Every Summer (2008-2023)
When we arrived at the ferry terminal for our very first visit, we ask the ticket agent what the highlight of the island is? Her answer, “30 miles of paved road”.
The narrow path that is leading us down the cliff is overgrown this year, but we find our way through the brambles and down to the sandy beach, which is covered by egg shaped rocks that have been smoothed by the sea. It's low tide so we are careful not to step on the algae covered rocks, doing our best not to slip and kill ourselves. This six mile hike is a favorite of ours and one that we have done every summer for the past twenty years. We make our way over giant slabs of rock that slope into the sea, and then navigate two more rock-covered beaches to arrive at one of our favorite spots on the island. It's an amphitheater made of granite where we eat lunch, and on that day we watch and photograph a seal breaking the surface of the water to feed on a huge school of fish. When we get back to the house, we sit on the deck with drinks in hand, and watch the sky turn a fiery red, as the sun sinks behind the lighthouse in the distance.
Each summer, we spend time on Swans Island, which lies six miles southwest off of Maine’s Mount Desert Island and Arcadia National Park. It is a lobstering Island of roughly 350 year-round residents, and has a library, a postoffice, a lobster co-op, a general store, and numerous churches. When we first arrived on Swans we were told it was an island of teachers and preachers. We love that Islanders wave to each other at every opportunity, whether they are traveling by boat, foot or car. (Sometimes we think some of the lobstermen might have a glove mounted on the dashboard of their car to make the wave a tad easier, but we're not really sure?)
Our days on the island melt one into the next, separated only by the ever changing weather; one day we can see dozens of islands stretching out for many miles in the distance, and the next day we wakeup to pea soup fog, where you can't see your hand in front of your face. We live in a kind of dream world, spending our days hiking, swimming, exploring, berry picking, reading, and basking in island living.
Although we are usually ready to get back to regular life, the end of our stay brings a tad of melancholy. But at least we have one last opportunity to experience the “highlight of the island” as we drive our packed car along the shore and down the paved road to the ferry terminal, to begin our journey back home.
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