It's close to 90 degrees in the Midcoast as this is being written, tourists are strolling the streets of Rockland and for most of them, it’s cooler than the air they left at home.

Living on any of Maine’s 15 inhabited islands means making compromises. One of the most serious of those compromises is living with limited medical care.

Emergency medical services, in particular, are available in varying degrees, depending on the island in question.

On July 30, the Swan’s Island Library hosted its Annual Island Bazaar while celebrating the fifh anniversary of the new library building. Artists, crafts people, good food and an auction, along with music by island musicians, created a festive atmosphere.

The Otter has replaced the Mink.

No, it’s not spy code language, but rather the big news on the Stonington and Isle au Haut waterfronts.

Island legend, writer and historian Ivan Calderwood left his island home and land to the town of Vinalhaven for the purpose of providing a home for older islanders no longer able to adequately provide for themselves.

Breathe in… Breathe out… Breathe in… Breathe out. If you are reading this while in the throes of a hectic island August, you might be thinking, “Yes, stay calm. Remember to breathe. Soon this pace of all good things will get slower and slower.”

Islanders face more daunting eldercare problems than most. Those who have lived for 75 or 80 years in these small, close-knit and geographically isolated communities rightly resist moving to a mainland institution, where visits from family and friends are prohibitive due to ferry schedules and weather.

Outlet stores began proliferating in these coastal communities in the 1980s. Over the years, the relationship between residents and the outlets has sometimes been contentious, but by and large, townspeople have come to accept and even embrace the retail facets of their home towns.

Two Maine organizations dedicated to preserving the past have collaborated to present documentary films in a festival this fall.