www.unitedmainecraftsmen.com ~ a non-profit organization ~ 207-621-2818 37th Augusta Arts & Crafts Show November 10th & 11th Augusta Civic Center Civic Center Dr., Augusta (exit 112 off I-95) Saturday 9-4, Sunday 10-3 THE LARGEST HOLIDAY CRAFT SHOW IN MAINE! Definitely worth the trip to Augusta and right off the exit! 41st Holiday Arts & Crafts Show December 1st & 2nd USM Sullivan Gym 66 Falmouth St., Portland Saturday 9-4, Sunday 10-3 OUR 2nd LONGEST RUNNING SHOW AND LAST OF THE SEASON! Holiday shopping made fun & easy! Make it a Maine Made Holiday Season! Buy quality gifts made locally by our talented artisans. Falmouth Shopping Center 251 US Route One Falmouth, ME 04105 (207) 781 4808 bookreviewmaine.com not just books 110 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine Words in the distance. A person appears stage right walking a dog. DOG WALKER (CLARA) is mature but ageless. She moves down stage left at a slow pace then back to upstage right, stopping and starting so that she seems to be walking on this road. She is the narrative presence. The other characters do not acknowl- edge her.) DOG WALKER (Entering.) This is the best time of day on island. Peaceful. The sun not up. Walking the dog. (To the dog.) Come on, Maisie. Out of there. Sunrise feels like a miracle. The same thing hap- pened yesterday and will happen tomor- row. It couldn’t be less of a miracle. Still. You feel the planet beneath you, almost feel it spinning. Islands are more quiet than other places. Sounds carry, as if you were on a stage. (Motorboats hum in the distance.) Boats head out to haul their traps. Today is August 3rd. It happens to be my sister-in-law Dottie’s birthday. She’s going to be 81. Our island is North Haven. In Penobscot Bay. We’re one of a hundred is- lands dotting the bay, mostly unpopulat- ed. Twelve miles long, three at the widest point, and thin as a finger in some places. Our year-round population is 351. In the summer, it’s four times that. The summer people come and go. (Behind the scrim, SUMMER PERSON walks stage right to left.) Here’s one now. Come on, Maisie. Don’t know who that is. Mostly I recognize ’em, but less and less these days. (The sound of a BICYCLE CLICKING BY.) There’s one of the Chandler boys. Look just like their father. (Soundofacarmotorpassing.Shewaves.) That’s my niece, bringing her husband to work down at the Reynolds’ place. I know all the islanders: I’m one myself. (Sound of a baby CRYING.) The Fosters have a new baby. Got their hands full with two already. Lots of us are born here and live here all our lives. We get married here, have babies here, are widowed here. (Behind scrim TWO WALKERS en- ter stage left to cross right on their brisk morning walk.)