Female drivers

August 26, 2010August 26, 2010 / one2travelfar / Leave a comment

We were able to go ashore today to do laundry and buy some provisions. A three day nor’easter helped us find all the leaks in the houses. I bought a glass cutter, some glass and glazier points.

I was one for three with glass cutting. The trick is not to cut the glass too big. Whenever I tried to break off excess I cracked it.

While we were unloading the whaler in town, I heard a screech and crash. When we got ashore, there was a one car accident where the silver car in the photo ended up caught between a tree and road barrier. A team of tow trucks arrived and cleared things up in no time.

I heard some old men commenting on female drivers. They didn’t say anything about the female tow truck driver though. Tools for the day Window in progress Wrong turn

Living off the grid

August 25, 2010August 25, 2010 / one2travelfar / 1 Comment

We have taken our energy source, the sun, for granted this year. With so many sunny days, I haven’t been down to the dank, dark, gloomy basement for a month to check on the batteries. We have 2 solar panels that charge a bank of six batteries (3 sets of two 12 v batteries connected in series to make 24v, then connected in parallel, for you physics buffs). Last year we only had 4 batteries and lots of rainy days and we had to conserve. The only things we power are our well pump (very important for the flush toilet), 3x3x3 foot refrigerator (mildly important if we must eat) and our phones and computers. We have a couple of LED lights scattered through the house,which hardly draw any power. For the most part we wear camping headlamps when the sun sets.

We use a solar shower (a bag of water set in the sun to get warm). Today I had to heat water on the propane stove since the solar shower never warmed up. So far the 2 new batteries are storing more than we need. Where’s the blender?
Mood lighting
The wine glass in the photo poses a dilemma for us. At this point, we are not exactly a welcome presence on this private island. Yet a neighbor gave us two glasses emblazoned with the island logo. Should they stay or should they go…home with us?
It doesn’t look like we can get off the island today so we are going to miss the Red Sox game. Maybe it will be rained out.

Another rain day

August 24, 2010 / one2travelfar / Leave a comment

So it’s clear that a gale keeps the local lobsterman home and off the water. It’s strange to see an empty harbor with no boats circling around their pots. We’re used to seeing fisherman from dawn to dark. There was only one motor boat yesterday and today. It had a serious pilot house but I don’t think it was the harbormaster. After hitting some pretty big waves, it turned around and tucked behind an island.

For the first time all summer, we’ve had to remain indoors. This may be a preview of the weather (this actually may be nicer) we will encounter on Deal Island, Tasmania.

Our whaler is riding comfortably at its mooring and the dinghy is safely ashore.

Yesterday we thought we saw a coal tanker waiting to enter the harbor but it never did and was gone this morning.

Tim’s working on indoor projects. I’m cooking and knitting for a change. Now we have to see if we can get ashore tomorrow for the Red Sox game and hope it doesn’t get rained out.

Rained in

August 23, 2010August 24, 2010 / one2travelfar / Leave a comment

How come you get snowed in and rained out? Today we are definitely rained in. The rain is blown sideways, wind gusts are 30 knots and waves are crashing on the rocks and beach. Certainly more excitement than I want to deal with in the rubber dinghy and 16′ boston whaler. So we are not going ashore to sing Elijah tonight and we’ll be home tomorrow as well. We have some indoor projects to tackle as well as some knitting, baking and movies to watch. The buoy off the north point of the island is dancing

Tucked in

August 22, 2010August 22, 2010 / one2travelfar / 1 Comment

We’re finally in for some bad weather after a mostly glorious summer. I’m glad I caulked the window in the assistant keeper’s house and Tim and I got most of the storm windows up and working, Friday. We drove back from Tanglewood today, went shopping, bought food, wine, water and cat food and had a wet, bouncy boat ride back. I was decked out in poor man’s foul weather gear – a black garbage bag that worked great. But now we are tucked safely inside and well provisioned. Shirley is sleeping on my lap.

I have to prepare for our trip toTasmania, where we have to buy our three months food (and wine) once and have it shipped to the island to meet us. I hope to look at shopping lists of prior caretakers. I’ve been keeping track of how many pounds of flour, sugar, butter, eggs and milk we use. I don’t intend to eat as much meat, but will have plenty of pasta, rice and beans along. There’s a garden there, we’ve stocked up on powdered milk and I have a thermos to use when making yogurt on the stove. We may become the biggest losers!

Luci had to cancel her plans to visit us due to the weather and now I sort of hope it delivers what it promised – but is over in time for Tim and I to go the Red Sox game on Wednesday. We follow the weather daily. The earlier forecast had been for medium winds, then the storm was predicted and, with it, high seas, which is what really keeps us marooned here. We’ll see.

Island Tide (stick) (Tim thinks I hit a new low with this one)

August 19, 2010August 23, 2010 / one2travelfar / Leave a comment

I feel like I live in a vacuum. During one of my recent trips off the island, Elizabeth introduced me to a tide stick. If you haven’t heard of this yet, like me, stop everything and run out and buy one. I did. I am forever staining my clothing with spills, splatters and drips. It’s even worse here, because I wash my laundry by hand in cold water so I could run out of clothes very quickly. In theory, the Tide stick works best right when the chocolate ice cream runs down the front of your white shirt. But I have had success when I used it later too.

Here’s an example of a typical minor stain.

Last week, when we were loading the barge with old stoves, refrigerators and a washing machine with a wringer, I got big blobs of some especially nasty black grease on my, sort of, nice shorts. After the boat was loaded, i ran back to the house, stripped and applied the Tide stick before I washed the shorts in the bucket. Voila! They are still my, sort of, nice hang out shorts.

I washed these pants in joy and forgot there was a stain. I used the Tide stick when they were hanging on the line.

Much better. I’m sold. Now I have to see how it works on cat barf on a white chair. I’ll keep those pictures to myself.

Day trip around Cape Ann

August 18, 2010 / one2travelfar / Leave a comment

We took advantage of beautiful weather this weekend and took a boat ride around “Cape” Ann, which is actually an island. It began with the Manchester lighthouse. This tower is not really a lighthouse but part of a big house. Rumor has it that the interior walls are carpeted so the acoustics are better when the owner relaxes in the tower with his music and cocktail.

Cape Ann Island

I think this s Graves Island off the coast of Magnolia Harbor

This house is the only occupant of a beautiful peninsula, Crow Island (not really an island).

We encountered schooners and pirate ships along the way. I think we were even fired upon.

We explored a Lane’s Cove with boats tied to a stone pier.

Then we returned to our summer home. Sailboats were out in full force because the wind picked up during the day.

We had a luscious strawberry shortcake for dessert and went to bed. I tried in vain to see the Perseid meteor shower this month but it has been either cloudy or there is too much ambient light here, with the lighthouse’s rotating red and white light, flashing green and red channel buoys and the glow of Boston in the background.

Storms of life photos

August 16, 2010 / one2travelfar / Leave a comment

Storms of life

August 16, 2010 / one2travelfar / Leave a comment

This is one of Tim’s favorite boat names in Salem harbor. The boat itself looks like it has been through some rough times. Last year it was in a slip but this year it is at a mooring. Maybe the owner is weathering his/her own storms of life. I’ve had a few myself.

Time for a knitting post

August 13, 2010 / one2travelfar / 5 Comments

I’ve been writing about the beautiful sunsets, lobster fisherman, meals prepared. Now it’s time to get down to knitting. I’ve been busy since we arrived on the island but without electricity, there are only a few things to do at night.

I had the itch to make some baby clothes and made Mexicali, which Liz plans to give to a friend, and a february type baby sweater from handspun alpaca for a former work colleague.

Now I am working on a trio of children’s sweaters for my friend Anne, who has a trio of beautiful daughters. The first is an aran sweater designed by me in a yarn i bought for myself but then decided I would never wear. The second is picture knitting in a pullover. i used the castle pattern from Barbara Walker’s second treasure and wool bam boo yarn, which I really liked. The third, which is still just an idea in my head, will be a top down raglan with a slip stitch pattern from Barbara Walker.