Monhegan, an island some 15 miles offshore from mid-coast Maine, has the highest cliffs to be found along the U.S. Atlantic coast.   It has special significance for me because my grandfather, whom I only dimly remember from my childhood and who was a more learned man that I will ever be, had a home on the island.   With its rugged granite shoreline, seagulls, sandpipers, seals, wild rose, spruce forests, and 17 miles of hiking trails, Monhegan is a destination for painters, photographers and nature lovers and I count myself among the second and third.   Not just a refuge of scenic beauty, Monhegan is an oasis of peace and tranquility and I am thankful for the privilege of visiting -- and what a privilege it is!   Regrettably for most people, certainly including my Navajo and African and Afghan friends, visiting places like Monhegan is as impossible as visiting the moon.   Attending a music concert on the island, I saw not one dark-skinned person in the audience.   May the day come when that is no longer the case.  

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