Down East Magazine, September 2024

Features Dogged Pursuit Army vet, double amputee, and multisport athlete Christy Gardner has never felt inclined to let anything stand in her way. Now, when she’s not training service and therapy dogs through her nonprofit work, she’s running down her dream of representing her country in the Paralympics. by Kathryn Miles Best of Maine Our annual round-up of readers’ picks for Maine’s best everything, from taprooms to bookshops, lobster rolls to toy stores. How did your favorites do this year? In Search of Solitude A middle-aged mom of three returns to the island where she camped alone as a teenager, hoping she might be able to hear herself think, if only for a little while. By Kate Ver Ploeg Where in Maine Dooryard North by East Striking a Chord The Portland Symphony Orchestra is jazzing things up. Maine Moment Water World A South Portland artist’s fish prints are reeling in fans. The Hills Are Alive In Yarmouth, mounded vegetable beds save a couple’s backs. Celebrate Sweet Spuds! A very happy Maine Needham Day to all who observe. From the Archives Sixty-four years ago, Senator Margaret Chase Smith was at the top of her game. Maine Dispatches This Ain’t Texas Though the breakfast tacos at Portland’s new Ocotillo would seem to suggest otherwise. No Slouch Dwight Blaney was a respected Winter Harbor painter. So why have you never heard of him? More Graveled, Less Traveled Newly friendly to cyclists, the AMC’s 100 Mile Wilderness roads are unpaved, with good intentions. Cool and the Gang A new Bangor vintage shop takes a collaborative approach to thrifting. For the Birds A Durham home designed for avian safety is pretty fly. Room with a View Loyalty is just what a friend needs, especially when that friend is a dog. My Favorite Place Grammy-nominated singer- songwriter Amy Allen on Sebago Lake. On Our Cover Seafood-shack specialties at LDI Lobster, by Peter Frank Edwards.