Truthfully, I'm more of a Thanksgiving person than a Christmas person. I prefer rich food to rich presents; giving thanks to getting gifts (though I never say no).

I'm thankful that the United States Postal Service is still solvent (as of this writing). Because they are, and because of our great partners at local printer Edison Press, Laudholm members should shortly receive in their mailboxes our latest gift and thank-you: the fall issue of our Watermark newsletter and one-of-a-kind greeting card.

T'is the season, so in the Watermark package we're also asking our friends and members to send a contribution to our Annual Fund before December 31st. Even if you've never given to us before, you can start by signing up as a member on Giving Tuesday (November 27) or any time this holiday season.

Watermark went to press before we could put in a mention of something else we're recently thankful for: some great new friends at the Corning plant in Kennebunk.

A Tour of Corning and Early Presents

Last month, Wells Reserve lab manager Jeremy Miller and I took a morning jaunt over to meet Quality Engineering Supervisor Heidi Brown and get a tour of Corning's ultra-modern, 200,000-square-foot precision plastics manufacturing facility. They're likely the largest employer in Kennebunk, but you'd never know it from their humble exterior visible right off the exit 25 offramp. A small army of people and a vast array of robots toil three shifts a day at the factory, cranking out disposable plastic laboratory equipment (vials, trays, tubes, and dishes) for use throughout the research world.

Of course, when we learned what was made there, Wells Reserve researcher Jeremy and I wanted to see the operation firsthand. How often do any of us get to see how the things we use on a daily basis are actually made? Heidi took us on a fascinating walk through the squealing, whirring, burnt-plastic-smelling inner workings of the factory. At the end of the tour, she presented Jeremy with a month's supply of pipettes, graduated cylinders, and even a calibrated auto pipettor. Jeremy and I were gleeful—this is equipment Wells Reserve researchers use every day to monitor our coastal waters and ecosystem health.

We're so thankful to our friends at Corning and hope this sets the stage for a long and fruitful partnership between our two science organizations. Shop local, even when it comes to lab equipment, we say.

Another Great Year

We're thankful to be closing out another remarkable year here on the hill. The staff and volunteers of the Laudholm Trust and Wells Reserve have been working doubly hard these past several months and the impending holidays, those periods of drowsy contemplation in between multi-dish meals, are a just reward for so deserving a crew. May we all digest in peace.

From all of us here at the Laudholm Trust, happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Eat well, be merry, and give thanks.