Forget trees, rocks, water, lobsters. It’s all a distraction to hide the real gems of this island, the stuff the locals want to keep for themselves.
But as you’ll see in a minute, it’s a conspiracy that runs deeper than Russian Subs under the North Pole. Wait, it’s even bigger than that, it’s monumental, I tell you.
The real beauty of this island are the people, the hospitable folk who welcome strangers, who smile at everyone and who wave at you just for passing by. It’s like religion for these folk, they are so nice and friendly that if word gets out the whole Island and the reputation of Maine people are all in jeopardy!
We were invited into the homes of some very wonderful local folks, with the help of Karen Oakes (portrait photographer extraordinaire) who was born here and lived all her life on the island. Her wonderful friends and neighbors were happy to let us roam through their homes and take photos of their amazing properties. These are not just regular old homes, these are classic homes with charm and grace. They are monuments to the hard working families that started out 40 years ago and created rugged, comfortable homes with space to work, play and bring lots of friends.
They build space for themselves, space to work on machines, build stuff, fix and maintain their equipment and to me, it’s a beautiful thing.
And the charm of the sunny day is not lost on these locals who welcome the sun into their homes through yards of glass at every turn, places for the sun to find its way inside and throughout the house.
So Today was a beautiful day, last day for me on Vinalhaven for a little while, but lasting memories and new friends make this a place I will return to again soon, for the forests, the water, the fog, the wonderful people and of course… The Mosquitos. I love the smell of DEET in the morning.
