Life is short. We all know that. Making the best of each moment, each day creates opportunities and memories for a lifetime. Passion for Life is about these moments.

In this book there are 50 journeys that reflect on my family, friends, mentors, athletic teams I played on, competing in triathlons, marathons, ultra marathons, engaging in spiritual journeys and playing the game I love - baseball. The book also brings to light the challenges that I have had and how I have overcome them.

The stories in Passion for Life are all true. I hope this book inspires you to move forward with your goals and bucket list. Procrastination is our worst enemy, don't let it be yours. I hope this book motivates you to step up to the plate now and begin swinging the bat.

John Ford, retired Maine game warden, returns with book 3 of tales from his long career as a game warden in Maine. Each of them are filled with actual events and experiences, written as short stories, mostly humorous in nature, of the many great experiences the young game warden remembered the most.

Robert (Bobby) Charles grew up among eagles and evergreens in rural Maine. His enchanting, sometimes arresting, tales convey inspiration from place and people, love of a small town, influence of aging veterans. His stories take readers to unexpected places, often swirl to unexpected endings.
Over four seasons, he describes Maine half a century ago - smelting and rescuing ice houses, moose encounters and indoor ermine, raising mischievous rabbits and conversing with pigs, hunting a legendary football-sized emerald and learning from legendary World War II vets.
He takes readers down through thin ice, and up spires of one-match fires. He lollygags Dead River and confronts hair-raising disorientation out on the open sea. He rolls from distance running to downhill skiing, comedy to calamity, whimsy to courage with a fluid pen. Gratitude pervades this volume. Light shines from each essay. Along the way, bits of illumination, encouragement, humor and reflection paint a bigger picture. Like a pointillist, he dabs the canvas gently, turning discrete dots into a cogent, uplifting whole.
The impression left is redeeming, the celebration of self-reliance and interdependence, together the essence of all Maine towns. He reminds readers of timeless contentment in nature and human connectivity, both ultimately restorative.
At heart, his vignettes celebrate freedom, and honor those who risked their lives to preserve it. The author credits good neighbors, good fortune, and thoughtfully taught good humor for his later doings.

Over four seasons, he describes Maine half a century ago - smelting and rescuing ice houses, moose encounters and indoor ermine, raising mischievous rabbits and conversing with pigs, hunting a legendary football-sized emerald and learning from legendary World War II vets.
He takes readers down through thin ice, and up spires of one-match fires. He lollygags Dead River and confronts hair-raising disorientation out on the open sea. He rolls from distance running to downhill skiing, comedy to calamity, whimsy to courage with a fluid pen. Gratitude pervades this volume. Light shines from each essay. Along the way, bits of illumination, encouragement, humor and reflection paint a bigger picture. Like a pointillist, he dabs the canvas gently, turning discrete dots into a cogent, uplifting whole. The impression left is redeeming, the celebration of self-reliance and interdependence, together the essence of all Maine towns. He reminds readers of timeless contentment in nature and human connectivity, both ultimately restorative. At heart, his vignettes celebrate freedom, and honor those who risked their lives to preserve it. The author credits good neighbors, good fortune, and thoughtfully taught good humor for his later doings.
From Maine's woods and lakes, Charles found his way to Dartmouth, Oxford and Columbia Law School. From there, he clerked, entered law practice, spent time in two White Houses, conducted oversight for Congress and taught. Along the way, he became a Navy Intelligence Officer, and served as Assistant Secretary of State to Colin Powell. He and his wife have two children. Living away, he has stayed close to the town he still calls home.

Follow along as I retrace the steps of my life's journey while fulfilling that dream of so long ago, my story of pursuing and Living the Dream as a State of Maine Game Warden. Meet the many characters and enjoy some of the crazy antics that I had the opportunity to deal with over the 20 years of my great career, including many of the wild animals that I loved being around. Share in the humor and the many interesting scenarios of what life on the beat as a District Game Warden was really like. These real-life incidents were recorded directly from my daily diaries. Diaries that I kept during my great career. I owe the fact that I kept those diaries to my mentor and stepfather, Retired Warden Vernon Walker. --John Ford, Retired Maine Game Warden

John has been writing a monthly column for my publication, the Northwoods SportingJournal, for many years now. His work is always humorous and fun. More than that, though, it is uplifting, just like John is as a person. Somewhere along the way, John and I became friends. His gift goes far beyond his commendable capacity to resurrect compelling stories from his old Warden diaries. His true gift is simply his outlook, the way he looks at life. To see other people and your own life through a prism that filters out the dark side of the human condition and sees the good and the funny side of life so often and so consistently is noteworthy - and this attribute lends itself to enjoyable books and heartwarming stories.
Congratulations on another wonderful book, my friend. Thanks for living the dream, and for sharing it with us all.
-- V. Paul Reynolds, Editor
Northwoods Sporting Journal

In Glaciers & Granite David Kendall vividly explains why Maine's landscape is so geologically varied and interesting. Whether you want to read about one particular place or to explore all of the state's outstanding features, Glaciers & Granite is the perfect guide.

For more than four decades, Bill Geagan was Maine's leading outdoors writer. This

unforgettable book-part memoir, part ode to nature's wonders-recounts a young

Geagan's attempt to flee his family's conventional expectations by building a solitary

and self-reliant life in Maine's pristine wilderness. Long regarded by Mainers as the

pinnacle of nature writing, this new 70 th Anniversary edition ensures that Nature I

Loved will be read for generations to come.

When we are in the right place at the right time with the right gear, a Hex hatch can be one of the most exciting experiences in fly fishing. The author's own excitement comes through loud and clear in this thorough and entertaining guide to the Hex hatch in Northern New England. Wass writes in a friendly, chatty, and light-hearted conversational style. He explains where to go and how to prepare for the challenges of fishing at or after dark. I've marked my calendar to get out there and put his advice to work. --David Van Wie, author of Storied Waters and The Confluence.

This guide to the special words and phrases of rural New England speech is funny and frequently outrageous. Through words and pictures it is also a genuine reflection of the colorful lifestyle of the region. The outdoor flavor and directness of the Yankee tradition come to life on every page. No household should be without at least one copy.

Ron Chase's storytelling skills have been honed through decades of practice recounting tales of outdoor escapades around the campfire. In this delightful collection he colorfully recounts the highlights with warmth and wit, certain to appeal to armchair travelers as well as ambitious outdoor adventurers looking for inspiration for their next trip. Lively tales followed by practical information make this book a complete package that is both entertaining and instructive.

- HELEN HESS, President, Penobscot Paddle & Chowder Society

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Ron Chase has captured the best of Maine outdoors in his new book. Each chapter is an exciting adventure that will stimulate and inspire readers much as he has done in his regular column with our publication.

-LAURIE STEELE, Publisher, Twin City Times and Gorham Weekly.

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Ron entertains readers with a number of short stories about his outdoor adventures in Maine. He ends each story with a useful guide providing information for those with an interest in venturing out on their own. Unique and nicely done.

-DAN PELLETIER, Master Maine Guide and owner of Maine Guiding

Mushrooms are fruit bodies of fungi that support plant and human health, as well as Maine's economy. Consumption of fresh mushrooms has boomed in recent years -- sales of medicinal mushroom supplements have soared. Enthusiasts are also scouring the woods to forage more mushrooms.

Watercolors portray some of Maine's wild species, tasty recipes spice up the pages, plus tips are provided on how to grow mushrooms at home.

Come take a ride on Waldo County's Railroad The Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad was chartered in 1867, but never made it to Moosehead Lake. An independent railroad until 2006, this railroad has hauled freight and passengers for 150 years This is an unforgettable story about a railroad that has survived two world wars, the collapse of commercial poultry in Waldo County and gone into the tourist railroad excursion business to survive All aboard

In Mark Nickerson's second book, Behind the Blue Lights, in addition to his usual hilarious stories of life as a Maine State Trooper, Mark delves deeper into the reasons people become law enforcement officers, and offers some poignant insight into the difficulties of life behind the blue lights. It's not all fun and games being a cop, and in this book Mark shows us both the humor and heartbreak behind the badge. As an added bonus, Mark has included stories from the archives of the Maine State Police, some heartwarming stories from another Maine State Trooper and the son of a Howland police chief who explain how the Maine State Police made a big impression on their lives as children. You'll laugh out loud at the rendition offered by one of Mark's friends as she meets the Nissen bread man (aka Warden John Ford). Then, you might take pause when reading the story of Patty and her Bicycle,it's a stark look at the emotional side of police work when dealing with children and death notifications. The last chapter offers a heartrending reminder of the ultimate price some police officers pay in the line of duty. Mark and his legendary friend, John Ford, former Maine Game Warden, Sheriff, and now author, delight audiences in Maine and beyond with their tales of law enforcement back in the day in their Blue Lights and Funny Cider tour. See their website at www.oldcops.com.

With humor and a keen sense of appreciation for the beauty of

a fading ower petal and the swollen belly of a well-fed leech,

Jennifer Neves's essays pull readers from one boundary of her

42-acre farm to the next. From the trickle of winter melt in a

muddy streambed to the catch and release of a family of

skunks, Neves's essays never fail to make the case for rural life.

The roots of her family cannot be detangled from those of the

cherry tree or the trillium ower, and Neves playfully investigates

why this might be so. Her words invite the reader to

share in self-discovery, in reverence for the land, and in the

sometimes quiet, but most often astonishingly loud business

of raising a handful of feral children.

The story of Waterville and its surrounds is one of astonishingly rapid growth and
prosperity. The city flourished on the wave of the Second Industrial Revolution. Its
ever-multiplying mills drew workers from around the world, and its streets were filled
with merchants of every kind.
The boom, of course, could not last, and before the end of the 20th century Waterville
had barely anything to do with the water at all. The once-thriving industries were all
gone, and the proud river city, like so many others in the north, began a long struggle
to reinvent itself and recover its missing pride.

It's been twenty-eight years since a major art heist rocked Boston. March 18 is significant not only to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, but it is the date that represents the legal date of Kate Flannagan's divorce.

Once inside the venerable walls of ancient history and iconic works of art, Kate must navigate through a maze of feelings that also involve a grandmother whose life had been transformed because of art in the 1930s.

But nothing is more difficult for Kate on that day than walking the galleries where every breath she takes, every corner she turns, and every remnant of her perfume lingers because of a man called Angus.

Chicago born and bred, Cody Haskell is overjoyed to receive a 10^th birthday gift of two weeks with his grandparents in Cundy's Harbor, Maine. By the end of his visit, Cody has filled a scrapbook recording new experiences like lobstering with his granddad, kayaking, hooking a shark, hiking on the Appalachian Trail, and moose, whale and windjammer-spotting. He has discovered that moxie is much more than a drink, it's the best possible description of the gutsy spirit and inventiveness of Maine's people.

This is a collection of excursions through Maine's woods and fields during the time of the most gorgeous weather in the world. Inside these essays are the science and experience of what the world looks like when you turn a transparent eye to the energies bubbling up in the flora, fauna and summer starlight of backyard Maine.