Jane Fawcett at Star Cottage used to invite me over for tea.

We'd bump into each other in the harbor or at the Shop 'n Save and promise to be in touch. It seemed like an annual event. For me, it was fun to visit, then walk around the island.

Over the years I have gotten to know a few summer visitors on the island: Spaeth, Marinell, Kerr, Duvall, Mitchell (Sadie, no relation), Rob Hopkins and others. An interesting mix.

Jane liked Squirrel a lot. She was from Ohio I think — shared the cottage with another family or two, as is often the case. The island is a dedicated summer community enjoyed by many generations.

Recently, I got a call from Yvonne Duvall from Virginia. She said that she and her family would be on Squirrel and that she would really like to to get some photos of everyone. She'd been wanting to do it for years. I had photographed her daughter's wedding some 15 years ago. It was nice to be remembered and a great opportunity to see everyone after such a long time. We had fun in a wonderful setting at the very same house where Ashley got ready for her wedding.

Squirrel Island seems to me to be a lot like the carts that one often sees rolling along the streets of Boothbay Harbor. Like the one in the photo this week. Created from interwoven material — simple, yet strong and durable. A carrier that's held together over years of moving across the bay, unaltered — bound by a sense of coming home.

I know that things change with time and that Squirrel Island does not escape this. But for those who visit and those who stay, it is returning that matters most.