LIFE // PHOTOS // the high seas, part four

p a r t   0 0 4 :   h u r r i c a n e   i s l a n d   a n d   f e a t h e r   r o c k   i s l a n d

I'm actually living a life right now so I'm combining my last two photo-rich excursions into one post. We visited many more places than just the ones I've posted, but these are the ones that merited a whole post.

| Hurricane Island |

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This is seriously the weirdest place ever. How many of you are/were Lost fans? *raises own hand*

Okay, well you know when the island gets moved? I swear, it got moved to Maine. Because minus the tropical forest and the polar bears (I think they got transformed into mink, because there are tonnnns of mink) this totally feels like a set out of the show.

You see, the island used to be a base for Outward Bound, starting in the 70s. Apparently funding got cut or something, because they just up and left in 2006.

Here's the weird part: they left all their stuff.

It's like they just disappeared, or were gassed like the Dharma Initiative. There's salt and pepper sitting on the tables of the mess hall. There's photos tacked to the walls. There are markers and books on shelves. There is an empty toothbrush wrapper on one of the cots. It looks like someone could be living there, yet the only inhabitants are barn swallows and mink.

Even weirder? The island used to be a quarry in the 1800s and early 1900s (there are lots of old foundations sitting around, some with {inexplicably} retro sinks in them), and they just left everything sitting there too.

It feels decidedly weird to walk around. Like it's haunted, or something.

(There is the grave of a 12-year-old boy on the island. So maybe it is.)

the quarry

| Feather Rock Island |

This isn't the real name of the island, so I don't have a map for you, but basically it's this long sandbar that gently slopes off on either side, and then a huge rock.

We zipped over in the dinghy and proceeded to act like we were drunk or something. I fell over a lot. I suspect my mother might have slipped something into the miso soup... we couldn't stop laughing and saying the stupidest things.

Example:

"look, Em, I'm a bohemian mermaid swimming dog thing!"

"we're the feather-rock-island detective corporation."

"see that weird old ferry?" "yeah?" "it's weird."

And so on.

sandcastle time.

quite proud of this: no elastics or pins or barrets allowed, just twisted hair. they stayed in even as I swam.

Em stuck hers in her bun.

We did, of course, go to see Harry Potter. It wasn't even a question. Immediately beforehand we were fishing and Em caught her first fish, a mackerel. We were feeling geeky and quoting Harry Potter a lot, and Em said (and I quote):

That fish looked distraught. I had to let him go. Like, all the other fish will say:

"Who caught you?"

and the fish will say, "I didn't see them, I was disTRAUGHT!"

Get it? Moaning Myrtle, end of the 2nd movie.

Yeah, we're kind of obsessed. No judgement.

Anyway, the movie was fantastic and we spent the car ride back from the theatre sitting in stunned silence. It felt like someone had died, seriously. I can't believe it's all over.

*sobs*

Around Hurricane Island, by the way, right before Emily got on board at Camden, we were anchored in this little inlet when this crazy windstorm came through. I thought it was the end of the world. The clouds were insane.

PS: To nzkiwigirl, who asked if there are lots of seals here:

Answer: yes, yes there are.

*phew* Okay, that was like five times the photos I really needed to post, but there were so many good ones I just needed to share.

Done now.

xoxo.