The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate

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The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 108 ratings · 42 reviews

Hoist the Jolly Robin! Fly with a swashbuckling crew as they soar through the air — and evade danger on the ground — in search of treasure and lofty adventure.

Captain Blue Jay, notorious and feared pirate of the skies, has a fondness for collecting treasure, especially eggs. Unfortunately, sometimes his treasure hatches, and this time the hatchling is the strangest one the...more

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published September 25th 2012 by Candlewick

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May 09, 2013 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Summary:
Blue Jay the Pirate collects eggs. One day he gets a rather unusual one that immediately calls out the motherly instincts of the navigator Junco. Once the egg hatches, the crew upon the Grosbeak find they have a baby goose on their hands. The gosling eats like crazy and grows to be bigger than the little ship, but he struggles to learn to fly. As with all pirates, the Grosbeak goes through times of great treasure to times of not so great treasure. While the gosling, Gabriel, is growing,...more Summary:
Blue Jay the Pirate collects eggs. One day he gets a rather unusual one that immediately calls out the motherly instincts of the navigator Junco. Once the egg hatches, the crew upon the Grosbeak find they have a baby goose on their hands. The gosling eats like crazy and grows to be bigger than the little ship, but he struggles to learn to fly. As with all pirates, the Grosbeak goes through times of great treasure to times of not so great treasure. While the gosling, Gabriel, is growing, the Grosbeak goes through a bit of a rough time. They are unable to catch a good wind and eventually crash. During the crash, Gabriel falls out and Junco deserts the crew to help him. Blue Jay and the crew crash into crow territory and have to face off with a fierce enemy. As an good pirate adventure goes, the crew must reunite and stand together in order to have a chance of success.

My thoughts:
I had a great time with this book. Since it is a children's book, based with an audience of 4th-6th grade, I didn't have the same expectations that I would with a young adult book. I wanted a quick, fun read that didn't make me think about underlying meanings. This is very straightforward. The vocabulary is a little tough for the younger reader, especially since there are a lot of bird references. Some of the slight changes to make a word more relevant to a bird are difficult if you do not have some background knowledge or a good vocabulary to notice the slight shifts. I appreciated the traditional pirate aspects of singing, camaraderie, capturing ships, sword-fighting, and treasure (bird seed). The pirates also represent misfits that come together to build strong relationships. The overall story could have accomplished the same end with far fewer pages, but I enjoyed the meandering ride. I'm not sure why there is a possible ending before the actual ending, but I suppose that it adds to the feeling of being told a tale from an actual pirate. What spoken tale does not move around a bit? (less)

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Apr 10, 2013 Andrea J added it

This is a charming and creative book about pirates...who just happen to be birds. If I had read this book when I was in 5th grade, I would have loved it. That is saying a lot as I was an avid reader and I only loved one in about every 20 books that I read.

I love Captain Blue Jay's hobby of egg collecting, and that you never know what will hatch out of the eggs - including birds who become crew members later. Out of one of the eggs comes Gabriel, a gosling, who later is very brave and helps the c...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book. Blue Jay and his crew provided an entertaining read filled with fun and adventure. Gabriel the newest crew member of the Gosbeck had a soft spot in my heart. He was not the brightest but he was kind. He was not fit to be a pirate but he did give it his all. While Blue Jay likes to think he is tough, he is a big softie at heart himself. I mean what other pirate captain has raised almost all of his crew from little baby birds to full fledged pirates.

The illustrations...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Karen Yingling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Blue Jay is the pirate captain of the Grosbeak. He has an odd attraction to collecting eggs, which is helpful when trying to get crew members, but now that he has enough he is trying to stop collecting so many. One intriguing egg he can't resist ends up hatching a gosling,Gabriel, whom the other birds consider a god. Luckily, the motherly Junco takes care of him and instructs him in the facets of pirate life. When a doldrums causes the ship to almost crash, Gabriel (who is not yet fledged) falls...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a story about pirates. But not just any pirates - bird pirates. Their ship flies, their plunder is seed, and their Captain is the notorious Blue Jay. This is also the story of what happens when Blue Jay's band of pirates end up with a gosling on board - so big, awkward and gangly that there is little the poor guy can do right in the pirating world. When adventure and scallywags strike, will they all be ready?

I started out a bit hesitant about the book - curious, but not really convinced...more This is a story about pirates. But not just any pirates - bird pirates. Their ship flies, their plunder is seed, and their Captain is the notorious Blue Jay. This is also the story of what happens when Blue Jay's band of pirates end up with a gosling on board - so big, awkward and gangly that there is little the poor guy can do right in the pirating world. When adventure and scallywags strike, will they all be ready?

I started out a bit hesitant about the book - curious, but not really convinced that bird pirates would be a good idea. My lack of conviction died about half way through, and stayed buried until the end. It really is a well-written story, and uses the real-life qualities of the birds to accent their characters within the book. It is apparent that the author enjoys birds and has a pretty decent knowledge base with which to draw from. The story start a little bit slow, but picks up speed and keeps a pretty good pace the rest of the way through. The illustrations are lovely - my Vine edition didn't have color, but the black and white versions were pretty darn wonderful. I'm sure the color will be even better.

As a teacher, I found so many things that could be pulled from the book for further discussion/exploration. Friendship, bullying, being yourself, science (the different kinds of birds, star-nosed moles, migration, etc.), fables (there is one in the book about how the crow lost it's voice and became black)...these are just a few of the topics I can pick out right off the top of my head. The nice thing is that unlike some books with multiple topics, there isn't any preaching. It's just a good story that kids will enjoy with some added information.

I would definitely recommend this book. I believe it would appeal to both boys and girls, probably in the 3-6 grade range. Even better, it would be extremely well-suited for out loud reading, both in the classroom and at home. The ending certainly concludes this story, but also seems to leave open the possibility that this could be a series. I can say with no hesitation that I would enjoy reading another tale of Blue Jay and his pirate crew! (less)

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Dec 29, 2012 Brenda rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is fun for bird and pirate lovers alike! Blue Jay, feared captain of the Grosbeak, was said to be the most fearsome and bloodthirsty pirate of the skies. Those who saw the Jolly Robin flying from the mast offered little resistance and so Blue Jay's gruesome reputation as a ruthless pirate grew and grew. The crew, though pirate to be sure - in a ship faster than most of the merchant vessels sailing though the Thrushian skies - knew Blue Jay to be a fair, just captain, thoughtful and a s...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Erin O'Riordan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adults-books, amazon-vine-picks

This is a charming illustrated chapter book for children approximately from the ages of 10-12. Even though it's over 350 pages, it's a very quick read. Many pages are full pictures. The characters are mainly birds aboard a flying pirate ship, and the story is a fast-paced, suspenseful pirate adventure with many moments of comic relief. Its animal protagonists, gentle humor and action may remind some of the Roald Dahl classic Fantastic Mr. Fox. I liked this story because the author did not neglec...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This was a very cute book with some wonderful illustrations about a pirate bird named Blue Jay and his crew.

Blue Jay the Pirate is the most feared pirate of the skies and has a hankering for collecting beautiful eggs. When one of the eggs hatches to produce a gosling, things change for Blue Jay and his crew. Eventually Blue Jay and his crew find themselves allying with the sparrows from Briarloch to take out a gang of mean and...more I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This was a very cute book with some wonderful illustrations about a pirate bird named Blue Jay and his crew.

Blue Jay the Pirate is the most feared pirate of the skies and has a hankering for collecting beautiful eggs. When one of the eggs hatches to produce a gosling, things change for Blue Jay and his crew. Eventually Blue Jay and his crew find themselves allying with the sparrows from Briarloch to take out a gang of mean and vicious crows. Ends up Gabriel the gosling has a rather large role to play in it all.

This was a fun and cute story aimed at the younger age set. All the characters in the story are animals, mostly different types of birds. It is fun to watch how well the birds on the pirate ship work together, even during disagreements.

Gabriel is a great character, and although he doesn’t fit in and seems like a detriment to the pirating crew, in the end he figures out how to use his differences to help out his friends and save the day. This is a great message about learning to embrace your differences and make the best of them rather than try to be someone you’re not.

There are some great action scenes between the birds and the crows. Again it is fun to watch as the pirating birds and the landbound sparrows are able to set aside differences and unite to fight against a greater evil when the need is there.

This is a great adventure tale about friendship, teamwork, and embracing differences. The pictures throughout are beautiful and very well done. I read an advanced reading copy so they were all in black and white, but the final book is supposed to be in full color and I am eager to see this.

The book is aimed at a younger age set. As such the words used are fairly simple and the plot is very straightforward. I’d recommend for kids age 8+. Young adults and older might find the story a bit too simple to really be engaging.

Overall a cute and fun read with some beautiful illustrations. A great adventure story about friendship, teamwork, and embracing your differences. The plot and language is fairly simple; so I would recommend for kids who love pirates. Young adults and older will probably find the story too simple to be very engaging. Younger pirate fans though should be highly entertained.(less)

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Oct 16, 2012 Meg Laverick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Scott Nash has found the formula for a perfect book. It's a blue jay who also is a pirate. Done. 'Nuff said. Take my money you clever clever man.

In a literal high-flying adventure, Nash has written a swashbuckling pirate tale reminiscent of classics like treasure island - except that all the characters are birds (with the exception of Hillary, the most awesome star-nosed mole ever). It's brilliant.

Also brilliant are the gorgeous, detailed illustrations that appear throughout the story and all of...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Christine H rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-arcs, kid-lit, young-lit

Don’t let the flowing fonts on the cover page or the charming character portraits sprinkled throughout the book to fool you into thinking that this is just another lighthearted children’s story. Although the story follows the typical plot line, there’s more depth and maturity in Nash’s characters than one would expect from a kids’ novel. Blue Jay, the captain of the Grosbeak, has a fearsome reputation that precedes him, but his shipmates respect and admire him, which is enough to make him endear...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Tim Loge rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, pirates

Captain Blue Jay has a hearty pirate crew, a sturdy ship named the Grosbeak, and, curiously, an egg collecting hobby. Birds all around claim he is the most bloodthirsty and fearsome of pirates, and especially so because of his cannibalism of eggs. However, he only collects eggs like he does treasure; he doesn’t eat them, he just enjoys the different colors and textures of them. This adventure begins with Junco , the ship’s navigator, hatching the largest egg the captain has ever brought on board...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, bullies, friendship, families, travel

I enjoyed immensely this story of aviary pirates led by Blue Jay who has a reputation for being fierce and deadly. But behind all the hype lies the true story of Blue Jay whose fascination with the eggs of other birds has more to do with his love for their beautiful shapes and colors than his desire to eat the eggs. The book describes what happens when a larger than usual egg hatches aboard ship and then later, when the ship runs into a patch of bad luck. Betrayed by his cousin and several crows...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, children-s-books

I loved Captain Blue Jay and his pirate band, and would happily go on more adventures with them!
Things I loved: each bird had its own distinct voice, both as a character and as a bird species. There were enough sword fights and battles to keep my nephews engaged. The illustrations were beautiful and added texture to the story.
Things I didn't love: the ending was predictable. Trying to ground this universe with a real date took me out of the fantasy.
This was a fun romp through an imaginative wor...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Laurie Franco rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-read

Very enjoyable novel about a band of pirate birds and their exploits. I found that the characters were very endearing, and you couldn't help but root for Blue Jay and his band of pirates. I enjoyed how although the pirates wer all different types of birds, they all got along in almost perfect harmony and worked well together, even when they didn't necessarily agree with one another. Mr. Hillary the mole was a great character as was Gabriel the Branta gander. All in all I feel this is a cute book...more

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Mar 04, 2013 The Rusty Key rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer Jordan B. Nielsen

Recommended for: Mainly boys, aged 10 to 13 for its action based narrative, and general pirate-y appeal. Some moderate sword-related violence pushes this book to the higher end of the middle grade spectrum.

One Word Summary: Unfocused.

If I didn’t quite get the dose of swashbuckling pirate fun I was looking for in The Unfortunate Son, Scott Nash’s Blue Jay the Pirate goes a long way to bridge the difference. To be sure, Jay and his band of bird pirates...more Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer Jordan B. Nielsen

Recommended for: Mainly boys, aged 10 to 13 for its action based narrative, and general pirate-y appeal. Some moderate sword-related violence pushes this book to the higher end of the middle grade spectrum.

One Word Summary: Unfocused.

If I didn’t quite get the dose of swashbuckling pirate fun I was looking for in The Unfortunate Son, Scott Nash’s Blue Jay the Pirate goes a long way to bridge the difference. To be sure, Jay and his band of bird pirates walk the peg-leg walk and talk the drawling pirate talk. The masts of their vessel, the Grosbeak, tower, the sails billow, the riggings clatter and booty is plundered, but a pervasive lack of narrative focus leaves this book stranded in the fog without a guiding star.

Blue Jay follows the titular ship’s captain and his avian crew as they sail the skies under the banner of the Jolly Robin. The once free lands below have been overtaken and colonized by the Thrushians, a cruel race of birds who swiftly outlawed any form of migration, and levy huge seed taxes in order to keep the other races of birds subjugated and impoverished. Thus, Jay and his pirates live outside the law both in their movements and their thievery. But the crew of the Grosbeak isn’t allowed to fly above the fray for long. When Jay finds a large, strange egg in a siege, the crew soon finds themselves with a new mate: a newly hatched gosling. The goose is a rare creature in this world, god-like in mythology, and its presence aboard the ship quickly draws the crew into conflict. When they encounter the crow Teach and his militia, the fates of Jay and his men become entangled with a village of sparrows who have suffered under the violence of Teach for years. Wings clipped and ship stolen, Jay and the pirates go to ground to win back their own freedom and to defend the helpless sparrow residents of Briarloch.

There’s something pleasantly old-fashioned about the tone of Blue Jay, one which Nash clearly was aiming for as evidenced by a poem evoking Robert Louis Stevenson in the first pages. He references The Jungle Book and Robin Hood, but I’d also add Rikki Tikki Tavi and Stuart Little to the list of Nash’s potential influences. Nash’s illustrations, portraits really, fine line drawings of his characters in heroic poses, add greatly to the quiet sophistication and twee elegance of the book as a package.

Detracting from all that is likable about Blue Jay is its straying plot line and absence of a clear main character. Despite his name being on the cover, Jay disappears for large swaths of the story, and his development and desires don’t exactly propel the narrative. When Gabriel the gosling appears it begins to seem that his will be the driving focus, but that too is soon abandoned. This shifting character focus is paralleled by the multitude of plot lines that are picked up and put down throughout the story. Is this about a young sparrow out to avenge his friend’s murder? Is it about Junco, the female pirate who forms a motherly bond with the gosling? Is it about Gabriel coming into his own as a pirate and a goose? Is it about the suffering of the Thrushian colonies? Is it about Jay and his blood feud with Teach? In the end it was about all of these things, but ultimately none of them. With each character and plot sharing its time with all the others, I ended the book without a deep understanding of any one of them. Each of these stories could have been a book on its own, and I couldn’t help but have wished they had been, rather than packing slimmed down versions of each into a single book.

The wound is not fatal, however. Blue Jay is still enjoyable as a nostalgic adventure and offers something much more delicately wrought than the majority of content for the middle grade male demographic. My appetite for the perfect pirate story might not yet be fulfilled, but Blue Jay needn’t walk the plank.

For more reviews, author interviews, reading lists and articles from The Rusty Key, visit us at www.therustykey.com (less)

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Feb 22, 2013 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

To sum this book up in one word it would be surprised. From the beginning when I received the book I was surprised to find how beautifully crafted the hardcover was. With a beautiful blue cloth covering and foiled metallic silver lettering running down the spine I was more than excited to crack open the book and start reading. This book tells a beautiful tale of Blue Jay a pirate and captain of his ship the Grosbeak. Along with a beautifully crafted hardback the illustrations were well done as w...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I got this book through one of the Goodreads First Reads giveaways. It was a cute take on the world of birds. I enjoyed the premise of a collection of misfit birds as pirates. I think I especially enjoyed the references to the birds and their behavior and personality because my father was a somewhat avid bird observer while I was growing up, so it brought up some old memories and familiar creatures. I'm also a big fan of pirate adventures. The idea of a blue jay pirate struck an apt chord having...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-win

I won The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate in a Goodreads First reads drawing. I was really excited when I won this book because Pirates are really big right now. When the book arrived I was very impressed because it is beautiful. It is a well designed book with beautiful illustrations to accompany the story. If I was judging this book by its cover it would get get five stars for sure.
Of course we know, the intention of First Reads drawings is not to judge books by thier covers, b...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Jim Hill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nash has hand-crafted a love letter to traditional adventure novels with this title. Short, action packed chapters coupled with anthropomorphic bird-pirates and beautiful pen and ink illustrations make this a delightful page turner.

Set aboard the flying pirate ship Grosbeak, captained by the eponymous Blue Jay and crewed by a ragtag band of upstanding rogues, everything about this book is fun and exciting. Each crew member is a well designed, both visually and narratively, with characteristics...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Kellee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, animal-fiction, middle-grade, fantasy, teach-mentor-texts

Reviewed at: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/...

Anthropomorphism in books can go either way: amazing or stretching. Blue Jay the Pirate definitely more amazing than stretching. Scott Nash makes a world of birds that could theoretically exist up in the sky. First we meet Blue Jay the Pirate who is an outlaw causing havoc to supply ships and other ships with treasures. He is one of the most feared pirates of the skies; however, he has a secret passion- collecting bird eggs. So, one day when h...more

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Aug 17, 2012 D.J. Butler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animal-fable, middle-reader

Scott Nash has a longer history as an illustrator than as a writer, and it shows. The illustrations really shine here, bringing to life the world of bird pirates, oppressive crows, liberating star-faced moles, and adventures. 5 stars for the pictures.

I have to take a star back for the text, though. The story meanders shapelessly, the prose is often awkward and the bird pirates all melt into an indistinguishable mass of maudlin accents. It's okay, but without the pictures, it's no better than oka...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, nautical, pirates

Saw this in a book store in Portland, ME and wanted to give it a try. It's written and illustrated by a Mainer. Definitely young adult fiction. Some nice illustrations. The writing was ok and the story wasn't completely gripping like a Harry Potter or a Redwall series. Fun though. Good for the younger part of the young adult fiction spectrum. Possibilities exist for future titles in a potential series.

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Dec 17, 2012 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: accessible, ira-2013, intermediate-childrens-books, young-adult-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 06, 2012 Matthew Barnes rated it 4 of 5 stars

YA- A swashbuckling adventure of pirate birds finding their way in a world of spies, a controlling government, superstition and fearsome predators. Beautiful illustrations that really make the story cone to life. If anything, I wish that there was more to the story. It definitely feels like there will be more story coming! I'd say that it is appropriate for ages 7-14.

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Sep 07, 2012 Heather Bridson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This book was interesting. I had a hard time with the concept of birds that can fly using air ships, not migrating and living in communities. Once I got a few chapters in, the story was wonderful. The goose being raised by pirate birds, the crash and liberation of some sparrows. Very imaginative and colorful. I liked the story. The writing was simple and the story flowed well.
I would recommend this for any child with a good imagination. Good story, different than anything I've read and the pi...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Lisa Fabiano rated it 4 of 5 stars

Blue Jay, the pirate captain has a fondness for eggs. When his latest treasured egg hatches, and produces a rather large bird, the fun has just begun. Wonderfully descriptive language helps readers visualize this avian pirate adventure.

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Feb 18, 2013 Miriam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I almost gave up on this book at about chapter 5 and then I read some very favourable reviews and decided to push on. It became much more interesting and I ended up enjoying the book. The characters are each unique and add variety to the story. You end up cheering on Blue Jay and his friends as they battle the crows. My favourite characters were the sparrows and the mole. I will pass this along to my son's elementary / junior high school so that children can enjoy this charming novel. The illust...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Gail rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is darling! It's perfect for elementary school. The chapters are an easy length and every couple of pages there's a good vocabulary word to learn.

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May 06, 2013 Summer Fenwick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, anthropomorphic-societies, fantasy, youth

I thought this book was just too fun for words :) - not to mention the illustrations within really made the book come alive.

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Mar 05, 2013 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: animal, 8-12, adventure, dnf, fantasy

A fun jaunt for this genre, but I have trouble getting into books with anthropomorphized animals. I just couldn't motivate myself to read this to the end.

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About Scott Nash

"More and more, I'm being informed by television--animation---and children's books, both of which are sort of in my blood" says Scott Nash. "That's what my childhood was about." Inspired by everything from Uncle Wiggly and Raggedy Ann and Andy books to UNDERDOG cartoons and graphic novels, the celebrated illustrator recently made his authorial debut with TUFF FLUFF, a tongue-in-cheek mystery set i...more "More and more, I'm being informed by television--animation---and children's books, both of which are sort of in my blood" says Scott Nash. "That's what my childhood was about." Inspired by everything from Uncle Wiggly and Raggedy Ann and Andy books to UNDERDOG cartoons and graphic novels, the celebrated illustrator recently made his authorial debut with TUFF FLUFF, a tongue-in-cheek mystery set in the shadowy corners of a toy-filled attic.

The vibrantly retro flair, humorous visual details, and pun-filled prose of TUFF FLUFF will have readers hot on the trail of a loveable, long-eared sleuth and his curious crew of discarded toys as they piece together a most peculiar puzzle. "I was aiming to create the sort of fantastic dramas that kids might play out with a cast of stuffed animals and action figures," Scott Nash explains. TUFF FLUFF is set "around the streets of Los Attic, a city that feels a little like Los Angeles stuck in a 1940s detective movies," adds the author-illustrator. "The cast of misfit toys created delightful opportunities for parodying the dialogue and style of classic film noir."

With TUFF FLUFF Scott Nash introduces writing to his repertoire, but he's no stranger the world of children's books. He's designed and illustrated more than twenty picture books to date, including the Brand New Readers MONKEY BUSINESS and MONKEY TROUBLE, both by David Martin. He says he found a special spark in his collaborations with Carol Diggory Shields, even though the two live on opposite coasts and have met only twice. "We must have been raised similarly or something, because we seem to have the same reference points," the illustrator notes.

After teaming up on MARTIAN ROCK and SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE DINOSAUR STOMP, author and artist discovered they had a favorite song in common, which led to their third book together. "There's a great old song by Burl Ives called 'The Ugly Bug Ball,' " Scott Nash explains. "Carol knew it, and I knew it, and that's how THE BUGLIEST BUG happened." Influenced by old cartoons and vintage picture books, the brilliant artwork in THE BUGLIEST BUG buzzes with exuberance, even if the illustrator admits to taking "huge liberties" with the bugs' physiology. "I decided they didn't really need to have six legs in every case," he says. "But I'm absolutely expecting to get trouble from kids about it."

Scott Nash is the cofounder of Big Blue Dot, a design studio that specializes in children's media. A native of Cape Cod, he now lives with his wife on an island off the coast of Maine.
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