Back to the Island

The last time I went to Peaks Island was in 2003. At that time I was home after the first year of college and working two jobs simultaneously. Remarkably, myself and two high school friends all found correlating time off work around the 4th of July to shoot up to Maine for a few days (the island is a 20 minute boat ride from Portland). That was three years ago, and a lot has changed in my life since then. I've finished with college; the following three years of which contributed (detracted?) to some major shifts in thinking. Honk if you think enlightenment sucks.

All of the crap that clutters our lives (for me it was poker, academic b.s., job search, etc.) causes us to forget. What I forgot is that life is good. It took a long overdue return to Peaks to remind me of that fact. No matter how much manufactured, contrived, structured garbage was cluttering my thoughts, one whiff of cool sea air, one glimpse of ancient rocky shores and stark evergreen treelines was more than enough medicine to overcome the pathetic woes of post-college existence. I forgot about fishing! Swimming! Hell, mowing the overgrown meadow at the foot of the hill! Despite the wealth of things that contribute to the Peaks' allure, the best part is the people. Sure, it's getting more crowded as more people leak the secret (you didn't hear about Peaks from me). The houses change, the stores and restaurants change, but in my lifetime a special community has remained in tact. That constancy is uplifting, but the idea is better.

There are places in this world where peace and harmony abound. Perhaps the answer is not to seclude ourselves there, but to emanate even a faint reflection of the island-lifestyle everywhere we go and with everyone we meet. But I hate making new year's resolutions, so I won't do it now. But still, maybe...


My uncle Phil and me "fishing" (aka casting in vain). We caught only two striped bass over the whole week, neither was a keeper.















The float in Spar Cove has been a yearly tradition for about 6 or 7 years now. This year's version is an improvement to previous incarnations, the water is still pretty cold.