View an album of photos from the welcome home party for Captain Linda Greenlaw and the crew of the Hannah Boden, as they returned from sword fishing and filming the next season of the Discovery Channel’s show, Swords: Life on the Line.
NBC interviews Captain Linda Greenlaw at her homecoming event.
In a post competition interview following his win of today’s Annual World Championship Boatyard Dog Trials, Pancho Villa of Camden was just as nonchalont as he was prior to defending his title from the 2009 Trials. A huge crowd attended the event at the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show today, and cheered Pancho on to victory. He was awarded a perfect 10 from all three judges of the competition, outpointing his competitors by a wide margin.
Pancho Villa, Boatyard Dog Competition winner for the 2nd year in a row.
Pancho cinched the title in the free form category, cooly demonstration his surfing skills, while looking regal in the process. Pancho’s handler, Elliot Matlack, watches for sharks and competitors as Poncho concentrates on his balance and technique.
As if that wasn’t enough, Pancho did a midwater board swap to join handler Abigail Matlcack on a different board. Abigail paddles Pancho out to catch a big wave for his ride back to shore.
And to the winner go the spoils! Hoping Pancho will go for three in 2011!
Docking to get in line for the Boatyard Dog Trials, Sunday Morning at 10am
Boats, Boats, Boats
Boats, Boats, Boats, Boats, and Boats
More Boats
You can visit the manufacturers, get onboard the boats. Your fantasies realized.
One more day of fun left, starting with the Boatyard Dog competition at 10am. Be there, or regret it. Defending champion, Pancho Villa of Camden is back, and he’s not taking any prisoners…or water.
One goes to this annual Maine Man competition to laugh … and I mean belly laugh. Each year this event somehow manages to be even funnier than the previous one. It has been one of Maine’s best kept secrets, but after this year’s lineup of contestants, judges, and performances, it would be pretty much impossible to keep a lid on it any more. I guess it’s time to share it with the world, letting everyone know what it takes to be a real Maine Man.
This year’s contestants were Rick Carney (Brunswick), Jarod Bray (Matinicus), Derek Webber (St. George), Steve McConnell (Brewer), and Linwood Shields (Warren). All true Mainers, they arrived to show the audience what it takes to be a real Maine Man. And they all did, making us all howl with laughter during the entire contest.
Contestants L to R: Rick Carney, Jarod Bray, Derek Webber, Steve McConnell, Linwood Shields
The judges for the contest were Officer Joel Neal of the Rockland Police Department (a contestant in last year’s event), Nicole Brann Massey who was Mrs. Maine International 2006, and Charlie Jordan, Chief of the Rockland Fire Department. The judges brought their humor to the table, and helped define the spirit of the event. They definitely enjoyed the event as much as the audience.
The Judges: Officer Joel Neal, Nicole Brann Massey, Fire Chief Charlie Jordan
After a spirited competition between contestants, a winner finally emerged, and Derek Webber was officially crowned Maine Maine 2010. He proved to the judges’ satisfaction that he embodied the spirit of a true Maine Man, with hunting and fishing among his favorite ways of life. But the pièce de résistance proved to be the lyrics he wrote with long-time friend and fellow Maine Man contestant, Jarod Bray, entitled “I’m a Maine Boy.”
Jarod Bray (left) and Derek Webber belt out their newly penned “I’m a Maine Boy” to the delight of all. Emcee Louise MacLellen somehow managed to maintain her grip on to the microphone despite bouts of intense laughter.
All the contestants and judges were winners. You almost hate to see anyone not win, as it takes spirit and guts to participate in such an event. But if you do decide to participate in a future event, it would definitely help to write your own song as your talent entry for the show. Congratulations to all! Can’t wait to see this event again in 2011.
And if you’re curious about the song, then copy the following link and paste it in your browser address line. Video by Derek Webber’s mom:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1444540206091
Happy Holidays To All! © Jim Bazin 2009
Maybe Next Year
There’s been a lot of interest in making homemade liqueur as a gift for the holiday season. My good friend, Tina Hewitt Morrison of Blountville TN, submitted this recipe for a homemade version of Kahlua. Thanks, Tina!
When I was first married I was given this recipe by a co-worker in the Provost’s Office at Old Dominion University. So, it’s one that I’ve had since around 1970… but haven’t made it lately. When I was young, it was always considered a great dessert treat to have ice cream with some exotic liqueur over it.
Homemade Kahlua
1 pint water
3 3/4 cups sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
Boil all together for about 30 mins. Let cool.
Mix together the following and add to above
1 tsp. glycerin (usually you can get this at a pharmacy)
4 1/2 tbs. instant coffee
1/2 cup of water
Combine all above ingredients with a fifth of vodka.
Pour into bottles and cap tightly. Shake. Let stand for 3 weeks, at least.
I would have said no, but then I saw this video in which they actively participate in playing Pong, and in some other fun events. Check it out, and prepared to laugh and to be amazed.
It’s that time of year that many of us are wondering what to do with all the pumpkins we see around us. My friend, Tina Hewitt Morrison from Blountville TN, submitted this pumpkin soup recipe for those of us who like our soup on the spicy side. Thanks, Tina!
It seems like I get many of my favorite recipes from my friends, and this soup is one of them. The first time I tasted it’s delightful spiciness was while sharing a “throw together” lunch from things we had enjoyed a night or two before. After my first spoonful I demanded the recipe. One appealing aspect of this recipe is you can make it from things people usually have on hand. Of course, one can make this soup more or less spicy by using whichever salsa you prefer. Or you can be creative with the garnishes, like tortilla chips or maybe even diced apples. As you can imagine, it’s perfect for a chilly night’s supper.
The Food Issue of The New York Times Magazine features Michael Pollan’s article, Rules to Eat By, along with a humorous listing of his favorite 20 dietary food rules, while The Minimalist, Mark Bittman, shares his views on how technology can help our quest for faster slow food.
The 1980s British band, Flock of Seagulls, flew in to Rockland’s breakwater in hope of viewing the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Jewel of the Sea.
Flock of Seagulls wait patiently for the Jewel of the Sea to appear.
They were unable to locate the 1,000′ vessel, and flew off around 3pm. A spokesperson described the band members as being “very disappointed.”
Rockland was buzzing today about the 962′ Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Sea visiting our town. Naturally, everyone that lives in the area wanted to eyeball this oversized lobster boat to see what a 1,000 foot vessel really looks like.
So most of us spent several hours driving and walking around Rockland in an attempt to see this behemoth. Didn’t work for me, or for any other person I spoke with during the day.
I did see a launch head out from Rockland Harbor that was taking passengers back to the Jewel. After a few minutes, it disappeared in the fog, giving no hint as to the precise location of the Jewel.
I even walked the entire breakwater in hope of finding it at the end of the walk where the lighthouse is. Nope. Wasn’t there.
But it was. Someone forget to tell us that the Jewel of the Sea was equipped with an invisible shield that could be activated at will from the Captain’s cabin. No wonder we couldn’t find it!
So after hours of hopeful pursuit, we all gave up and went home. And this is the only photo I left with. A view from shore looking out at the breakwater. Hey, it’s Maine!
Today's edition of the Bangor Daily News features an article on Mary Lake, our own vegetarian blogger 
and writer of the Creative Vegetarian column for our Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine. The BDN article, She's Firmly Planted, tells the story of how Mary began her travel down the vegetarian road and where she is with it in her life today. She's a teacher and writer, with an omnivorous husband and two Sheltand sheep dogs (who are dedicated carnivores).
We love Mary here at the magazine, and know you will also. You can read her columns here at our blog by clicking on the Mary Lake contributor's banner, and more recipes and reviews at her own vegetarian blog, Mitten Machen. The BDN article also links to some of Mary's recipes.
From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
Portland Psst! pointed out that the Food Network Magazine’s recent choice as “best burger in Maine” was old news. They credited us for posting this title as belonging to the Owls Head General Store back in December 2008. So we guess that now it’s official!
Congratulations to Martha Luttrell and Jennifer O’Hara!
From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
Well, it would have been if Rockland had gathered just a mere 1,000 more votes. As it was, Rockland placed #2 in the Budget Travel reader poll, right behind Owego, NY. The criteria used for rating these towns were:
1. A population of less than 10,000
2. You must be able to get a good cup of coffee
3. Once you leave the town, you realize your error and want to return.
4. You see more art galleries than country stores.
Watch the CBS Early Show segment from this morning, and hear Budget Travel magazine's editor in chief, Nina Willdorf, refer to Rockland as her "personal favorite" cool town. View article and see video here.
Yes, we all know this about Rockland, but it always feel good to have positive acknowledgement from the country at large. We're happy that the office of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine is located in downtown Rockland, just down the street from some great coffee choices, the Farnsworth Museum and tons of terrific art galleries, and we all feel the pull to come back every time we go somewhere else.
And in our hearts, we know the Rockland Maine is definitely the Coolest Town in America.
Posted, with great pride, by…
The staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
Those who know me are aware that music is an important ingredient in my life. Ditto for visual imagery. So imagine how amazed I was to read Virginia Heffernan's post at her The Medium blog on the New York Times Magazine site today. She raves about ThruYou, a seven-track album created by musician/producer Kutiman consisting entirely of samples from user-contributed YouTube videos. Can you imagine the work that went into finding these clips and then creating a video album from them that actually works? How cool. What talent. What fun! Check it out!
Jim Bazin is the creative director of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine
