Author Archives: sheilawill

You never know…Small World Stories II

Posted on December 31, 2017 by sheilawill

The former “Voice of Portland (Maine)” turned 68 on Friday. We were guests at his birthday party here in Tucson. I didn’t know him when I lived in Maine but his wife performed in Abrams and Abramson, a comedy duo … Continue reading →

Posted in Baby Boomers, Journalism/Writing, Mount Desert Island/Maine | Tagged Abrams and Abramson, Hawaii, Maine Festival, new year's eve, North Dakota pioneers, Roxane Gay, small world stories, Southwest Harbor, writer friends | Leave a comment

How I love small world stories!

Posted on December 22, 2017 by sheilawill

A few years ago, walking down 7th Street around the corner from my Tucson home, a car’s bumper sticker GotMainelobster.com jumped out at me. Whaaa? Not only was the man of the couple who lived there from Bar Harbor, Maine, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bopping Around Tucson, Fight wimpiness, Journalism/Writing, Mount Desert Island/Maine, Old friends | Tagged 7th Street couple, Bar Harbor, gotmainelobster.com, justice prevails, Maine winter, small world stories, The Twilght Zone | 2 Comments

Mahalo Hawaii

Posted on December 19, 2017 by sheilawill

A week on Hawaii’s Big Island was paradise: a perfect nonfiction writing workshop with compassionate and talented teachers; red-headed and yellow-bodied birds chirping their morning happiness, nightly stars popping out of the darkness. And new writing friends with stories that … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism/Writing, Nature Girl, The Rest of the World | Tagged active volcanoes, Akaka Falls, Circumnavigating the Big Island, Hawaii for the first time, Hilo, Kona writing workshop, new writing friends, Pacific Ocean, traveling alone | 8 Comments

My house was me and I was it…

Posted on October 6, 2017 by sheilawill

That’s no longer true. This morning marked the closing for my SWH home. My realtor says the new owners are wonderful people, hard-working, not the typical rich folks who buy second homes on Mt. Desert Island, and apparently, they’re planning … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Matters, For Love of History, Mount Desert Island/Maine, Old friends, politics | Tagged "Sheila's house", "The Big Orange Splot", growing up in Maine, incredible next-door neighbors, selling a house, small Maine community life, Southwest Harbor, wise investment strategies | 10 Comments

My Amigas

Posted on September 19, 2017 by sheilawill

Sometimes if I can’t fall asleep I count all my women friends, strong, independent, smart, funny friends, some of whom I’ve known for more than 40 years. One I’ve known since kindergarten. New amigas are precious too. I’ve enjoyed a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bopping Around Tucson, Mount Desert Island/Maine, Old friends, Uncategorized | Tagged breakfast out, exotic travel, purple strappy sandals, selling my house, Southwest Harbor, women friends | 1 Comment

Ashley’s Imponderables, tempered by beauty and love

Posted on August 17, 2017 by sheilawill

Author/artist Ashley Bryan turned 94 last month. We’ve been friends for nearly 40 years, and I can honestly say I’ve never known anyone like Ashley. And Oh, if only the world were populated more human beings like him, for you … Continue reading →

Posted in Fight wimpiness, Mount Desert Island/Maine, Old friends, Tucson Festival of Books/good books | Tagged "Freedom Over Me", Ashley Bryan, funky art, Little Cranberry Island, Love and beauty, Painting the Maine coast, Perseverance, Rainer Maria Rilke, Southwest Harbor | 6 Comments

Walk-talking, moving, and growing old(er)

Posted on August 4, 2017 by sheilawill

What do Henry David Thoreau, a retired 85-year-old Maine pediatrician, a busy Tucson graphic artist and mother of a very busy three year old, an espresso-drinking theatre couple, and I have in common? Walking. Up and down hills, mountains, along … Continue reading →

Posted in Baby Boomers, Fight wimpiness, Journalism/Writing, Mount Desert Island/Maine, Nature Girl, Old friends | Tagged benefits of movement, Central Maine, Colby College Museum of Art, growing old, Hallowell, Henry David Thoreau, Kennebec River, pickleball, The Liberal Cup | 4 Comments

Two grandmothers, a mom and dad, a younger brother — and a seemingly composed Bat Mitzvah girl

Posted on May 28, 2017 by sheilawill

Before 9 a.m. this morning, I watched a family cadre happily entering Temple E-Manuel, the synagogue down the street from our house. All smiling, they made me wonder. Would I have had a more serene life if I had been … Continue reading →

Posted in Baby Boomers, Family Matters, Food/happy hours | Tagged anxiety, Bat Mitzvahs, Cafe This Way, life choices, pseudo-Orthodox, role of religion, serenity | 2 Comments

Listening to dumb rules…

Posted on April 24, 2017 by sheilawill

Or not. We go to the Reid Park zoo once a year. It’s a fun spring outing. Ride a bike, wear a helmet and you get in free. You also get a free ice cream cone. A win-win! Plus we … Continue reading →

Posted in Bopping Around Tucson, Fight wimpiness | Tagged animal confinement, bad-ass rebellion, bicycling, Breaking rules, free stuff, lions and tigers and bears, Reid Park Zoo | 3 Comments

A few flowery days

Posted on April 16, 2017 by sheilawill

I’ve been searching out flowers. Thinking about luck and aging and history… My father was a florist in Waterbury, Connecticut, where I grew up in the 1950s. Most early mornings he headed to the wholesale market. Schmoozing while selecting fresh … Continue reading →

Posted in Baby Boomers, Bopping Around Tucson, For Love of History, Nature Girl, Old friends | Tagged Cherry Hill Gardens, Ellis Island, flowering holiday plants, immigration, Mexican border, Ocotillo, prickly pears, refugee resettlement, Waterbury | 4 Comments