Hilary Clark

Red Mittens

Of the more than 3,000 islands off the Maine coast, only 15 are both inhabited year round and unbridged. Many of these islands, accessible only by boat or aircraft, serve as summer enclaves to wealthy Floridians and New Yorkers who alight on their magnificent houses for a few weeks each summer before taking off again, leaving behind the small communities that keep the islands running through long winters and cold springs. At least that’s the case on this island, where I moved a few years ago after getting a job at the local Post Office.