North East Harbor by daylight. Sparkling with a layer of clouds above and low visibility, hell, it was better than last night. As day opened up it cleared well.

N.E. Harbor is located on Mt. Desert Island. To the east is Bar Harbor and to the west South West Harbor. The island is all apart of Acadia National Park and these harbor towns rest just on the edges giving the whole place quite an interesting feel.
As it turns out N.E. Harbor (or haba) would be our home for most of the trip. Jim was familiar with this harbor, had been here before, and said it was the most protected from the approaching storm. It was. On shore were showers, $2 for 4.5 min hot, cold for free, a library, ace hardware, bakery, post office, general store, and a seasonal fish market which closed day two. In this regard we needed nothing but to relax. Dan and I spent some time at various points in Bar Harbor and Jim took us to S.W. to meet Gordon, former president of Gettysburg College and his soon to be sailor of a wife. But in general the trip came to a somewhat frustrating slowdown, mostly due to weather. So, we waited and drew and wrote and sang and drank. It wasn’t a bad few days.

Our regular jaunt to the library for internet sent bad news to Dan. Grandmother was sick and Dad was on his way to see her. She might not make it until then. Dan called pops and we looked at bus schedules. He was off the island by 9:30 AM the next morning. Now it was just the two of us with a bit of space to make up and a lot of empty space to fill.

I write a lot but I also begin to dissect my world without interruption. The kind of interruption that friends provide so you don’t get too serious, so you don’t get spiteful, regretful, lonely, frustrated, so you don’t create reasons Not to kill your current focus of attention. Dan wasn’t there anymore. No more goofy Uke songs, no more silly questions, no more of more.

…

Three days later were back in Booth Bay and then I’m on a bus and then a train and then I’m in Providence, Rhode Island. New people, three of them thus far. Nice people. Just what the doctor ordered, change.