Author: one2travelfar

Boat to boat

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 Dinghies to the Leeward
Today’s journey began and ended on a boat. Capt. Ethan arrived with the Leeward at 0800 and, with the help of Dee and her family, we loaded our stuff and the cats. They had two dogs and we picked up a bucket of lobsters along the way. All in all it was a peaceful ride.

Shirley inadvertantly got tossed around like luggage a few times but she did fine. 
Leaving Seguin
Then everything was offloaded onto the pier with a gaff hook, including the cats and the rowing machine, and we loaded up the car and headed home.

Lake Champlain Ferry
We took the ferry across Lake Champlain, along with four tractors and a boat full of cars. Drive on, drive off. How simple. We got back to the mountains and then we cleaned again. It’s great to be home.
Shirley and Loki en route

Is moving ever fun?

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Seguin
 Today started mellow enough. I had a visitor via Ravelry, who has friends in common with me. I posted for Maine knitters to visit and the only taker was from Long Island, NY. We had a whirlwind fast tour before she and her daughter had to leave with Capt. Ethan. We have an extended  family visiting with the cutest daughters, 8 and 11 years old, and are having fun with them. 

But moving isn’t fun even when it is in an idyllic setting. We were too busy today. We finished closing chores: cleaned the main outhouse, emptied one of the cisterns, tacked up the last couple of boards on the house, applied linseed to the gutters, jacked up the deck and shored it up with rocks, winterized the rider mower, cleaned the house, refrigerator, moved picnic tables and benches into safety and found a dead woodcock in the gutters. Then we packed and sent our stuff down on the tram.  Whew! Now I am on the couch with a Shipyard Ale.
Tower window
Yesterday was bittersweet. Rose a caretaker in 2006, brought a bench to memoralize her husband, Jack, who passed away earlier this year. He loved Seguin and has a bench here to honor him. 

Could be the last oil house photo

Clear skies

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The cove
It’s getting colder and windy weather is here to stay. I am glad our last few days here will be sunny and hope for calm seas when we leave.

Shirley waiting to hike
The cats enjoyed the chance to get outside and took several hikes with me. I am feeling a little bit of a traitor because as much as I love Seguin, I am getting excited about going home, seeing family and our next caretaking gig on Deal Island, Tasmania. My three month shopping list is in progress; can’t forget anything.

Hold onto your hat

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Yesterday’s weather was exciting. Top wind speed was 48 knots (55 mph), which classifies it as a Storm on the Beaufort Scale. I couldn’t walk against it. The weather station recorded it as the highest for the year and gave a wind warning and told us to hold onto our hats. It was so loud we couldn’t hear the foghorn.

The rider mower and the weather station are my two favorite gadgets here. The jury is still deciding if the mower is going to remain on island but I think I may have fixed the temperature sensor on the weather station by connecting a wire, which was loose.
48 knots
We had already boarded up the house and put outdoor furniture, grills and planters away. Our only casualty was a broken oar on the dinghy. We checked the boat during the strong winds and it was secure but there was a new moon and very high tide and it must have been tossed around.

The dinghy was fine, except for sand and seaweed washed into it
 but the working end of paddle broke off and rendered it useless. We had a few extra oars in the boat house and I drilled a hole in one for the oarlock and it looks fine. It’s too rough to test it today because it’still very windy but we should get a chance tomorrow.

Low ceiling

Batten down the hatches

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Seguin conifer

The third nor’easter of our stay is passing by today.  A gale with wind and rain. It’s not raining yet but there’s a fresh breeze from the north.

We took advantage of fair weather yesterday to board up the keeper’s house and other buildngs in preparation for our departure this weekend. Now we look though grates in the first floor windows. Nice jail. 

Last night, Tim thought he heard voices, no music, on a couple of occasions and I heard footsteps. Hmmm. Maybe someone’s happy we are getting ready to leave.

Down to the coveBeaufort Wind Scale

 Seguin history and ghosts 

Rest stop for passing birds

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Fly by
The island is a rest stop for many migrating birds. The species have changed during the month. We’ve had common flickers, american kestrels, some from the warbler family and others (unidentified by me).

They dart into open doorways, windows and people. We’ve had birds in the whistle house, donkey engine house and the lighthouse. I hear my children’s ancestors having premonitions because of three birds in the house! Tim and I have managed to get them all out unharmed. One was still in the lighthouse when the USCG chopper arrived. Luckily they were only looking for a toilet and never ventured into the tower.
Touch down
 Really.  A very cute, young USCG, with an English accent, hopped off and asked to use the bathroom. They are all closed up here, so after a brief walk,  he reboarded and they took off. THEY LOVED THE NEW HELIPAD. He said it looked brand new (Ethan uncovered the old triangle of bricks and I mowed it when the rider mower ran). They will be back this week because they plan some work on the light.

I was just getting ready to incubate a batch of yogurt in the lighthouse before they arrived. It turned out to be too cool so I used a combination of a warm water bath in the crock pot and a slightly warm oven. We had homemade yogurt and english muffins for breakfast. Now I am going to try to use the rest of this batch as a starter for the next. And so on and so on…

Yogurt

Could be a long walk

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The cove
This photo highlights our bathroom situation. We sleep in the quarters at the top of the hill and use the outhouse at the bottom of the hill near the cove. It’s all about planning.

There is a crisp north breeze today. It’s great sleeping weather. Fruit or birch wood smoke is drifting from the mainland and I could hear the ringing of the bell buoy to the north.

I am calling the rider mower repair a small victory. After it ran for 20+ minutes two days ago, yesterday it wouldn’t start. I had moved a ‘kill’ wire and adjusted my favorite idle screw on the carburetor. The battery sounded weak so I charged it. Then the mower started right up and I gingerly mowed the upper 40 while I waited for it to stall. Never happened. The only time it conked out was when it ran out of gas.

And I finished knitting a sock made of possum, wool and silk from New Zealand. At least one foot is warm.

Welcome sunshine

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Oil house
Glorious morning. Wind shifted to the north, crisp air so why is the fog horn still sounding? Hmmm.

We spent time in the whistle house yesteday working on lawnmowers. I ran the rider mower 30 minutes. Today’s test will be to mow with it.

I used the rowing machine for the first time this trip. I started with it outside on the deck of the boat house. Then the rain began and I hauled it inside and continued, on a 30° downhill slant. When I finished, I walked to the beach to check out the surf.

Cobblestone
Michael, Susanne and Eleanor managed to hike the south trail during a brief moment of sunshine yesterday and shared chili and stories with us last night. Blueberry muffins were delicious.

Home bound (of sorts)

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Sunrise todaySunrise 10/1/10
No red sky this morning. Just grey fog and lots of wind. Gale warning still in effect and the fog horn continues. Our weather station only recorded max wind speed of 25 knots but I have to lean into the wind. Time to recheck the Beaufort Scale.

Where we will be

Living room Seguin
The living room in the keeper’s quarters is very cosy for reading, knitting and napping. That faux leather chair on the right is literally an antique and feels it. There is a photo of a keeper’s wife, Dorothy Hart, sitting in it dated 1955.

Baking and eating

Kitchen Seguin
The kitchen has all that is needed to churn out delicous meals and snacks. Michael, this summer’s caretaker, is back for a visit with his sister and friend and is baking blueberry muffins!