Down East December 2009

December 2009

The table of contents from the December 2009 issue of Down East.

Features

Let It Snow

In an exclusive book excerpt, former Maine state climatologist Gregory A. Zielinski calculates the odds of the Pine Tree State having a white Christmas.

 

The Mainer Who Found Bambi

Outdoors artist Jake Day left a whimsical legacy you can still see today — on-screen or on the snowy streets of Damariscotta. By: Andrew Vietze Photography by: Todd Caverly

 

The Transformation of Topsham

In ten years a farm town in southern Maine has thoroughly reinvented itself — and learned a few lessons along the way. By: Virginia Wright Photography by: Hannah Welling

 

Sweet State

We didn’t believe we were living through the golden age of Maine chocolate until more than a dozen boxes of sweets arrived at our offices from chocolatiers across the state. By: Kathleen Fleury Photography by: Benjamin Magro

 

Unconditional Love

For more than two decades, Portland’s Center for Grieving Children has been helping kids learn to laugh again. By: Joshua F. Moore

 

Departments

Mighty Wind on Vinalhaven

The three new wind turbines are the work of grit, perseverance, and community spirit. By: Thomas Urquhart

 

Goodness & Grace

A new Portland restaurant located in a renovated church delivers awe-inspiring surroundings and food with finesse. By: Kathleen Fleury Photography by: Hannah Welling

 

Holiday Helpers

’Tis the season to help others, and the Maine Commission for Community Service, United Way of Maine, and several other partners make finding the right opportunity as easy as a few clicks of the mouse. www.volunteermaine.org, which launched in 2002 and recently revamped its Web site, lets volunteers search for organizations in need across the state.

(Photograph Courtesy USM office of Civic engagement)

 

Presents for Pups

This holiday season give your canine companion a gift, too, and a healthy one at that. Barkwheats (100 Harris Rd., Stockton Springs, 207-449-1214, www.barkwheats.com) are grain-free, organic, made-in-Maine buckwheat dog biscuits that come in two flavors: seaveg and chamomile, or ginger and parsley. All the ingredients (except the ginger, which helps alleviate canine anxiety) are sourced locally. Photography by: Jennifer Baum

 

Inside Maine’s Heart of Darkness

Stephen King’s new novel explores the shadows lurking within one small Maine town. By: Richard Grant

 

Where in Maine?

Ever trolled these waters? Photography by: Sue Anne Hodges

 

Hobo Chair

Woe be the wanderer who found himself in this Belfast seat. By: Joshua F. Moore

 

Letters to the Editor

Maine Manners

Your October article about Maine manners invites me to tell the following tale. About thirty years ago I was returning from an antiques-hunting trip in Maine. I stopped for gas in Brunswick, and called home from the phone booth at the corner of the parking area. I then hurried on to the turnpike tollbooth and reached for my wallet that wasn’t there: No toll or coffee cash. Nothing. Then I remembered the phone booth.

 

Trees of Christmas Past

One Mainer remembers the trees and ornaments of her many Maine holiday celebrations. By: Susan Sterling Photography by: Jennifer Baum

 

Editor’s Note

If you don’t like the weather in Maine, just wait a minute. By: Paul Doiron Photography by: Benjamin Magro

 

North by East

The real reason Mainers back into parking spaces, whales spending the holidays off Bar Harbor, and more.

 

The Maine Viewpoint

Editorial opinions from across the state.