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Off the grid pick up line

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“Nice array you have there.”  This is what an islander drove up and told DH today.  He was repositioning the panels to move them out of partial shade.  We’ve been living on the edge with depleted batteries and hope this helps.  After admiring the solar panels, DH’s admirer went on to discuss battery banks.
Tall Ship Departing

While working on the solar panels, DH was surprised to find this creature.  He spent some time debating with me whether  or not there was an hourglass on the spider’s back.  I opted for yes and did away with it.

Hourglass or not

More knitting,   today I grafted 2 panels together.  Now to add a border.

Grafted panels

Nice Array

Kristi visits

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Kristi visited and one of the first things she did was spend a few hours mowing and she is one of the few people who mowed in a pattern acceptable to Tim.   There was a gale during her visit and we stayed indoors and painted and painted and repaired windows and doors.  I took time out to take pibtures of this still life:

Flowers with Barbie surfboard

The surf board is one of the first treasures I found on the beach.  I also found someone’ s vertebrae and some green sea glass.

Shirley has begun walking down to the beach when we leave by boat.  Our last trip, we left at 7 am and returned at 5 pm and she looked pretty tired.  I’m not sure if she waited for us the whole time but this is what she was doing when we got home.

Super cat

We rely on solar power and the weather has put a drain on us and our batteries.  We conserve the power for the fridge and the pump that allows us to have running water.  The well was tested and it looks like we can drink the water.  No more lugging 5 gallon bottles of water from the dinghy up the beach.   I’ve begun working on the outside since the storm we had uncovered several leaks.  I have caulked and reglazed several windows and have to get up on the roof in the next couple of days.

Today after a hard day’s work, Tim, Shirley and I went for a swim.

The flag flies again

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So after lots of head scratching and trips to nautical supply stores, we figured out a solution to the flag dilemma.  Thanks Andre, but we couldn’t get Loki to walk the boom.  We bought a few pulleys and when we were at the store saw a whisker pole on the counter and voila!  We own a whisker pole.  We could use that as an extension arm, maybe.  So first we had to get it out on the catwalk without breaking anything.  The first oath in medicine and lighthouse care taking is do no harm.

The problem, old hooks and no rope and high in the sky

The approach with the new brass hook and whisker pole

Rethinking

So close but…

The team at work, photos courtesy of Kristi

A New Approach

Houston, we have contact!

Look at that!

Victory

Flying high

Back to shipshape

And then when our work was done I was able to return to my knitting.  I finished the shawl I had begun at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in April.  It’s a lot smaller than I thought but now I am going to stretch the heck out of it and see what happens.  After that, we have a lot of painting and housework to do

Finished shawl

Lost Line

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My earlier post includes a nice photo of the flag billowing behind the lighthouse.  Since then, the line snapped and we almost lost the flag to the wind.  It was saved but our attempt to run a new line through the pulley, which is about 9 feet away from the top of the tower, which is about 60 feet high, met with disaster.  The new line broke away from the old and now we have to figure out a way to put a new pulley and run the new line through it.  Any suggestions are welcome.  I’ve considered fishing line with sinkers perhaps shot through the old pulley.  DH plans to install a new pulley with the line already threaded through it by attaching it to a long pull and snapping it on.   I’ll keep you posted.

Watch cats

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We’re safe at night.  No ghosts ramblings and the cats look out for us when they’re not sleeping.  We’ve been settling into our summer home and finally have it in a presentable state.

The computer room

What you can’t tell is that the table is only 18 inches off the ground and DH is sitting on a beach chair.

Kitchen

Refrigerator high

Pantry

Looking through the front porch

Porch

Note the toilet repair kit close at hand

View from the prison cell

Very comfy bed, I sleep 9 hours straight

Looking out from bed, which I do when I’m not sleeping 9 hours

Tower from the beach

Our link to land

Shirley

My World Shook

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My son and I went to my PODS storage container to pick up a few things. The door was jammed and we couldn’t open it. The PODS man came and he couldn’t open it either. Then he got a forklift and lifted one end of the container and shook it like a salt shaker. All our carefully packed possessions! It worked. Something shifted, I didn’t hear any major crashes and we were able to open the door. So much for boxes marked fragile.

I ran errands on Long Island for a few days and am now back at the lighthouse. More cleaning today and DH mowed for 5 hours! That’s why he’s in bed while I write this. I ran the Boston Whaler back to the island yesterday and had lots of fun. After so much time spent sailing, I’m not used to speed. Plus other boats headed towards me at the same speed and lobster pots in channels.

Tomorrow will be my day of rest. I baked up an amazing deep dish apple pie tonight and am pleasantly stuffed.

Our New Home for the Summer

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Despite a soggy spring, we slogged our way to New England.  After 2 wet days on the boat with the cats, we headed out to the lighthouse in a 16 foot Boston Whaler.  DH and I had foul weather gear but the cats didn’t fare as well.  We made it ashore with several dinghy trips and arrived safely on the island.

I was rewarded for hard work with a double rainbow, neat cloud formations and beautiful boats.

DH had to leave for a few days and I was left to fend for myself.  Not too scary!!  I kept occupied by cleaning, sweeping, cleaning, cleaning and mowing.

American Eagle

I am always ready to take time to stop and smell the roses.  Or whatever flowers present themselves.  I’m not sure what this is.  We found blackberries, wild irises and are still looking for Juneberries.

Some views make it seem like we are living in another era.

Loki aboard Water Lily

Cats on a Cat

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Well it’s finally happened. Both cats have joined us on Water Lily. We aren’t sailing but are moored in Salem, MA waiting to go out to the lighthouse. Shirley has explored the boat and we can see her walking around the salon. Loki is social but hides when he hears anything. He also can’t figure out the steps. I think they are called ship stairs. Each tread has a cut out over the one below it that alternates so they only take up the square footage of one step. He can’t make the turn and just jumps down to the floor with a thud.

The Hurricane Barrier Shut

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We were safely tucked in the boat and it was windy outside.  Tim looked out to the barrier and noticed the opening getting smaller.  Then we heard a fishing boat call the control people and they told him the barrier was closed until the morning.  A Tow Boat called to get in but graciously accepted the news that the harbor was closed for the night.  DH thought it was merely a practice run but we learned later that it was due to a tidal surge and was for real.  I never slept better.

It’s too windy?

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We sailed north across Buzzards Bay with tail wind and headed straight for Marion, MA. There was some fog and then when we got near the coast and of course  another sailboat race was under way.  Boats looked confused, heading and tacking in all directions.  Guns went off and the race began and then the committee and spectator boats headed back to the harbor!  We had just seen the start of the Biennial Marion to Bermuda race and boats had come out to the bay to watch them take off.    We ran and explored Marion.  There’s a great one class design boat here.  I think it’s a Hereschoff design, very cute with a self tending jib and gaff rigged main.  They dot the harbor here and in Woods Hole.

We listened to the weather reports and a gale was predicted so we headed to a mooring in New Bedford where we did laundry and went shopping.   There’s a hurricane barrier at the mouth of the harbor that protects it and us and  is the largest stone structure in the northeast.

We organized the boat and turned the second state room into an actual room and stowed everything that was on the bed under it.  I stowed my spinning wheel, which I haven’t used once since we’ve been on the boat.  I’m just too busy.  We went for a run along the harbor and saw signs referring to a monument to Joshua Slocum but couldn’t find the monument.  He was the first to sail around the world alone in 1895  and wrote a classic book about it.  He rebuilt the boat near here.

Joshua Slocums boat rebuilt in Farihaven, MA

Joshua Slocum's boat rebuilt in Farihaven, MA

The harbor is full of huge fishing boats.  This morning at 6:45, I was awakened by a voice telling me and everyone on the party fishing boat via loudspeaker that it was going to rain and get very windy today.  Tonight we are swinging around the mooring but are secure.   He was right.