August on a Small Maine Island

Curtis Island Light
Curtis Island Light

It’s been a long time since my last post.  July found me on a long cruise along the New England coast while  savoring beautiful weather all the way.  Here on my small Maine island, summer is at its peak with late flowers in bloom and gorgeous, breeze-filled days to enjoy.  Very soon, things will begin to change as summer visitors head back to their permanent homes and our little village reverts back to the 100 or so of us who live here throughout the year.  And shortly thereafter, fall will arrive.

But for now it’s time to savor all the best of a Maine summer and the lazy, sun-filled days of August. There are more lobsters to eat, more country fairs to attend, more boat rides to enjoy, and more swims to be swum.  To step outside on an August morning like today’s is to understand why so many people vacation in Maine and sometimes decide to move here permanently.  Whoever came up with the state slogan: “Maine: The Way Life Should Be” must have been thinking of a day just like this one!

 

Life on a Small Maine Island

Harbor view

August on my little island in Maine means:

–Sultry days

–Star-filled nights

–Lots of friends and relatives eager to squeeze in a visit before their vacation ends

It’s always interesting to welcome visitors here for the first time because their comments range from “Breathtaking” and “Charming” and “How can I move here, too?” to “What on earth do you do here all winter” and “How can you stand living so far from the shopping mall?” (yes, someone really asked that). Of course it’s not for everyone, but life on a Maine island exemplifies the state motto, “The Way Life Should Be.”  At least for some of us!

About 100 of us live in this tiny fishing village all year ’round; in summer the population swells to perhaps four or five times that number as visitors open up their seasonal homes to stay for a week or two or, sometimes, the entire summer. The ebb and flow of the seasons and the population is a fact of life here, much like the ebb and flow of the tides that surround us. Right now as I gaze out my office window the late afternoon sun is sparkling on the water, sailboats are drifting by, and lobstermen are unloading their catch at the co-op across the way. There may be better places for a writer to live, but I can’t imagine where that might be.