caretaking

Boat traffic

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There has been lots of activity around the island and harbor.  Yesterday, at 5:45, I was awakened by a ship’s horn, blowing every minute.   I got up and went outside with my camera.  Another 300+ foot coal ship was coming into Salem for the power plant.  The morning was foggy and I heard its horn for fifteen minutes before I caught a glance of the boat.

It obliterated the local lobster boats who didn’t seem to mind its presence.

It was followed by a large motor yacht,  dwarfed in size.

We spent the day emptying the oil house of 30+ years of debris, animal nests, very nasty.  We brought the bags of trash onto the beach and were greeted by the landing craft and strapping young men this morning.

We offloaded 30 years of trash and then brought new gear onto the island.  Ikea furniture for the house and lots of construction materials for the assistant keeper’s house.

We emptied the goodies,  loaded the trash and sent the boat on its way.

The Salem Maritime festival was taking place today so after all the loot was stored, we went ashore and played tourist.

A large boat anchored off of Great Misery Island and we went to get a close look and found a young bloke in the rigging.  Apparently, I never got a good picture of it.

We were happy to see the Louis Story (sp) careened on the beach.  It’s a small, beauriful pinkey boat that we have seen sailing and at its mooring.  Maybe we’ll get a chance to sail aboard her.

We finished the day with a tour of the Friendship and ice cream from Captain Dusty’s.  A good time was had by all.

Some things don’t change

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Last night I noticed both cats focused intently on something out the window.  I looked and saw a two point (I think) buck munching on the grass.  I could be in the Adirondacks.  Apparently, deer are not known here and this one may have swum out over the winter.  Two weeks ago, a rabid raccoon entered a house here via the cat door and bit the sleeping owner on the foot.  We have been acting as doormen for our cats who have already caught two mice here.

Deer on the island

Two point buck

We are settling back into island life.  We really appreciate how much work we did here last year.  Today, we saw more sailboats than we can remember.

Daisies and sailboat

We’ve been using the lawn mower, string trimmer ( the official name for a week wacker) and some other lethal motorized device to thrash our wheat.  I think we need pitchforks to create a big hay pile.  Today Tim found a scythe and looked the part clearing the lawn.

Tim with a scythe

Thrashed wheat from the lighthouse

Boston skyline

This was our biggest feat last year.  We managed to snag a snap on a pole, eight feet out and a hundred feet high.  This is the line that flies the flag off the lighthouse tower.  Except we don’t have a flag at the moment so we just admire our line.

Last year’s amazing project

I found a new Beaufort scale measurement today.  The wind speed was probably 20-25 knots which was enough to blow our rice crackers right off the plate.

To the lighthouse

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We drove to MA to head to the lighthouse yesterday.  The cats traveled like champs.  They didn’t do too bad on the boat and dinghy ride either.  Unfortunately, when we got here, our mooring had vanished, likely from a storm in winter.  We looked around and then arranged a borrowed mooring with the island’s winter caretaker.  While this was going on, a squall blew in and all my clothes and Tim’s electronics got soaked.  Then the grass was waist high.  But today was a new day and all is well.

Shirley bewildered

Cats and other luggage

My wet clothes

The waist high lawn

Today I tried to get the weed wacker to work for about an hour then took the John Deere lawnmower out to the field.  I set it on a hover craft setting and thrashed the wheat.  Much improved.

A better day

The helipad