Learning Icelandic was not anything like my French or Latin classes at school. There was no text, no patient kindly instructor to assist me over the inevitable confusion of la and le, de and da. And on the farm, there were no road signs or public signs to read and learn from. I had two […]
It was difficult, perhaps the most difficult thing, to be without a common language. I have always said that being in Iceland gave me perspective and I think that related to many aspects of life. I could easily relate now to the many who travel to a new country, looking for work, unable to speak […]
I had hitchhiked out there with Jane. We had started in Reykjavik, looking for work, but we were told there were no jobs to be found at all. The herring had gone and Iceland was in a depression as a result. My only contact, Peter Knuttson, a Brit who lived marginally in Reykjavik and somehow […]
VIDEO: Marginal Way The Marginal Way is a seaside path that stretches along the granite coastline of Ogunquit, Maine. Entirely paved and mostly flat, it’s hardly a strenuous hike, yet it remains one of the most popular in New England. People flock to the Marginal Way for the view. Though only 1-1/4 miles long, it offers […]
Returning after so long, I found that life on the farm had changed dramatically and yet it is the same. Imba and Steini no longer keep cows (I discovered this is true of many farms) but they still have sheep and also she has many more horses than before. She has always loved the horses. […]
On June 15, 2010, at 6 a.m., our Boeing 757 touched down on a long runway and taxied toward what I could see was an elegant new airport. Same place, different building. I had, of course, expected the airport to be modern and updated. And I expected the rocks would still be there but they […]
For the next few blogs, I’ll be writing about Iceland, which is, to me, the most fascinating country on earth. I hope you will agree. In June of 1969, when I was twenty years old, I traveled to Iceland and found work on a farm called Frodastadir (Froe-tha-stah-theer) herding sheep on horseback, milking cows, shoveling […]
Working on an offshore oil rig is a demanding and dangerous profession. Author Scott Cramer signed on as a roustabout on a rig exploring the Baltimore canyon. Here is his report. From Yankee Magazine April 1981 The round-trip fare is $50.95. as I board the bus in Providence I try to remember what I accomplished during […]
I’m home from Iceland, about which I will tell more in the next column. But having traveled so far, I planned a quiet Fourth. On Saturday night, friends came over in the afternoon and stayed for supper, leaving around dusk. I had forgotten about the fireworks, but soon after they left, I heard the booms […]
Nobody knows better than a Maine chef how to create delicious and affordable lobster dishes.
· 12 horizontal vintage postcards · hexagonal (6-sided) clip lampshade frame, 5″ top diameter x 8″ bottom diameter x 6″ height · 1/4 yard pressure-sensitive styrene (translucent backing used in the lighting industry) · color marker · clothespins · scissors · 2′ length 5/8-inch cotton/rayon grosgrain ribbon (at least 40% cotton) · 1′ length 3/8-inch […]
1. Tape 2 postcards to a sheet of paper, making sure there’s no space between top and bottom card. Continue with the rest of the cards, for a total of 6 panels, 2 cards per panel. Photocopy each set of cards. (Paper copies let more light through and save your postcards, too.) 2. Make a […]
