We Were an Island

by Blanchard, Peter P., III

• ISBN13: 9781584658603
• ISBN10: 1584658606
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-11
• Publisher: Univ Pr of New England

Summary

Anyone visiting the innumerable islands that hug the coast of Maine has wondered what it would be like to live year round on a "rock" bounded by the sea, essentially cut off from the world, with life's priorities whittled down to the most basic necessities. In 1949 Art and Nan Kellam set off to find their own isolated piece of paradise and eventually settled on a 550-acre island known as Placentia off the northeastern coast of Maine, near Mount Desert Island. They would live there year round for nearly forty years. In this beautifully illustrated volume--based on Nan's personal journal, the "Big Book," which both Art and Nan contributed to, private correspondence, and archival materials--Peter P. Blanchard III re-creates the story of their island years. He shows their singular devotion to each other, finds tantalizing clues to their reasons for seeking isolation from the rest of the world, and considers the mental and physical toll of such an unusual lifestyle on the individual and joined psyches of the couple. The narrative is beautifully enhanced by historic photographs and by David Graham's recent color photography. While evoking the alluring beauty of Maine's rugged coast, the book celebrates the Kellams' courage and determination to follow a distinctive life path. We Were an Island paints a sensitive and sympathetic portrait of a relationship that endured, even prospered, in isolation.

Author Biography

PETER P. BLANCHARD III is a long-time conservationist and environmental activist, and the founder of Greenwood Gardens, a New Jersey nonprofit organization dedicated to horticulture and environmental education. He owns and manages two Maine islands as nature reserves. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Orion Society, which produces Orion, a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to the issues of nature, culture, and place.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction: A Long Journey Home

The Search for an Independent and Simpler Life

Motivations: The Enigma of a Chosen Lifestyle

Attaining the Kingdom: The Arrival and First Two Days (June 8-9, 1949)

Finding Home and Stepping Free: Homewood and the Footprints in Time

Island Explorations: Circumnavigations, Traverses, and Sight Lines

Placentia's History: Discovering Past and Precedent for Island Habitation

Dory Crossings: The Long Row and the Lifeline

Dynamics of a Relationship: Romance for the Islanders

Dynamics of a Relationship: Troubles in Paradise

Mainers and the Odd Couple

Art and Nan: The "Not-so-Hermits" in Isolation and in Company

Insular Perspectives on the World at Large

Wilderness and the Garden: The Islanders' Relationship with the Natural World

Rhythm of the Seasons: Autumn

Rhythm of the Seasons: Winter

Rhythm of the Seasons: Spring

Rhythm of the Seasons: Summer

Caring for the Kingdom: Island Stewardship and a Vision for the Future

Loss

Beyond the Time of Sharing: Nan's Perspectives Following the Loss of Her Husband

Nan's Memorial Service: A Last Island Reunion

Footprints in the Stillness of Time: Homewood Abandoned

Postscript: The Kellams and the Nearings

A Glossary of Special Terms from the Kingdom of the Bears

Notes

Bibliography

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