I’m Jake Newman. The Portland Logbook is my love letter to this city: the food worth hunting down, the history that refuses to die, the corners you only find if you’re paying attention.

The Tree You Drive Past on Forest Ave

If you leave Portland on High Street regularly, you’ve seen the tree.

You might not realize you have, but you have.

It’s in Deering Oaks, just across State Street from the Rose Circle. Set back a little, right at the curve of the road where you’re basically facing it while waiting at the light. Huge canopy. Wide spread. Once you notice it, it’s hard to miss.

People call it the Candelabra Tree. My partner calls it the Blood Tree.

The first name comes from the shape. When the leaves drop, the branches spread outward and lift at the ends like the arms of a candelabra. Once you see it that way, it’s hard to unsee.

The second name shows up around December. Every winter, the city hangs oversized red lights from the branches. They’re shaped like drops, and at night they glow against the white lights on the limbs. From the road, it’s pretty wild-looking.

Outside of that, it’s just a huge pin oak.

Most people only see it through a windshield. You’re at the light. Traffic in front of you. Canadian geese crossing the park. Then you’re moving again.

But if you actually look at it, the structure is what makes it different. The branches push outward instead of straight up, and in winter, you can see the full shape.

The tree was likely planted around 1920, and its branches stretch more than 100 feet across. It’s the widest pin oak in Maine.

Next time you’re heading out of Portland, slow at the light and look over for a second.

It’s bigger than you probably remember.

Did you already know about the Candelabra Tree?

Why I Keep Buying the Same Sweater

The first time I noticed a Bird’s-Eye sweater wasn’t in Portland.

It was at a camp at Sugarloaf. Knotty pine walls, a wood stove, and stacks of National Geographic magazines going back to 1917. You could move through decades just by shifting the pile. One issue from the late 60s stopped me. A man stood somewhere cold and coastal, just existing in the weather. He was wearing a navy sweater covered in tiny white dots.

What stuck with me was how cool he looked. Dense knit. Heavy wool, and as someone who still hasn’t mastered the art of staying warm in winter, I was immediately into it.

I started really looking into it. The pattern comes from Norway. In the nineteenth century, fishermen knit tight two-color wool so the fabric would stay thick and hold heat in damp, salty air. The small repeating dots weren’t decorative. They made the sweater denser, warmer, and more durable. It was workwear long before that word meant anything stylish.

Once you notice the Bird’s-Eye pattern, you start seeing it everywhere. Walking around town. At Reny’s (Rip Congress Street). On the ferry in October, when the air feels sharp. At Becky’s, where it makes as much sense at the counter as it does stacking wood an hour earlier.

What I’ve come to appreciate even more than the pattern is the material. Wool behaves differently from cotton or synthetics. It has weight. It softens over time. It stretches at the elbows and picks up the smell of a wood stove if you’ve been near one long enough. It ages instead of thinning out.

Maine tends to favor things that age. It’s not anti-new. It just doesn’t reward disposable. Boats get patched. Jackets get rewaxed. Floors creak and stay.

Synthetic layers look fine at first, but they pill, shine, and feel tired by March. Wool holds its shape. It can be mended. It gets softer instead of worse.

I didn’t grow up here, so I probably notice this more than someone who has. The guy hauling traps off Five Islands isn’t thinking about textile history. He just doesn’t want to be cold.

For me, it started as curiosity. Then it turned into something closer to appreciation and finally full-on obsession.

For the sweater nerds like me who like going down rabbit holes:

Watch my favorite Sweater Deep Dive

THIS WEEKS CONDITIONS
☀️ SUNRISE: 6:13 AM
🌅 SUNSET: 5:32 PM
🌊 SEA TEMP: 37.4 °F (Casco Bay,)
✨ Local Favorite Shop of the Week: Open Studio
✨ Local Artist of the Week: Zaftig Yenta

Portside Real Estate Group

Sponsored

Impeccably maintained 3-bedroom Falmouth Cape with refinished floors and a heated sunroom.

1,575 sq ft on a spacious lot.

Just minutes to West Falmouth and Portland.

Check out 15 Hamlin Rd

🐾 Adoptable Buddies of the Week! 🐾

🐶 Gabriel – 4 months
A growing puppy with big ears, big paws, and the kind of curiosity that makes every walk feel like an expedition. Still learning the world, still figuring out his legs, and looking for a family ready to grow up alongside him.

🐱 Roots – 10 yrs
An orange diva who decides when affection happens. Loves wand toys, sunbeams, and watching the room like she runs the place. Best for a calm, cat-savvy home that understands her royal schedule.

🐶 Bentley – 9 yrs
A big fluffy husky with strong “grumpy old man” energy and a soft teddy-bear center. Loves snow, loves companionship, and once he picks you, he’s loyal for life. Perfect for someone who wants a calm, devoted sidekick.

🐕 Interested? Check them out here

If the link doesn’t open anymore, it means they’ve already been adopted!