Ian Aldrich

1 month ago | savingseafood.org | Ian Aldrich

February 28, 2025 — I first visited Stonington, Maine, in the summer of 2003 to write a story for Yankee about the community’s proudly held identity as a fishing town. Even then, Stonington was an anomaly. While other main streets and harbors along the Maine coast had become the shiny domain of tourist shops and pleasure boats, here, on the rocky outermost tip of remote Deer Isle, lived just over 1,000 people whose lives were still largely built around what they hauled from the sea.

1 month ago | newengland.com | Ian Aldrich

I first visited Stonington, Maine, in the summer of 2003 to write a story for Yankee about the community’s proudly held identity as a fishing town. Even then, Stonington was an anomaly. While other main streets and harbors along the Maine coast had become the shiny domain of tourist shops and pleasure boats, here, on the rocky outermost tip of remote Deer Isle, lived just over 1,000 people whose lives were still largely built around what they hauled from the sea.

Jan 4, 2025 | newengland.com | Ian Aldrich

A few years ago, I hit the wall with winter. Actually, it was more like a full-on collision. I was hauling wood and clearing walkways for what seemed like the hundredth time that season. I wanted to throw my shovel into the woods. I was finished with feeling cold and moving snow. Even my son, Calvin, seemed done with it. He’d just shrug at the prospect of another chance to go sledding, as if to say, Are we really still doing this? What to do?

Nov 19, 2024 | newengland.com | Ian Aldrich

Holiday spirit, in all its forms, burned bright. It was just after lunch on an early December day, and families were busy soaking up the sights and goodies in the gift shop at Santa’s Land USA, a 42-acre theme park in Putney, Vermont. The fireplace crackled, illuminated presents glowed, and a selection of Christmas tree ornaments spangled the walls.

Sep 5, 2024 | newengland.com | Ian Aldrich

Tom Furrier wants to apologize for “the mess.” It’s a Friday morning in May, and Furrier is trying to explain the setup of his shop, Cambridge Typewriter, a tight, shotgun-style space in Arlington, Massachusetts. Metal shelves, tables, and even the floor are lined with typewriters of different vintages—some 300 in all.