Hunkering Down

Monday June 5

The sunny, hot weather that greeted us when we first arrived on Seguin has been replaced by temperatures in the 50’s, high winds, and lots and lots of rain.  Goodbye shorts and t-shirts, hello Gortex and fleece!   Coming from the Seattle area, we feel right at home in the layered-clothing department.  We’re also starting to feel at home with the daily routines of the Keeper’s house—checking the water level in the cistern, raising and lowering the American flag,  tending to the composting toilets, and, of course, brewing a fresh pot of coffee each morning!

A few nights ago we walked down to the Cove during a break in the weather and found the water there churning and crashing onto the beach more forcefully than we’d experienced before.  The dinghy “ways” (a kind of ramp for hauling the landing boat up and down the beach) were holding fast (thanks volunteers Tom, Chris and Rick M!) but were largely buried in piles of seaweed and driftwood that had washed ashore.  (Add to Keeper’s to-do list: “Clean ways”)  Somehow in the midst of all that turbulent wind and water a group of eider ducks—adults and ducklings—were hanging out as a family unit, merrily bobbing up and down together in the frothy surf, seemingly oblivious to the commotion all around them.    Newbee Keeper reaction: “Wow!”  Eider duck reaction: “No big deal.”

The rainy weather and lack of visitors—none in almost a week—has given us time to tend to inside matters—cleaning light fixtures in the house, organizing the gift shop, and trying to absorb as much Seguin lore and literature as possible. The museum is full of stories. Thanks to FOSILS, there are centuries-worth of books, logs, photos, artifacts and other memorabilia to try and integrate into our growing understanding of the island.  (Just started “A Short Bright Flash: Augustin Fresnel and the Birth of the Modern Lighthouse”  by Theresa Levitt—required reading for students enrolled in Lighthouses 101!)  

Looks like we’ll have plenty more time to read and clean this week—with continued rain in the forecast we’ll be skipping our day off-island this Wednesday and hunkering down for another 7 days.   Despite the weather, we’ve managed each day to bundle up and walk the handful of trails that offer stunning views around the island—the Lighthouse Trail, the Cove Trail, Cobblestone Beach Trail, the South Trail, the North Trail, Cove Overlook…  The simple fact that we’ve memorized the names of each trail is a sign of our growing familiarity with the place.  There’s so much more to learn.   

-Rick