Tasty Carnage for the Fourth of July

I took a vacation over the Fourth of July weekend -- the first vacation it seems like I've taken in a blue moon.

Lobsters, fire trucks, and flags.
What more do you need?
(photos: Trevor Corson)

Book promotion doesn't leave much time for lollygagging, so it was a relief to get a little break. I spent my vacation back home in Maine. Took a few hikes in Acadia National Park; did some reading. Gorgeous weather.

On Monday I rode the ferry out to Little Cranberry Island for the annual Fourth of July picnic, a fundraiser for the island's Neighborhood House Association (in the old days it was called the "Grange").

The lobster killers.
(photo: Trevor Corson)

The island fire truck was parked out in the town field, with a squad of delighted toddlers clambering over it, all of them ready to spring into action in case of emergency. A couple hundred people were there, most of them chowing on freshly boiled lobster, coleslaw, and potato chips. I saw some of the folks depicted in THE SECRET LIFE OF LOBSTERS -- Bruce and Barb Fernald, Jack Merrill -- along with many other acquaintances.

Before; after.
(photos: Trevor Corson)

The carnage at the picnic was terrific. Cratefuls of live lobsters were transferred in batches into two steaming pots powered by propane -- then transferred, bright red, into an Igloo insulated chest to keep them hot. Before being served, each lobster had its claws whacked with a cleaver for ease of eating. I have never seen such efficient mass murder in the service of such a worthy cause. My Little Cranberry Island lobster was delicious.

Whack! Now that's patriotism.
(photo: Trevor Corson)

Afterwards there were fireworks in nearby Somes Sound, the only fjord on America's east coast. A flotilla of lobster boats, yachts, and motor boats paraded into the sound to watch the display. The number of boats squeezed into the sound was nearly as impressive as the pyrotechnics.