What a beautiful week we have had in this little town on the coast of Maine. Bright sun, a bit of rain, fog rolling in off the bay in the morning, everything green and growing. Our summer neighbors have returned, and the inns and motels are filling up with visitors.

The other night, my wife and daughter convinced me to join them at McLaughlin's for steamers and a beverage. Maybe also to check up on our middle child, who was on hosting duty that night.

We sat at the bar, where Lynnette McLaughlin was holding court. I started chatting with my neighbor Mike Hutchings.

Mike is one of Lincolnville’s last remaining full time lobstermen. With his wife Lynn, they run M & L Seafood out of their old barn at 638 Beach Road, the place to get your live lobsters and soft-shell clams. Mike also contains a wealth of memories about how to make your living on the sea.

Mike told me that in 1966, when he was just 14, his mother gave him the $5 for a lobstering license, and he has been fishing ever since. Pretty much any morning, if you get there early enough, you’ll see Mike down at the landing, loading up his boat, the Hoo Done It.

McLaughlin's Restaurant was previously Chez Michel, but before that it was the Beach Inn. Mike said that back in the day he would drive his boat under the Frohock bridge, and deliver his lobsters right to the door of the Beach Inn.

The Beach Inn is where Nat and Vonnie Stone, having sold the farmhouse at Sleepy Hollow to my parents, treated them to twin lobster specials. Perhaps lobsters caught by a young Mike Hutchings.

McLaughlin's, situated on Atlantic Highway, Route 1, always attracts a good mix of locals and tourists, and it is the presence of locals which lets the tourists know it is worth visiting.

We chatted with a couple from Massachusetts, celebrating 20 years together with a trip up the coast to Acadia. On the other side, a couple of guys with thick Rhode Island accents talked to my wife and daughter about their part of the country — my daughter will soon be relocating to college on the border of Rhode Island.

You know, it is part of being from here, to complain about our summer visitors. As a kid, we called them “cone-eaters”, allegedly for their propensity for walking through Camden with large ice cream cones, as well as for their reported tendency to run over road cones from our constant summer construction.

I am sure this kind of sentiment is true in all heavily touristed areas. We grumble about the traffic, chuckle over the tourists’ ignorance of local customs, but we also recognize that our visitors not only keep our economy going, but they keep our lives interesting.

Maine is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and why wouldn’t we want to share this?

As Maine and Mainers find ourselves the subject of a bit of national and even international scrutiny and curiosity this election year, I find it amusing to hear pundits who might have only visited Portland a few times present themselves as experts on the character of Maine.

The more aware will recognize that there are two — possibly more — Maines. Broadly defined as the south and coast, and the north and central Maine. Some suggest it is less geographical and more “New Maine” and “Old Maine”. Lincolnville stands in the middle. Still coast, but marking the border of the Second Congressional District, known for being a bit less affluent and less populous, more conservative, perhaps more traditional.

Despite my own lefty politics, I feel more at home in “Old Maine”. I am sure it is overly romantic, but people here still support their families on the sea, in the woods. People still show up for bean suppers at the Grange, show up to be volunteer firefighters, support the local school. We still get to know our neighbors. Even if a lot more of us now work desk jobs.

We are all Mainers, though. Whether we were born on New York City or trace our ancestors to the early settlers. Probably a little more if you trace your ancestry to the Wabanaki people, the first Mainers.

Enjoy the summer. Be gentle with the tourists, tell them cool stories for them to bring back home. Support our local businesses, help give them credit with the visitors by having a cup of coffee, a slice of pizza, a fresh croissant, or a plate of steamers, and chatting up Lincolnville.

LIA Monthly Meeting

This Thursday, June 18 at 5:30 p.m., the Lincolnville Improvement Association will meet at Tranquility Grange, just north of the Center on Route 52. The program this month will be a presentation by the Lincolnville Boat Club. Having spent a little time recently with this crew, I am sure it will be a lot of fun. As always LIA meetings are open to all, bring a friend and a dish to share for the potluck. Iced tea and lemonade will be provided, but please feel free to BYOB.

Library Happenings

Needleworkers will meet at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. Also on Tuesday, join the book club for a discussion of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books.

At 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, the Poetry Circle will meet. The after school group will visit at 3 p.m. on June 18. Friday, June 19 at noon, meet for MahJong, lessons will be available.

Get yourself to the lake, the beach, into the woods (don’t forget tick repellent). Dig in the dirt, read a book, sit outside around the fire with people you care about. Look up at the stars on a clear evening and ponder the universe. Bake popovers on a cool foggy morning. It is summer and you are in Lincolnville, make the most of it.

Reach out at ceobrien246@gmail.com.

Municipal Calendar

Tuesday, June 16

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

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

Wednesday, June 17

Library open 2-5

Conservation Commission, 4 p.m., Town Office

Thursday, June 18

Library open 2-5 p.m. 208 Main Street

AA Beginner’s Meeting, 7 p.m., Lincolnville Historical Society, 33 Beach Road

Friday, June 19

Juneteenth, Town Offie Closed

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

Library open 9-2 p.m., 208 Main Street

Saturday, June 20

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Sunday, June 21

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