Solitary Spruce

There's a solitary spruce jutting out on a little point along the shore just south of Round Pond. I notice it every time we pass. When I look up from cleaning the boat on the steam home, I know we're close if I look south and see that tree. It bids us a safe journey on our steam out of the harbor and beckons us home on our return.

In the summertime, my dad and I like to "run out of the harbor" in his 22' Aquasport to catch the sunset. On the way back into the cove we swing by the bell buoy to hear its gentle clanging, like a church bell. My dad says that he used to know when he was home at the end of a fishing trip when he saw and/or heard (in the dark or fog) the New Harbor bell buoy. I know I'm home when I see that scraggly spruce.