“It’s the clarity and the salty smell of the air that makes the Maine coast so special. The afternoon light sweeping eastward across the surface of the water fills the white sails of incoming boats like brilliant dewdrops on a spider’s web. No wonder the old master, Fitz Henry Lane returned here year after year. It was the light, that sparkling, otherworldly light on the white canvas. That was the draw for the artist. I’ve been on one of those westward sailing boats coming down the open water of Toothacher Bay off Swan’s Island. With the hypnotic sun glitter in my eyes, I never stop marveling at the first sight of the Camden Hills draped over Penobscot Bay and spiny North Haven like an undulating wave of Canada geese flying north. For me the rolling sweep of those hills is always honking a welcome home greeting, washing over me with an odd mix of sweet melancholy and quiet joy.”
Robin Lloyd is an author, television producer, and former NBC News correspondent covering foreign affairs. He has written two historical novels, Harbor of Spies and Rough Passage to London. For more about his work visit www.robinlloyd.com.
