Welcome to summer on the Point! After what seems like a very long, cold winter it feels great to say that. We will have several writers this summer: Susan Schadler, Dibby Moder, Marsha Slingerland, Anne Marquette, Terry Petzold and myself as no one person could replace the incomparable, Anne Dooley.

We had a spectacular clean up crew for JPVIS Improvement Day. The rights of way were trimmed, massive amounts of gravel spread, tennis courts spruced up, steps inspected. What a truly amazing  crew! Thank you all who participated.

Saturday night was our welcome back reception. It was a beautiful evening, well attended in the Community House, with lots of great hors d’oeuvres, beverages of  choice and many long hugs and animated conversations as we caught up on what our neighbors have been up to all winter. All so glad to be back on Juniper and McKown Points!

Dave, Becky and family are back and tennis gets underway this week. See Dave’s email for all the details of what looks to be a spectacular tennis season.

The July 4th Lobster Bake is coming up soon. Be sure to get your tickets in advance on the website, JPVIS.org, right on the front page. And as always volunteers to set up, cook, serve, bake desserts and clean up are always welcome.

One of my favorite questions when chatting with neighbors is “How did you get here?” If you feel inspired to share your family story, just email me a short essay, or chat when we meet on the path.

So saying, I will share a story about the Swope/Tomkinson clan.

In 1914, Charlotte Anne Tibbetts (born in 1888, whose mother died giving birth to her) bought a small cottage, built four years. earlier; 2 rooms down and 2 bedrooms up, with an open porch on two sides at 28 Juniper Point Road, complete with outhouse. Cost: aprox. $7,000. She was recently graduated from Vassar College and newly married to George Everett Tomkinson, a Baptist minister. Why Boothbay? Ancestors of Charlotte’s arrived in Boothbay about 1750-1755. They came from Dover, New Hampsbire, along with others with names familiar even today: Tibbetts, Giles, Lewis, Pinkham. They settled along the appropriately named Dover Road. Charlotte may have summered on Squirrel island as a child (history unclear). George, her husband (aka G.E.T.) was the third president of JPVIS. Over the years, they came here first by boat, then train, then car. Their children, Henry and Charlotte Anne played on the beach and ran around the point like kids today. Upon Charlotte senior’s death, Henry bought the Juniper Lodge, across the street for his family, wife Peggy and children Nancy and Barbara. Charlotte Anne, who always went by Anne, resided in the original cottage with her husband, Carey and their son, Carey. Carey Jr., Barbara and Nancy, all married unsuspecting spouses (you read Colony, right?) and brought their children, Robert, Noah, Kate and Lucy to play on the beach and run around the point. And now we have a fifth generation of the clan in Charlotte and Evelyn (Tomkinson) Moser and Chris and Kai (Swope) Hearn.

So how did you get here?

Here’s to a wonderful summer, filled with family, friends and community.