Between a rock and a hard place

Between a rock and a hard place fully describes Fogo Island. The Rock is the island of Newfoundland and Fogo is an island off Newfoundland. On the out side real estate is cheap compared to the mainland. Want a 50 lb bag of kaolin- $100 delivery charge. Want a fresh cucumber the truck will be in next Thursday. Bang Belly's is the fine dining on Fogo and it closes for the season with a Partridge Berry Thanksgiving Dinner on Sept 18th. Want something delivered by Amazon. Ooops, sorry no Amazon delivery here. Everyone here has family. I am a Come From Away. It seems CFA's come and go. It is totally an ageing community with young people being it's biggest export next to cod. Zita Cobb the celebrated entrepreneur responsible for the Fogo Island Inn and much of the interest in Art has been on her broad shoulders. Will the island be gentrefied by Artists and CFA's is the question I'm asking myself? More than one person has told me of how their houses move, shake and windows rattle in the strong North Atlantic winds. The winds here could cut you in half. The spring brings polar bears on the ice in search of seals. If seen in town they get a free ride back to the Arctic in a helicopter. People here usually have 3 or 4 freezers- one for fish, one for moose/caribou, one for berries and another for whatever. This speaks of their independence and that they could be locked in by ice for an extended period of time and are well prepared. I'm thinking of returning to my basement studio without a view. I'm inhaling this place for now and do love it. I went out for dinner last night at Bang Belly's after an interaactive poetry reading by Jane the Geologist from BC. It was a 32 page interactive poem by E.J. Pratt on the sinking of the Titanic. I am surrounded by the sea here and it appears to be the enemy on all sides. Today the wind is fierce, the waves are crashing and I am full of fear of it. Being a fisherman is probably one of the most dangerous occupations on the planet. I do miss my litte house with all my Art and treasures, knowing my kids are close by, my bestest friends, my daily bike rides, my espresso machine, the Amish produce and the familiarity of home. A life time of Art has put me between a rock and a hard place. That's pretty fantastic if you are me. I am one of the richest men I know. What an amazing life I live.