Saturday
July 23, 2016
Warm, sunny, and clear skies was our weather start of the day, along with our coffee, we had a couple of scones (we think) for breakfast that we ate with a spoon. The scones arrived in a care package from our friend Jude in Brevard in a state of bit and pieces. Patty laid the scone parts on a baking pan, warmed them up, and put them in bowls for us to eat. They were just as good this way in their whole.
Our first four visitors arrived around 10:30 including one guy who lives 24 miles up the Kennebec at Dresden who brought visitors a week or two ago and plans to bring more friends and family as the summer goes along. He didn’t go up in the tower but his three guests did but he said he thought he’d be back tomorrow and go up then. Only a few minutes later, two families, totaling eight (four adults,
four children) came up with a picnic that they ate before going into the museum, gift-shop, and tower. And just after that, another five arrived including two men and three young men that boated over from Harpswell where they’re vacationing from their hometowns of Philly, Pittsburgh, and Charleston, SC.
We confirmed with Ethan yesterday that he wasn’t going to have a group today, as per usual for a Saturday, but we saw his Leeward slowly moving south along the coast of Seguin like he does after he drops his ferry group here and thought we might after all. There was no group though, we think he probably had a charter fishing group that was just passing by. After that, our morning visitors having left or off on hikes, we ate leftover mussels with rice noodles and asparagus for lunch (last night’s dinner) and then sat down to read and relax for a few minutes.
In the afternoon, our first three visitors, neighbors at home, came from the “camp” of one of the couples at Merry Meeting Bay near Bath arrived. The husband of the couple with the camp stayed on the boat while the other three came up to see the museum and gift-shop. As an aside, we have been told that a “camp” is like a cottage or vacation property where there is no indoor plumbing while a “cottage” can be the same with plumbing. Not sure if that’s true for everyone here in Maine but several have told us that and we like that explanation. I guess we sort have a camp cottage here on Seguin.
After our Merry Meeting Bay visitors, a family of seven came up the hill and they might win an award for being the most prepared visitors to visit Seguin this summer aside from our friends Terri and John who visited us with a grocery store’s worth of food and drink. These guests brought us two bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies, two bags of mixed nuts with chocolate, and two bottles of wine. We could
get used to that kind of generosity. Besides bringing us treats, they brought their own picnic that they enjoyed picnic table in the backyard by the tower and then visited the tower, museum, and gift-shop. After they had been here quite a while, they decided to leave in order to get back to West Boothbay before forecasted storms arrive.
As the visitors left for West Boothbay, clouds were building over the mainland and it was getting dark over there. Three visitors came up then, a couple and their baby, to see the museum and tower – they were really interesting and knew a lot about the waters around southeastern Maine. They were planning to spend the night in the cove and were not in a hurry to leave like early visitors that wanted to get ahead of the weather. This family of three live aboard their boat in Portland but had come up from Chebeague Island today as they explore the area. They visit Seguin often, although never before during the caretaker season, and took a pamphlet with them so they can mail in for a F.O.S.I.L.S. membership.
After they left, we went down the hill for water and saw the boat our last visitors have moored out in the cove. It was way bigger than I would have guessed and had two-story decks. While we were still down the hill, they came down to return to their boat as it started thundering and we talked to them briefly again. I told them how much I liked their boat and they said they previously had a sailboat, which they prefer overall, but with their little one a motor boat provides a lot more room and flexibility. We didn’t talk too long though because dark clouds and thunder were getting closer and they needed to get out to their boat while we needed to get up the hill.
The first thunderstorm hit soon after we got up the hill pretty quickly and then a second round came that moved more slowly and brought with it cooler temperatures, swirling winds, and heavy rain (with only light rain in the kitchen and gift shop). We watched as an American Cruise Lines ship heading past us on the way from Portland to Bar Harbor was overtaken by the rain and dark clouds and then emerged again into sunlight sometime later.
After the storm completely passed by Seguin, we had a beautiful sunset to our east where the clear skies met the rain clouds moving farther out to sea. Our friend Terri who visited us earlier this summer lost her mother Rita early today. Terri was very close to her mom and since she was a very young girl, Patty knew Mrs. O’Neill as a neighbor, mother of a close friend, and someone who could freely discipline her, as needed. She was a big part of the village that raised that child! Patty is certain that this rainbow is from Rita and that she is at peace, happily chatting and laughing with those from the village who have gone before her.
Later, the skies cleared, Patty made scallops (from Plant’s Seafood) with a tempura sort of coating along with roasted asparagus. After the dinner, we went outside and saw a beautiful sunset show following the heavy storms earlier.
Visitors – 30
Favorite Moment(s) – watching a rainbow form and grow, briefly even a double rainbow, to our east.
Sunrise – 5:08am
Sunset – 8:04pm
#Seguinisland #seguinislandlight #seguinislandlighthouse #maine #LifeOnTheRock
