This will be the last column of the summer, I’m off to my annual visit to Red Lodge, Montana, and slowly but surely packed cars are making their way back to winter time homes.

It’s a bit quieter around the Community House. New hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. The Community House will close for the season after Joan’s last exercise class at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 11. The last yoga class will be on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 8:45 a.m. After Sept. 11 the tennis leaders will have keys for restroom use.

Water bottles are multiplying like rabbits in the lost and found box, please take a look if you are missing some.

Anne Markette and Jose McComiskey organized a lively and delicious salad-send-off-lunch last Wednesday. Fourteen of us ate heaping plates (the plates at the community house are small so we had to heap them) of yummy salads, not all of them low-calorie. Bev McCoid’s brownies and a blueberry cake from Farm 23 rounded out the meal. It was wonderful to see Katarina Ford,who spent August at her cottage on Pine Cliff. Sadly, many of us were saying good-bye for the season.

Debbie Kurtz has sent this in: Story Telling on Aug. 23 was organized by Kit Andrews and Anne Markette in honor of Carol Buxton and in grateful thanks for her 50+ years of work on our Point! Over 40 people came to the Community House to share their stories of luck and adventure in finding their home on Juniper Point with Carol’s diligent help.  It was a wonderful evening of laughter and remembrances. We all wish the best to Carol as she heads for a new chapter in Stonington, Connecticut.

Tennis is still on the minds of some of us. Dan Hazleton brought me up to date on his and Brooks’s achievements (no other word for it): “ Brook recently won the Open Men’s Singles in the largest tournament in New England, and defeated several tennis pros along the way.  Along with his Connecticut teammates, he is playing for the regional 5.0 championships. 

“I am playing this summer in the World Masters Tour, which leads up to the World Championships in October in Mallorca.  So far, I won my age group in Canada and Switzerland, and reached the final in Italy. As I write this, I am waiting to go out on the grass court for the final of the British Open against the #1 English player. In the fall, Brook and I will be playing two national father-son tournaments in Chicago (indoors), and Sarasota (clay courts).”  (Note: Dan sent an update that he lost his final to a very good grass court player.) Good luck to both of you this fall.

Thanks to all of you who read the column, for your contributions and feedback and for your encouragement. Thanks to Ann Swope and Jose McComiskey who send out a beautiful copy, often with photos, to the membership each week. A huge thank you to the Boothbay Register for carrying our column every week. Let’s support our local paper by subscribing. I like getting the printed edition in my winter mailbox, but you can sign up for a digital edition that follows you everywhere.