Island Time

Now that I've got all those exotic places to look forward to, here is a place a little closer to home...

About two weeks ago, I started my summer job at Taconnet on Great Pond. The first week was just working to open the camp and get it ready for guests, but this past week has been a regular work week: waiting tables, washing dishes, playing with kids, swimming, driving the barge.

The people who come here are wonderful. They are friendly, and they seem to really appreciate the work the staff puts into making their stay as carefree and relaxing as possible. For me, that’s the key: we do put a lot into it, and it is so nice when our effort is noticed.

Though I truly appreciate the appreciation, the abundance of sun we have received is equally fantastic. Every single day has been sunny for at least a few hours. Other than the off cloudy morning and a scattering of rain showers, we have had the most gorgeous weather. Which is a really great change, because the last two years have been cold and rainy - almost enough so that I was thinking about not returning here this summer.

I am very glad I did return though. It’s funny: this winter I was thinking about the people who come to Taconnet year after year, and I realized that I missed them. I was surprised because, well, you don’t expect to miss people you see for less than a month every year. It is what the grandparents here are always saying, “I’ve been coming here for seventy years; these people, this island: it’s my summer home and family.” And it’s true. After working here for two years, the guests have become a sort of family to me. That’s the magic of this place: it’s not just the sun and the water (though both of those are magical), it’s the feeling of family, of community, of home. I do look forward to seeing these people and this place, and I know that the last season I spend at Taconnet will be a melancholy one, because all the goodbyes will be final.

For now though, I will enjoy the time I have here on this island, in the sun, in the water, with the people. I’ll gorge myself on the delicious food, and cherish the time I spend in this secluded community in the middle of the pond.