Neighborhood: Pine Point
In Scarborough since: Summers since birth, year-round since 2022
Grew up in: Cape Elizabeth
Former winter home: California
What brought you here?
My grandparents bought a cottage on Pine Point in 1947. I’ve spent every summer here since I was born. We would leave Cape Elizabeth the day after school finished and rarely return until Labor Day. It was magical to be so close and to feel like we moved away.
In 2006, I bought a house one street away from the family home. I rented it for a while and now live there full-time.
What did you do in California?
I’m a therapist and I was Director of Mental Health at a college in Saratoga. That allowed me to come back every summer.
Why did you choose to retire here?
I probably always planned to return to Maine in retirement. In fact, people often asked, “when are you coming back?” Maine is where my family is, and my lifelong friends as well.
What are some of your favorite childhood memories of Pine Point?
We always enjoyed the penny candy counter at Longfellows. We would go around the neighborhood collecting returnables to pay for it. Mr. Longfellow would always give us a hard time about it, saying we didn’t buy the beverages there.
Every Fourth of July there were bonfires on the beach. Most of the ten streets off East Grand would have their own fire, made from wood and scraps people had been saving. It was kind of a competition to see whose was largest.
It is also fun to have Old Orchard Beach nearby. It’s a different world – amusements, food, weekly fireworks.
How was Pine Point different then?
There was more open land. As a kid, you could bike to more wild areas along the marsh and the point.
Do you have a favorite time of day or year at Pine Point?
I love the sunrise over Prouts Neck, and I like the hot, dry days of August. To me, there’s nothing better. Summer is slipping away and you’re grateful for every day. I love seeing people using the beach.
In winter, I like cross-country skiing on the beach when the conditions are just right. Once when Scarborough Downs was still open, I was skiing while trainers were exercising their racehorses, and they were running alongside me. That was pretty unique.
Why did you help form the Pine Point Association?
Over the years, there were informal attempts to establish neighborhood groups. We saw that when other beach communities needed to discuss something with the town (like plowing or sweeping), they were more effective because they had an established group to speak with one voice. We now have the ability to do that. As property owners and residents, we share many of the same concerns about safety, cleanliness, traffic, parking. We can now have a dialogue about those issues.
What has it been like launching a neighborhood association?
Well, it hasn’t been without its bumps! When any organization is formed, there are differences in how to get started, what to focus on, who should do what, and so forth. We’re half a year into it, and we’re now running more smoothly and accomplishing some great things for the residents and visitors of Pine Point.
What is your greatest hope for Pine Point?
I hope it remains a place that people are proud of – where visitors feel welcome, and everyone feels safe. I’d feel sad if it ever became exclusive.
What is your greatest hope for Scarborough?
I hope it is able to address all the needs of a growing community – housing, schools, roads, emergency services.
What is something no one in town knows about you?
I’ve been to 46 states, with four in the Southeast left to visit to cross that off the bucket list.
You serve with Heidi Davis on the Pine Point Association board. What perspective or skills does she bring to the table as a more recent arrival to Pine Point?
I appreciate that Heidi has a fresh set of eyes and approaches some of the issues we’re dealing with from a different angle than I would. We complement each other well. I’m an introvert and she’s an extrovert. We also live in different areas of Pine Point. She lives on the eastern end and is president of the Pillsbury Shores Association. I live on the western end off of East Grand Avenue.
