Howard and I had the opportunity to travel several times with our sister-in-law, Florence Hall, to Jackson where Florence has had exams and received a new prosthetic eye. It is amazing the work that Ottie Thomas- Smith, president of the Anaplastologist/Ocularist Association, does in her Maine office located in the woods on a back road. There Smith makes custom prostheses at her Jackson lab (she also has offices in Boston and Portland). On display at her lab are ears, noses, cheeks, eyes, hands, fingers and other parts of the human body that she makes there. The trays of artificial eyes in just the right color are a sight to see.

A recent article in the Bangor Daily News told about a LaGrange man who had been shot in the eye and Smith had placed a new prosthetic eye for the injured man, who said “it made him a better person.”

Ottie told me that extreme disfigurements in the cranio-maxillo facial area after cancer or an accident can be corrected in an aesthetically pleasing way by plastic surgical operations. Ottie’s services include maxillo-facial prosthetics including orbital, nasal, ears and composite facial devices, artificial eyes, Hydrophilic bio-coat, scleral shell prostheses, Tracheostoma speech prostheses and finger prostheses.

Florence Hall of Kingfield is pictured with Ottie Thomas-Smith at her office in Jackson, near Brooks, Maine. Ottie had just provided Florence with a new artificial eye. (Laura Dunham photo) It was several years ago that Florence lost her eye to infection and has been very pleased with Ottie’s work and especially with her new eye that is hard to detect “from the real thing.” Of course, there is the problem of the eye falling out but with just the right tool Florence and I have conquered that problem, just ask the crew at NorthStar Ambulance or our dear nurses at Edgewood Manor Nursing Home “it’s a simple procedure.” Smith has been in private practice since 1981.

Ten former New Portland students (now members of the senior citizen era) traveled to Pineland Farms in New Gloucester Wednesday for their August outing. Dise Dunham said it was a fun day traveling by trolley at the Pineland Farm to see all the barns, gardens, the cheese making facility and other sites. The “girls” then traveled on to Shaker Village for a tour. It was nice that my friend and former classmate, Fay Young MacFarland formerly of New Portland now of Searcy, Ark., could spend the day with all her New Portland friends. Fay and I hit the bingo circuit on Saturday night.

Several members of the Stratton Strutters Red Hat group traveled to Strong Friday night to attend the Community Playhouse Misfits presentation of “Which Witch, Which Wizard?” at the Strong school for their August outing. Dora Tibbetts said the play was well attended and featured about eight scenes along with 21 community members taking part in the production. Even State Rep. Tom Saviello had a part in the play, which was written and directed by Beverly Knapp. Everyone enjoyed desserts too, said Dora. The September outing will be hosted by Sharon Farnsworth.

Don’t forget Phillips Old Home week and of course the major event will be the Phillips Old Home Day Parade at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20. It’s a wonderful event; all week long there are activities.

Then in New Portland Saturday, Aug. 21 there will be a daylong list of activities at Lexington Old Home Days at Happy Horseshoe Campground with a silent auction to benefit the construction of a new historical house in Lexington. There are so many wonderful prizes including lift tickets to the Saddleback and Sugarloaf ski areas, tickets to a whale watch in Bar Harbor and many, many more items. The auction will close at 1:30 p.m. so come early and “watch your bids.” My job for the day is right up my alley —I will be interviewing senior citizens for their life history for the new Lexington Historical House memorabilia room.

My congratulations go out to “one of my kids,” Scott Fotter and his new bride, Hillary, of Eustis who were married Saturday.

My prayers also go out to my dear friend Ruth White... feel better soon.

It was so good to see my sister, Marilyn Clark, of New Hampton, N.H., her grandson, Michael, and great-grandson, Casey, who came Saturday for the New Portland Alumni Association gathering. We hadn’t seen each other for months but thank goodness for the telephone system we speak about every day and of course she is an avid Irregular reader.