Tuesday
July 5, 2016
Patty and I drank our early morning coffee on the front porch before having fresh fruit with yogurt and granola for breakfast. We expected today might be a little slow visitor-wise after the holiday weekend and planned to catch up on mowing and weed whacking.
Just after breakfast, Patty started on the riding mower up top and I
joined her with the push mower getting the areas the Gravely can’t reach. We finished up in about an hour and a half and just finished topping off the gas in both mowers when a three generation family of eight from Harpswell (some family members were visiting from Boston) came up the hill. One member of the family formerly served in the Coast Guard and was here on Seguin during the automation of the light and foghorn and also helped apply a coat of black paint to the top of the tower. We offered him a brush and can of paint to take on the tower tour but couldn’t persuade him to recreate his 80’s experience.
While I took the first visitors up in the tower, Patty cleaned and put away the two mowers and swept the sidewalks in case we had more visitors. Good thing too because we did. On the heels of the family of eight, two local guys that were sailing by stopped to check out Seguin – although they said they had sailed by for years, they had never stopped but decided to today. They were really impressed with the work of F.O.S.I.L.S. as far as the creation and maintenance of trail, the museum, outhouse, lighthouse, and tours. They were heading on towards either Matinicus or Monhegan (they hadn’t yet decided) but were glad to have stopped for a short visit. I expect they’ll stop in again when they have more time.
It was hazy when they left but warm with just a light breeze. We could see the mainland
but not as far as Southport or farther east to Monhegan but the weather seemed good enough that Ethan might have a group today. If so, they would be here soon so we had a quick lunch of leftover burgers from last night. And right on cue, the first visitors from his boat came up the hill co-mingled with others that arrived in
their own boats at the same time. In the next few hours, we hosted an additional 42 visitors, including two couples that were really interested in our work as caretakers and the possibility of applying for the position in the future. Another couple was really interested in lighthouses and Fresnel lenses in particular, having their Lighthouse Passport ready for stamping in the gift shop. During the tour, they told me about different lighthouses they’ve visited and the information was interesting – how some rotate, different shape lenses to focus light in beams, etc.
Throughout the mid-day, as visitors were going up in the tower and hiking the trails,
a fairly thick fog would blow in and then out, creating a neat effect of obscuring and then showing different features of the island and surrounding islands and mainland. As the last of the mid-day visitors headed down to return with Ethan or to their own boats, Patty and I walked down the Lighthouse Trail with some things we’ll be taking to town tomorrow, clipping back brush on the trail as we walked. At the bottom of the hill, we saw a few stragglers from Ethan’s group and chatted with them until we told them they better hurry on before they’re stuck with us overnight!
Back up the hill, Patty swept in the tower, checked donation boxes,
and put together the gift shop/visitor paperwork to give to Cyndy tomorrow. While she
did that, I changed back into my mowing clothes (i.e. ripped paints, stained t-shirt, and bogs) and went back down to mow the bottom areas. I checked the camping area first and was excited to see the gull, my mowing nemesis, was not there. She’s gone!!! After three weeks of not being mowed (and looking like it), I knocked that out and then mowed the rest of the bottom of the hill area around the Engine House, Tram, Boathouse, and Clivus. Patty joined me when she finished what she was doing up top and clipped around the Cove Trail where the crazy gull had been and I finished weed whacking.
Together we carried up water and gas to the top of the hill and go cleaned up. We have been expecting overnight visitors in the Guest Quarters but it’s been foggy for most of the later afternoon and they haven’t arrived yet. We thought they would arrive around lunchtime but now we’re thinking maybe they’re not going to make it? The fog continued for the remainder of the afternoon and we got just
a glimpse of sunset through the fog. I talked to Cyndy late in the day and she said the fog out here was probably due to the fact that it was hot on the mainland today and the hot air moving over the cool water caused our conditions.
We had a salad with sliced hard-boiled eggs and sautéed mushroom alongside of warm sliced bread and cheese. After dinner, we closed up the Guest Quarters, certain our visitors weren’t going to make it and then got together the remainder of our stuff, like dirty laundry, to take with us tomorrow morning for
our day off-island. Ethan texted earlier today and we’re on for our regular 7am pickup in the cove.
Visitors – 52
Favorite Moment(s) – meeting former Coasty who worked here during the light automation project and giving tours as the fog rolled in and out.
Sunrise – 4:52am
Sunset – 8:17pm
#Seguinisland #seguinislandlight #seguinislandlighthouse #maine #LifeOnTheRock
