Many folks enjoyed a hearty breakfast Sunday morning at the high school seniors’ fundraising breakfast at Robinson’s Wharf. In spite of freezing rain creating icy conditions, the restaurant was full when we arrived at about 8:45 a.m., and Stephanie Hawke and others were kept busy cooking eggs and french toast in the kitchen. The students served well, even those who had the upstairs climb. No coffee spilled that I could see. I hear that the students raised about $1500 net and served about 110 people. Thanks to all who worked on this project to raise money for the senior trip, this year to the Bretton Woods hotel.

A new baby is home on Southport, the son of Finn and Lauren Carroll. Jeremiah is his name. Before too long I am sure we will see him out chasing the chickens. Congratulations all.

Not yet new babies that we can see, but we can see the osprey back on the nest on top of the Southport bridge. With all our heavy snow and windy storms this winter, I am surprised that the nest has stayed in place. Has anyone ever studied how the osprey makes her nest so secure on the top of such precarious structures?

Thinking of being back, this is the season. Water will soon be on — we have heard rumor of April 20, but please do not plan on that rumor.

Also back from the warmth of Florida are Barbara and Steve Baseman, snuggling into their home on All Saints Road just in time for our wind and rain storm. Always a bundle of energy, Barbara, the former president of the Southport Island Association, used that indoor time to unpack, find layers of warmer clothes, and settle into their favorite spot along the Maine coast.

Back too are Jane and John Lunt from a week in the warmth of Belize together with their daughter, Lisa, and her family. John writes, “Belize is a small country but with significant contrast within its territory. The first three nights were spent just outside of San Ignacio, one of the larger towns in Belize and about half way between its capital, Belmopan, and the Guatemalan border. There was a sense of authenticity about this town as it is not over-run with tourists from outside of the country. It has a bustling produce market with beautiful fruits and vegetables, and the New French Bakery was just across the street with pastries and fresh breads. While in that part of the country our most interesting visit was to the Xunantunich Mayan ruins. Although only partially excavated, it revealed remnants of a very large city. Dominating the central plaza was a citadel, a tall, tiered structure built of limestone blocks. To our amazement, and because we didn’t look down, both of us reached the top for a magnificent view over the whole city and surrounding countryside, including the Guatemalan border.

“Leaving San Ignacio and heading for Placencia where we would stay for four nights, we drove on the Humingbird Highway (one of the five major paved roads — in very good condition — in the country. We did make one stop at the Bocawina National Park, reached by a 4-mile dirt road, so the whole family could zip line on the longest zip line in Belize, about 2.5 miles. I think we could claim the youngest and the oldest participants! The Placencia peninsula is about 16 miles long and largely tourist-dominated. It is known for its palm-lined beaches and is a jumping off point for divers heading to the barrier reef. Highlights of our time in Placencia were the boat ride to Laughing Bird Cay, 12 miles offshore, for snorkeling, and our trip to the Mayan Cultural Center to view the process of making chocolate, from the pods on the tree to the bars of wrapped chocolate.

“As with most vacations, it ended too soon, but not before we all got some good color (some got too much of that color) as a result of the perfect weather with lots of sun and temperatures from the upper 80s to mid-90s.”

Denis and Callie McWhan are in residence this week to let Callie get started on her garden and to give Denis a rest from remodeling a house with son, David. David, Patricia, and their family have journeyed to Hong Kong for the week.

Leslie Bernie is back a few days a week at the island store, adding delicious baked goods to the tempting choices there.

Proud father, Peter Doelp and mother, Maria, journeyed to Boston to watch and cheer on their daughter, Diane, as she ran the Boston Marathon. They were able to give her a rainy hug at the half-way mark, and she finished in about four hours. Quite an accomplishment, but then Peter says she will be running another marathon in about two weeks!

After celebrating his 90th birthday so thoroughly at the Southport Memorial Library, Cy Seifert has ended up in Mid Coast Hospital. His library friends were busy signing a card for him with many witty good wishes for full recovery.

A reminder again of Southport Cleanup Day, on Sunday, May 6 beginning at noon at the Town Hall. Gerry Gamage will be cooking hot dogs to accompany other goodies that should stoke us up to grab a sheet noting an area of the island to de-litter and several plastic bags into which to put the litter. When your bag is full or too heavy to carry further, you can leave it along side the road for our road crew to pick up. Let’s hope the weather improves by then.

As I began this column on Monday evening the wind was howling and trees were again swaying perilously. Even with all the trimming Asplunde has done on the island, I wondered if our power lines would hold. Sure enough , Jim Singer tells me Tuesday morning that they lost power about 9:30 p.m. and were told it would return about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. We and many others I talked with had several dark moments Monday night about 9:30 p.m., but no sustained outage.