On April 21, the afternoon temperature was 72 degrees and the FOUR Philbrook boys were shirtless, enjoying a water gun fight in their yard. Dandelions came up earlier than last year and perennials around the islands look strong and healthy after losing their protective blanket of winter snow.
Barbara Stainton sold the general store, on Great Cranberry, to Clay Taylor when they signed the papers on April 29. Barbara owned the store for seven years and is happy to see it pass to someone who is equally committed to maintaining a vital year-round social center.
A historic change occurred on Islesford when the Town Office was moved from the home of Frances Bartlett to the “Town House” across the street. Frances and her mother, Irene Bartlett, maintained the town office in their home for more than 40 years at no cost to the town. Planning to find alternative office space began last year when Frances announced her intention to retire. Volunteers helped move the last of the files and equipment on April 26.
Rainy weather, which began at the start of May, has continued into the third week. For some of us, the drab weather was continuously relieved by an apple tree full of color behind Ann and Warren Fernald’s house. Warren keeps his bird feeders full, and some of the brightest birds wait in the tree to take their turn. In one sighting he reported 4 indigo buntings, 2 males and 1 female cardinal, 3 male rose-breasted grosbeaks, a female scarlet tanager, and oodles of goldfinches, chickadees, grackles and sparrows.
Garbage is the talk of the town on Islesford lately. Selectman Dan Lief facilitated a well-attended solid waste hearing, resulting in positive discussion of ways to avoid having open dumpsters at the gravel pit this summer. All agreed we need a new system. A temporary plan will be tried for the summer, with a recycling center in the lot next to the town garage. There will be scheduled times for supervised drop-off of household waste and recyclables. With just a little extra effort we can each work more efficiently to compost food waste, recycle and minimize our island’s household waste stream.
Meanwhile, the talk of our household is the launch, on May 5, of Bruce’s new lobster boat, BARBARA ANN. The Northern Bay 38 was built at Downeast Boats and Composites in Penobscot, Maine. Bruce spent most of his winter, often 50 hours a week, working alongside the boat builders to ensure a spring launch. In the last month of building, when stress was high and Bruce’s visits home to Islesford less frequent, I would often stop in to see Bruce’s parents. I could catch them up on the latest news from their oldest son, while getting to hear Warren’s stories of his early lobstering days. After serving five years in the U.S. Navy, Warren bought his first lobster boat when he was 23 from Leonard Gray of Seal Harbor. For the five-year-old boat, 550 wooden buoys, 335 wooden traps, a mooring, and a rowboat, he paid a total of $1,800. The cost of gas to run the 4-cylinder Gray Marine engine was 20 cents per gallon. Bait at the factory in Southwest Harbor was 50 cents a bushel. Warren paid for his new boat during his first fall season when lobsters were 30 cents a pound. He made $6,600 in his first year of fishing and there was not a spare dollar to be saved. During his fishing career, he had two more new boats, one built by Bobby Rich in Bass Harbor and one built by Gene West in Manset. All three boats were named MOTHER ANN.
Quite a lot has changed in half a decade. The price of diesel fuel for co-op members is $2.30 per gallon. Lobstermen are making $5 per pound for their catch and bait costs have ranged between $17 and $34 per bushel. Where Warren paid a total of $28,000 for all three of his boats, many recently built boats have cost more than six times that figure.
In a few days Bruce and I will be attending the college graduations of our two sons. Tuition costs will end, boat costs and business costs will continue, but some things will remain priceless. Through selling the DOUBLE TROUBLE and building the BARBARA ANN, Bruce has made some new friends for life and I have had the incredible honor of watching my husband put his heart and soul into his last boat – and then naming it after me.
Islesford, May 16, 2005
