The Boothbay Harbor region is one of the most special places in the world. For year-round residents and summer guests alike, the pull of this place is something like the tides of the ocean, ebbing and flowing from our hearts throughout the year.

From Oliver's to the Downeast Ice Cream Factory to the sandy shores on Hendricks Head Beach, there is something so cozy about this community that residents can only understand with others who experience it themselves.

Our community is made up of people from various nooks and crannies around the world, so it is ironic that two residents had to travel to Copenhagen, Denmark to find friendship in one another and realize that they had the unique connection of spending summers on Southport Island. But that is just what has happened to Emma Cameron (granddaughter of Juan Cameron and Nora (Tooey) Cameron) and Ruthie Hawley (granddaughter of Bud and Jean Hawley), who are studying in Copenhagen this semester through the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. 

Cameron is a junior at Middlebury College in Vermont, majoring in anthropology/sociology and minoring in education studies and African studies. Hawley attends Colby College in Waterville and is majoring in environmental policy and women's, gender and sexuality studies. During their first week abroad, Cameron and Hawley realized that both of their families had long established ties to Southport Island, and in fact, even one another. Rob and Peter Hawley (Ruthie's father and uncle) had done yard work for the Camerons while in their twenties as part of their business venture, H & H.

After some screaming and laughing about favorite island and harbor hot spots and hideouts, Hawley and Cameron formed an immediate bond and have since traveled outside of Denmark to several exciting places, including Edinburgh and Fife in Scotland, Madrid, Budapest and Vienna. Next week they set off for Venice and Florence together.

The two have made great memories already this semester but look forward to returning to the hyygeligt (danish word evoking coziness) community that is the Boothbay Harbor region later this summer. It seems as though no matter how far one gets away from the Sheepscot River, the region's tide will always pull one back. If you're lucky enough, you'll return with new friends and connections that will endure for many seasons to come.