Articles
Breaking up is hard to do
I recently had the very surreal experience of interviewing three candidates for Isle au Haut’s new Island Institute Fellow position. My two-year fellowship in community planning is coming to a close. In September a new fellow will be coming in and working with the town government and the historical society. At first, I didn’t think
May sunshine brings change of view toward island life
A few weeks ago, it happened. I got on the mailboat and saw a few people I didn’t recognize. They were wearing daypacks and poring over a map of the Isle au Haut’s hiking trails. Tourists. I spend a lot of time during the winter defending Isle au Haut (and island life in general) to
‘Trying on’ Peaks Island for a weekend
There were a lot of things I thought I knew about islands. My biggest assumption was that islands themselves were this large community—where people from Isle au Haut were good friends with folks from Matinicus and Chebeague and had spent a lot of time on the other islands. It wasn’t until moving out to Isle
Ch-ch-ch-changes on the island
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
Real-life ‘Survivor’ dilemma poses difficult community choice
I’m not one to cry. My go-to response is sarcasm. But every once in a while something does manage to move me to tears. This time it was an informal Isle au Haut town meeting that did me in. Out of respect for the community and families involved, I’m not going to go into much
The not-so-simple island life
On my way back to Isle au Haut after a trip to Islesboro I stopped at a gas station to grab some breakfast. It had been an early morning. I was debating which Nature Valley granola bar to buy when the woman standing next to me struck up a conversation. We made small talk about
Wednesdays with Ed, or, Talking in the library is OK
I spend my Wednesdays with Ed. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., I sit in the Isle au Haut town library with coffee and some kind of baked good. Usually I’ll throw some muffins together; if I’m feeling particularly adventurous, I’ll make bagels. Islanders are free to stop by, grab some coffee and food and
Living in the moment, as the moments wind down
I’ll never forget the day I moved out to Isle au Haut. I lugged my three suitcases onto the boat and sat down next to Danny MacDonald and the outgoing Isle au Haut fellow, Alex. It was a fairly crowded boat and there were bags of groceries everywhere. Folks were introducing themselves and I was
Living in my own private Isle au Haut
Remember when you were a kid and you were so excited to show your parents the new fort you made? Or the invisible cake you baked them? And, if they were awesome parents like mine, they made a huge deal about it? That was the best! They completely understood why that fort made out of
Learning to open up to friendship is a lesson learned
My cynicism began at a young age. Why get too emotionally attached to the kids in my elementary school when I was going to be moving to a new town once my parents finished building their house? I used the same thought process over and over. Why get too attached to the people in my