photography

Whale watching

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The strangest thing about being in this lighthouse is most of the creatures around us breathe above water.  Other places fish swim and we never know they are out there.  Here they sigh all day: whales, seals, sea lions, otters, and orcas.  We can hear whales breaching and splashing 10 miles away but the audio video isn’t aligned.  First there is a big splash off in the distance and then ten seconds later we hear it.  Go figure.  Yesterday morning was windy so there was no audio but lots of  visuals.  There was a pod of whales heading north, which stalled offshore the island.  There were at least six breath bursts in a line while some whales dove.

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Later in the day, the wind settled down and a whale came right by the edge of the island and the water was so clear, its fins were visible underwater.

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I went to sit on the new bench on the south end of the island and on my way back, thought I saw a chicken in the tree.  A chicken in the tree?  Why would it be sitting right next to the eagle’s nest?  Because it wasn’t a chicken, it was a young eagle, one of two fledglings we saw for the first time.  They weren’t impressed by our presence at all.

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Tonight, while we were eating dinner outside, a fledgling took its maiden flight accompanied by an adult bald eagle.  The adult landed on its usual offshore perch, but we never saw where the young one ended.  I’m sure I heard it whining though.

Last night I finally got to stargaze because the days are getting shorter, only 15 hours now and the sky is clear.  The sun rises at 5:15 am and sets at 8:44.  I managed to get out in the dark for one of the few times and was greeted by the big dipper low in the sky to the north.  No wonder it is the symbol on the Alaskan flag.  I also got to see the lighthouse functioning as it should.

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Today brought all sorts of whale hi jinx.  They were breaching all over the place but none too close to the island.  One pair seemed to be sleeping for a while because they weren’t really moving and they rose and fell with their breaths.  Then when they woke up, the games began.

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A good time was had by all.

 

 

Small projects

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We had a day on our own before an unexpected visitor arrived for an overnight stay before he was picked up by tender to be a naturalist advisor for a BBC documentary. Never a dull moment on a remote island.

Here’s yesterday’s radar image:

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This morning brought a quiet fog with lots of whale sounds around us. I couldn’t see them but heard them all around us. I may upload an audio recording if I can figure it out.

I found this landscape on the windowsill.

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I’ve been playing around with knots and may have gotten carried away.

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My leftover sock yarn blanket is moving along. It’s simple knitting and since we have internet we can stream videos. Sherlock, a modern BBC remake has caught our attention.

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Here’s an unedited video. The sound isn’t great but any breaths are not mine or Tim’s and I’m pretty sure we’re the only ones here at the moment.

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Wild life

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Whale activity ebbs and flows, not predictably with the tide or weather.  There were a lot of passersby today.

By some miracle, the internet turned on and I may be able to upload pictures.

We’ve had whale breaches, breaths and dives.  Ravens and crows yell all day, black turnstones circumnavigate the island in a flock and harlequin ducks float off the south end of the island.

We’ve been busy with houseguests and projects but are once again the only human inhabitants on the island.

Visitors arrived by landing craft, tour boats, helicopter, schooners, kayaks and a rowing dory. Time to take a breath myself.

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Last minute projects

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I hesitate to say I’m a procrastinator but it’s true. Deadlines focus me. We head off to Alaska next week and I still have some quilting and weaving projects to complete. My house is never cleaner than before a party or trip.

I finished knitting the cute little sea glass skirt. I may make another for me.

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Next I have to plan my island projects. I may keep it simple and take only wool for a shawl and pair of socks but I’m also thinking of lots of twined mittens and perhaps a sock yarn blanket.

On the home front, I’ve been yearning for an outdoor shower. I had considered threading a hose into a watering can but settled upon this cheaper alternative, all available from my local hardware store. We have hot water at our outdoor faucet and I’ve already tried it. A resounding success.

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After a great trip downstate to hug my kids before I leave, I returned to more super cumulous storm clouds.

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Kitchen produce

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This photo shows why I must exercise.

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On the left, is my latest loaf of sourdough bread. The recipe is loosely based on a PBS episode with Julia Child and the owner of La Brea Bakery, Nancy Silverton. .

From the episode, I learned three important facts about bread baking. I made my own sourdough starter with red grapes, flour and water, which sits on my counter and ferments away; keep one hand clean while kneading dough; and taste the raw dough and adjust.

I’ve made several delicious loaves and hope to keep the starter happy. This was my best one yet.

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Next to the bread is a fruit pie, not really one of my vices but dear Tim loves them and I go along for the ride. Any fruit will do. I only like pie the day it is baked. After that, I’m only interested in the filling.

Next up is white bread, albeit a bit overdone. I make two loaves a week (whether we need them or not). This is definitely not a gluten-free household.

Finally, pasta. I received an Atlas pasta maker for Christmas and love it. I roll out a batch of fresh pasta a week. Semolina flour, salt and water. Run it through the machine several times to get the right thickness, then put it through the cutting blades. Because it cooks so quickly, the whole process doesn’t take longer than boiling boxed pasta. And clean up is a snap.

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Other kitchen additions include an old fashioned, metal bread box with holes and a magnetic knife rack. Aah, domestic bliss.

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I’m waiting for my new hula hoop and jump rope to arrive so I’ll be able to exercise on that tiny rock of an island in Alaska.

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Preparations begin

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Our departure is a month away and our thoughts point west to Alaska. I was googling Five Finger Lighthouse and came across this link about our temporary home.

Just when I have embarked on a regular running regimen, we head out to a three acre island. Three acres! 130,680 square feet or 361.5 x 361.5 feet! Oh my. That’s a lot of laps – 3.6 laps to run one mile. Luckily the island’s size doubles at low tide. I’ll have to watch out for slippery rocks.

We’ve asked the three most important questions: Is there internet service; is there cell phone service; and is there hot water? Happily, the answers are yes, yes and yes. There aren’t mosquitos or gnats but spiders were mentioned twice. Can’t be as bad as Australia’s huntsmen spiders. I hope.

We will miss prime boating season on Lake Champlain so yesterday we boarded our sailboat, Boreas, and headed up the Otter Creek in grey, misty weather to Vergennes, VT. We only hit one log in the water but this one is waiting to make the dive over the falls!

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We could hear the falls before we saw them and I’m glad we approached from the downside.

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Very dramatic.

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Enough weather

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This is my last weather post for a while.  It should settle into normal spring weather at this point, right? No more snow.  IMG_9044Good old thunderstorms instead.

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We had a slew of visitors, 4 sets, last week!  The first set arrived the day we learned our well had bacteria in it.  Ouch.  I began boiling water and advising guests.  Then the rains came and the rivers rose.

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It was very dramatic at the local gorge.

I found a quiet moment or two to get back to spinning.  The funny thing is, I don’t think I took this photo but there it was, on my camera.  Very nice.  Andre?

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I am spinning a local alpaca fleece from the lock.  I washed it last year or so and now  I just grab a lock, flick it on a brush and spin away.  I have been plying it with some Blue Faced Leicester and may dye it with my lichen stash.  What will it be, what will it be?

The Indigo Bunting woke me yesterday and I managed to get a better photo of it later in the day.  Dawn is about 4:30 here and the birds sing their little hearts out.  Better than an alarm clock but  I wish I could set it a little later.

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Sailing with snowy mountains in the background

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Yesterday, Memorial Day, a dry high pressure finally moved in and we went sailing. The temperature was in the mid 60’s, like a nice fall day where I come from. We donned sweaters and I considered, but did not wear, long johns.

It was lovely; early on Lake Champlain, which rose a foot after the week of rain. Little to no boat traffic and we ate lunch in a quiet, picturesque harbor.

In the distance, there was snow on the mountains in New York and Vermont.

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