Sunday, August 13, 2017
Waking up this morning, we already knew it was going to be a busy, crazy day. We had the guests from last night leaving, and they promised they would be packed up and out of the quarters by 10:30am, and the new family to stay was arriving at 11:30 with Ethan’s group. Make dash to get everything ready in an hour with other people visiting the island as well.
I did get the cookies made first thing this morning for Brooke (Ethan’s helper) and the new guests arriving. So while they were finishing up in the fridge, I walked the trails to pick some blackberries which are in abundance on the island but are taking forever to ripen. While I was berry picking, I decided to walk the entire North Trail for a little quiet time from the world. I was glad I did, 2 people over the summer said they had spotted a muskrat off the North Trail, and we have never had a chance to see one, today was my day. Off the very point of the North Trail, there was a muskrat running around on the rocks. It moved to fast to get a picture worthy of posting but another first for me, I have never seen a muskrat! I think I found cranberries growing as well on the marshy side of the loop interspersed in the Cat and Nine Tails, they certainly like the cranberry plants/berries I grew up with in Massachusetts. I will need to do a little more investigation on this.
By the time I got back to the cottage at 9am, Brian was already weedwacking the Lighthouse Trail and guests from the boats on the overnight were arriving for tours. The day begins! The theme for most of the private boat guests were summer repeaters, 3 boats have been here before and their faces are starting to look familiar. The S/V Sea Yawl was one of the boats stuck here for days during the fog a few weeks back and never had a chance to see the world from the tower. The couple was on their way to Boothbay tonight and had enough time to come for a visit. Their boat is an Alberg 40 Yawl which is the same design as our Pearson Invicta so when we see their boat we miss Scout even more.
I met the ferry at 11:30 on the beach to give the cookies to Brooke and Ethan but to also make sure our overnight guests knew where to go and how to get everything they brought up the hill. While I was down there, the ladies from last night were being picked up by their husbands in their boat for the trip back to Kennebunk, a lot of activity for the beach, thank goodness it was near low tide and room for everyone.
As we got the afternoon going with visits, there were two quick whale sightings off the eastern shore of the island, most likely Minke whales. The overnight guests spent a fair amount of time with binoculars hoping for a few more without great success. We had one boat of visitors who walked up the hill at 6pm hoping for a tour of the tower, no problem, I took them up while Brian finished up grilling the steak.
Brian took the overnighters up the tower for sunset while I got to unwind because I saw the sunrise. It is a good thing we sleep different patterns because we can cover the day’s full spectrum.
Guests today – 42
Guests total – 1481
USCG – 6
