News Flash ... a 10-foot great white shark has been seen in Deep Cove!

Did I catch your attention? — maybe? Unlike the shark sitings and international newsworthy deadly shark attack in nearby Bailey Island, this fish story has not been confirmed, but I hope it grabbed you!

As I write this, the big news of the day is not a shark, it is the testing of the IOS water system. Manager Kim Olsen supervised having our gravity-fed system disconnected from the water tower, getting higher pressure delivered directly from the Boothbay Region Water District underwater supply line from Sawyer’s Island. Island volunteers are checking water lines for leaks and changes to water pressure that might cause issues, including shampoos that could turn ugly. Scott Olsen reports that removal of a regulator valve delivered an additional 15 pounds of pressure, a nice boost for anyone at the top of the hill hoping for a more vigorous shower or faster-filling washing machine.

The last Isle of Springs column I wrote was 15 years ago, about the time of the IOS association’s annual meeting. That meeting wasn’t via Zoom and the idea of an online meeting would have been science fiction. But, the island was about as crowded as it gets and there was so much going on socially that my report filled nearly a half-page in the tabloid-size printed edition of the Boothbay Register. What I wrote about then stands in sharp contrast in content and length to what I will cover now.

On the first Saturday of August 2005 there were two big wedding celebrations, Erin Thompson getting married on the island and Tucker Hastings tying the knot in Kennebunk. Over the same weekend, Saturday evening there was a blow-out dance party at the Casino to recognize multiple wedding anniversaries. Sunday evening was the children’s service with a SRO audience. That weekend there was also hustle and bustle around the island tennis tournament. Now, sadly, due to COVID-19 concerns, those types of social events aren’t happening and many members of our island family who made them happen, aren’t here for the first time.

That’s why this week it was so uplifting to hear the boom, boom, pow sound of tennis balls and to see both courts in use by some of our ace tennis players (six feet apart, of course) the Scott Hutchinson family, tennis signaling their arrival along with the launching of their beautiful Elusive watercraft.

Not so elusive this summer has been the familiar socializing and squawking of the seagulls and ospreys, along with the erratic movements and chatter of the red squirrels and dancing of harbor seals, unfazed by the pandemic. Closing my eyes and soaking up the hot sun after taking my daily dip in the chilly waters off the big rock on the south end of Deep Cove I was startled by squeals from a couple of furry black minks scurrying around on the rocks. Following my lead, they dove off that same rock and swam, heads above water, across the cove to Jones Point. These ferret-like creatures love Deep Cove and they hide in the granite crevices on the shores of Jone’s Point. This part of the island is also a favorite for red squirrels, seen swimming from the mainland, eyeing their winter residence and looking forward to the warmth of the Jone’s Cottage.

With less time to spend with our island human friends, it’s been easy to be more attentive to the wildlife and also to a number of odd environmental happenings worth noting here. Recently, the planet Jupiter was the brightest it will be in our lifetime, so it glowed more than ever just to the north and below Saturn, the summer’s brightest “star.” It was in full view just after sunset in the southeastern sky above Southport Island. We were awed last Tuesday night by a spectacular full moon rising over Indiantown Island. Its reflection glistened across the Sheepscot admist 45 mph. gusts from tropical storm Isaias. It’s unusual to have a tropical storm hit the Maine coast this time of year, but a tropical storm with only a brief sprinkle of rain and then with moon and stars above, and a beautiful morning just a few hours later, well, that’s just plain weird. Also weird — and not so nice — was what Isaias left behind, a massive layer of seaweed and debris (lobster buoys, construction materials, styrofoam floats…) that blew into Deep Cove, covering every inch of the cove, leaving no space for swimming.

IOS has also had record-breaking heat and humidity and calmer than normal winds this summer along with a relentless drought that has left the reliably green and cushiony moss in Cathedral Woods brown and crunchy. July was the hottest in Maine ever recorded. At IOS on July 28, we broke (by a half-degree) the all-time record overnight low temperature of 71F degrees set in August 2018, and a record dew point of 73 degrees, which even in New Orleans this time of year would be considered humid. That followed four days when the waters around IOS looked like a millpond with no breeze at all. Flags were limp during the days while window fans were spinning during the nights.

Odder than the balmy July 28 morning temperature and high humidity was a visit the next day from the U.S. Census Bureau rep. Susan Reece made note of this in last week’s column, but I had to also mention it because I am still amazed (and also encouraged) that the federal government takes counting the population serious enough to deploy census takers in kayaks to check for residents living year-round on the islands of coastal Maine, including IOS and other summer communities. I will never forget answering a knock at the door of my cottage, which is accessible only by boat and foot, by a tall, slim, masked young man who flashed an official Census Bureau ID and then asked me a few questions. My favorite was, “Was this house occupied on April 1?,” to which I replied, “Yes, but only by red squirrels!” That response caused his eyebrows to go up, which is all I could see of his expression behind his facial covering. I did sense a snicker as he made note of my response (an April Fool’s joke) on the Census Bureau’s tablet PC.

In closing, I’m thrilled to know it will be another decade or so before I’m asked to write this column, and also to welcome back to our cottage Rohan Doherty, son of our good friends and frequent island guests, Colin and Jo Doherty from Boston who have a home on Rangeley Lake, Maine. Rohan, who is a graduate student at University of Pittsburgh, did not get to IOS by kayak, rather got here as expected by car and boat. He is visiting IOS for the first time in ten years with his friend Delaney Arbore, reigniting great memories of fun times on the island. And in case the Census Bureau is interested, Rohan and Delaney will not be living here on April 1. Sadly they are only staying overnight!