The 4th on Peaks

Another 4th of July has rolled around and Peaks Island has once again sunk at least six inches under the weight of our visitors. At no time during the year are there more people on the Island than right now. It seems every house and cottage has between four and six cars strewn over the front yard. The back and side yards are filled with kids, bikes, frizbees, volleyball and anything else at all provides some form of entertainment.

The roads around the Island are filled with walkers, bikers and some cars trying to get from point A to point B without running anyone over. On the front of the Island the line trying to check out their ice, beer, hot dogs et al at Hannigans stretches throughout the store like a ski line at a winter's resort. The corner of Welsh Street and Island Avenue is a mass of humanity just standing around eating their ice cream cones and either waiting for the next boat or just watching time pass.

Yet, with all the humanity that flows off the boats onto our little Island right now, there is a wonderful sense of families being together trying to slow down the frantic pace of their daily lives into something that is meaningful. There is a lot of just sitting around on decks and porches, just reading, just talking and just watching life go by. It's wonderful to see people sprawled out on rocks gazing at the crashing waves totally lost in their own thoughts or walking together along the back shore or just plain sitting still for a moment. Just being still is something we all need more of.

Though we're in the fog today, maybe we'll have some fireworks to watch tonight to end another 4th of July. May your 4th of July be as interesting and restful as ours.