a life less ordinary...

Today is the day we must say goodbye to this sweet island, and head back to Portland.

Goodbye Grits...
Goodbye skulls and jawbones by the door...
goodbye more hats than I ever realized one person could own.
We were ready to leave early because we knew that we needed to row ourselves to town in the dory. But we had not anticipated that there would be problems with the pegs. Oops. Hope's dad went out to start working on them...
and continued whittling them down in the boat as Hope rowed the first shift.
we all took turns...
and we slowly but surely made our way
to dock at the ferry terminal.
Tickets in hand, we waited for the ferry...
and hopped aboard in Lila's van. Fortuitously she was leaving on the same boat!
We landed in Rockland, and headed to the coffee shop there to wait for our ride. On the way we passed this amazing beaded silver and gold gown at the second hand store that Hope NEEDED, but unfortunately they were closed. How sad!

So, instead we got tasty iced drinks to cool us down...
and read inspired love poems...
while trying not to get beat up by the feisty patrons there.Joe and Eve were so sweet to give us a ride back to Portland in the Toughcats' van
and it was wonderful to have a chance to catch up while we talked about school, and catching babies, and starting clinics, and traveling, and tried to avoid thinking the flood of to-do-list things leaking their way back into our heads.
But we did make it home to Portland, at last.

The house was full of friends and chefs and shellfish... they were pulling together their 16-course foraged dinner for 19 people. Milkweed, herring, and sea urchin were abundant and the house was wonderfully fragrant.
So... this epic journey with Harriet is complete. But if there is one thing we realized, it is that this was only the beginning of a lifetime of journeys. It's easy to create adventure, even on your own turf, on a day that might otherwise be described as ordinary. All you need is an ounce of wonder, a pint of mischief, and a pinch of really delicious Saigon cinnamon. So on we go to other adventures.

Did you think it was over? No, no my friend! Don't you worry! Never fear! After we shower and pull a comb through our locks we may just turn this town upside-down. So stay posted, there is certainly more to come!

Lions and leopards and lizards, oh my!

This morning we headed into town to spend time in Vinalhaven. It was mid-tide, and we needed boots so that we could reach the boat without sinking in mud up to our elbows.

Thankfully there were rocks covered in barnacles and bladderwrack to hop across on our way out to the dinghy! We made it out there without being swallowed up...
and Hope rowed us out to the motor boat.
We hopped aboard...

and Mark ferried us into town...
as we watched the islands disappear into the shroud of fog behind us.
We first landed at the ARC, the local non-profit cafe and arts center that was started by Hope's brother Tristan and his girlfriend Gabe. We ran into Hope's mom there; she was in desperate need of some coffee, and thankfully they had just what she was looking for!

Later we hooked up with Lila and traveled with her in the Gypsy Circus mobile... If you look closely you can see me through the lions and leopards and lizards that Lila has made.

Hope discovered her deep love for dangly beaded veils...
and we went to the naked quarry to swim in the perfect, cool water...

and eat grapes in the sunshine.
Later we saw this awning, and realized that we just HAD to stop for ice cream.We explored more of town,
and caught rose petals as they fell from the heavens.
After practicing our Marilyn Monroe impressions we met Hope's dad at a gallery opening downtown...
where we enjoyed wine and cheese and art (a sculpture of a seal is sunning itself in the background here)...
and then headed back home to Green's for the evening.
We hiked through the fields and mossy forests to the back side of the island to watch the sun set...
and the moon rise...

ending another lovely day full of exploration, presence, and peace.

Triumphant travelers head into the mist...

We woke up like this, after an amazing night's sleep...
and said goodbye to Harriet for a short while. She is spending a few days with a friend, and we are off to create island adventures.
We boarded the ferry to Vinalhaven with our morning tea/coffee in hand, and spent the ride talking and laughing about our journey so far, and all we have accomplished...
Did you ever notice that if you stand at the bow of a boat with you arms out, it's as though you are flying? Here is my seagull impression:We had burgers and beer at the Sand Bar with Hope's dad Mark and brother Oakley...
donned our sun hats,
and headed off by boat through the fog to our final destination...
Green's Island, Hope's home.
We struck a pose for onlookers...
and our sherpa carried our luggage to the house.
We foraged for our dinner: chanterelles caught earlier in the trip, spinach salad from the garden, and lobsters gifted by Hope's dad.
Then off to spend some time in the sauna. It was nice and toasty, and we hopped out for a quick swim in the ocean before the tide got too low, warmed ourselves again, and showered off the salt with water from the rain barrel in a watering can. If you have never showered by sauna before, we highly recommend it. We felt clean from inside to out, something that only a day ago had seemed so far away.
We foraged for dessert too, and conveniently found a marshmallow tree growing in the back yard. The marshmallows were perfectly ripe, so we picked a shirt-full and lit a fire.
Toasting marshmallows reminded us that we are kids...
Staring at the campfire was mesmerizing, and it took some concentration to toast them perfectly without those mallows going up in flames or getting too soft and falling to their doom in the fire.If you look closely, you can see Hope glowing in the background...

Our first day of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation on the islands felt like heaven. Aaaah!