has a few outside tables that are wonderful in good weather. A bit before town you can find the Asticou Inn where we have found several wine bargains — Silver Oak for only a smidge above retail. On the way back to Bar Harbor, on Route 3, is Burning Tree. They grow many of their ingredients in the gardens outside. In Bar Harbor add Havana. Michael and Deirdre never cease to impress with their menus and you must have a mojito made by Duffy. Can’t fit all these dinners into your trip — well, then, you’ll just have to keep coming back.
—Jennifer Morris
Hillsdale, New Jersey

So, you sent no one up Cadillac Mountain? At the very least you should have sent the active traveler up the North Trail and down the South (or the other way)! No sunrise? No sunset? Shame on you!
—Sue Shaw
Penobscot, Maine

The End Of LURC?
Notably absent from your August “Talk of Maine” article on abolishing LURC was any kind of rebuttal to the thinking in some quarters that more development in the UT would be a net economic boon for the state. I believe that nothing could be further from the truth. Maine is a state with a small population that is geographically dispersed. There is no state east of Kansas with a lower population density, and, unlike Maine, most of the western states have huge areas of public land that force the population to be concentrated in certain areas. Put simply, it is expensive to provide services to Maine’s population, and this is reflected in Maine’s outsize tax burden. Further dispersing the population will just exacerbate the problem.
 
It seems to me that, apart from the environmental implications, the idea of opening up 30 percent of the UT to development would be an economic disaster that would make Maine even less competitive than it already is. If there is to be any sort of wholesale rezoning that turns acres purchased for two hundred dollars into acres worth two hundred thousand dollars, then I sure hope that a significant amount of that value accrues to the citizens whose tax burden will go up and not to whichever land speculators can afford the best lobbyists.

Due Credit
I enjoyed the “Safe Haven” article in your August issue on the guesthouse in Kittery Point visited by African-Americans. However, you left out one of the co-authors on the book, Maine’s Visible Black History. Gerald Talbot received the credit, but Harriet H. Price was a co-author.
—Joy McAuley
Jessup, Maryland

Recall Record
In your August “Maine Viewpoint” section, the Bangor Daily News editorial (“Recall is No Answer”) incorrectly says that only one governor — Lynn Frazier, of North Dakota, in 1921 — has been recalled since the inception of recall initiatives in the United States. In fact, Gray Davis was recalled in the November 14, 2003, California gubernatorial recall election. This paved the way for the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger to become a two-term governor of California.
—John Lomac
San Diego, California

Where in Maine?
I was delighted to see that your August “Where in Maine?” article was a place near and dear to me — Short Sands Beach in York. I am the great-granddaughter of Carlos B. and Helen A. Moseley, who were part owners of Short Sands Beach. My great-grandparents lived in Concord, New Hampshire, and they, along with many Concord families, traveled to York during the summer to an area that is still referred to as “Concordville.” C.B. Moseley owned many acres on the Short Sands Beach side of the Nubble peninsula, including the Moseley Farm, the beach and the home in which my family lives on Moseley Road. My grandchildren are now the sixth generation to live in this very special home.
 
Thankfully, generations before me had the foresight to preserve much of my heritage including photos, paperwork, and stories. In fact, we have the original deed whereby the Moseley, Ellis, and Garmon families deeded Short Sands Beach to the Town of York for the enjoyment of all. Included in the deed were certain conditions, one of which was that upon the transfer of the beach to the town, the womenfolk of the three families were no longer required to curtsey while walking along the boardwalk and the menfolk were no longer required to tip their hats.
As you can see, my York Beach roots run deep.
—Christie Fitzgerald
York Beach, Maine

In the beautiful August issue of Down East, the “Where in Maine?” is, of course, Short Sands Beach. When my girls were growing up we spent many a weekend at Long Sands and ended our day walking downtown watching the taffy machines. Of course, before we went home we stopped at Brown’s Ice Cream at Nubble Light. We sat and looked out to the light .
—Donna Hogan
Missouri City, Texas