Made a run down the beautiful Kennebec River this week in Blood Vessel, starting out in Gardiner, south of Augusta, and ending a few miles below Bath, where Bath Iron Works is hard at work at some very large and lethal warships. Something reassuring about a big gray destroyer in this age of space-age weaponry.
We would have made the run to the river’s mouth but ran out of time and swung around just after we were passed by the Marine Patrol. The officers did not give chase.
Thoughts from the river:
* Spotted eleven bald eagles along the way, including two recently fledged, squabbling over lunch on a riverbank. You’ve got to like a place where the eagles outnumber the ospreys.
* Thirty years ago, this river was an open sewer, with paper mills, slaughterhouses, and everything in between dumping their waste in, letting it be carried to the sea. No more. Thanks to George Mitchell and the Clean Water Act, the Kennebec is clean and thriving. Striped bass, sturgeon, trout, alewives. People, too, swimming, diving, kayaking, sailing. A little good news if you need a break from BP.
* Marine Patrol is a very cool job. Big boats, twin-engines, guns on their hips. I gotta get out with these guys (non-gender use). Another mystery series? Would you read it?
* Bath, Maine is a nice town. Pubs, boats, BIW, boats, the Maine Marine Museum, more boats. Life is good.
* Felt a little guilty running up the river at 30 mph when Benedict Arnold and his men had to slog in their overweight bateaux. Passing Swan Island, where he met with his generals, I wondered if they were still optimistic at that point, not knowing that the winter was closing in and disaster awaited in Quebec.
* Jack McMorrow loves a good news story; Brandon Blake loves to be on the water. Both are protagonists from my own heart.
Speaking of the water, I’m signing Saturday July 24, noon to 1 p.m. at the Bucksport Bay Festival in Bucksport, Maine. Word has it that Linda Greenlaw, of sword boat fame, will be there, too. I’m looking forward to meeting her. Come by and you can do the same.
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In PORT CITY SHAKEDOWN, the first Brandon Blake novel, Brandon gets a full dose of bad guys. A brawl in a funeral home introduces him to Joel Fuller, a sociopathic hustler. Fuller is fresh out of jail and determined to take Brandon out—after Fuller and his sidekick Kelvin shake him down.
Rocky isn’t a tough guy. He’s a skinny little kid with crooked glasses, and he shouldn’t be homeless in Portland, Maine. When McMorrow and Roxanne pluck him from under the stomping feet of a gang of street kids, Rocky latches onto McMorrow–and drags him into a world of murder, both old and new. Why is McMorrow protecting Rocky? The cops want to know. Why is Rocky on the run? McMorrow wants to know. Why does death follow in Rocky’s wake? Jack and Roxanne need to find out before they’re added to the list. 
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My Great …x7 Grandfather, Rueben Colburn built those bateaux. He’s in Arundel. It continues to be a burden but it got Colburn House state and national historic site status. I’m from Fairfield. I remember you from the paper. I have a journalism degree myself. I’m chasing the novel grail too but I chose climate change as my vehicle. As with the weather that has created a bumpy path. Crime is a good staple. Continued success.
Thanks for checking in, Mark. Anybody who can place relatives in Arundel is a true Mainer. Loved that book. Loved tracing Arnold’s route. Still think of that feat whenever I’m on the Kennebec, which is as often as possible.