The Taj McCrow, Deer Isle, Me.

Deer Isle Taj McCrow 3
Originally uploaded by thegreatplotnik.

The Great Plotnik World Headquarters and Lobster Kitchen is encamped in its summer headquarters on Deer Isle, Maine. The temporary bivouac is in the Taj McCrow, the palace on the shores of Southeast Harbor, built by Plot and Duck's longtime friends Chuck (The Crow) and Deb (The Finch). The house is surrounded by water, pine trees, wild flowers and million dollar views. The 3,000 square foot house and 1,000 square foot workshop are beyond state of the art and were designed over a five year period by Crow and Finch. Finchie's crab cakes last night were as good as her wild blueberry pie.

Deer Isle is the home of the sainted Robert McCloskey! Robert McCloskey wrote 'One Morning in Maine,' 'Make Way for Ducklings,' 'Homer Price' and 'Blueberries for Sal.' Of all the zillions of children's books that Plot and Duck have read to their kids and to a generation of other kids, and had had read to them themselves when they were little Plots, these books are at the absolute top of the list. The picture of the Mama duck and her ducklings crossing Boston Common with the policeman holding up all the traffic with his outstretched palm? Little Bear and his Mom eating blueberries on the hillside around the corner from where Little Sal and her Mom are picking blueberries?

For those who remember 'Blueberries for Sal,' Lttle Sal herself, now in her sixties, and her kid sister Jane, still live on Deer Isle. They are apparently active in ecological causes. Should Plot run into Sal on the street he will fall on his face and salaam the earth in front of her. He will donate gladly to her foundation.

Yesterday, on the all day drive from the Block Island Ferry NE to Deer Isle, the traffic on I-95 was completely stopped. A man in a plaid shirt and gray beard at a rest stop said: "A cah went into the riveh." "Cah." "Riveh." Plot loves this Maine accent and promises to have learned it by the time he and Duck get home.

Scrawled on the wall of the Mens Room in Ellsworth, Maine, was this inscription: "Islam is the Enemy." It was strange to see in a store filled with moose heads and stickers in Red Sox colors that read "Yankees Still Suck."

Tomorrow, Tuesday night, Plot will drive BZWZ to Bangor, where she can take a bus down to Portland and catch a quick flight to La Guardia. Meanwhile, the plan so far is to go to The Lobster Pound tonight, then listen to the steel drummers on the pier after that. Baseball news is sparse. BZ looks great.

She is still asleep. The fog is lifting. Finch and Crow's kayak, dinghies and sailboat are out there beyond the pine trees at the tip of the point. Coffee is ready. Plot will read his mail and catch up today. Hope the boys in Blue are still in First.