Sunday, August 27, 2017 – our last Sunday sunset
This morning I got to share the sunrise with my son, his girlfriend and niece. They wanted a chance to see both sides of the sun’s journey. This is not an easy feat for 3 people who like to sleep and the sunrise did not disappoint any of us.
As the third pot of coffee was brewing and slowly everyone was waking up, I asked the kids if they could bring another container of water up the hill, you know what is the point of having kids if you can’t make them do the heavy lifting. So down the hill they went and they returned with not one but two containers of water, and yes, they were laughing through it the entire time with a little moaning mixed in. Brian in the meantime was making what we thought enough food to feed an army breakfast, but I guess my army eats more than normal or all the walking and heavy lifting made them excessively hungry, there was not a scrap of food left when all was said and done.
The kids were off to explore and Brian and I got ready to start our day as island hosts to everyone who comes to visit. The day started out slowly with another couple from my high school, Tabor Academy. It was a chance to compare who we knew in common and where they were sailing too. Go Tabor! Another gentleman arrived with the ferry who was born on the island while his father, Clyde Whittaker, was an assistant lighthouse keeper with the US Coast Guard in 1948-51. The son, Jon, brought out some pictures from that era showing him as a baby with his mom, Mildred and his dad. Another addition to the museum.
As the afternoon started in full swing, there was another large group arriving slowly up the hill, the fisherman from the Five Island area were having their end of the summer party, mostly on the beach but wanted to come up and introduce themselves as well as some great photo ops! It was fun to put faces to some of the voices and boats we hear around the island, and I had a chance to ask so more questions about lobstering and the guys were so gracious to take a few minutes and answer all my questions, and I always have a lot of questions.
At 1:30 I needed to head down the hill with my family for their departure, so off we start the trek to the beach and each one had their backpacks and a piece of driftwood they found on one of their many adventures. It is always sad when they leave but I will see my son in the next two weeks and we will all meet up in San Diego in October for one of my nieces’ wedding.
The last group of visitors for the evening were Ethan and his family. They stopped by to say hi and to show a few more members the beauty of the lighthouse. Also, Ethan and I have been joking back and forth all summer about the worth of seals in our area. I love seeing them swimming around and Ethan sees them as a strain on the lobstering industry. So as a tongue in cheek thank you present to Ethan, I had knitted a stuffed seal for his little boy Larson, and the seal’s name is Kenny Beck. Ethan will be one person we will remember fondly especially for his banter, his well water, and his expertise in captaining his boat safely in these waters all summer for us and his guests.
The busy part of the day was finally over and we had a chance to enjoy a great dinner and decided to spend our last Sunday’s sunset up in the tower. Nature did not disappoint, the colors were amazing and the whales decided to swim on the west side of the island for us, it was just another memory we will take with us, the water was dead calm and we almost could predict where the whales were going to surface before seeing them. This island is a magical place.
Guests today – 74
Guests total – 2450
USCG – 6
