This house sits atop the ridge that is the south shore of Riches Cove and was once owned by Alice Hoskins, whose son, Ted, is the island's minister. Alice passed away in the late 1980s and Ted is now the owner/caretaker of the house.

This was one of my favorite houses at the cove. It is situated high enough on the hill that it affords a spectacular view of the cove and the open Atlantic. Unfortunately, my memory of the interior of the house is a bit hazy. I lived here several summers and recall sleeping in a large room on the cove-view side of the house (opposite the view shown here). I believe there was a large screened porch beyond that, complete with a hammock that my two brothers and I would argue over.

My primary occupation during my summers on the island was exploring the shoreline, woods and tidepools and it was one I pursued with great vigor. Everything I found was a treasure; wooden lobster buoys were collected by the dozen, as were cork floats. Each rusted piece of steel found at low water was an adventure in and of itself as I imagined the long ago vessel to which it was once attached and the turn of the century lives of which it surely was a part.

This continual exploration of every available inch of shoreline and forest is what leads to my less than vivid recollection of the house. I slept there and took most of my meals there but aside from that I was outside bounding across the rocks of the shore at every possible opportunity. I don't remember the details of the interior of Alice's house because I was rarely in it.

As I write this, plans are being made for a couple of weeks on the island in the fall of 2000 and my family was fortunate enough to secure this house for the visit. (Note to self: Try to pay attention this time!).

This photo was taken at about 2:00 pm EST, July 1997 by Jennifer Hughes

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