Exodus!!

Peaks Island has survived the annual Great Bugout Day. Every year about the third Saturday of August, the great exodus of summer visitors departs Peaks for their winter homes to get ready for school and all their Fall activities. Strange things occur when everyone wants to leave at once yet the car ferry only holds a maximum of twelve cars. The string of cars lined up to get on the ferry runs right up Welch Street around the corner down Island Avenue and usually winds up near the Plantes. Three to four hour waits are not uncommon so the downfront merchants have one of their best days of the Summer; lots and lots of hot dogs and ice cream cones are definitely consumed during the lengthy wait.

Yet, the mood is usually pretty festive, tempers are pretty well curbed and the last few hours spent on Peaks are peacefully passed awaiting one's "turn" to drive down the ramp and onto the ferry for the 20 minute run into Portland. Of course, by the end of the day, the ferry's crew is exhausted and have definite thousand yard stares. Some islanders sit on the wall on Welch Street waving fond goodbys eagerly looking forward to an evening of quiet, a lowering of electricity in the air and a return of the sound of crickets in the evening. Tides come in, tides go out; Peaks has survived another great Exodus!! I spent just enough time downfront to catch a few pics of this annual event; enjoy. I certainly did.

The Ides of August

Yes, I do know it's August and not March but Peaks Island is at its annual tipping point between the lazy, hectic final days of Summer and the beginning days of pointing toward returning to winter homes, school, Fall activities et al. It's a strange schizoidal week caught between two worlds.

I'm starting to see fellow islanders I haven't seen since Memorial Day. I do believe some islanders are starting to re-emerge from their home shelters. I'm also seeing on afternoon boats returning to the island, extended families with multiple children returning from their outing of the day tired, cranky yet having that bored look like "what's next Mom".

Even the adults are tottering between wanting to finish that last book with some quiet time on a deck or porch yet wanting to complete that checklist of things to do while on Peaks. It is a time of conflict not wanting to go but ready to leave and start the next chapter of life.

Yet, in the midst of all this, there is still a wonderfully quiet time on the island and it's called the 7:15am boat. It's has mostly workers on it but with many on vacation along with the school kids, it's not nearly as full as it will be in a couple of weeks. Just waiting for the boat on a foggy morning before the sun burns it off, is a good time to enjoy and reflect on where a few of us are lucky enough to spend all our time and not just a few short days of vacation. Enjoy the views from a recent 7:15 boat.