It’s always about the weather, isn’t it? This weekend on the island was a mixed bag. I heard it was 32 F on the West Shore on Saturday morning! That’s why Deb and I waited until Saturday to get there — breezy but sunny! And when we left on Sunday it was downright hot.

The new playground is wonderful. Micaela enjoyed the tube slide the most, I think. Gavin Reece was there with his grandmother Susan and we had a nice chat after noticing his loose tooth! (He lost it, by the way! Hopefully the Tooth Fairy knew how to get there.) But the funny part was when Chase Bogart and Alexa Stevens showed up, they played even if they were too big. Chase was extremely disappointed that he could touch the ground under the triangles. Oh well, kids grow, I guess.

The Pierce Party was very well attended! (Apologies if I missed you!) We all wore name tags, ostensibly to help new Island Manager Kim Olsen and her family get to know us, but more than one Islander told me they were glad to have them, memories not being what they once were. Arthur and Deborah (who were given a cake by their children in honor of their “milestone” birthdays) and Auntie Em Willman had help from Carl and Lori and Gabby and Nate, Elizabeth and Nicole and their two, but we were missing Alice and Tony and Chris and Andrew. Alice was sick. As usual, the fare was delicious; some of us were missing Alice’s jalapeño delicacies, however.

We had Reeces: Rob and Susan, with Gavin and Brody, and Cam and Ellen with Owen. Betsy and Brad Hastings were there, too, and I saw Richard and Joanne Phillips in a boat but didn’t get to talk to them if they were at the party. Mike and Lynn Thompson were there and have given over their digs to the Olsen Family: Kim and Scott were there with a bunch of kids. I introduced myself to a couple of those kids and they said: “No, I’m an Olsen cousin and he’s an Olsen friend.” I guess they came to the right place — IOS is full of cousins and friends.

Bruce and Molly Bogart were there, but we missed Nan and Hannah, as Hannah is recovering from recent ACL surgery. Rob and Beth Ayer were there, as were Matt, Claudia, Lexa and Chase. Dee and Pat Smith were in the Eustis Cottage and Peter and Cara Burvill, along with Joan, Walter, Tony , Julianna Faccenda and friend Ethan represented the Nash-Burvill Cottage. Their neighbors, Alan and Ruska Hutchinson, with Scott, Dina, Will and Avery, were there too.

We saw our neighbors, Nikki Patterson and Neil Crossley, Lea and Nick Aeschliman, along with son Chris and wife Sue. Max and Xantha, Amanda and Micaela, Deb and I represented the Sturgis Corner Cottage. Xan’s friend from work, Dean Cartier, rounded out our crew. Scott worked yet another Saturday at BIW so he wasn’t there for the festivities.

Katie Richardson and George Sylvestri, Sara and Ed Germain, Dick and Eleanor Morrell, Nick, Carrie, Finn, Evan, Brody, and Liam Saunders, Keith and Scott MacGilvra were our West Shore contingent. If I missed Lars and Jackie, I’m sorry. I did, however, check out their “View from Above” memorial eagle, a seat sculpture by John Gray. Beautiful.

Edgar Reed II wasn’t there, but if you check out the July issue of Maine Boats Homes and Harbors magazine, you’ll find an article written by Lee Wilbur about the Down East Yacht Club featuring our resident island water-skier. Pretty impressive.

We missed the Stoddards, too, but Linda sent me this update for her family: “Mom (Edna) was down for a couple of weeks visiting both her sister in Virginia and attending Sarah's graduation from St. John's College in Annapolis on Mother’s Day. We had a lovely day for the ceremony — hot in the sun, but very comfortable in our shady seats on St. John's front lawn. The graduation was followed by a champagne and strawberry reception — an excellent way to spend Mother’s Day for sure! Sarah surprised us by arriving unexpectedly Saturday night bearing two lovely Mother’s Day bouquets!

“Meanwhile, Mark has sailed off on his summer cruise on the "Training Ship State of Maine" (TSSOM). They've sailed from Castine to Charleston, North Carolina, with a slight detour to the Bahamas to avoid "Ana" — but didn't actually stop in the Bahamas. Now they're heading across the Atlantic to Cadiz, Spain. Anyone who wishes to follow their (slow) progress can do so using "Marine Tracker" at www.marinetraffic.com. There is also a blog on the Maine Maritime website (http://mainemaritime.edu/tssom-training-cruise-blog/category/2015-summer). The TSSOM will be in Portland from 13-18 June, (to pick up the rest of the junior class) and then head back across the Atlantic to Cobh, Ireland, then back to Norfolk, Virginia, before returning to Castine in August! Tony and I will be coming to Maine to see Mark while he's in Portland and open the cottage afterwards. It will be very odd not to open the cottage on Memorial Day, that's for sure!”

I believe the Abigail Swett’s new schedule will start June 12. Don’t miss it!