The Birth of Foley's Crack

Photograph by Chris Engles

(Dennis & Heather - Boat Ride to Manley Island - Sept. 2006)

The story goes something like this...

On the North side of Manley Island in Forest City, Maine there is a natural docking area for visitors of the Snow family camp to moor their boats. It is a superb landing as it is greeted by a thin, woody path that inclines up and over a gentle slope leading directly to the back door of the cabin's kitchen space.

Unfortunately, the inlet's near perfect parking spot had been 'interrupted' by a rather large and ungainly stone that prevented any straight approach inward. During the winter months East Grand Lake inevitably freezes over. The shifting of the lake ice would jog the rock precipitously closer to blocking off the entire ingress entrance with each colder season passing. Come after the thaw if a boat were to coast in awkwardly or unawares it might risk severely denting the hull, if it were metal, or breaching it outright if made of wood.

The Sunday afternoon after our wedding (September 2nd, 2006 at Wheaton's Lodge) Heather's father, Bruce, knew a good thing when he saw it: several strapping young ceremony attendees that would make for one mighty entourage to help move the dreaded boulder out of harms way.

Members of the stalwart crew included my brothers, Michael and Stephen, close family friend and fellow island inhabitant, Peter Morley, Heather's cousin, Chris Snow, her childhood best friend, Sonja, family friends, Mike Huber and Carolyn French, our friend and photographer, Chris Engles, Heather's dad and supervisor(!), Bruce, and of course, the Happy Couple.

Now that's alotta people!

The christening name, "Foley's Crack", was actually coined from a misunderstood remark made by Sonja once the rock had been thoroughly bested, "Just think I was actually here to witness the historical making of 'Foley's CRAG'!"

What everyone else heard was ... well, you know. (insert already been told jokes here)

Our wedding photographer, Chris Engles, was capturing the entire event on film as it unfolded that day.

He has created this wonderful video montage using black and white stills set to piano music (giving it that old-timey feel) to tell the story.

Enjoy.