Wow! What a change in the weather. Sunny skies and a light breeze make a perfect Maine summer day, exploring our coastal region is always an adventure. We took advantage of a beautiful day last Sunday and headed out to Damariscove Island, once home to a small village private home and a caretaker cabin for the Boothbay Region Land Trust seasonal volunteers. Six miles off Boothbay Harbor, the island has a tiny museum, a pond, a harbor that includes two BRLT moorings and skiffs, cobble beaches, and hiking trails. The earliest residents of the island were the Abenaki, who called the island Aquahega or Place of Landing. The island’s European contact history goes back over 400 years to when early explorers discovered the area’s rich fishing grounds and set up fish drying and salting stations so that they could ship the fish back to Europe. The town of Boothbay’s motto is “Pelegrinis Cibum Dedimus,” or “We Fed the Pilgrims.” Boats arrived from the Plymouth, Massachusetts Colony to obtain fish for the starving Pilgrims after their supplies ran low. I hope you have an opportunity to go there and experience the beauty of this great resource thanks to the BRLT.

Easily accessible by land is the Broad Arrow Farm in Bristol which grows its own livestock and serves the public sandwiches, small  plates and drinks at The Rooting Pig Charcuterie Bar and sells their own small batch, artisanal dry cured pancetta, culatello, salami, bacon, and much more at the The Charcuterie Market. We had a delightful meal and the grandchildren enjoyed playing games and watching the chickens, turkeys, and piglets.  We ended the outing by taking a ride through Bristol Mills to Round Pond for an ice cream at the Granite Hall Store which many years ago was Fossett’s Ice Cream Parlor. 

As Mary Otto reported in last week’s column, the Linekin Heights Association held the annual meeting last Saturday and were pleased that the Firewise Committee noted the large amount of brush and deadfall that was removed from the Green area. After looking through the by-laws and rules we have discovered the greatest fire hazard, which Ralph Kimball has confirmed, are charcoal grills. A charcoal grill needs to be away from your cabin, always watched for flying embers, and set up on a fire safe surface. The BOD was pleased to add a new member, David Stedt, to work on the Beautification Committee. Police Officer Larry Brown explained the 911 safety signs and the need for each cabin to be readily found by public safety personnel, please contact LHA President Walter Moulaison for a form. Once ordered and paid for when you pick it up, the reflective blue signs will have your house number on it for you to post in a prominent spot on your property close to the road. 

The Sprucewold Beach Club held their annual meeting at the parish hall of Our Lady Queen of Peace. President Elisa Goldsmith ran a tight ship, reports were presented and accepted. Members who volunteered for the kayak committee are  Kathryn Hopkins and Bill Griffin, who will create a new way to organize the kayak racks by owner; and the sanitation committee, Jessica Ludwig and Elaine Rittershaus, who will research alternatives to the porta-potty at the beach. Please make certain that if you rent, that your renters and the agency you use, understand that the kayaks and paddle boards are private property. If you provide a kayak or paddleboard for your cabin it must be clearly marked with your name and address. 

We are so pleased that Sara and Jack Angel are back in their cabin this year after missing last summer. Cribbage is back on Bayberry Road! 

Our family held a post wedding party for our daughter, Claire Rittershaus and her husband Ben Waters, at the Linekin Heights Green on Saturday. We had an old fashioned cookout on the big grill and served S’mores for dessert. The picnic tables will hold at least 80 people and lawn games and shuffle board were enjoyed by all! If you are a Sprucewold resident please remember the Green when you have a summer event and contact a Linekin Heights officer to get on the calendar. 

Each year we have a family reunion for two weeks in summer. Friends and family are now returning home and we are already looking forward to next year. We are halfway through August, hope that you and yours are enjoying the season.