The view from Tim Lewis’ Boothbay Harbor home is beautiful, especially during the summer when the noon sun reflects off the Atlantic, and the seaweed-adorned shipwrecks still wasting in the harbor peek out at low tide. Light from the bay window similarly illuminates the vases that decorate almost every surface of the house. 

Lewis has been collecting since he was young, first from the cleaned-out attics of neighbors, and now, as an adult, from a mix of consignment shops, travels abroad, gifts and online shopping. There’s Czech Bohemian, Japanese Naritaki, Venetian murano glass shaped like calla lilies, and countless others. He currently has 363.   

Next door to Lewis’ is the Mid-Town Motel, which his parents, Carl and Mary, opened in 1955. The motel is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, 66 of those years under Lewis family care. After his father died in the 80s, Lewis ran the motel with his mother and continued the business until he sold it in 2022.  

“My father had a good personality. I used to watch how he would handle people. He could take a negative situation and turn it around and make it a positive,” Lewis explained. 

This includes one occasion where a long-time guest, rather than reversing, accidentally drove his car into his room. After the matter (and insurance) was settled, the guest was invited to have Mary’s beef stew dinner.  

“I would take his lesson... finding a hole in the problem somewhere and working it out in a reasonable way. You usually came out good, but that is a gift, if you can do that, especially in business.”

Positivity isn’t just a business strategy for Lewis, but a philosophy to live by. He’s a champion of the power of positive thinking, keeping a stack of laminated affirmations in his living room.  

“In this world today, that's spinning so fast and with so much anger, I think spreading kindness is a much better thing to do.” 

This approach has gained Lewis friends all over the world. There are the former motel guests and their children (and grandchildren) who still stop by for a chat, the 26 years' worth of international students who worked at the motel and who are responsible for some of Lewis’ vase collection, and the pen pals Lewis has gained traveling across the western United States and Europe. 

“How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it,” reads Lewis’ calling card. Under the text is a local seascape accented with a burst of red and yellow tulips at its base. Written on the back, surrounded by suns and rainbows, is Lewis' contact info. These are handed out to people he strikes up conversations with, whether it's his seat buddy on an airplane or someone he meets in the Swiss Alps. They often get back to him.  

“I always say kindness is contagious. It spreads.” 

But for all his travels, Lewis is still a Mainer at heart, and proud of it. His birth certificate from St. Andrews and accent are badges of honor.

“(Guest would) always come in, and they'd ask me, ‘Have you lived here all your life?’ And I said, ‘Not yet,’” he recalled, laughing.  

His penchant for “local flair” is a founding principle of his BRTV segment "Chasing Time", an interview show highlighting the interesting characters and places in our slice of the Midcoast. His latest episode features the Carousel Theater, which is simultaneously celebrating 50 years in operation, and the 70th anniversary of the filming of the movie musical “Carousel” in Boothbay Harbor. The cast of which stayed at the Mid-Town motel, and gave Lewis’ parents a day-pass to the set. 

Lewis has always had a fascination with talk shows, remembering his days spent watching the likes of David Frost, Johnny Carson and Phil Donahue on his TV. “I used to think, ‘Boy, how they can craft that conversation (into) a really neat interview, an easy flow.’” 

In 2023, Lewis approached the then-manager of BRTV, Jon Trees, armed with advice from frequent motel guest Rob Caldwell of News Center Maine: let the conversation flow, listen to people, don’t be abrupt. The rest is history. Asking for a favorite episode is difficult, as Lewis has a fondness for all of them, but the episode about the six generations of family behind Hodgdon Yachts stands out.  

“The show has been great for me because I miss my contact with my wonderful guests at the motel, so it has filled that void for me.”  

Lewis also likes to be busy, even if it's just walking on a local trail, playing his piano or entertaining his two cats, Pepsi and Ivy, who hide away at the sight of a guest. “It's good to retire, which I love, but I think keeping that old mind busy is good for your health." 

All episodes of Chasing Time can be found online (https://vimeo.com/showcase/10360848)