living on matinicus island
living on matinicus island
The inn is somewhat to the right out of view. Be sure to check the most recent online schedule. In such a small community, a "live and let live" philosophy is. Two hundred years worth of clan-based survivalsix or seven generations of Youngs and Ameses and Philbrooks, and the few who have joined themfighting, marrying, burying, and working with one another, on a 700-acre island, has built up a very thick crust. Though even some of those may take extended winter vacations in places like Florida. Which was around 15 minutes. The yards are large and flat; a few have small gardens. Medals followed, and media stories, a standing ovation on the floor of the Maine State House, a citation in the Congressional Record. We would have received a ride for ourselves as well had either of us thought we could manage to jump into the back of a pick up truck already filled with a lot of stuff, plus other people. He made a call to a lobsterman who also had the islands inventory of propane tanks. The harbor there is too shallow at any other time for the larger-than-fishing-boat-sized ferry. After drinking the scalding top half of a cup of tea, and partly filling my backpack with a few days worth of clothes, I drove the mile down towards the point to pick up another cousin, Harold. Not really needing to take anyone else at the moment the pilot told us to climb in. When Miller arrived at the Matinicus dock that morning, Ames and Young were awaiting him. It is one reason islands like Matinicus can still be populated at all. He was a great host and let us be as active or passive those days as we wished. I know as an EMT that the best patient care generally means close contact and the human touch. There could have been a pound of meat in each tail alone ($10 each). Or dry-cleaning. Fish crates, firewood, and rope coils are piled about. We experienced it primarily with just its population of year round residents, only slightly increased by summer folk, the two of us mainly. Hes my family. You dont just let someone come in and take that away from you.. You hear this a lot on the island: that the old ways are the best ways, that the surest route to the future leads through the past. He had been an island man for most of his life. Without a grid tie to the mainland, the Matinicus Plantation Electric Company generates all the islands electricity with diesel fuel. State agencies and nonprofit organizations have tried to stem the loss of year-round populations by giving islanders guarantees of a certain. Vance and S.T. They know the island the same way. Of these, the ferry is the clear bargain winner, at $11 for an adult round trip. Lobster buoys hang like Christmas balls from the branches of a spruce. The speck of earthnearly 22 miles from the mainlandis reachable by charter boat or plane or a short row from the nearby fishing community of Matinicus Island. He is descended, he tells me, from a family of shipbuilders who first settled in Bath in the 1770s, migrated to the Penobscot Bay islands, and have been on Matinicus for just under 200 years. It had all changed so fast. The small open, car ferry makes the 23 mile, two and a half hour crossing only 20 to 30 times a year, running once a month in winter, but twice now in May. P.O. Another reason there are so few ferry runs is that they can only land (and depart) at Matinicus at high tide. They voted him off the islandout of island waters. [3] The elevation ranges from 0 to 100 feet (30.5 m). Wherever he was living, hot showers didnt seem to be one of the amenities. Many of the better-off sorts are coming to understand what weve known all along, which is that nice clothes, stylish clothes, new clothes even clothes different from yesterdays clothes and makeup and a well-maintained professional haircut do not matter. With everything else about 2020, it aint the weather. In many of the rest, scores of green or yellow lobster traps are stacked head-high, sometimes alongside the scraped-clean hulk of an old boat or dory. A nice lady sitting on a log in an apparent quest to obtain the only cell signal on the island assured us that we had only one more fork to go, to the right. I say climbed in but this was really a drawn out process. And doing for themselves what has to be done since no one else is there to do it for them. But it wasnt yet in season. Turning into their drive meant putting my back to a view of the many islands crowding the western half of Casco Bay. Its a boat no serious lobsterman has worked from in probably 60 years, but it leaves no carbon footprint, and thats important to Hussey. Bunker fired his handgun and missed. Islesboro, and our destination, Matinicus Island. Never in this so-called modern era has there been so much bread baking and chicken-keeping. (Also off the coast of Maine, but somewhat closer to the mainland.) Its a break in the family , I dont know what to think anymore. Her devotion to the place seems almost ingrown. I feel for him, I really do. Were probably not going anywhere except the airstrip to collect the milk order anyway. By the early 1990s, at least a few were getting rich. The ship lurched upwards as the dump truck with its heavy load drove off the ferry, onto the ramp. We didnt need to carry any of this very far. But, entirely funded by donations, this group does something that the State does not. The system here relies on clans. Spring was arriving and the breakfast table was set with his tulips from just outside. One day life was good: full, straight-ahead, uncomplicated. These were piers made to serve a high tidal range where the sea bottoms out twice a day and where they must be kept up with minimum fuss. If Im buying for my own table, I guarantee you, theyre going to come from Matinicus.. Backing up some. Organized, continuous and full time missionary work has gone way out of style. No cars, few people, great hikes (most of the island is a forest preserve) wonderful sunrises and sunsets and the quiet that only comes from being miles out to sea. But the couples primary home was on the mainland; some said their island house wasnt even winterized. Theres a name among islanders for people like that: fuel savers. It isnt a good way to be known. In 2009, Philbrook said, hed sold more lobster than hed ever sold before, yet barely covered his costs. All rights reserved. On Matinicus Island, until that July morning two years ago, it was still that time. Though the inn was around 3/4 a mile away, trucks would stop as we walked and friendly drivers offered to carry our gear. On Matinicus, where the lines were drawing tighter, they told Vance Bunker that his son-in-law, a mainlander, was no longer welcome to set his traps. Robins, crows, sparrows, cardinals and jays were everywhere as well as a few hummingbirds. Three months earlier, the islands post office had burned down. Never has he had a drivers license and hes never driven a car. The cost of living can be significantly higher than on the mainland, as groceries and other supplies are often transported by plane and electricity is generated with diesel. For over 100 years they have visited islands along Maines coast (originally focused on the lighthouse keepers on small rocks and living with no outside support at all) bringing health care, companionship and simply attention to some of the States most isolated communities. The name Matinicus means "far-out island" in Abenaki, and Penobscot People used the island while fishing and sealing. On my last day on the island, I went to see her there and bought a small, dreamy photo, taken years ago, of a rainbow over Matinicus Harbor. For those fortunate enough to be neither ill nor evicted, but merely annoyed and fatigued by this year of upheaval, let me suggest that a few of us have first-hand experience. Born and raised in pre-WWII/ pre-discovered Nantucket, then served in the post WWII navy, then lived for awhile on Peaks Island in Casco Bay and now here. The Matinicus Island Ladies Literary League and Subversive Activities Committee, also known as the Red Dahlia Society, was . No cars, few people, great hikes (most of the island is a forest preserve) wonderful sunrises and sunsets and the quiet that only comes from being miles out to sea. During the winter, the ferry crosses once per month, and increases to roughly four times a month during the summer. A judgement free zone. She has skillfully woven the plot into the background of living on a small island off the coast of Maine, supported mainly by the lobster industry. It's true that the. As of fall 2020, the school has no enrolled students but stands ready to hire a teacher and welcome children as needed. (Some people talk about family trees; what we have here is a wreath.) Their son, Nick, now 30 years old and a captain himself, has been lobstering since he was 8. Were used to waiting for the oil boat, for the fog to clear, for the mud to freeze up, for the groceries to get here. (Only? Its the big dogs whove kept it going, Nat Hussey says. It is also, by an accident of topographyits distance from the mainland, which makes for less freshwater runoff, plus the mix of shoals and deepwater channels that surround itthe site of the richest lobster grounds on earth. (He was no angel, remembers Suzanne Rankin, who walked the western shore herself. And the land got farmed out. Theres a sense of history here like nowhere else, a lobstermans wife, Lisa Twombley-Hussey, had said to me weeks before. The only opportunity for food, other than what we brought with us, was to buy hard-as-rock hard shell lobsters from the fishermen at the dock and steam them ourselves in the inns kitchen. He defied them: set 400 traps around Matinicus, reportedly with his father-in-laws blessing. It was just down the rutted road past his place, the one that didnt look like it was being used much anymore. And Im a guy who wants to be here.. The first of these was on a Tuesday and the next that following Thursday, which would permit a two day stay on the island. Its always been that way here. For those at the moment safe from the big problems wildfire and hurricane, racism and hunger, depression and fear, and forgive me for making light in a time of crisiswe might compare notes. It was a majestic Autumn day with blue skies, crisp air, clear water, and lobstermen plying their trade. That is all that counts. And then the fire, and the center of our community is gone, just like that. (Also an electrician and married to the baker, who also had been schoolteacher, currently a writer, a pilot, and medical technician. Join our email list to stay updated on all things Maine; food & drink, events & festivals, home & garden and much more. It could have been something their grandfathers were fighting about.. Call (207) 596-2202 for more information. You call the company which promised warranty service on your equipment but it turns out the technician is afraid to come to your house. This is Aunt Belles house, [someone will say]. If you have your own boat, moorings are available for rent. The passing vehicles crush them, paving the road with red shells. This was not a story dating back to an earlier era, 100 or even just 50 years ago. (Photo courtesy Robin Tarkleson), Matinicus (Photo courtesy Kimberly Peabody), Matinicus below (Photo courtesy Kimberly Peabody), Knitting socks is so 2020 (Photo courtesy Eva Murray), Eva Murray: Baking bread and watching chickadees, Eva Murray: A trip with Honor Flight Maine, Eva Murray: Tenants Harbor and Matinicus Island combine effort for shoreline cleanup, Without an Agenda: talking with the crew of the Sunbeam, Without an agenda: talking with the crew of the Sunbeam, Eva Murray: Island winter weather, food, and the owls, Eva Murray: An accidental twitcher birding on Matinicus Island. The walk to the airstrip was a bit farther than what we had managed already (more than double), being at the other end of the island. I dont even have to brush my hair every day (talk about a month of Sundays!). The mail will be late. We really had very little planned. He was full of great stories and had a way about him that reminds one of a kindler, gentler Burgess Meredith in the Rocky movies. He was new. People do more than one thing.) who have been living here for more than 150 years. That gravel airstrip, the ferry and a daily water taxi service amount to the sole physical links to the mainland. It's such a refreshingly different way of life -- the island life! Their cottage was slowly deteriorating; eventually it will collapse into the island and disappear if not bought, restored and maintained. You say.) Your spouse, the kid next door, more or less any random citizen can cut your hair; you just park on a kitchen chair in the dooryard. As a school project, the three students had helped make "stone soup" to share with their visiting guest. We were nestled in a small clearing with fresh breezes blowing through the house. Without a word, Philbrook was out of the cab, and for the next several minutes the two unloaded traps together in the rain. More time passed; the economy soured. Lots of stuff like that, stuff they lost 50 years ago on the mainland, its still the same way here., It was a long while before any of us mentioned the shooting. We dont have any of those here. Common amenities in Finland are Sauna, Terrace, Fireplace and Water View. The wind gusted to 70 mph (115 kph) on Sunday near Matinicus Island . Not a bad deal I think! For most of the morning, hed been working on the engine, but the rain was a torrent now, so we were waiting it out in the truck. But the deeper causes had more to do with other things: pride, greed, progress, family, what it means to claim a place as home. The dates begin in the early 1800s, though most are later, between 1850 and 1910, growing fewer with each decade after that. Most Matinicus residents are self- employed, with fishing and construction being the most common industries. When half of them were cut two weeks later, he was sure he knew by whom: a pair of stepbrothers, Chris Young and Weston Ames, both in their early forties, with 400 years of island ancestry between them. Matinicus Island can be reached by sea or air. So its hard, whats happened. I had seen this all my life as well, and so did not pause there this morning. Then, in October of the same year, just two months after the prom, a young lobsterman, Chris Whitaker, went missing in the waters off Matinicus; only a boot, a lunch pail, and an oil can would ever be found. Though not born here herself-she arrived with Tom less than 30 years ago, which makes her almost an interloper by the islands way of seeing things-she can trace her own ancestry here back nearly to the settlements beginning: to Phebe Young, who came with her husband in 1763. Itll take five minutes. I cut a few of yours [traps], you cut a few of minethat was always going onuntil the time came when somebody lost their boat or their roof blew off in a storm, the islander says. Old pickups sit in driveways, their six-year-old license plates bearing witness to their last presence on the mainlandwhich some here call America.. If you marry one of our daughters, you can usually fish here, too. Maine. The island is part of the Plantation of Matinicus Isle. The ferry returns to Rockland within about an hour of arrival on most days. One of them brought in some old buoys, maybe from when he was a kid, Im not sure, and showed us how they were made. A friend of mine had recently taken a job on a tiny Island, 24 miles off the coast of Maine. If you cant do that, or you wont, then theres no place for you. According to Bill, there is no evangelical pressure, which he appreciates. Matinicus, being the island community it is, naturally depends on the surrounding ocean to provide a living for its people.
