A New Focus for V. F. Thomas Co. On 13 February 2011, I retired and now use my time to work on a variety of projects (described below) that I hope will be of benefit. Because some of the projects tend to be somewhat seasonal in nature (e.g., hiking on and photographing the trails of Acadia National Park), their web pages may not show much change for several months at a time. Therefore, I post the date of the most recent addition of material near the top of each page, with the exception of the relatively unchanging home pages of some of the projects. All of the material posted on this website is for the free use of anyone who wishes to use it, with the requirement that no one using this material will ever charge anyone for access to it, either online or in print or in any other form. This website (www.vfthomas.com) is privately owned and will be removed from the web following my death. I hope that some or all the projects will be of sufficient interest to others that provisions will be made to continue them beyond my lifetime. Please contact me if you are interested. I am well aware, though, that what is of interest to one person may not necessarily be important to anyone else, and that some of these projects will die with me.

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND CULTURAL HISTORY PROJECT This project is a compilation of information about Mount Desert Island's people and their interaction with the island. You may click on the link above for an overview of the whole project or on one of the links below to explore a specific topic. businesses and professions | cemeteries | census records | cottages | deeds | genealogy | hotels, boarding houses, and tourist homes | houses and outbuildings | markers, monuments, and memorials | public buildings | roads and streets | schools | town records | trails and memorial paths CHAMPLAIN PROJECT This project is a record of the natural history of Mount Desert Island and the adjacent water. You may click on the link above for an overview of the whole project or on one of the links below to explore a specific topic. checklists | mysteries | nature calendar | volunteer opportunities | programs and activities | organizations and other resources GENEALOGY This project includes three brief articles (Redundant Research | Not Another Book! | Where Did You Get That Information?) and an online surname-based genealogy. STAMP COLLECTING Although I collect stamps from all over the world, my focus is on material from the United States and Canada. A particular interest is developing identification keys for U.S. stamps and postal stationery. You may click on the link above for an overview of the whole project or on one of the links below to explore a specific topic. downloadable Excel file for U.S. front-of-the-book stamps | online keys to U.S. front-of-the-book postage stamps | online keys to design types of U.S. stamped envelopes and wrappers. BOTANICAL LATIN The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature requires that, for effective publication, a new name of a taxon must be accompanied by a description or diagnosis in Latin. Many important botanical works from the 19th century and earlier were written in Latin. glossary of Latin words and how they are used in botanical literature RECOMMENDED LINKS Here are some websites that I think are worthy of your attention.    Anaskimin - a nonprofit whose mission is "to reawaken people's awareness of the landscape they live in, enabling them to reconnect with, appreciate, and value natural places".    Delta Institute of Natural History - a school for small group instruction on a diversity of natural history topics, with focus on plant taxonomy and primitive technologies.    The Naturalist's Notebook - a unique shop and exploratorium for anyone who is "even a little curious about the last 13.7 billion years". I particularly recommend their blog.