“Living in Maine” is the subject for this year’s Adult Literature Series sponsored by the Friends of Scarborough Public Library. Their latest program was highlighted by the appearance of John Ford Sr., the author of two extremely popular books, “Suddenly, the Cider Didn’t Taste So Good” and “This Cider Still Tastes Funny.”

Ford spent 20 years as a game warden for the state of Maine and, fortunately, he took the advice of his step-father and kept a diary, faithfully describing the many encounters he had with both the wildlife of Maine and its citizens, some law-abiding and some not – including poachers and murderers!

Ford explained that he always knew he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his stepfather and uncle and become a Maine game warden. However, wardens had to be at least 21 years old, so upon graduating from high school he enlisted in the Air Force, thinking he would see the world before settling down in Maine. As luck would have it, his four years in the Air Force were spent at bases in Maine, dashing his hopes for exotic travels.

He began his career as a warden in Waldo County and he soon had the standing room-only audience laughing at his amusing stories, many of them poking fun at himself – for instance there was the time when a fellow warden took him up in his float plane so that he could observe his territory from above. After an hour of swooping hither and thither, the pilot landed on a lake so that Ford could see if the two ladies fishing from their canoe had their licenses. The plane taxied over to the canoe and Ford, although feeling a bit woozy, prepared to jump down on the pontoon so that he could question the ladies. Unfortunately, he missed and plunged into the water with a mighty splash, dousing the occupants of the canoe. He never did find out if they were fishing illegally. The next program in this series will be on Jan. 19 when author and maritime historian Jim Nelson will talk about Maine maritime history.

If you find the lives of Maine game wardens intriguing, you might want to look into the excellent mysteries written by Paul Doiron, editor emeritus of Down East Magazine and a licensed Maine guide. His hero is Mike Bowditch and the first book in the series (there are now three more) is “The Poacher’s Son.”

On a beautiful Saturday in November, Board members of the Spring Point Ledge Light Trust honored this past summer’s volunteers with a delightful pasta luncheon at the McKernan Center at Southern Maine Community College. Keith Thompson, president of the board, greeted a room full of enthusiastic tour guides and gift shop attendants with the news that 2013 had been a banner year for the lighthouse, providing much-needed funds for preservation and maintenance. John McClean, treasurer, noted that total revenue for the year was $25,000 as compared to $10,000 in 2012. Visitors (3,520 as compared to 2,100 last year) spent more than $16,000 on tickets and $4,000 on items from the ticket shed gift shop.

Betty and Carolee Pojak, volunteer coordinators, thanked everyone for their efforts and asked all to spread the word for more volunteers – it is a fun way to serve both your fellow citizens and tourists from away, informing them about our local treasure, the only caisson-style lighthouse on the East Coast accessible by land and open to the public.

The Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse will be decorated for the holidays with hundreds of Christmas lights. Be sure to drive to the campus of Southern Maine Community College, take Fort Road down to the water and enjoy the view.

A busload of senior citizens from Scarborough’s 55-plus group rode to Augusta to visit the Legislature and the Maine State Museum. At the Capitol, we were escorted into the visitor’s reception room by an outstanding docent, Dan Fournier. He recounted the history of the building from its inception in 1829 to the present, informing us that the statue surmounting the dome, “The Lady of Wisdom,” was designed by Maine native, William Clark Noble. It is 15 feet high, constructed of copper and gold. The torch, held in her right hand, resembles a pine bough and in her left hand she grasps the pinecone and tassel.

Dan led us next to the Hall of Flags where four glass cases hold an historic collection of battle flags dating from the Civil War forward. A full-length portrait of Margaret Chase Smith hangs to the right of the portico door – Edward Muskie’s portrait is to the left. A painting of Angus King stands out – he is the only governor portrayed in his shirt sleeves – the artist even had to paint in his non-existent tie!

Since the Legislature was not in session, we were able to sit at the members’ desks and observe the microphone, the green button marked “Yea,” the red button marked “Nay” and the yellow button used to call a page. When the Legislature is in session, members cannot leave their seats, but must call a page to deliver messages to other members. Members must also ask for permission to speak and when recognized by the Chair, can only speak to the Chair, glancing neither to the right or left. A camera automatically switches to each speaker and his words are recorded.

We barely had time for a quick visit to the Senate and a hurried lunch in the Cross Cafe?. Then it was off to the Maine State Museum where a knowledgeable but rushed docent led us to the fascinating exhibit, “Maine Voices From the Civil War.” I was particularly pleased to view the famous (notorious) mural hijacked by Gov. LePage and hidden from the public for many months. Displayed in the lobby of the museum and highly visible, it is accompanied by panels offering detailed information about the events and people immortalized in this impressive work.

Marta Bent lives in Scarborough.