Maggie Norton

Maggie Norton is one example of what America is all about

Ms. Norton is 103 years old.  She was born in the town of Cold Spring Harbor, NY, on the north shore of Long Island.  In fact, she has lived virtually her entire life in Cold Spring Harbor - she's been there since 1918.

But what makes Maggie Norton so great is her book - "Maggie's Memories: A View on Cold Spring Harbor."  This paper-bound "book" - on sale at Sweetie Pies, the local bakery - shares Maggie's memories of who lived where, what the town was like, and how it's changed.

Just an hour away from Brooklyn, Cold Spring Harbor is a delightfully quiet and boring little town.  The main street is just a few blocks, and boasts the bakery, a pricey children's boutique, several antique stores, a few restaurants, and a fire engine museum.  There is something remarkable about the idea that this tiny woman has watched the town change from horse-and-buggy to SUV and from letter-writing to smartphones.  She actually lived there when the antique fire engine from 1933 (one of three vehicles on display in the aforementioned "museum") was in use.  Is there another generation that will see such an incredible shift in how life is lived?   When Maggie was a child digging up clams with her feet, did she ever imagine she would live to be 103 (and, apparently, have a personal trainer!)?

We love charming waterside villages - it seemed that wherever we went in Europe, we ended up in a charming fishing village - Anstruther, Scotland; Honfleur, Normandy; Amalfi, Italy; Deba, Spain.  There's no real reason to jump up and plan an outing to Cold Spring Harbor (unless you have a child ages 2-6 who would really enjoy the fire engines and feeding the hatchery fish).  But the idea of Maggie Norton's life has stuck with me all week (despite three visits to the ER in five days for my kids- but I'll save that for a future discussion of American vs French healthcare).  What she's seen, and that she recorded it for the future.  There's something uniquely American about it all.