Guess what? Monday is Sept. 2, is Labor Day, the symbolic “end of summer.” And on Tuesday, Sept. 3, guess what? All our little offspring go trooping back to school. Ah, cherish the days.

The Edgecomb Fire Department announces that First Responders are back on the team! With former Fire Chief Barry Johnston's retirement, there has been a gap in this vital service, but it is now filled by present Fire Chief Roy Potter and one other, whose name I have missed, but will provide next column. Well done, Roy and colleague.

Historian Jay Robbins will give a talk on “Colonial Spirits,” to the Newcastle Historical Society, Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Community Room in the Newcastle Fire Station on River Road. No, this is not about Halloween. It is about the backbone of the New England economy: Rum!

In response to the Cochran Quilt names, I got a nice note from Elizabeth Sproul of Waldoboro: "When I was small, about 80 years ago, my grandparents visited Willie and Sarah (Dodge) [Cochran] and his father in Edgecomb. My great grandmother would have been a sister to Almeda Bornheimer, wife of Augustino Cochran (1824-1864), parents of Willie and Sarah [who married a Dodge]. [Mrs. Sproul's grandparents] also visited with [Sarah's daughter] Bessie Haggett in Newcastle. Leon and Rena often came to visit them in Waldoboro. I expect you are hearing from other Cochran relations." Well, no, Mrs. Sproul, you are the first such response, and I thank you heartily! The Willie Cochran mentioned above was, of course, the father of our well-known Edgecomb resident, Willie Cochran. I was not able to reach Mrs. Sproul to clarify who Leon and Rena were. Can someone else help straighten me out? Here we go with Row 4: 4.1: no name, 4.2: Eveline C. Chadbourne, 4.3: Mrs. Lorring (Loring?), 4.4: Rev. Joseph Lorring (Loring?), 4.5: Angeline Gove, 4.6: Carol Sisso (Sisson?) Marshall Age 76 Years, 4.7: Mr. Willred Haggethary (Haggarty?)

Bravo Alley: Maggie Hunter of the Maine Department of Marine Resources has received The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's annual Award of Excellence, in the area of scientific, technical and advisory contributions, particularly for her years of work analyzing the overall conditions of our populations of shrimp, herring, sea urchins, groundfish, and other sea life. This award is from a group that covers the whole Atlantic seaboard, her spouse Van Reid tells me. “It amounts to a lifetime achievement award.”

Eben Blaney's sleek side table was featured at the Lincoln Arts Festivals boatyard art show and sale this past Friday to Sunday. 

Bob Crink called to urge us to try the blueberry pies made by the son of the late “Phil the Baker” down Route 27 in Boothbay. This is relevant because Phil's first stand was in Edgecomb, and he was at one time an Edgecomb resident.

Paul Kando, our on and off neighbor, is one of five finalists nominated for the annual People's Choice Award by the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Paul is tireless in his advocacy for a sustainable, socially responsible, and balanced economy built on the production of goods, rather than just services, retail sales, and tourism. You can follow this link to cast a vote for Paul: www.nrcm.org/peoples_choice_vote.asp

Last Saturday, David Nutt was the featured speaker at the Boothbay Harbor One Design Association meeting at the Juniper Point Community House on McKown Point. He discussed his plans to build new One Designs, classic 21-foot sloops, from fiberglass, with a variety of updated details.

Meanwhile I remain safely moored at 234 River Road, 207-633-2978, jocam@tidewater.net.