Back in the late '70s when George McEvoy, Clem Brewer and Dan DeRepentigny owned the Tugboat Inn, I worked as the night cleanup person for the kitchen and the dining room. At that time, the dining room, which is now all guest rooms, stretched the length of the big building that extends out over the water. It was a pretty big space that could seat a lot of people and, at the same time, create significant mess for my vacuum. The waitstaff who managed that space were an extraordinary group of women who served food and turned tables with superior finesse.  

I popped into work around 11 at night, after many a record-setting number of meals and a pile of debris. It was my job to see that things were in good shape for the next day’s meal preparations and dining room service. In peak summer this could be quite a major bit of work. I especially enjoyed lugging the rubber mats from “behind the line” to the outside parking lot for a good hosing down and rejuvenation. One of the perks, however, which came with that task, was a refreshingly wonderful view across the harbor toward the Catholic church, not unlike the image shared today. The only difference, as might be imagined, was the number of boats which occupied the harbor, and darkness! Not a whole lot of activity this time of year, but in August, it was busy!

I recall Russ Brackett, the Nissen bread man, would stop by to replenish stock, around 1 a.m. or so. I’d have a slice of pie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee at the ready. We’d have a visit and I’d give him a hand restocking supplies before he went back out on the road to make more deliveries. It was hard to imagine a schedule like he had, but as most local folk know, the Bracketts were not afraid of work. I knew Russ’s father Bud who worked hard lobstering and was very successful. Later in life Russ also took to the sea with his own lobstering enterprise.

In addition to visits from the Nissen man, I would get the occasional drop in from someone who closed a bar or partied hard, suggesting that they were good friends of George McEvoy, and wondering if I had an extra slice of pie and/or a cup of coffee. All these visits came as a complete surprise. You can imagine the start while scraping spilled food remnants off the tile floor, to find a stranger staggering into  thekitchen sharing language that made no sense at all. No one was ever aggressive or dangerous (I guess) but they clearly needed attention. “What’s a mother to do?” “Please have a seat sir (or madame in one case) and let’s get you fixed up.” I’m sure my boss(es) would not have approved, but hopefully everyone made it home safely.

Anyway, the view across the harbor from the Tugboat parking lot is still a favorite of mine. This particular image was recorded about a week after our weather went from warm to cold and rain to snow, just as the sun was going down behind some clouds.Might be a tough one for the printer to print but you get the idea.

Stay warm.