Hold on to that fish!

An annual cod relay race – using raw salmon instead – is one of the more hilarious traditions at Eastport’s extended Fourth of July festivities.

Running down the street with a fish is only part of the excitement.

Relaying the gear – boots and the slicker, along with the fish – to the next runner is the heart of the contest. Here, two of the younger runners have it almost down to a science.

All-ages teams are paired off during the day until there’s a first-place winner.

Blogging isn’t your only life, is it?

Are any of you amused by fellow bloggers who apologize for not posting during a hiatus in their otherwise self-imposed publishing schedule?

I am. And remember, my career as a journalist was filled with pressing newspaper deadlines where missing by a few minutes could be costly.

Blogging, in contrast, has none of those pressures, at least for most of us. I doubt that any of our followers is drooling in anticipation while awaiting our next post on whatever schedule we follow. Like every Wednesday or Friday, who’s counting? The important thing is to have something to say, usually gleaned from real life.

That’s assuming you have a routine. You do, don’t you?

In the bigger picture, I can think of some voices I miss, unfortunately long gone from the scene. Ones who even erased their contributions when they closed up shop. But they always appeared when they had something to relate, and it didn’t matter what day or week we were in.

Still, we post and/or schedule as best we can. We’re our own boss here, right?

And for the more inquisitive of us, when we fall behind your postings, we’ll catch up when you show up next round.

This is, after all, ultimately about sharing the joy and wonder or challenges of life where we encounter it.

And yes, even that “do wish you were here.”

For the record, I still regard many of you as pen pals. Remember what that was?

Now, to try to catch up with all that’s been happening on this end. That’s one thing I’ll admit can be frustrating.