Juy 4, Thursday – temp. 70 and wind SE 15 knots at noon. “To have a safe fourth, don’t buy a fifth on the third!” I have heard some say. The fourth of July annual picnic was held at our town field near noontime. Good weather and a good gathering. There was a dedication of our new town dock nearby then as well. Joy Sprague, Ann Moran and Davies Allan all officiated. Davies is the contractor and boss man of the project. A fine job and a thorough one. We even have copper sheathing on top of the pier spiling. Also a nice building near the floats. One section for storage and one for a waiting room, with a settee outside and one within, Somebody thoughtfully added an old rocking chair too. Before Davies left the island, he and Bruce Fernald worked together to take 29 of our junked cars away. Davies contributed his barge to this noble and helpful deed.
The lobster yield is starting to improve for the fishermen, and shedders are showing. The boat price for them now is $3 per lb. Malcolm Fernald has joined the Islesford lobster fleet and is its youngest lobsterman and boat owner. Malcolm’s boat is an Arno Day model from Sedgwick, Maine, named the SEA PIGEON.” A staunch little craft 29 feet in length with an 11-foot beam, built of wood with a gasoline engine. He is fishing 150 traps. Sam Merrill, his next door (summer) neighbor, is going as Malcolm’s stern man and will stay with him until high school starts up. Malcolm may go it alone then and plans to fish until early November. He plans to go to college later. He has also done a bit of foreign traveling and has visited both Bolivia and Ecuador in South America. Malcolm is the son of Dan and Katy Fernald, who operate the art gallery.
July 8 – Wind SW 10 knots at noontime and temp. 70. A sunny, pleasant day. At 7:30 p.m. there was the annual meeting of the Islesford Historical Soc. at the Neighborhood House. Many from off-island came, including officials from Acadia Nat. Park, from Friends of Acadia and from the Island Institute. The new videotape of Islesford, “A Sense of Place – A Sense of Time” was shown. The only fly in the ointment, so to speak, was the fact that the big, expensive machine they fetched down from Bangor refused duty along about the middle of the show and had to be reeled back for a fresh start. Finally, it got underway again, after a bit of delay, and then all the film was seen. Maybe it would have been better to use simpler equipment, some said….
Cara and I received an honorary members certificate from the Hist. Soc. We were surprised and pleased. There was a meeting of the trustees yesterday. There’ll be a selectmen’s meeting tomorrow to discuss our trash problem and collection (or rather the lack of it!). Fog in tonight.
July 11, Thursday – Wind NW 15 knots and temp. 65 at noon. I was talking with Dick Dudman yesterday and he said a helicopter landed in his field recently. It made a few repairs and then whirled away. Curtis Thormann and Catie Carter are teaching the jr. sailing class on weekdays for the Little Cranberry Yacht Club. Dog days end today. We are easing into summer.
July 14 – Temp. 72, wind SW 10 knots. We haven’t heard Danny Fernald’s big red rooster crowing lately and were sad to hear that he is no more. Danny said he had to dispose of him because he too vocal and too early at it. Also, he was becoming very aggressive and his spurs, too, were growing to a wicked size, said Dan. “He would go for me when I entered his yard and it got to be not only a chore but a challenge, as well. Finally, I had to take stout iron fry pan along to fend him off. He was a noble strutting bird, while he lived. But his time had come, and his five-hen harem will surely miss him.”
Saturday, July 20 – Wind NE at 10 knots and temp. 60 at noon. Day cloudy bright. Kit Harrison and Bryan Boyd are here with their two children now and for the month of August. They have rented the large Olin house near Bunker’s Cove for their summer school, Acadia Center for English Immersion. This is their third year. They have students attending from all over the world. Right now they have one each from Spain, Canada, Italy, Ecuador, Japan, Colombia and Venezuela. There were eight Korean children with escorts earlier. Many who are already familiar with English come to improve on its use while here. It is a six-week course. After classes they go hiking, mountain climbing (on Mt. Desert Island), boating and take part in other sports, always with teachers speaking English. They also pick up a bit of Yankee history. Some have been lobster fishing and clamming with the islanders, and seem to like the island.
Live music at the Dock Restaurant this evening. Ricky Baker, who is also Rick Cegalis, our boat skipper on the ferry SEA QUEEN, will be performing. The annual masquerade ball was also held tonight. Davies Allen and Rob Mocarsky and his wife, Katya, were the judges at this event.
Monday, July 22 – A pot luck supper at the Neighborhood House this evening and also a farewell to Davies Allan and his crew who built our town dock. Chris Wriggins and Ann Moran read fine poems that each had written especially for the occasion. Ashley Bryan also gave Davies and each of his crew a copy of his book, “Dancing Granny.”
Thursday, July 25 – Temp. 66, wind NE 18 knots at noon. A full “buck” moon yesterday. Maurice Philipps was 92 years old yesterday, also. He is now the oldest island resident and was for a several years a town selectman. The annual maypole dance in the town field was held in the P.M. today. A colorful and twirling delight. Sarah Corson and Dick Atlee officiated, with welcome help from many who came and enjoyed. A few days ago, a little house was barged over to our island and deposited on Kathy Scovill’s land not far from the home of her sister, Franny Jo Bartlett. It came on the barge NEPTUNE.
July 27 – Wind NE 12 knots at noon, temp. 58. Rain shower before dawn and that was it! We all keep hoping for a substantial rain, and the wells are getting lower and lower. We hear that some of them on the north shore are beginning to refuse duty. Ours is still yielding but pretty low. A wedding today in the Congr. Church at 4 p.m. Marnie Wright, daughter of Dr. Charles and Edie Wright, became the bride of Hank Read. A reception was held later at the Dock Restaurant.
July 31, Wednesday – Temp. 80 at noon and wind NW 12 knots, bar. 29:70. Sunny all day long. A special town meeting, this time at the Islesford Congr. Church. A lot of people and a lot of talk about the proposed purchase of some shoreside land at Manset on Mount Desert Island. I hope we all proceed with caution on this and don’t get into any tangled difficulties. I can see the good points, but also some bad points, and we still have our new Islesford dock to pay for. Time, of course, will tell as it always does. At least we can be sure of a hefty boost in taxes if the deal goes through.
August 1 – Wind east at 12 knots, temp. 74 at noontime. Islesford Church Fair today. Nina Stanley and Ray Robbins, old friends from Seal Cove, visited us today and also the fair. A goodly gathering there and much was sold. The white elephant table is always popular. Several years ago, I spied a little cream pitcher we had given some 20 years before and I decided to buy it back, partly for sentiment and partly because it had survived all those years. Cara and I used it for a few more years and then once again Cara gave it back to the white elephant table. Rut we haven’t seen it there since. Anyway, that is what you can call true recycling.
Aug. 4, Sunday – Temp. 62 and wind SW at 10 knots, a foggy day. This is the wedding day of Marcie Lief and Clay Oliver. It is the first one to be held in the attractive garden of the Islesford Dock Restaurant. Yesterday at the Neighborhood House the 4th annual silent auction benefiting the Lisa DeFrancis Cancer Fund took place, starting at noontime. Live bidding on various items, however, began at 2 p.m. Gary Allen of Great Cranberry Island was auctioneer. Sally Corson has gone to Los Angeles, California, to children’s book conference, and Ashley Bryan goes soon to Sacramento for an educational conference on early childhood.
Aug. 10 – Wind WSW, light. Temp. at noon, 70 degrees. Stars shone bright at 3:30 a.m. when I got up for a drink of water. Roger Duncan has an excellent poem on the very last page of the August Working Waterfront about the wise old visiting shag. He also has a notation above it, “with a nod to E. A. Poe.” I have sent some copies to my friends. A wedding in our town field today, in the p.m., of Kevin Smith and bride Artemis Spyridonis. Later a reception at the restaurant, and some late-night dancing was also enjoyed.
Tuesday, Aug. 13 – Temp. 75 at noon and wind 8 knots SW. A pot luck supper and party tonight at the Neighborhood House for Betty Sprague to commemorate her service as postal clerk at Islesford for 27 years. A fine gathering of friends, relatives and neighbors. A brilliant orange sunset tonight.
Aug. 15 – Wind SW, light. Bar. 30:06, temp. 78, a hazy sun all day. The Great Cranberry Island Hist. Soc. Had their annual meeting tonight in their church. Ralph Stanley and Bud Dwelley brought folks from SW Harbor and Islesford. Ralph played his fiddle and among other fine displays there was an excellent taped interview of the late Marjorie Phippen, who grew up and lived most her life on our sister island. Bruce Komusin did a fine job of editing and Wini Smart summed up this year’s doings and outlined next year’s projects.
Aug. 17, Saturday – Wind a light NW, temp. 82. A hot day for little Islesford! It is our daughter Serena’s birthday today. She had her daughter, Hanni, are with us for a little while. They had a fine day today and finished celebrating it by going to the “wits and nitwits” show at the Neighborhood House tonight. It was a real winner, many said – ample performers and oodles of talent. Many thanks to Joan Valdina, Danny Wriggins and many others. Joy Sprague also performed with an original Cranberry Island lobster dance. Charles (Rufus) Gifford was a fine master of ceremonies and he and his daughter, Amy Palmer, closed the evening by leading the audience in the singing “Good Night, Irene.”
Aug. 20 – Temp. 75, wind north at 12 knots. Literary evening tonight – also at the Neighborhood House. This was the 24th annual evening of this event, benefiting the Islesford Library. It was organized by Sarah Corson and Erica Merrill. In the past some of the contributors would be inclined to drone on too long and cause the meeting to stretch well into the night. Erica wisely, a while ago, put a lid on the works and now each performer is allotted five minutes to speak his or her piece. There was a fine variety of talent there tonight, and it was short, sweet and very good. There will be another town meeting tomorrow night to decide definitely on our town’s acquiring the Manset shoreland at SW Harbor.
Aug. 21 – at the special town meeting tonight at Islesford they voted in favor of purchasing the shoreland at Manset. The vote was nearly two to one in favor.
Aug. 25, Sunday – Wind SW at 12 knots and temp. 68 degrees. Dave and Audrey Mills treated their staff to a trip to our island today. Dave and Audrey own and operate the Oceanarium at SW Harbor and also the Oceanarium and lobster hatchery at Bar Harbor. While here they made us a fine visit and we talked over old times and other topics in the lobster fishing line. I used to give a talk on lobster fishing for several years, at their SW Harbor location.
Aug. 28, Wednesday – Wind NE today at 15 knots. Temp. 60 at noon with bar. reading 30:04. A grayish dawn and a good day for a game of croquet. Charles Rufus Gifford “takes home the Moxie once again.” These games are played on Rufus Gifford’s land near Hadlock Cove and have grown more popular through the years. This is the ninth annual Invitational Croquet Tournament at Islesford. Six cutthroat players competed fiercely for the prize, The Moxie Trophy, this year being Rufus’s fourth win. The other players were Marne Gifford, Cliff (the Stake) Smith, Jay (Doc) Bisgyer, Hugh (Buddy) Dwelley and newcomer Amy (Sticky Wicket) Palmer. Buddy leapt ahead with some brilliant moves at the very first. Doc Bisgyer finally made it through the alpine wicket to catch up with the pack. Amy was still stuck at the second wicket and was no longer a serious contender. Cliff got through all the wickets but couldn’t quite steer his ball to the final stake. Marne came on line like a torpedo, passing Buddy and Cliff, but Rufus with some shrewd strokes finally won the game although Marne came in second. The Moxie Trophy was presented to Rufus while the losers drowned their sorrows with cups of Moxie.
Aug. 31, Saturday – Temp. 60 at noon and wind ENE 15 knots, bar. 30:70. Melvin Spofford, an old friend and schoolmate of mine, died July 30, 2002. He was born on Islesford. He joined the Navy as a very young man during World War II and served for 23 years. He and his wife, Dorothy, lived at SW Harbor for several years and later mostly in Florida. Mel also lobster fished in our area for a while and he and Dorothy operated a restaurant for a time at SW Harbor. At 11 a.m. today there was a gathering of about 12 boats filled with friends and relatives, who gathered at East Bunker’s Ledge north of Islesford to deposit Mel’s ashes in the ocean near the ledge. His wife, Dorothy, sons John and Russell, Mel’s sister, Lillian, and other family members and friends and a special friend, Jeannette Hadlock, were on Storey King’s charter boat. The Rev. James Heard of Ellsworth and Mel’s son Russell officiated. There was a reception near noontime at the Islesford Neighborhood House, where Mel, growing up on the island, had visited and taken part in activities many, many times.