I have seen many changes over the year and a half I’ve been on Isle au Haut.
Families have come and gone. Isle au Haut’s inn (The Keeper’s House) changed hands and reopened. The island’s store also saw a shakeup in management. Some people are spending more time escaping to Florida or Arizona for the winter than they had in years past. The enrollment in the one-room schoolhouse is up from four middle school boys to seven students, ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade.
Many island residents are taking note of the changes and projecting what the future holds. Billy, beloved island patriarch and jokester, even tried to play off “I’m not going to be around much longer, someone else is going to have to start telling jokes” as a witty quip.
In an aging community where the population hovers around 40, the presence (or lack thereof) of one person or family has a universal impact. I can’t picture an Isle au Haut where Dianne isn’t the one delivering the mail to the morning mailboat or Billy isn’t laughing so hard he’s slapping his knee about one thing or another. But I do have faith that whoever ends up living here, whoever this next generation of Isle au Haut residents are, I believe they will do the island justice.
It is impossible to live on Isle au Haut without wanting to be here. The struggles surrounding the infrequent boat trips in the winter (though it’s a dream schedule compared to Matinicus, Monhegan or Frenchboro) and the isolation are real. They infiltrate every facet of your life and serve as a mechanism for weeding out those who romanticize islands or fail to realize how much work it is to keep the community running.
Two young families moved to the island a month ago. Their impact has been unparalleled. The men are being taken under the wing of the island lobstermen; the women are finding their niche in the community.
On my walk to the town hall in the morning I often see one of the older students helping one of the new, younger students hoist up the flag. My conversations at library hours have shifted from arguing about Voltaire with Ed to settling arguments between toddlers over which character is more entertaining in the Thomas the Engine series. For the first time in years, Isle au Haut threw an Easter egg hunt for the children on island over the holiday. The presence of these younger folks has put a spring in everyone’s step. It’s beautiful to see.
There is an ebb and flow to any community, and I’m excited to see what’s in store for Isle au Haut.