“There goes Payson.”
I was befuddled by how Brenda, who was sitting with her back to the window, could possibly have seen which car had just driven past. She sensed my confusion.
“Oh, we all know the sound of different people’s vehicles. And some of us can even recognize most of the boat engines! Don’t worry, you’ll pick it up soon enough,” she said.
I smiled and nodded, hoping my expression didn’t give away how doubtful I was of my ability to ever recognize differences in engine noises.
Upon moving to Isle au Haut, I became very intrigued by “island vehicles” and the culture that surrounds them. There is no car ferry service to the island; if you want to bring a vehicle over, it has to come by barge.
Needless to say, once here, vehicles tend to stay. It’s expensive to barge vehicles back and forth, so most people tend to do everything they can to keep their current vehicles running in some way or another. There are trucks without brakes, trucks without headlights and trucks that seem to be held together with duct tape. If you ever doubt human ingenuity, come to Isle au Haut!
The piece of “island vehicle” culture that most interested me was the practice of islanders leaving their keys in the ignition—no matter whether the vehicle is parked at their house, the store or the town landing for weeks on end. I recall Sue laughing when I asked why people weren’t worried about their cars being stolen.
“Sweetie, where are they going to take it?!”
I realized immediately how narrow my thought process had been. We are on an island and the only road is a 12-mile loop. If a car were ever missing, it would be pretty easy to track down. Besides, most people on Isle au Haut operate under the assumption that if their vehicle is missing, it’s because it was desperately needed and they trust it will be returned shortly.
I’ve slowly adapted to the “island vehicle” culture. I leave my keys in my truck. I have figured out how to check my own oil and add power steering fluid (both major accomplishments for a young woman who had never even looked under the hood before!).
And yesterday, approximately one year after my conversation with Brenda, I found myself sitting in the library waiting to start a video conference call with the other Island Fellows. I heard a truck squeal by and wondered where Danny was headed.
Megan Wibberly is an Island Fellow on Isle au Haut through AmeriCorps and the Island Institute.