Last View

New York

As the plane banked right, I saw Nantucket harbor and Great Point for the final time. It's always hard leaving that island.

I always arrive just before Labor Day and stay for a couple of days after the holiday. Usually, I have company at the beginning of the stay, and have the last days to myself.

This year was a little different. I had my friends at the beginning--dined out, talked alot, laughed alot. Then, I had my son and his fiance for nearly a week. I realized this year, that, after 15 years, some traditions have begun.

It is Ben's birthday in early September, and in the past several years since he's been coming to Nantucket to stay while I'm here, we celebrate his birthday there. It's now become a bit of a tradition. Each year we make homemade ice cream at his birthday party that is stored the rest of the year by friends of mine on the island. In the ice cream maker box, there are birthday candles, rock salt to increase the coolant properties of the ice as we churn the liquid to solid, the ice cream recipe that we've perfected over the years, and a "Happy Birthday" banner that goes over the picture window overlooking the sea.

We now do a triathlon each year in honor of Fred Rogers. This year, there was some talk about not doing it. I wasn't having any part of that! So, we picked up bikes for Ben and Abbi, and the three of us started the race about 8am on Tuesday morning--swimming from buoy to buoy in a fairly calm Madaket Bay. ( When I stepped in the water, however, I had second thoughts about my prior enthusiasm. ) Then a 10 mile bike ride to the top of Madaket Road and back. Finally, a 5K ( sort of ) up to Madaket Marine and back. Abbi and Ben had breakfast finished by the time I finished my race. But, I'm not complaining about my performance---I am, I remind myself, 25 year older...

Ben left the following morning. Abbi, that same afternoon. I had one last evening in Madaket. And then, yesterday, I packed everything in the rental car, put the last load in the washer, turned on the dishwasher, and closed the door behind me for another year.

As I drove away from the ocean toward the airport, I watched each pine tree, each view of the moors, each puffy cloud, trying to capture it in my mind's eye.

It will come in handy when the days aren't so long, the light isn't so bright, the air isn't so sweet.

M.C.