A couple of weeks ago was my favorite day of the year here on Deer Isle: The day after Labor Day. This is the first Day-after-Labor-Day that I have been here since I moved away in 1992, and it was just as wonderful as I remembered. Why has it become my favorite? Because that's the time the year 'rounders "take back the island." The summer traffic drops precipitously and suddenly there are social invitations from people who have been so busy working or entertaining visitors or both that you haven't seen or heard from them in months. You can actually make it through the Burnt Cove Market without stumbling over crates of food waiting to be shelved or addled looking summer people looking for their favorite city food. And the weather? Oh my. Cool, clear and crisp. Think colored leaves, apples and cider.
(One Friday morning just before Labor Day, the Burnt Cove Market was strangely quiet and I whipped through my shopping list. The cashier said "Farmers' Market Day" -- that's where everyone was, getting their croissants from Tinderhearth, their Mason jar of 44 coffee, and their organic meats and cheeses. Not to be found at Burnt Cove, for sure.)
What I hadn't remembered, at least with such a sense of finality, was how fast things closed down for the season, or maybe for good. Just a few days later, I headed off to Blue Hill with the goal of trying out Seas the Day, a breakfast and lunch place across from Tradewinds I had heard good things about. Seas the Day had the unfortunate bad luck of opening the same summer as the new turn-about construction in their front yard that halted traffic for sometimes as much as a half-hour, and as if that wasn't bad enough, a Dunkin' Donuts opened right next door. (Dunkin' Donuts in Blue Hill??? That in itself seemed an abomination.)
Well, poor Seas the Day. Here's what I was greeted with:
That sign in front of the ramp/door says: "Closed Thank You," and outside the picture frame on the left is a "For Sale" sign. Only open a couple of months, and the round-about just got finished so traffic is moving just fine. I guess they couldn't take the reduction in the summer traffic.
Drew and I went to the Bagaduce Lunch for a fish sandwich and the sign in the window said they were closing on Saturday September 7th. (Did you know that the Bagaduce won the James Beard Award as an American Classic?) Madeline's on Deer Isle closes for the season on September 29.
Then my friend Christine invited me to a fancy tea at the lovely Pentagoet in Castine -- but the day of it, she called and said it was cancelled -- we were the only ones to sign up!
Sigh.
And in the Island AdVantages last week, there was an article that THREE businesses in Deer Isle village will be closing after this season: Neva Beck of the The Periwinkle is retiring (47 years in business);The Lester Gallery; and (maybe) Harbor Ice Cream. Since there are only about six business IN Deer Isle village, these closings will certainly have an impact.
Even the summer people who have stayed past Labor Day mostly seem to be leaving in September or in early October.
But then, I have been getting notices from the Opera House about the Winter AtlMovie Series. They are trying to get 90 folks to sign up at $45 each to make the series a "go." We'd do it, but will only be here for two of the seven scheduled films (we are heading south in early November). I heard they were within 15 of the goal. We've been to two movies there in the last week, first-run films and well attended. I see a notice for an eight week swing and waltz lessons in Blue Hill. Colloquy Downeast has ardent fans. And the Ukulele School is gearing up. I just heard about an active crafts group that meets Tuesday mornings in Brooklin. Book groups florish.
And summer people ask "What do you do here in the winter?" Stick around past Labor Day to find out.
(One Friday morning just before Labor Day, the Burnt Cove Market was strangely quiet and I whipped through my shopping list. The cashier said "Farmers' Market Day" -- that's where everyone was, getting their croissants from Tinderhearth, their Mason jar of 44 coffee, and their organic meats and cheeses. Not to be found at Burnt Cove, for sure.)
What I hadn't remembered, at least with such a sense of finality, was how fast things closed down for the season, or maybe for good. Just a few days later, I headed off to Blue Hill with the goal of trying out Seas the Day, a breakfast and lunch place across from Tradewinds I had heard good things about. Seas the Day had the unfortunate bad luck of opening the same summer as the new turn-about construction in their front yard that halted traffic for sometimes as much as a half-hour, and as if that wasn't bad enough, a Dunkin' Donuts opened right next door. (Dunkin' Donuts in Blue Hill??? That in itself seemed an abomination.)
Well, poor Seas the Day. Here's what I was greeted with:
That sign in front of the ramp/door says: "Closed Thank You," and outside the picture frame on the left is a "For Sale" sign. Only open a couple of months, and the round-about just got finished so traffic is moving just fine. I guess they couldn't take the reduction in the summer traffic.
Drew and I went to the Bagaduce Lunch for a fish sandwich and the sign in the window said they were closing on Saturday September 7th. (Did you know that the Bagaduce won the James Beard Award as an American Classic?) Madeline's on Deer Isle closes for the season on September 29.
Then my friend Christine invited me to a fancy tea at the lovely Pentagoet in Castine -- but the day of it, she called and said it was cancelled -- we were the only ones to sign up!
Sigh.
And in the Island AdVantages last week, there was an article that THREE businesses in Deer Isle village will be closing after this season: Neva Beck of the The Periwinkle is retiring (47 years in business);The Lester Gallery; and (maybe) Harbor Ice Cream. Since there are only about six business IN Deer Isle village, these closings will certainly have an impact.
Even the summer people who have stayed past Labor Day mostly seem to be leaving in September or in early October.
But then, I have been getting notices from the Opera House about the Winter AtlMovie Series. They are trying to get 90 folks to sign up at $45 each to make the series a "go." We'd do it, but will only be here for two of the seven scheduled films (we are heading south in early November). I heard they were within 15 of the goal. We've been to two movies there in the last week, first-run films and well attended. I see a notice for an eight week swing and waltz lessons in Blue Hill. Colloquy Downeast has ardent fans. And the Ukulele School is gearing up. I just heard about an active crafts group that meets Tuesday mornings in Brooklin. Book groups florish.
And summer people ask "What do you do here in the winter?" Stick around past Labor Day to find out.
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