This weekend, even as thousands of revelers descend on Lincoln County for the culmination of the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest and Regatta, our thoughts turn to the south, toward our fellow citizens in the Carolinas.

I love this peninsula! Yesterday morning while juggling too many bags out to my car at Hannaford, I knocked my fitness tracker bracelet off my wrist without realizing it. When I returned to look for it in the afternoon, I was cautiously hopeful that I’d find it, generally being an optimistic person, but I wasn’t holding my breath.

The theory is humans gravitate to things like horror movies and carnival rides because most people like the pulse-pounding thrill of terror without suffering the unfortunate ill consequences that come with an actual threat.

Many of our older folks can still remember Armistice Day, Nov. 11, created in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson at the end of World War I, celebrating the cessation of hostilities.

My dog Bella was recently found after being lost for three days on the Pemaquid peninsula. The number of wonderful people who searched, helped, and offered words of encouragement was amazing! We are lucky to be a part of this caring town.

A couple of days ago I had an interesting email from a Bristol Road neighbor who knew that I belong to a neighborhood group that is gathering signatures on a petition requesting the Department of Transportation review speed limits on the Damariscotta section of Route 129.

It’s hard to look at Damariscotta’s Main Street this week and not think of the crowds that packed this tiny downtown this past weekend.

As an avid cyclist, I ride on the road almost every day. Most motorists share the road in a kind and considerate way, moving over if they are able, and giving as much room as they comfortably can.

It’s hard to remember it now, but coming into the Blaine House on the heels of a professional politician seemingly duty bound to equivocate, Paul LePage was a breath of fresh air.

Once in awhile a person emerges in our midst who has such creativity and depth, that knowing them feels like a gift. Such a gift was Kelly Patton Brook.

It’s an April fool’s joke – right?

It is wonderful that the new field at Lincoln Academy is to be dedicated to the memory of such a wonderful man. (“Lincoln Academy to dedicate William A. Clark Field,” LCN, 9/17/15, Page 10B)

The number of the week is 26.

Twenty-six motorcycle enthusiasts have died on Maine roads so far this year. As various media reports all reiterated over the weekend, this number is more than double the total for all of 2014.

An ex-busboy will never forget Bobby Kennedy in ways many of us understand. Reading about Juan Romero’s August 29, 2015 memories of an internal cross of guilt that he carried for decades awoke many of my own painful memories, and yet the path of hope was expanded despite the loss of a great leader who died June 5, 1968.