Join us for a relaxing afternoon at Robinson’s Wharf! The Community Center warmly invites friends and neighbors to an easygoing afternoon filled with friendly faces and great conversation. It's a wonderful opportunity to reconnect, share stories, and simply enjoy each other’s company. We’ll gather on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 1:30 at Robinson’s Wharf.Please note: everyone will cover their own meal. To reserve your spot, give us a call at 207-633-9876. 

Genealogy Club: Discover your roots. Come hang out with the Genealogy Club on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s all about exploring

The summer of 2025 on the Isle of Springs has been named the  “Year of the Cottage,” thanks to the initiative of The NeKrangan  Museum Committee, led by Susan Reece, the Island’s resident keeper of IOS history. The group chose to feature the 35 island cottages as  focus for the  2025 exhibit. The curators collected two photos, one old, and one recent, from each owner. They were hung in order of the year they were built. Toshow my appreciation for the NeKrangan Committee’s efforts and honor my own cottage, I decided to devote this week’s column to the Miller cottage. 

My family says I have an

Last weekwe looked “Inside the Toolbox” to explore the depth of maritime artisanship. On Monday, we were joined by Castlebayfor a program of ballads that between laughs and gasps conveyed the stories of the sea. Since 1987 Castlebay has been musically weaving together the heritage of New England and the Celtic Lands. Inspired, our own singers practiced their storytelling skills with “harrowing” tales from Linekin Bay. We also considered how visual storytelling plays a role in Maine’s coastal history. Artists across Maine tell stories from Anna Tsouhlarakis’ “Deconstructing the Boundaries

As promised last week, here is Thomas Hultin’s account of the recent Full Moon Fever Flotilla.

"Saturday August ninth saw a full moon rising. Nine Bayvillains were adventurous enough to be out on kayaks witnessing the event. The intrepid crew included: Thomas and Linda Hultin from the western most float of Bayville and joined with KarenMcNamara, Laura Allison, Cam and Mike in the Glen. From there Karen M led the convoy of kayaks east with Moon River echoing from her kayak and lungs. At the Bayville float, Karen Roberts, Alina Blakesley and Gwen Pentecost joined and fell into line paddling east

If you are fortunate enough to be on vacation you are experiencing the best weather of the summer. There have been many of what my dad would refer to as “a real Ocean Point day.”

Many thanks to Suzie Hamblett and Cookie Dana for a fun-filled porch party last Wednesday evening. There certainly were some wild and crazy outfits adorned by those who participated in the themed party. 

Sadly activities are over for the season and ended with our Annual Meeting and the voting of our Board officers and trustees. Kelly Robbins will continue as our president, Ginna Yerrall as vice president and Barb

The Point seems quieter these  and there is a crisp, autumn feel to the mornings and evening. 

From Dan Hazelton: 

Greetings from France. Donna and I will be at home here until mid-September, when we will return to the Point.  I thought the following might be of interest to you and your readers: 

Brook Hazelton, who grew up playing on our courts, was recently honored at the Newport Professional Tennis Tournament for his victory in the over 50 National Grass Court Championships and his number one ranking in New England.  Brook also is ranked number one in the US in court Tennis in his age

Let us begin with happy news. There is a new member of the Newagen Alpaca herd, a male has been born, three more young are still on their way. To say that he is cute is quite an understatement. Apparently after a bit of time getting used to the proportions of their body, especially the long neck, they walk within about an hour and begin eating within two. This one, still unnamed, enjoys time with his aunties and is hoping for another male to romp withsoon. We are so fortunate to have the alpaca farm on the island, if you have not visited, check the websitecapenewagenfarm.com for ways and

Dear Editor:

If you feel that violent crime is on the rise in the US, you are in good company—about 60% of Americans believe that crime is on the rise. Unfortunately, those 60% of Americans are objectively wrong. Crime has been in decline since the COVID shutdowns and has even reached 30 year lows in some places.

This fact exposes the true goal of the Trump administration’s crackdown in Washington D.C. Crime has nothing to do with it—it is a thinly veiled power grab. Just as autocrats have done throughout history, Trump is capitalizing on current events— in this case, the high-profile

Dear Editor:

In my lifetime I have participated in two different democracies: in Britain, where the executive is embedded in the legislature, and in America, with its three nominally co-equal branches of government. Both have the same core foundations: widespread access to the ballot box and a belief that every vote counts. 

In the U.S. these foundational requirements are under attack through measures to restrict access to the ballot box and persistent allegations (without evidence) of voter fraud and election theft. The assault continues from Maine to Texas. 

In Maine,we have this November

Dear Editor:

So often I come across walkers, runners, and bicyclists on our local roads wearing muted or dark colored clothing and frequently with earbuds in or headphones on.

Our roads are mainly devoid of safe shoulder space for walking, running, or biking. And even at 25 mph coming up over a small hill If I meet a biker or walker/runner, and I don’t see them till I am practically on top of them. Dark or muted clothing is not just a problem at dusk or night but in the shadows of trees or bright lights. It is very dangerous to rely on automobiles seeing folks in enough time to move over. And

Dear Editor:

Democrats defend and protect crime and violence. They loath the Constitution, the rule of law. They stand with the criminals.

The last time Trump called out the National Guard in Washington D.C., Nancy Pelosi called them back. The result, the nationally celebrated Democrats’ Holy Day of January Sixth.

This see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil religion of the Left is ruining the country.

Judges and prosecutors downsize heavy crimes to misdemeanors, releasing violent criminals back onto the streets. Fortifying their own deadly philosophy.

There were 170 murders in D.C. in one

Dear Editor:

In Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, a vain emperor paraded through town in “magnificent” garments woven from nothing at all. The crowd, fearful of speaking the truth, cheered his invisible finery — until a child pointed out the obvious. 

Pumping from Knickerbocker Lake, the Water District meets compliant water quality test results while the lake levels and resulting environmental health itself is neglected. Residents deserve more than good numbers and some odors. Knickerbocker shorelines are overgrown with emergent vegetation, likely caused by unusually low water levels — a clear

Dear Editor:

The radical Right and their Supreme Court justices claim the high ground in American jurisprudence by being “originalists.” They assert that they, and they alone, understand the intentions of our Founding Fathers and base their legal and political decisions on this assumed insight.

Fair enough. Having forgotten most of what I learned in high school civics class, I took my $1,000 President Donald J. Trump Signature Edition Bible out of its $14.99 God Bless the USA gift bag and reread the Declaration of Independence. Using the “originalist” lens, here are some unequivocal assertions

Dear Editor:

The Trump administration’s proposal to station 600 National Guard troops on perpetual standby for rapid deployment into American cities is an alarming and dangerous step toward normalizing military involvement in civilian life.

This plan is not about safety — it is about power. Crime rates are falling. There are no large-scale civil disturbances. Yet, the administration seeks to place armed troops, outfitted with riot gear, within an hour’s reach of any major protest. This is a clear recipe for intimidation, overreach, and suppression of lawful dissent.

The United States has a

Dear Editor:

Recently, there have been two widely publicized housing developments in the region funded with affordable housing funds and celebrated as a great step forward in righting the “underproduction of housing”. Such is the cause attributed to the housing shortage by state studies. However, I identify the deeper reason as the ever-expanding wealth divide, engineered by Maine's centrally managed economic development policy.

News Center, Maine reports Governor Mills as saying,” We don't have the 70 to 80,000 homes that the study said we need in the coming years, but my goodness, we're

Dear Editor:

I would like to add my voice to the many others that live in the vicinity of the new Southport bridge gate alarm system. Our family cottage is located on the top of Thompson Hill Road, and our great view takes in Townsend Gut. The porch is about 125 feet from the newly installed gate at the Southport end of the bridge.

What used to be a rather mild and short gate alarm is now a much louder, and longer running alarm. It is truly upsetting to hear the initial bell clanging for about 1½ minutes, long after the gate goes down. The alarm then runs again, during closing, for about a

Dear Editor:

When people see me on a bridge protesting against Donald Trump and his administration, they might think they know my story. They don't. My father, a proud veteran who served in Vietnam and was a lifelong Republican, voted for Trump in 2016. I remember crying to him after that election, worried I would lose my health care. He reassured me, saying, "There are checks and balances, Cara. That won't happen."

Thanks to the incredible courage of a fellow veteran, John McCain, my father was right. We didn't lose our health care. What happened next is a story of principle over party. In

Sprucewold gardens continue to grow, sometimes wild and sometimes carefully curated. It’s all beautiful. After all, E.B. White, one of Maine’s nature-loving writers, reminds us that "genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one.” We grow our gardens in concert with, and often in spite of, the rains, the droughts, the deer, the ticks, and all the other creatures that co-inhabit our land with us.  

Bill Griffin and I were having a lovely swim recently when we were lamenting that the deer have, yet again, expanded their palettes to include plants they’d never shown interest in

It’s always both exciting and uplifting to see local young people get involved in the community, and this proved remarkably true at last week’s meeting. Eight young adults – all members of the local Climate Action Team – joined us to hear a presentation on climate change and to ask our thoughts and concerns for their better involvement. 

It all started when Louise Cowan helped initiate a grant from Maine Can’t Wait, a state organization that is supporting outreach and student leadership. Rotarians Marsha Annenberg, a Rotarian from the Big Apple, is involved, and for expertise we have Fritz Fr

I am remiss in not mentioning a few weeks ago that the U.S. Coast Guard celebrated its 235th birthday. The Coast Guard began on Aug. 4, 1790, as the Revenue Service, established under the Tariff Act of 1790. In 1863, it became the Revenue Cutter Service, and on Jan. 28, 1915, it was officially renamed the U.S. Coast Guard. So, a belated Happy 235th Birthday to our Coast Guard! 

For those “from away,” the Coast Guard first established a presence in this area on Damariscove Island in 1897. The Rice Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay began building Rum Chasers in 1917 and went on to construct