Star Island Winter Caretaker, Alexandra de Steiguer, is showing a new series from the Isles of Shoals called “Stories.” Please visit Nahcotta in Portsmouth, from September 30 through October 31, 2010. The opening reception will be Friday, October 1st. from 5 to 8pm.

Alex will also be showing her photographs at this year’s Starry Night fundraiser to benefit Star Island on November 20.

Andy Bowen, long-time Shoaler, has brought back Star Island Melodies, a beloved songbook known to many who were on Star Island when Fred McGill was about. Andy has many fond memories of Star Island in the mid-1950s and the song book, given to him by Fred McGill, has been an important resource for Andy ever since.
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• Scott Bain passed away on July 17, 2010. He and his wife Christa attended LOAS I & II conferences on Star. (Obituary)
• Claudine Blanchard passed away on May 9th, 2010. She had attended the IRAS conference for several years.

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Ellen Campbell got hooked on Geocaching last January and this June she introduced Shoalers to Geocaching and Star Island to Geocachers. Geocaching is treasure hunting via GPS devices and is based on a website: Geocaching.com. Anyone can play and there is no fee to sign up for the list of hidden caches. The treasures are small items that fit into containers that are in turn tucked into crevices, nooks in stone walls, hollow logs. The hunters sign log books at the site of the actual cache and record them as well on the web site, where others can read about their experience. (more…)

Star Island reopened on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend after brief closure due to threats from Hurricane Earl. High seas were a certainty and high winds a definite hazard as Earl approached the New England coast late in the week. Staff prepared the hotel and buildings for a big blow and guests and all but a staff of 12 left the island on Friday. On Sunday staff returned, removed the shutters and boards covering the windows and welcomed Pel Reunion and Laity conferees to the island.

I came to Star Island by a different route from most other Pelicans. I arrived on island on a foggy day in June of 2006 having never set foot on the island or even seen a picture. Pels who have never been Shoalers are not unheard of – there are a few every year – but I was in a different situation even from them. Though I had never been to the Island in person, I had traveled there for many years through the stories of my mom and aunts, who were Pelicans when they were in college. (more…)

Outgoing Board President Brad Greeley was presented with a very special photograph and the seat to his very own Oceanic porch rocker by incoming President Russ Peterson at the annual meeting. The photograph is of one of the wall sconces his grandfather designed for the chapel. (more…)