Roof Lines

Roof lines like these are pretty typical of island life. Dad preferred heading of to the lake when we ventured off on a Sunday as a family. I can remember only one time that Dad tagged along, and we went to the ocean together. One early Sunday, we piled the staion wagon to the roof and headed off to Cumberland to catch the ferry to Chebeague Island. From the ferry to the beach was a tiring walk for little kids, as I remember. Mom and Dad lugged most of the beach gear, but when we arrived at the sand it was beautiful and worth the trip. This particular day, the  beach was loaded horseshoe crabs, big, gray and slow-moving. We marveled that they resembled creatures from the dinosaur era. We spent the morning investigating them, frolicking on the sand and in the cool water. By lunchtime and the dining on egg salad sandwiches with the crunch of sand, the sun had reached its pinnacle in the sky, high and hot. A couple more hours and our day was done. That evening we were all nursing some serious sunburns. Dad, the know-it-all island man, got one so bad he had to take Monday off from work. This was one for the record books. He never took a day off from work. That family outing to the seaside was never repeated and is probably why it remains quite vivid. That and the bad sunburns... Ouch!