Month: July 2021

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  The past, present, and future.  A continually moving target.  Yesterday we were talking and dreaming of our summer on Seguin Island.  Today we’re living the dream and greeting visitors.  Tomorrow we’ll be traveling south for the winter.  How quickly today becomes yesterday and sometimes it feels like tomorrow will never come.  Or it comes too soon!  This week has been a constant example.

Early July Cap’n Ethan mentioned he was bringing over a former Coast Guard who had spent time years ago on Seguin Island.  We looked forward to his visit, but it was a ways off.  And then Tuesday, this week, Henry and Barbara Lipian arrived.  What a great visit!  

A little background.  From 1796 through 1963, Seguin Island Light was cared for by a series of dedicated and hard-working civilian lighthouse keepers appointed by the Federal government.  The keepers‘ families were not only permitted to live with them, but encouraged.  Lighthouses were usually in remote locations and not easily reached by visitors, nor deliveries of supplies.  The more hands available to work the light station, the better.  They grew gardens and raised livestock.  Often there were as many as 3 keepers and their families, which created a need for small schools.  Usually on a cape, head or an island, the weather they experienced could be rough.  It was a challenging life, and having family nearby was a benefit.

In 1939 the USCG merged with US Lighthouse Service and assumed responsibility for our nation’s lighthouses.  As electricity began reaching our nation’s lighthouses, the workload was eased and upon retirement or transfer, often a 3rd keeper was not replaced.  Eventually logistics of maintaining a family station on Seguin Island were deemed unsafe by the USCG administration in 1963 and Seguin became a “stag station”.    Men who were un-married or willing to leave their families ashore became the keepers.  

It was in February 1976 that Hank Lipian left his family in Ohio and spent a year here.  This week in 2021 was the first time he returned to Seguin and brought his wife to see the wild beauty of his station.  As we walked, he shared story after story as memories came alive.  Obviously time had changed things on Seguin, but so much was just as he remembered.  The fog bell stands pretty much where it was in ’76, yet it was missing for nearly 30 years in between then and now (a story for another week).  Indeed, the desk he used in his room is still here in what is now our living room!  We found a photo in the museum of Henry talking on the marine radio.  He had also brought photos with him and it was interesting to compare views.  We found it a bit disconcerting to realize the freshly painted walls & floors, and the shine of all things brass in the photos, put present-day cleaning routines in question.  A possible motivation to bring back some of that luster to Seguin (but maybe not the sideburns – ha).  

When we first arrived at Seguin, we were shown a lamp in the kitchen that is traditionally left on 24/7 by caretakers – fondly called the ghost light for fun.  On Hank’s visit we discovered that our bedroom used to be the guest room, tho the guys referred to it as the “ghost room”.  Not sure I want to know all the facts on that – something about the hidden panel in our closet ceiling!   

While touring the light Hank was amazed to find that the rope “coxcomb” on the railings in the watchroom was his work!  At the time, his fellow mates had advised it was “time wasted” since someone would surely take it all off within a year…45 years later still here.    Rick learned how to operate the “soundphone” with Hank’s instruction – basically it was a sophisticated version of the “tin can telephone”.  It did not rely on power.  Now if he forgets his handheld radio, Rick can reach me in the house – lol.

We had the privilege of reading a letter he wrote to his family on July 4, 1976 – the Bicentennial.  It is a beautiful testament to his high level of patriotism and love of his family.  He recorded the difficulty of being away from them for a year.  A feeling shared by many armed forces.  He commented on both the isolation and beautiful surroundings of Seguin.  It brought tears to our eyes.  That letter will always be cherished by the Lipian’s.  

The visit was way too short.  They want to come back and bring the (now adult) kids next time.  Show them why Dad was gone for a year.  We texted after they left and he commented on the day. “…I will remember it always.  For a while I was 26 again and it was 1976.”  

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Today was excitement of a different kind.  Cyndy, our executive director of FOSILS, contacted me before we had even arrived in Maine.  She wanted to make sure we were comfortable with the plans for her daughter’s wedding on the Island at the end of July.  We had just celebrated our daughter’s wedding in October at Heceta Head Light House in Oregon!  So it sounded like a great event for our summer island home.  As these last weeks progressed, there was a certain “mother of the bride” aura growing stronger around Cyndy each time we saw her.  Originally volunteering with FOSILS in 1995, she eventually became a caretaker here in 2007.  Her daughter Carney fell in love with Seguin alongside her mom.  What better place to stand with your partner and commit to a new life and future together!

The day started out with glorious sunshine and blue skies.  Cyndy had stayed the previous 2 nights to prepare a working lighthouse/island into a photographer’s backdrop.  The wedding party and family made it up the hill today, both on foot and some help with the groomsmen pushing up the tram. (Ah, to be young again.  Hmmn.  Wonder if they’d come up on Wednesdays to help with our supply run?)  Lots of chatter, laughter, music and questions as participants and guests prepared for the ceremony.  And it turned out beautiful.  Photos, tears, toasts and a tempting charcuterie board for after.  Plans for a larger reception tomorrow evening on the mainland.  And of course celebrating their dreams coming true.

And then life in Maine happened.  The clouds rolled in, the wind kicked up and the scurry began.  How quickly can they get everything picked up and make it down to the cove?  Will the 3rd dinghy make it onboard before the skies opened up?  What did they forget to grab?  Bridesmaids in dresses – no time to change.  I commented on the quick change of weather.  One remarked to me – No problem – “We’re from Maine – we’re used to this!”  

And so another past, present, and future.

Signing off as the storm rolls in, from our yesterday, today, and tomorrow on Seguin Island!

Cincinnati Enquirer, July 18, 1944:  Take a Stay-cation instead of a Va-cation, this year!  This slogan was found in a list of “Red-White-And-Blue Reminders”  in an ad for Felsenbrau Supreme beer.  Other wartime reminders were about planting victory gardens and writing letters to our soldiers on the frontline.  And we thought we had a new word in the early 2000’s – ha!  Our recent threat from Covid-19 has brought new energy to this blended term indicating a time to vacation at home, rather than travel afar.  And that’s what’s happening on Seguin Island.

We have had so many fun and interesting boaters come ashore the last few weeks.  It would take pages to tell their stories.  A young family that sailed all the way up from Boston.  The 10 guys who have been getting together every year since high school (lets just say approximately 30 years) with quite a cheese and wine spread.  A charming young woman who motored over on her own from Five Islands in a dinghy, taking a day break from her sailing companions. (They’ve lived onboard for 4 years, wintering in the Bahamas.) And then she meets up with some aggressive seagulls on her hike here!  A couple on a year long cruise spending one of their last days on Seguin, awww.  The 4 moms on an annual overnight, making lobster rolls with the first official catch for one of them – out past sunset, laughing til midnight.  They brought us leftovers – yum!  Three families with little munchkins came out just for an evening with a huge blanket spread, watching the kiddos run around and the sun set, despite a strong wind blowing.  I could go on – we feel privileged to share a piece of their adventures. 

We had our own little adventure last Saturday evening.  Rick headed upstairs to turn on the lights and I hear a scream, (manly, of course) and then “BAT!!!“   Trying to keep Lily away from the excitement I ran up and we laughed and yelped our way with brooms thru 45 minutes of a swooping bat until we got him out the bedroom window.  Rick said “film this” but no way was I showing that to anyone – hahhaa !

We are taking our own mini “staycations” during our care-taking weeks this season.  We have company come stay with us 🙂 . This past week we had family and friends visit on 2 separate trips.  My nephew, wife and 2 boys (9 & 16) showed us new ways to explore Seguin Island, mostly by climbing on rocks that we have only admired from afar & will continue to admire, not climb 🙂 . It was a joy to see how they appreciated the history and beauty of the island including the lighthouse.  They also had the dubious honor of sharing one of our wildest days this summer.

We might have guessed early on that the visit may be a bit hectic.  We got a text that morning that their boat ride from Popham was in jeopardy because of the captain’s unexpected illness.  Thankfully he was able to make other arrangements for them.  With the trip rescheduled 2 hours earlier than planned, they hustled from Portland and arrived on Seguin in time for lunch.  The smaller dinghy had sprung a leak and been replaced with a larger one, which was beyond our ability to bring above high tide mark, so their first activity was to be commandeered to help carry the raft.  Then they were welcomed by our recently arrived seal carcass which the last high tide had managed to squeeze in between rocks right at the bottom of the steps.  Not sure squeeze is the right word – one of them thought it might be a manatee – big.  A seaworthy aroma indeed!  We also had a group staying in the guest quarters that night – so lucky to share that pungent welcome.  The campground area was soaking from all the recent rain, so the 3 teen girls from that group slept out in the oil house with their sleeping bags.  Rumor has it that Seguin had its first “rave” that night when they danced & sang their way to midnight inside their quarters.  Never heard a sound!  

The morning following the first night for everyone started simple enough. Beautiful sunrise, breakfast outdoors and morning hikes.  Lots of conversation and laughter all around.  Much earlier than usual, the summer staycation day-visitors began to arrive.  So our quiet little island now had a more resort-like feeling with groups of 6, 7, even 13 boaters showing at once.  The majority of the visitors were neighbors to Seguin out to enjoy a truly magnificent day following several rainy/foggy days.  Comment most frequently heard?  “I’ve seen or sailed by so many times, this is the first time we stopped!”  We hear that often.  We are so glad they visit at last, and they are too!   

And then, one of the overnight guests called Rick aside with the gruesome tale of an overflowing compost toilet.  Followed by a quick check on ours – close, but something was definitely wrong!  And more visitors arrive wanting lighthouse tours.  Quick, hurry, what do we do?  Will spare you those details, but before long we also notice the marine radio is not working – now what?  Electricity to entire house and museum is out  – best time to use OMG!  No electricity means no water or fridge.  Do more tours.  Open the windows to freshen the museum.  Greet more visitors.  Try to get the generators going.  And still trying to figure out what to do with this smelly seal in the cove.  And thank goodness, more tours and visitors – couldn’t help but stay too busy to be overwhelmed by everything that seemed to be happening at once.  We and our family visitors were laughing later, but boy oh boy – what a day!! 

As the evening approached we knew we had help on way the next day (our day in town, yay!).  We settled down for a  delicious lobster feast with family followed by several hands of Uno, with lanterns and jugs of water, while keeping generators from running low on gas.  They were such good sports.  We left for Popham early the next day, family returning to their travels, with only one event of seasickness among them.  Again, will spare the details… But all ended on a high as we watched a humpback whale spout and take a dive, fluke in the air – a thrill for all of us.

Our return voyage on Wednesday included longtime friends staying 2 nights.  Oh, but first you must climb the dock ladder cuz the tides too low.  Yes, we need your help with the dinghy.  But too bad, the seal is gone – seaweed aroma only.  Much to their chagrin, they discovered all their daily time in the gym and swimming had not prepared them for hauling their stuff (we had groceries, too) the 1/4 mile uphill hike to the house.  And even though we still have to stop often to catch our breaths, we realized maybe Rick & I were getting better at this than we thought!   We returned to fixed toilets and solar up and running. (Phew!) We chattered non-stop thru a late lunch and even later dinner, toured the lighthouse, and enjoyed the almost full moon night.

We had a great visit, both of them helping out with chores (you should see him with a weed whacker!) and meals and guests.  What a surprise – 44 kids and adults from Small Point Summer Day Camp showed up!  This has been an annual outing for the camp for over 20 years and with lunches, tours, and what they refer to as “Seguin Games” (lots of running), it was a fast few hours and they were on their way back.  Overall we had over 75 visitors yesterday and the day flew.  I am happy to report we were able to have yet another scrumptious lobster dinner, thanks to our favorite Cap’n Ethan.  I mean, you don’t come spend a couple of nights at a Maine lighthouse without Lobster, right??  The evening ended with more laughs and a new card game for us, “Golf”.  Rick and I will be playing tonight. 

This morning Cap’n Ethan & Lindsay came up for a bit with their 2 adorable boys.  We fed them ice cream at 10:30 (am), just to make it special – lol!  And with hugs and sad smiles, we sent our close friends on their way back to New Hampshire this morning, ending another awesome memory of a staycation on Seguin.

Well, I’m a day late getting this out to you and I’ve been rambling on, but we just needed  you to know about all the wonderful visitors from near and far that are making this a summer we won’t forget.  And of course the seals, bats and compost toilets of island living : ))

Last week we ended by running off to batten down the hatches – and it was good we did… Tropical storm Elsa sent buckets of rain our way and this rock of an island called Seguin got pretty soggy!  However our sturdy 164 year house never let a drop of rain enter.  And we were rewarded with a view of our first Seguin rainbow.  As the storm moved east and north, the sun just lit everything up for a beautiful evening!

Now, we didn’t actually batten down any hatches.  This phrase began in the late 1800’s when the navy prepared for storms by fastening down canvas over doorways and hatches on their ships with strips of wood called battens.  We just closed doors and windows – my, how easy life has become!  

In the last week, we have had only 3 days which were partly sunny.  Between rain and the famous Seguin fog, we are not getting a lot of outside chores done!  Remember the list of things we haven’t gotten to?  Well. During those 3 days of rain over the 4th and adding the latest weather, we had been working on that puzzle.  It took 10 days of either rain or evenings, but success!  Now, we were warned we would find it challenging and with over 500 small wooden pieces, it proved itself.  I dare you to make your next puzzle purchase a wooden one!

We also are doing a bit of historical reading and finding ourselves viewing life on Seguin a bit differently.  Those late 1800’s and early 1900’s seem a little closer.  “The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife”, an autobiography, was written by Connie Scovill Small in 1986 when she was in her 80’s.  She and her husband spent 24 years (1920-1948) as lightkeepers on the Maine coast, 4 of which were on Seguin.  An eye-opener to read first hand experiences in this very same house starting in 1926.  So much the same, yet oh so different.  (They did have a working tram to carry their supplies up for them – definitely a struggle in 2021!).  The kitchen had a black iron stove and a sink with a hand pump. There was a door directly into the lighthouse.  There were 3 lightkeepers w/families on the island.  Before long they had regular deliveries of coal, but when they first arrived, their only source of fuel, after burning the boxes in which the books were packed, were stones found on the beach, identified as coal, washed by the sea, many years after coal vessels had been wrecked on Seguin!  Ahhh – gotta love our solar!  

Connie had to wash and iron the linen lens cover by hand – no easy task at 12‘ long and 4 sections 6‘ wide – would’ve been a deal breaker for me – lol.  I’m guessing the “I don’t think so” for Rick may have been having to row the 2-1/2 miles to Popham – sun or storm.  And they had some wild storms in the winter!  Thank you Cap’n Ethan!!  We still have the snakes that kept another Captain from visiting, but we don’t encounter many.  And we still have the amazing views she describes – from the catwalk, seeing the many coastal lighthouses light up at sunset for one.  And my favorite – “I opened the outside tower entrance door which looked over the north part of the island at Popham Beach and the entrance to the Kennebec River”.  Still a breathtaking view.  But I refuse to compare their experience of finding a body floating in the Kennebec to our finding a decapitated seal on our beach this week…‘nuff said about that.  Although I must publicly thank one of our visitors who valiantly lassoed and dragged aforementioned seal out to sea…

As you may suspect, weather is constantly on our mind – and in our recent reading.

It was a hurricane that killed more than 6000 people. Rick is reading about the worst hurricane on record, not long after the Weather Bureau Service was formed. He is reading the book “Isaac’s Storm” by Erik Larson.  It was Galveston, September 8, 1900.   In those days the weather was the weather.  If ships were lost at sea and people died, it was just the way things were.  It was a time in our history when the word hurricane was avoided for concern that it would cause panic. And now most of us track these world wide events daily. 

Rick’s dad was a meteorologist – during WWII and later in Alaska.  We have always been proud of that fact, but never really realized all that he did and how it impacted others lives.  He would have enjoyed this book.  As Rick is reading he is discovering the deeper meaning behind words like barometric pressure, understanding how high pressures and low pressures are formed.  He is now using this information to help us figure out what kind of weather is ahead.  Although as we sit and listen to the fog horn, we wonder, when will it lift??  Oh yes – one of the foggiest places in the world!  

Unbelievable. We are 1/2 way thru our Seguin adventure. What a mix of comfort and sadness. Comfort because we have settled into such a wonderful routine.  Sad to think about our time here ending. This 1/2 mark came so fast, we just know Labor Day will be here quickly.  We’ve had some amazing visitors on our last few sunny days, but I will save those stories for next week.  One of my photos shows a poem hanging on the wall in the dining room.  We share her thoughts. 

As I’m working on this week’s blog (where did that term come from anyway?) Rick is out getting some needed weed whacking done (lucky guy).  We’re both very aware of the weather right now.  Last night we went to sleep on the hottest night we’ve had in the house, windows wide open.  Lily (not typical) wanted out around 2 am, just to cool off – I was happy to step outside with her!  Refreshed, back to sleep.  And about 2 hours later, we all were awakened by a crazy ENE wind coming right past our window – and it hasn’t stopped since.  Right now its blowing pretty steady at about 15 knots with rain due anytime.  Pretty much guaranteed we won’t have any visitors – lol.

Friday thru Sunday of 4th of July holiday, with similar weather, brought zero visitors – such a let down.  However Monday made up for it a bit.   With an outstanding day of sunshine, we had more than 45 people show up to enjoy the island and visit the Light!  It really was such a fun day.  We even got to watch a momma swallow feed her babies in the birdhouse.  One little bird was so anxious, he would about fall out when she came in with the goodies.  By next morning they had already flown off to expand their horizons.  Tuesday it was back to wind and clouds, still we had 2 different families come up.  One couple was on a week trip aboard a small 24’ sailboat!  Need I mention they were young?  They really just stopped for a much needed break to dry out a bit.  Fortunately they decided to come up the hill, so we had a chance to visit with and take them up the tower.  I’m hoping they had a great day yesterday while the sun was shining and made it back to dry land today.  

Luck was with us for our “go to shore” day this week.  The sun was out, temps were up.  Got our errands done quickly, and with a planned appointment cancelled on us, we played tourist for awhile.  Took the 30 minute drive to Freeport, known for being the home of LL Bean’s flagship store.  It felt so extravagant to stroll around the town, shopping a little, admiring all the fun LL Bean merchandise, eating out at Linda Bean’s Maine Kitchen (granddaughter of LL).  It was a busy day and fun to people watch!  

We realized on this trip, that really the favorite parts of our “days off” were the 1/2 hr. boat rides to and from Popham Beach.  In the experienced hands of our USCG licensed Cap’n Ethan, we sit back and enjoy the fresh air, waves and views along the way.  Sometimes the water is relatively calm; other times, like yesterday, rolling swells might be one way to describe it!  It’s a good thing that neither of us tend to sea sickness!  You never know when you’ll catch sight of seals, or an occasional porpoise.  There is mention of white shark sightings by some of the local fishermen, but nothing we’ve seen. (Thank goodness?)  And then there’s the short little jaunt in the dinghy, carrying us & supplies to the beach, bringing the Wednesday warriors & their supplies back to the lobster boat “Grasshopper”.  Almost a guarantee that someone will slip and get a little wetter than hoped, usually to everyone else’s amusement.  This week was a little more exciting. Due to a so far unrepairable leak, the dinghy was losing air fast enough that someone had to be aboard pumping it back in. I knew we had crossed some sort of “islander line” when we thought this was more funny than it was scary.  There are plans to replace this dinghy before long – lol!

Popham Beach is quite the village.  Since we arrived in May, we’ve had time to do a little exploring and look forward to more.  The beach itself is a sandy 3 miles ending at the Popham Beach State Park.  The place can be packed on a warm summer day, cars parked quite a distance down Route 209 when the lot is full.  At the northeastern end you’ll find historic Fort Popham, a civil war era fort built from granite blocks.  Though used by the Maine Infantry, construction was never completed.  It is an interesting place to spend time scouting around and learning local history.  The most fascinating thing to me is that Popham was the first location that the English established a permanent colony in America. Before Jamestown, before Plymouth, the Maine colony began in August 1607.  The “Virginia” was the first ship built in North America at Popham during that time.  There is currently a huge project in Bath, ME building a life size replica of the Virginia – it’s called Maine’s First Ship.  There is hope of a launch this October!  

I’m still reading about how the Popham colony came about and why it failed to survive after just 13 months.  Imagine if it had flourished, how different would our history books look – and how different Popham and Phippsburg would look.  Hmmn – I’m thinking the residents and summer visitors are glad that things turned out the way they did.  It is such a cozy place to live or spend time.  And of course there’s Spinney’s Oceanfront Restaurant – a long time favorite for both visitors and locals alike.  We were disappointed to learn they aren’t open on Wednesdays – Darn!  

Well, with tropical storm Elsa on her way northeast tonight, a gale watch and high surf advisory in tomorrow’s forecast, we need to make sure our hatches are battened down – and what the heck does That mean???      

Recently we’ve been reflecting on our roles as caretakers vs lightkeepers.  One definition of a caretaker is a person employed to look after a building.  Or similarly, to look after people or animals.  Other words that show up are janitor, warden, custodian, steward.  Aaah. Steward. We like that – to manage or look after another’s property.  Very fashionable today to talk about being stewards of our environment, or nature.  It feels like being a steward brings about a responsibility of relationship with or warmth towards this property.  And I gotta say, that’s what’s happening with us here on Seguin Island.  Yes we clean, trim, clear out and fix things, but as each day goes by, we are becoming more attached to these 64 acres and its buildings.  And as we meet and greet our visitors, it feels more and more like guests in our own home.  Wow…

Now – a lightkeeper.  Sounds very relaxing and romantic.  Read books, watch the waves, follow the sun’s path across the day, listen to the birds.  Just make sure the light comes on at night and you’re set!  Actually, take the “caretaker” portion out of the mix, and your not all wrong.  However as you’re up in the lantern room polishing the amazing prisms, sweeping out the daily accumulation of dust, a feeling of connection with history overtakes you.  A lighthouse keeper’s life was not easy.  310 articles of instruction and 37 “plates” or illustrations in the 1902 manual.  They worked hard all day every day and because of their dedication, mariners avoided hazards and found their way to harbors all over the world.  Walking up the same steps as previous Seguin keepers, caring for the very same lens is just a bit awe-inspiring…actually, more than a bit.  Even following the paths of the modern day caretakers of the last 25+ years that FOSILS has loved this place, is an honor.  You might think automation and gps would eliminate the need, but these beacons deserve all our care and attention we can give.  So most of our photos this week will be all about her.

We had foggy, rainy, crazy wind days this week, followed by an absolutely lovely day on Tuesday.  The water was so calm and sun warm, that our visitors that day swam in the cove after their tour.  Yesterday 3 folks swam from their boat!  Understand that all these people are “Mainers” and grew up around here.  I just don’t see too many out-of-staters diving in these waters just yet – including us!  Although as the temperatures soar, it is starting to look inviting.  We did wade in a ways, and of course Lily jumped right in fetching sticks.  Check back with us in a couple weeks – we did pack swimsuits 🙂

The museum displays look more interesting each week and our gift shop inventory is expanding. Summer is happening.  Unfortunately, our first overnight guests last Thursday had to give up their 2nd night because risky weather was moving in for a few days and they couldn’t skip work.  A family with a 9 & 11 year old, they took full advantage of the one sunny day and explored most of the trails and beaches with enthusiasm!  We’ve had over 50 visitors this week.  Some bring lunch up and appreciate the picnic table, others just to sit after climbing up the hill!  Most everyone wants to go up in the tower.  And we can’t say it often enough, love hearing their stories!  One gentleman from Connecticut was on his fourth visit – his 1st was 45 years ago.  He actually watched the USCG shoot waterhoses over 130 feet up from their ship to the vicinity of the keepers’ quarters (this took several attempts) in order to fill the cistern.  And we thought walking down to the pump house each day was a task – progress!

Another thought on polishing the lens.  If the sun is out, it is HOT in the lantern room.  Somehow we just can’t seem to coordinate lens time with cloudy days.  With that sun, though, you see the beauty of all the little rainbows of light flashing on the walls and steps.  And when you look out from the upper part, the view is upside down, ocean above, sun & sky below.  Enchanting!  In the 1820’s Augustin-Jean Fresnel designed this lens that now carries his name because of his fascination with optics.  Little did he realize the impact his idea would have over time.  “A Short Bright Flash” is on our read list.  His life and how he came to this unique discovery comes highly recommended by many of our fellow lighthouse enthusiasts.

We were blessed a couple of nights with a beautiful full moon coming up over the water.  The sunsets (& occasional sunrise) continue to thrill.  The rain is keeping the grass a wonderful green.  A special treat came on our way back from town yesterday – Cap’n Ethan’s day on the water resulted in a rare blue lobster in his catch – so amazing.

If this heatwave going on is getting to you – come see us.  The high here this week was 74 degrees with a slight breeze.  (Hate to brag…)  

Happy July 1st!