The minute it really felt like spring, we headed to the island! Scott and I, Amanda and Micaela, Max, his fiancée Xan with Xoe and cousin Kai met at Sawyer's on Sunday morning.

The sun was out and the temperature was in the 50s, but when we got across, we found plenty of snow. There wasn’t too much that we couldn’t get around, but enough so we could find deer, dog and turkey tracks. It was exciting! There were many photo opportunities beginning with the kids standing on the glacier at the end of the pier.

We trudged up the hill while Max checked for cave-ins — none. He spent two weeks this winter shoveling roofs and that was a good thing. We got to the Mackenzie-Loughridge cottage and found scaffolding and most of a new roof. (Later we found the roofers taking advantage of a great day to finish the job.)

Our cottage and view was just what the doctor ordered after a long winter. In no time we were headed for West Shore. We spent about an hour there beachcombing with Micaela and Xoe taking breaks to read the books they’d brought. Scott found a paddle and that made a great shovel to dig holes and watch them fill up with water.

Scott ran into Mike on his way back to the cottage via the dock; he saw that the pond was low and Mike said there are plans to remedy that. And as we were leaving, we spied Bob Esterberg arriving by rowboat. Kai got to “drive” the whaler back (with Max and Scott as back up) and we found Joan Burvill Faccenda and her sister Cynnie in the parking lot. They had spent the weekend with cousins in Owls Head.

Joanne Phillips asked that I tell everyone that “we, who are Jane McClennan's family members, so appreciate the notes and cards we've received from islanders. Jane knew how special the island and islanders are, and we do, too.”

It won’t be long now.