Morning Light
Summer is quickening.
This morning I rose before the sun and followed my heart outdoors. The horizon was still veiled in offshore fog, the air wrapped in the rising mist left behind by yesterday's summer showers.
Wrapped in that mist, I followed the song of the bell buoy.
Before the first ferry stirs its drowsy passengers and the day's traffic begins, the roads belong to me and the the other early birds loping around the backshore.
Gone are the murky remembrances of what isn't.
Today I am fully alive to what is—to this golden morning. Mist rises from the backlit waves, reminding me that beauty deserves my attention. That isn't to ignore life's difficulties or the bittersweet vines and tendrils that catch at my feet and snag my unrealistic expectations. Rather, it is a reminder that what I choose to focus on ultimately shapes who I become.
How fleeting summer is.
June arrived with warmth, gardens taking root, and the first harvests of spinach and lettuce. Visitors returned, and with them came the familiar rhythm of a Maine summer that has more than lived up to its storied reputation.
We welcomed Brenda Castle, Eimear Arkins, and Eamon O'Leary for an evening of film, story, myth, and music exploring Ireland through the remarkable world of bees. We gathered for a potluck supper and a Summer Solstice contradance in the Lions Club playhouse—a joyful celebration of the year's longest day.
How lovely it is to linger through these summer days on our tiny island in Casco Bay.
Summer families return. Familiar routines and friendships rekindle. Together we spend more time outdoors than in, and somehow that simple shift opens the heart to wonder.
On the evening of the full moon, we lit a fire and welcomed anyone who wandered by to join us. Food, drinks, conversation, and music were shared as the Strawberry Moon rose from its southernmost point along the Atlantic horizon. Together we celebrated the simple gift of being in this place, on this evening, bearing witness to the beauty surrounding us.
Living outdoors through the summer fortifies us. Just as morning calls us toward the eastern horizon, evening lingers in the west. The day's last light settles above the Diamond Islands, washing the harbor in lavender stillness and turning the water to gold before night gently arrives.
This morning, as I stepped outside to turn on the water for the garden, the air was sweet with the scent of the Atlantic and alive with birdsong. How is it that July has already completed its first week?
The quickening of summer is also a call to savor it—to be fully present for all this season offers on our small island off the coast of Maine.
This Wednesday we are delighted to welcome Darol Anger, Joe K. Walsh, Alex Rubin, BB Bowness, and Brittany Karlson back to Peaks Island. Together they explore the edges of bluegrass, jazz, and improvisation in a project called Blurgrass. Their extraordinary musicianship and adventurous spirit promise an evening that is both deeply rooted in tradition and joyfully expansive.
The concert will be held at the 5th Maine Museum. Seating is limited, so reserve your spot soon. Please note that this is a Wednesday performance. Occasionally we shift our schedule to accommodate touring musicians whose travels bring them through Maine, allowing us to share in the richness of the state's remarkable summer arts season.
In that same spirit, we are also thrilled to welcome Diarmuid O'Meachair, who over the past two years, Diarmuid has released four solo albums and he has been nominated for three RTÉ Folk Awards: Best Instrumentalist (2023 & 2024) and Best Emerging Artist (2023)
. Since Diarmuid will be nearby, it seemed impossible not to invite him to Peaks.
As Brenda Castle observed during her June visit, there are Irish tricolors, Irish license plates, and homes with Irish names throughout the island. Our connection to Ireland runs deep here on the coast of Maine.
Come join us for what promises to be two evenings of expansive and masterful traditional music, shared right here at home.