by Virginia Tyler (Ginny Raymond's mother) Our encounters change the world: The words we say; the glances we give; The advice, if taken or ignored, Change the space in which we live. A rock thrown int a lake so calm Disturbs the surface, and even more. The waves grow wide, both down and out, And change the near and opposite shore. And so our lives filled with encounters - Chance and otherwise - Bump and shatter, soothe and flatter, Until our encounters have changed the world.

by Heidi Schellenger Keoka Lake is one of dozens of glacially carved and spring-fed fresh water lakes in the western foothills of Maine.  For me, it’s so much more than a place to go swimming on a hot summer day. In the words of the immortal Jimmy Buffett, “let me take you there right now if I can”. The limited and precious time I get to spend at our lakefront A-frame (affectionately known in our family as ‘Camp’), is preceded by a three day journey from across the globe.  The time difference...

by Ginny Raymond In 1957 when my family acquired our property which we now call The Compromise, as with any acquisition, it took us a while before we had all the necessities of life. For us, among others, we did not have a picnic table on the beach, but we did have an old rowboat. At some point, the boat had washed up on the beach. My dad, Chapin Cutler, dragged this prize to the top of the beach, overturned it, and we used it, dressed in a tablecloth, to lay our spread of food when we...