Q: What are you most thankful for about Maine?

The Maine Troop Greeters at the Bangor Airport. My now nineteen-year-old nephew, a marine, lived in Bangor. My family is hoping that on his return home from Afghanistan, his flight will possibly stop in Bangor so that he can greet his former neighbors and share the gratitude of Americans towards the troops.
Meg Nicholson
San Luis Obispo, California

Space and time. The space to be alone and hear nothing, and the time to find and enjoy those places.
Chris Begin
Farmington, Maine

I’m thankful for the numerous craftspeople who tirelessly bring beauty at prices most of us can still afford. Most of them practice their art because the work challenges them and makes them happy.
K. Anderson
Stockholm, Maine

I am thankful for the many people who have helped preserve the natural beauty of Maine: Percival Baxter, the Rockefeller family, national conservation organizations, local land trusts, and those who worked to rid the state of billboards.
Jacqueline Davidson
Deer Isle, Maine

Marginal Way in Ogunquit is the most peaceful place in the world.During two rounds of chemo my solace was on the Marginal Way. Thank you to the town and its benefactors for keeping it maintained.
Paulette Faherty
Skillman, New Jersey

I’m most thankful for Maine’s rich culture. To me, it’s a mixture of community and convention that is blended with self-reliance and individuality. Maine sometimes gets criticized for its culture, or lack of, especially when it comes to racial diversity. However, it is because of Maine’s culture that I, as a biracial girl there many years ago, had such a remarkable childhood. There I learned both respect for the individual and the importance of establishing connections. When I go back to Maine each summer with my very Southern husband and our four children, we are immersed in the same unique culture of my childhood. Admittedly my family is an odd sight. However, we have yet to get a puzzled look, a raised eyebrow, or a sideways glance. So what the state’s culture might lack in diversity, it makes up for in quality. When I’m home, no one ever would guess that I arrived in Maine as a newborn at St. Joseph Hospital and departed as a graduate of Bangor High School. No, to most, my family and I are just summer people having a fling with the most beautiful state in America. Little do they know that for me it’s been a lifelong love affair.

Upcoming Question:
What’s your favorite way to enjoy winter in Maine?

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Location: Clifton
The Moment: This is the quintessential photo of Maine’s grand fall season, captured with the Clifton United Baptist Church on Route 9, also known as the Airline Road, as the subject, and the cemetery as an interesting foreground. The photo was taken with ideal lighting provided by the late afternoon sun and a partly cloudy sky.
Jack Zievis
Clifton, Maine