Maple sap is running. Not just in the trees — it’s in the veins of many Mainers, young and old, who have maple syrup fever at this time of year. My memories of “boiling down” syrup go back to the kitchen of the family farmhouse, where a cloud of steam rose above three or four […]
Echo Farm
Time stands still in an Auburn cornfield
I can look from our living room window and see a fine field of corn, nearly ready for the harvesting vehicles to cut it and transport it to the neighbor’s farm, where it will feed dairy cattle in the winter. The view is pretty close to what I saw about 60 years ago from that […]
Maine State Fair still elicits fond memories
It seems inevitable that late summer and the fair season would kindle fond memories of the Lewiston Fairgrounds. For decades, the Maine State Fair was the Twin Cities’ premier event. It drew tremendous crowds and there was excitement everywhere. The midway roared with sounds of sirens and engines from the motorcycle daredevils’ “motodrome.” The voice […]
Garden harvest selected for blue ribbons
Summers are short in Maine. That’s a perception that has taken hold over many generations, despite the fact that we enjoy many fine days right through October. Of course, the typically pessimistic attitude of Mainers has something to do with it, but there’s a direct connection with country life and the hectic pace of the […]