By 6 a.m. the sun has spread to the Vaughn Cottage, a newer stone building just below the church with a tiny Isles museum, archives and reading room for Shoals and Celia Thaxter enthusiasts.

Human construction stops at the old turnstile, except for the giant Tucke Monument, (click to see) a few cairns and the monument to John Smith a the far end of the island.

The summer visitors survive mostly on water ferried in from the mainland, plus cistern water for washing. There is an old unused pond at the back of the island near the Art Barn.

It's 7am and the "Pelican" hotel staff is making breakfast. People are stirring, but the far end of the island is still unpopulated except by seagulls and scuttling rodents. All this vegetation is new to Star, fertilized by the arrival of the seagulls. The gulls once dominated Duck Island until it became a practice bombing target in WW II, driving the birds to Star. With the sun fully established, their screaming fades, except here where they jealousy guard their young.

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Disposable photos by J. Dennis Robinson
© 1998 SeacocastNH.com

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