Joli McKeen, Searsport
I come to Sears Island all the time, even when it’s freezing out and the wind is blowing from every direction, I walk on the island. I’ve been coming since the early seventies, when you could drive over the sandbar, being careful not to get stuck when the tide came in.
This is a place of solace, of peace and fullness, where we can all feel its our very own space. A place to rejuvenate. Whether walking the trails or the beach, there’s such a sense of freedom. Sears Island is a place to forget about the cares of the day.
Sometimes I stand on the causeway and look over toward Stockton Harbor, hoping to see the lobster boat that my son works on, leaving or returning, and wave to him. And sometimes he looks for me on the land, and waves.
I’ll bring bubbles here to blow, and watch as they dance in the wind. Everyone enjoys that! In winter, I’ve made snowmen and placed them on the railings. It’s so much fun to let go and feel like a kid again, and Sears Island brings out that childlike playfulness.
I was talking to a friend about Maine’s wonderful places and that I’d recently seen the movie about Don Fendler’s book, Lost on a Mountain in Maine. He said, “Joli McKeen, Found on an Island in Maine.”
It’s true. Sears Island is a treasure island. Let’s keep it wild and free.
A project of volunteers who care deeply about Sears Island