Bayville Beat, Boothbay Register, July 19, 2007
By Peter Jordan, Columnist

One of the few young people in Bayville who did NOT go for a tube ride last week was Jane Stover. All the other kids were dragged and slung relentlessly around Linekin Bay by Chuck "Whiplash" Wolfram, and at last count, as many tube riders had returned to the dock as had left it.

Julie Merrill is considering adding competitive tubing to the Third International Bayville Water Festival Saturday, July 28, with prizes for endurance and form. Also featured will be the usual seaweed toss and 5K race (give or take a decimal point here and there).

Last week's work day saw the Merrill crew continuing their tradition of neighborly kindness, trimming a tree so their uphill neighbors could get a better view of Linekin Bay. Let's hope everyone downstream from anyone else looks up at their neighbors and considers whether a little tree-work wouldn't help share the ocean with someone else.

Also on Work Day, a Freundlich/ Brittingham, Roger Stover, and Merrill crew pulled weeds and cut bamboo at the Friendship Garden, while Connie Fletcher and still more Merrills worked on sprucing up the post office.

And while we're on the subject of Merrills, Nelson Jordan has an acute case of Stockholm Syndrome and is doing whatever Annette asks.

"Was Lou really napping while Nancy was swabbing the decks of the QE III?" asks one resentful feminist. No response from Lou except a snore.

And speaking of dominant women, Betty LaPointe has forced all of her neighbors and friends to go to the yarn store every day in her quest to win the 'going out of business' contest.

Nancy Coleman returned from Ohio where she nursed son Jimmy and visited friends. She was reportedly horrified to discover what well-meaning neighbors had done to the Friendship Garden.

An SUV full of Fletchers rolled into town at 2 a.m. Sunday and took The Ledge by storm.

Sailing professional Cap'n Nathaniel Merrill had to take the red-eye from the finish of the Transpac race in Seattle to make the Linekin Ledges Regatta on Saturday. Celebration was 5th (out of more than five boats, he wants us to know!)

Still virtually present in 04536 while Greg Merrill digs on-site dirt, the Bayville Beat plans a near-future return. Meanwhile, the world is flat: flick your Bayville news onto the Internet and fire it this way - peterjordan@mind spring.com.