LATE BREAKING APPLE INFO: Just got a call from Bob Lievens who has three Woodmont Orchard locations in NH. He says his Hollis farm has three grafted opalescent trees! He describes them as an enormous red apple that has to be picked at the right moment or it goes waxy, ideal for baking, and very pretty. The tree picks in October and his Hollis farm number is 603-465-7713. Seems we do know everything after all!
http://www.state.nh.us/agric/apples.html
http://ceinfo.unh.edu/

I do not, of course, agree with John Wilkes' course of action. His standing as a hugely popular actor is overlooked because of that. His older brother, Edwin Booth, was the first truly great American Shakespearean actor, a Lincoln supporter, and had even saved the life of Robert Todd Lincoln. I would argue that Edwin is still the greatest Shakespearean actor we have produced. Tudor Hall is still in great danger. HCCC is still interested in making a bid for the property at the auction, but needs to raise funds. They are interested in restoring it and preserving it, in conjunction with their theatre program. Would you please pass the word along to your readers that donations for Tudor Hall purchase/restoration can be sent to :

Harford County Community College Foundation, c/o Office of the President, Harford County Community College, 401 Thomas Run Road. Bel Air, MD 21015

The President of the College is Dr. Claudia Chiesi and may be reached at 410-836-4492. If they are unsuccessful in acquiring the hall, all funds will be returned. You may also visit the Surratt Society website for more info at www.surratt.org. It would be a shame to stand by and watch this piece of our history disappear.
Karen Fanale
fanale@scrdesign.com
http://www.seacoastnh.com/lincoln/death1.html

My name is John Estabrook and the island hermit of which you speak was my grandmothers brother thus of course making him my mothers uncle. His name was Raymond Phillips but all of us kids; in fact all the family referred to him as "Uncle Ray". You referred to him as a "NY stock broker", this being the first fictional fact. He was indeed from New York but he was a rather successful food scientist with a degree from the University of New York. He had a small sloop that he used to sail up the New England coast on week ends and whenever he got the chance. He loved the ocean. I am not sure of the details, but as my grandmother told me, he got tired of the city and after sailing the maine coast so many times, he decided that he would settle on manana island.

This brings me to your second fictional fact. He never "snapped". He was one of the most genuine, intelligent and loving individuals I have ever known. He knew who he was and he lived his life simply being him. I remember walking through the woods of Upton, MA with him when I was a very young child and we would walk on these long trips through thick woods and I remember asking him how it was that he never got lost and he would tell me how you could look at where the sun was or the moon or the stars and you could always find your direction. He would say that the woods had signs in them like the city except that you read them differently...a certain patch of trees over there...a rock formation on the slope over there...the sound of the brook coming from over there.

I remember when he would visit my grandmother in Ashland, MA. I would sit on his lap and touch his long black and grey beard that felt like wire; The smell of his pipe tobacco that seemed to permeate his thick woolen shirts and he would tell me stories for hours. If he "snapped", then maybe we should all figure out how and do it ourselves. As far as "escaping the world" as you put it, that could not be further from the truth. He loved the world he lived in. He would often spend his summers in Canada. Harvesting wheat on small farms for money to carry him through the winter on the island. He was quite often asked to speak to grammar school children in Canada and the children loved his talks...he was always invited back the following year.

It was around 1974 or 75. It was winter. He used to row across the water to Monhegan to get his mail and staples. He was 86 or 87 at the time. He was a rugged man but the residents of Monhegan kept an eye out for him. It was a bitter cold winter eve and someone noticed that he was rowing his boat in circles. One of the lobster men went out and discovered that one of his arms had frozen in the cold winter mist and he only had the use of one arm. He got pneumonia and some say that he never really recovered. At the time, he had twenty-three sheep and a big white duck named "Donald". One evening shortly after his bout with pneumonia, As the lobster boats were coming in to Monhegan, his duck was quacking loudly and trying to swim out to the boats. The fisherman all thought it odd. That night the people on Monhegan noticed that his lantern light that could be seen from Monhegan Island was not lit. They grew concerned and when they went over they found him dead on the floor of his shack.

It was my grandmother, myself and my aunt and uncle that went up to Manana to lay him to rest. It was then that I discovered that Andrew Wyeth was fond of him and had painted a few portraits of him. There is also a Childrens book that was written about him titled "The Island Shepherd", it has many photographs of him and the island. I don't remember the authors name but the book is now with my sister in SC. His obituary appeared in many newspapers; From boston to Ohio. No, he was not a stockbroker. No, he did not snap. He was simply a man who knew who he was and knew what he wanted. He lived his life to the fullest. I think we could all learn a lesson from "Uncle Ray". But then again, if we did, would we have the guts to act on it.
John Estabrook
Johnestabrook@webtv.net

EDITOR'S REPLY: Thanks for your great humanizing letter. As too many people do, we just took in the legends we were told at the local museum and via Monhegan Island promoters. The info comes from newspapers on display there, and we mean "snapped" only in the most positive complimentary way. If we had not snapped long ago, we would not be creating this free web site all day and night. Hermits don't all live on islands, you know. Many thanks again. We'll link your letter to our site for the true story to be told.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please072697.html