Stonington & Deer Isle—Then & Now clearly illustrates that you have a passion for local history. Tell us how this came about.

I’ve always been interested in island history, especially the landscape, how some things have changed a lot and some things not much at all. My great-grandmother and my father would tell me all about what used to be here or there, and it got me quite interested. Local historian Clayton Gross got me interested as well.

What prompted you to create this book?

I came across a book at a bargain sale that was about the old Route 66, and it had a then-and-now feature. It showed a picture on the left page of whatever it was back in its prime, and on the right page it showed what it looked like now. It might be fixed up nice or run down or not there at all. I really liked that premise and thought it would be a good book for around here.

What are your sources for the old photographs in the book?

The old pictures were from ones I had collected and some that friends and relatives had. Some are from the Deer Isle-Stonington Historical Society.

Describe your process for taking new photos to accompany the old ones.

I tried to stand as close as I could to the same spot from which the old photo was taken to get the same angle. By doing this it made it a lot easier to compare the photos to see the changes or, in some cases, no changes. It was a little challenging because the old cameras took pictures a little differently than modern ones, and I’m not a photographer.

Do you have plans for another book?

I do have plans for Volume 2, but this COVID mess has slowed things down a lot. I can’t get into the historical society or talk in person with people, but I’m trying!