painting by Jessica Ives

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207 Paintings post everyish Tuesday around 5:30am EST on both The Maine and jessicaleeives.com. Save thirty percent on a 4×4 inch oil on panel painting by making your purchase within the first week of its posting. Instead of $300 pay just $207, a number which just happens to be the Maine state area code.

Tuesday 207 Paintings are exclusive to The Maine. They depict the land, the light and the people that make this state a state of wonder. Jessica is editor of The Maine and writes occasionally as The Outsider.

photography by Jim Dugan

Sometimes a bit of cloud filtering the sunlight is a good thing.

from Maine Lingo: Boiled Owls, Billdads, & Wazzats by John Gould

MAIN, THE: The mainland. Early European fishermen found the offshore islands of Maine, and beyond them the main, which explains the state’s name. James Rosier, official scribe for the George Weymouth expedition of 1605, says as much: “Our captaine discovered up a great river trending alongst into the maine about forty miles.” The final e on both captaine and maine is merely olde English orthography. The mainland is still called the main by people on Vinalhaven, Matinicus, Criehaven, and Monhegan, who say, “I’m going to the main tomorrow.” (There is an identical situation in South America, where the term Spanish Main originally meant the mainland of that continent.)

text and photograph by Jonathan Ives

Two times a week I work at the Camden Snow Bowl teaching fourth graders how to snowboard. The hardest part of the day is not learning how to get on the chairlift or how to move with one foot strapped in. It’s when the kids change out of their snowboarding boots and have to find the winter boots they came with.

Without a doubt, the most popular boot for the fourth grade children of Maine is the camouflage boot by Bogs; and the hardest part of matching kid to boot is that they all wear the same size. More than once I’ve heard teachers and chaperons tell their kids, “Don’t worry about it now, just put that pair on and we’ll sort it out back at school.” Good luck with that!

A similar problem occurred after a recent birthday party at my sister’s house. My wife and I were the first ones to leave and I took a photo of their mudroom with six other pairs of black Muck boots the other guests had worn over. Luckily, I was the only one that wore a size 11.

I used to drive what some would consider the Maine state car: a hunter green Subaru Outback. At least once a year I would get in, only to be surprised by how clean it was, or wonder why my key wouldn’t fit the ignition. It was someone else’s car! Apparently we all drive Subaru’s and nobody locks their doors! So don’t get upset the next time you find yourself at a party with two other men wearing the same L.L. Bean flannel shirt. Instead, embrace the fact that we all know a good thing when we see it. Even if you see it more than once.

original song by The Oshima Brothers
filmed at sunrise in Belfast 

The Oshima Brother’s will be performing live tonight, Thursday February 1, at 7pm at The Camden Public Library. Please join us!

painting by Jessica Ives
text by Jonathan Ives

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207 Paintings post everyish Tuesday around 5:30am EST on both The Maine and jessicaleeives.com. Save thirty percent on a 4×4 inch oil on panel painting by making your purchase within the first week of its posting. Instead of $300 pay just $207, a number which just happens to be the Maine state area code.

Tuesday 207 Paintings are exclusive to The Maine. They depict the land, the light and the people that make this state a state of wonder. Jessica is editor of The Maine and writes occasionally as The Outsider.

photography by Jim Dugan

Jim Dugan lives in Rockland and tries to walk out the Rockland Breakwater regularly. The recent cold spell kept him from it for a couple weeks. When the weather broke, it was still pretty icy and the path to it was drifted over. Nevertheless, he persisted.

display by Jo Ellen Designs