Lots of walkers, runners, and bikers this summer on the island. Hope to see many of you at the 12th annual Westport Island Shore Run on Sunday, Aug. 14! “Maine’s Best Little 10K Road Race” starts at 9 a.m. at the town hall, and the 3.5-mile “fun walk” begins at 8:30 a.m. Stretch those muscles and head to westportisland.org to register.

Back in the 1940s, we had an aptly described and capable Department of War. The name has since been changed to the much less descriptive and less appropriate Department of Defense. In earlier days, the Department of War accomplished the fighting of wars, the winning of wars, and the stopping of wars. Since then, we have managed to get ourselves bogged down in the fighting part with no end in sight.

Medomak Valley Senior Citizens met on Monday, July 18 at the VFW Hall on Mill Street in Waldoboro. We had 21 members present, and four guests and one new member.

A big “thank you” goes out to Bob MacDonald, who did a fabulous job as grill master for our community barbecue on July 20. Also thank you to all the members who helped with the setup, cooking, serving, and cleanup that evening. Everyone in attendance had a good time and we are now looking forward to our next community supper on Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m., which will feature baked ham with mac-and-cheese. Please call 882-8230 at least two days in advance for meal reservations. Chicken is always available as an alternative to the featured entree but must be specified with the meal reservation. All are welcome!

Rising waters are usually followed by an eroding sand beach. This is the case at eastern Maryland and Virginia coasts. More specifically, Wallops Island and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, and the Assateague Island National Seashore, off the coast of Maryland, are the present cases with sand beaches.

There have been a few things that I have written about over the years for the newspaper that have surprised me, but I have to say that I never thought I would be writing about a black bear in Round Pond, let alone one in my own backyard!

“Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.”

During my 15 years of working as a financial arbitrage trader in Chicago and London, more often than not I found myself glued to the trading desk when lunchtime rolled around. Our runner, Jack, knew all of my favorite sandwich shops.

Yesterday I met a fellow who expressed mild frustration at his inability to lose weight. I inquired about his diet, which consists of Five Guys frappes and bacon burgers, and his exercise pattern, which reaches its pinnacle when the TV channel needs changing. He did voice one victory in that he now only buys the small French fries with the burger and frappe – a life-changing diet indeed!

Summer seemed a long time coming this year in Maine. Having finally arrived with its warmth, summer seems to make us do at least some things more leisurely to savor each day with its blue sky and verdant countryside. It is also the season when friends and relatives from “away” find themselves drawn to a visit “up North.”