The Stone from Halfway Rock Revisited: A Lifetime of Adventures on the Coast of Maine

When I was a little boy, my parents bought a cottage on a small island one mile across the New Meadows River from my grandfather's log cabin. Sheep Island had no electricity, no running water, no roads, no cars and no telephones. I felt it was the most wonderful place in the world. My siblings and I quickly learned the ways of the forested islands and the ocean waters of Casco Bay. The lack of modern conveniences on our island added to a constant feeling of adventure. Now, decades later, our little island on the coast of Maine has turned out to be one of the only places in America where we can still find freedom from the numbing bombardment of telephones, internet, television, cars, electrical appliances, corporate advertising, and the hard-edged fruits of the industrial world that have come to dominate the quality of life in America. The Stone From Halfway Rock records the history and adventures of our family, and childhood in a simpler time. It also includes a valuable blueprint for the management and ownership of inherited family vacation properties.

Review :
"Anyone who has ever prowled through life filled with a sense of wonder and adventure will love reading Peter Blachly's latest book, The Stone from Halfway Rock. Written with spare elegance and a keen eye for dramatic detail, the first part of the narrative offers a fast-paced account of outrageous adventures Blachly and his siblings had on land and at sea during summers spent in a rustic home on remote Sheep Island in Maine. Time inevitably moves us away from the summertime rituals of our youth, and when Blachly returns to Sheep Island as an adult after a long hiatus, he offers a poignant (as well as practical) look at the ways family relationships-and the care and sharing of treasured family homesteads-can become more complicated over time. Filled with wonderful photographs that help tell the story, The Stone from Halfway Rock is a beautiful exploration of how our hearts and our most beloved landscapes become entwined, and a reminder that adventure awaits us every day if we remain open to it." - William F. Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts Peter Blachly's The Stone from Halfway Rock reads like a modern-day Robinson Crusoe, but based on the real-life adventures of the longtime Maine resident and world-wide wanderer. In this polished, fast-moving memoir, Blachly writes about the early years he and his brothers spent on Sheep Island in Harpswell building fast boats, exploring the coast, and generally testing the patience and boundaries of their parents with their risky adventures. After following his sense of adventure around the globe, Blachly returned to Maine, reconnected with his family roots - and some of the beloved boats of his youth - and helped preserve the family cottage for future generations. The Stone from Halfway Rock is a deeply personal account of one man's connections to a specific, sacred place, but it's a universal tale because it represents the story of so many. - Bob Keyes, Chairman of the Maine Arts Commission, author of The Isolation Artist "Bath resident Peter Macdonald Blachly has written in The Stone from Halfway Rock an engaging, personal and nostalgic memoir of growing up on the Maine Coast in the mid-20th century. With his unerring eye for boats, tides, shoals and Maine characters, he paints a vivid picture of a more innocent era that is a delight to read. The Stone from Halfway Rock rightly joins the august canon of Maine literature and should be a valued addition to the book shelves of all Down Easters and those who love the Maine coast. Perfect reading for an afternoon on the porch overlooking the water." - Thomas E. Crocker, author of Captain Hale's Covenant "Luminous...lyrical...Peter Blachly's stories of childhood summers in Maine are a wondrous reminder of what's important in life. He has me laughing, weeping, visualizing seals and summer storms, remembering the smell of sea air, and promising myself to love the simple things." - Chellis Glendinning, author of My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization