The "island thing," the ability to distance itself from turmoil, is once again at play. At the moment you're sitting in one of those cushioned wicker chairs in the conversation area just below the mounted tarpon off to the side of the Inn's registration area. Even though it's very early morning and the sun hasn't had a chance to bake in yet, the Inn is extremely warm and still. Yet, while you can certainly feel it, the humidity doesn't seem to bother you. You've just been paging through, the August 1, 1915 edition of The Atlantic Monthly.

And where is the rest of the world, as you sit here quietly? While the island is still, the world has not been. Britain declared war on Germany the year before, on August 4. Six months after that Germany declared unrestricted warfare against all ships, neutral or otherwise, entering the war zone around Britain, bringing tension and conflict closer to a nation that can only remain neutral for so long. And although the U.S. will not send in troops until 1917, the news and mood of the country is consumed by the war, now in its second year. And with that mental and physical load also comes a mindset in search of distraction - the lure of an island destination and sport fishing, for instance.