THE SUMMERMY BROTHER DIED
Peter born to Bob and Claire Cunningham in 1947, Jim born 1949, Bill born 1953
Leaving Lincoln June 9, 2022
Jimmy’s mailbox, he’s inside recovering from a bout of chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.
Spring Arrival Ara Fitzgerald and I venture up to Grand Manan to open up the house in anticipation of a possible visit from Jim. June 10, 2022
“Farming the Ocean”r - might need a bit of maintenance.
KIRK BROOKS SUDDENLY DIES Kirk was a gentle-hearted man’s man, he was hit on his stationary motorcycle by a trailer-tractor truck in BC. The funeral was held on White Head Island off Grand Manan. Everybody was very upset. JUNE 17, 2022
Phillip Russell digging dinner.
Jim calls us back to Lincoln His cancer is worse and our goal is to get him back to Grand Manan one more time. We stop in Brunswick, Maine on the way down. June 23, 2022
Bob Mauck about 4 weeks before his failed “Widow-Maker”.
Nat Wheelwright and his hens
Ara dances with the “twisted Tree” in Lincoln Center
Our Lincoln neighbors Andy and Rosaline invite us to The Harvard Art Museum for a gathering of Museum Directors from across Africa.
The brother of our friend Michel Dobbs (Roshi) passes away at his group home/community in NY State.
Three boys were born to Bob and Claire Cunningham
1947, 1949, & 1953
Jim on the Lincoln Historical Society float. Jim was also a photographer…but he made his living as a “systems engineer”.
Bill in his nursing home, he had a stroke ten years ago.
Peter and Bill in Grand Manan
Jim and Peter helping build the family house in Lincoln
Peter with Lester Tate in the Lincoln woods, woods that were regularly walked by Henry David Thoreau.
Lester, who had living memory passed down through his schooner-captain ancestors back to the ride of Paul Revere, visits the”shot heard ‘round the world” battle site in Concord.
JIM RETURNs TO GRAND MANAN
Jimmy makes it back up to Grand Manan, a happy and tearful week.
July 12, 2022
JIM REtURNS TO LINCOLN
(but is nearly arrested at the border crossing for joking with the border guards)
July 17, 2022
Traveling down again
Jim called with the news that he would likely die this week.
July 30-August 7
The Lincoln neighbors removed a big rock from their bedroom, It was right there.
Billy is well and Jim made it through with a couple blood transfusions
A day of driving and a ferry ride got us back to the island.
And a stranger from away (Barry Russell of White Head)
HOMELIFE
The Community is rebuilding Tate Shed
Movie Night
Social LIFE
now it’s eva’s shed (again)
August 14, 2022
Tate Shed once belonged to Mervin. Mervin’s grandmother, Lester’s wife, was named Eva.
From out of nowhere we have another Eva, it’s her shed now.
Beware artists at work:
Adventures in The Grand Manan Museum
August 2022
Ara Fitzgerald performs “The Hook of Wonder”
John DiMartino makes tintype portraits all over the island
Wendy Dastand launches her book on Grand Harbour with Chapel Street Editions
The students from The Bowdoin Kent Island Scientific Station come ashore to share their experiments.
HOLY MACKEREL- Chris and Doug bring home the bacon
Tate Wharf via Farmers Ledge
August 20, 2022
Visitors arrive from away
July/August/
Eve wrote a children’s book while she was here. It’s about these two boats, Thumper and Fogseeker. Thumper is a big boastful commercial fishing boat who brings back wild fish to feed the people. He asked Fogseeker what he does to justify his existence, Fogseeker says he just looks for fog. Thumper has fun with that one until he gets lost in the fog only to be saved by Fogseeker. They then float together at the what as best of friends.
Fogseeker and Thumper.
Eve’s dog Aussi waits patiently.
Steve and Lesley visit. Bird people see things that we don’t see.
Lincoln, Massachusetts
The final drive
August 26
Once again we got the call from Jim that he was about to die., we left on the next boat. Above is the Kennebunkport rest area on the Maine Turnpike.
Jim had previously had a medical bed installed in his room. The night before we arrived he had been taken to Emerson Hospital. His room was left with this image on the screen. I met with him at the hospital, he was beginning to see that the medical system had very little left to offer. We made lists of things that had to be done, Glenn, the funeral director, arrived and gently quizzed Jim on his wishes. One more blood transfusion allowed Jim to get home where he would last another week.
Jim put a lot of care into his house on Lexington Road.
Boxes of our father’s Cloud Physics material await pickup by Cornell.
Sunyan from Tibet and Louise from Congo attended to Jim’s death which came on September 3rd while he lay peacefully in his own bed, just as he would have chosen.
This was the picture he chose to represent himself. It’s a Cornell where he funded a program for individual projects in the4 engineering school. Here he’s with a racing car that his team built. JFC35 is his tag.
Cousin Janet
The Lincoln town flags fly at half mast and the Minutemen fire in salute.
And for those of us left among the living, the twists, the ironies, the daily tasks and little adventures, they continue. Here above, the empty train station across from The Concord Funeral Home.
Trash
Treasure. Jim’s precious “Pendleton Blankets” are to be delivered to new homes in Grand Manan. We hit the road.
Back on Grand Manan
September 10, 2022
We exit the ferry and stumble upon our friend Carly Fleet throwing a 3rd birthday party for Misha, the child of Ukrainian refugees living on the island. There are seven such families, the island has opened it’s arms to this cause.
Back on Ingalls Head, Maverick finds a crab.
Ara finds a gun on Ross Island, now a nature sanctuary.
Canada’s queen - view from ther commonwealth September 21, 2022 edit this!
Saturday night followed by Sunday morning
The Thoroughfare: LOBSTER PURGATORy
Jon-Mark Seimon visits from South Africa via New York.
MARK SCHAPIRO visits from California via Vermont
Mark is an environmental journalist and a harmonica player in Zoe Fitzgerald Carter’s band. SW Head in fog.
Discussing the modern rules of shipping dangerous cargo with Yvonne Keller in Seal Cove
With Karen in Seal Cove making a Ukrainian flag mat.
Examining the fine points of rigging traps with Lee and Carter on Brian Ingall's; wharf
Avoiding work with Adam Tate.
Reading poetry with Jeff Green
WIth Alison Demming probably discussing the esoteric poetics of endangered frogs.
FISH IN THE WEIR: Pat’s cove
STILL LIFE: the cod are gone, but the wallpaper remains
Old Style
