In a sign that summer is imminent, the garbage bins have arrived at the Beach, and my family’s hereditary duty has begun. Well, the summer job my then-teenage brother passed on to my parents, which my wife, and to a lesser extent I, is taking over.

For the last 35 years or so, we have been cleaning the Beach every morning from May to October — emptying the garbage bins at the shore and the wharf, picking up what detritus has settled on the sand and parking lot and sidewalks.

The compensation helps with the property tax. Side hustling.

The Beach is coming back to life.

I met this week for a long-overdue interview with Susie Barnes, chef and owner of modern Lincolnville institution Dot’s, just above the Beach on Atlantic Highway heading south.

Dot’s opened around 2009, selling coffee and baked goods, wine and accoutrements. In 2017, Susie purchased the place after cooking for a brief time for the previous owners, and relocated to the neighboring house with her daughter. A single mother, she was seeking a quieter life near family.

Susie first arrived in Camden in the late 1970s with her parents, who had purchased the Schooner Stephen Tabor. Raised below the Mason-Dixon Line, her arrival as an eighth grader with a Southern accent to Camden Rockport Middle School must have been a bit of a culture shock.

Susie honed her cooking skills on the wood stove of a schooner galley, followed by a stint in the dish pit at Cappy’s Chowder House, where so many culinary careers were once launched. On the day of her graduation from Camden Rockport High, Susie was in the galley of the Mary Day, out on the Bay.

The next several years were spent on the yachts of the West Indies, culinary school, and restaurants across the nation.

Returning the Midcoast, Susie opened the Waterworks in Rockland around 1995, which she ran for the next seven to eight years.

Anyone who has ever worked in restaurants knows or can imagine the intensity of running a full service establishment. After selling the Waterworks, Susie found herself in Portland, where she catered and worked as a private chef. After giving birth to her daughter, Susie eventually made her way back up the coast and discovered Dot’s, and here we are.

Electing against making radical changes to an established business, Susie took her time making Dot’s her own. As someone who grew up on boats, she obviously did not change the name, bad luck, she told me.

Today, Dot’s is a local stop for a great cup of coffee and pastry in the morning, or a fantastic baguette sandwich at lunch. There is ample seating, where you can generally expect to find neighbors chatting over a croissant or muffin.

With a well curated wine section, fine pantry staples, artisan cheeses, and a rotating selection of prepared entrees to bring home, Dot’s is well known by those of us who have forgotten to plan for dinner, or find themselves with unexpected guests.

Susie sings the praises of her crew, who fill the open kitchen — waiting on customers, while just behind them Susie and her “boys” prepare meals, and catered platters for pick up.

I had forgotten that Dot’s offered catering services, with custom creative menus to meet whatever your needs are, and local delivery available. Should you need a charcuterie platter for a gathering of friends or a meal beyond your culinary skills to impress a new love interest, Dot’s is just down the road.

Susie and her crew make an effort to use the produce of local farmers whenever possible, and are open year round, ensuring access to a fresh baguette, a wedge of Brie, and a bottle of wine, even in the middle of February, when you may most appreciate such a treat.

Susie’s love for her business and her employees is clear, as is her appreciation for our community. Stop by, or contact Dot’s at dotsinmaine.com.

This may be a tough summer for our beach businesses. With the Department of Transportation’s ongoing road work along Atlantic Highway (Route 1) from the Beach to the Camden town line, vehicle traffic through Lincolnville Beach is slowed, and online driving directions are diverting visitors away from the coast, where they will miss the one place where U.S. Route 1 touches to sea. 

Our local businesses need our support more than ever, and I will be writing more about establishments along the Beach in coming weeks.

Summer is coming, and some of the best oceanside spots in the Midcoast are right here in Lincolnville. While you’re at it, make things easy for the O’Brien family, and make sure any litter ends up in the trash bins. 

Hopefully, we will see the return of the restored cannon soon. Not sure how I feel about the Beach being undefended should Britain ever decide to retake Penobscot Bay.

Beach Gardens

All the lovely garden beds at Lincolnville Beach are maintained by volunteers, and Lee Cronin has put out the call for gardeners to assist with planting and mulching this Wednesday morning, May 21, at 9 a.m, with a rain date of Thursday at the same time. Take gloves, a trowel, and watering can, and be part of sprucing the place up for our summer visitors.

Call Lee with any questions, at 207-236-0028.

Memorial Day

The holiday marking the unofficial start to summer is upon us. Monday, May 26, is Memorial Day, when we remember those who fell in service to our country. The Honor Roll next to the Library lists several sons of Lincolnville who never returned home. The parade, including Camden Hill’s marching band, will set out from Lincolnville Central School, and head down Main Street to Veteran’s Park for a prayer, a speech, and a salute to the fallen.

My old buddy and Lincolnville’s own Ben Hazen — brewer, bus driver, and Iraq War veteran — will deliver the Memorial Day address. Make it meaningful and to the point, old friend, as the best Memorial Day speeches always are. I am sure he will.

I feel like I completely missed how fast the transformation to near-summer has occurred. Driving back roads yesterday on my way to Bangor, I suddenly realized how many leaves are on the trees. The old ash tree in our front yard remains stubbornly barren, but I have learned to expect this. It likes to take its time to grant us its shade.

Have a great week, Lincolnville. Stay positive and kind, and reach out at ceobrien246@gmail.com.

Municipal Calendar

Monday, May 19

LCS Budget Meeting, 6 p.m., Walsh Common, LCS

Tuesday, May 20

Library open 3-6 p.m. 208 Main Street

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Wednesday, May 21

Comprehensive Plan Review, 6 p.m. Town Office

Bayshore Baptist Church, Youth Group, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, May 23

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Saturday, May 24

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Sunday, May 25

United Christian Church, 9:30 a.m. Worship and Children’s Church, 18 Searsmont Road

Bayshore Baptist Church, 10 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages, 10:40 a.m. Coffee and Baked Goods, 11:00 a.m. worship, 2648 Atlantic Highway