I’m often asked, “How do you manage to get through the winter up in Maine, let alone on Peaks Island?”

I was in the heart of the derelict building surrounded by 30 or so revelers at what appeared to be an impromptu dance party.

I still get a childish thrill watching the ferry pull into Peaks even though I’ve lived on the island for nearly two years.

Finding vaccine has been trying to put it gently. That changed for over 125 islanders on Valentine’s Day when a group of care team members from MaineHealth and Northern Light Health joined forces to deliver Moderna vaccine to our little rock.

In the summer, Trout Pond is a watering hole best avoided (read: beavers!). But in the winter, when the arctic air blows in from the north, the pond becomes an ideal island skating park.

Let’s burn down 2020 and welcome 2021 with a bang. I’m talking about the annual Peaks Island tradition of lighting up our old Christmas trees to ring in the new year.

Christmas on the island is a special time. Peaks certainly knows how to do the holidays right.

Winter gales, squalls, nor’easters and the dreaded bomb cyclones are just around the corner.

Thanksgiving is here and the turkeys have arrived. Literally. The other day on a morning run I spotted a rafter of wild turkeys milling about by Davies Cove.

It’s quiet out here. There’s a stillness on the island that’s quite discernible right before winter hits.

The official Peaks Island 2020 Election Results (Zone 1-3) are in and they underscore the political climate on-island, with 82% of voters casting their ballots for Biden.

The Sacred and Profane isn’t boastful about its attractions. Word of the event tends to travel via whisper rather than press release.

We took some time to venture off-island – only to head right back on-island and explore other parts of our watery backyard.

While Peaks is pretty small, you can break a decent sweat running our 3.5-mile loop around the island.

Last year my neighbor invited me to a pancake breakfast. He’s since moved off the island – an important detail and the source of my promotion to ‘batter man – but at the time he lived across the street and was active at the 5th Maine.

It seems like the whole world is on fire. Part of Peaks Island was, in fact, recently up in flames.

One unconfirmed symptom of the coronavirus appears to be a green thumb. Trapped at home, many of us have taken to our yards, balconies, and raised beds to plant victory gardens.

Yesterday I circumnavigated Peaks Island on the secret-but-not-so-secret island scramble.

This island is full of peculiar quirks. I guess that’s what happens when you live slightly off the proverbial grid.

Lots of Maine-based businesses are figuring out creative ways to bring in revenue and satisfy their local customers during the global coronavirus pandemic, including island deliveries.