Writer’s Block? Possibly. It is described as “a condition in which an author is unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown…is not a result of commitment problems or the lack of writing skills.” Whew! I think it’s also caused by a flood of activity and/or adventure if you’re a caretaker on Seguin Island, complicated by an uncooperative streaming signal – Ha!
So today, Saturday Aug 7, is Nat’l Lighthouse Day. It was on this day in 1789 that Congress passed an act securing the protection under federal support of all lighthouses, beacons, buoys and public piers. There have been several attempts over the years to make this an “official” holiday, but for now most lighthouses recognize it as a day to be open and sometimes hold special events. Chances are you are reading this on a day other than Aug 7, so we hope you had your own personal “enlightening” day on Saturday ;)) . As mentioned last week I will also include photos this week from Hank Lipian, our “76 Coastie.
This has been our busiest week so far – we welcomed over 250 guests to the island, with most heading up the tower. So many great stories and adventures of their own! We had 6 volunteers from Maine Island Trail Assoc (MITA) for a day helping to groom the ground cover under the tramway among other areas. Thank you, thank you! Three gentlemen representing FOSILS spent 3 days kicking off a 5 year project to rebuild the tramway. Fortunately the weather held. They grilled their dinners and slept in the Oil House. If they weren’t working so hard, I’d say they had a pretty good time. And Rick has been busy – the lawns and trails have never looked better!
From a personal standpoint, the highlight of this week is a 5 night visit from our daughter and her husband! And in true Seguin fashion, it started with weather. Switching our “go to shore Wednesday” to Thursday so we could pick them up at Portland’s Jetport, we were discouraged to hear storms were expected for that day.
Will spare you the details, but instead Cap’n Ethan collected us (including Lily) Wed eve at 7:00. We spent the night near Freeport so we could be at the airport in the morning. We must confess, taking a shower w/iron-free water, having a toilet that flushed, and watching a bit of tv felt kind of luxurious! Their overnight flight from Seattle arrived on time hassle free. However the prospect of returning to Seguin with family did not look promising as the rain poured and the winds gusted at 15-20 knots on Thursday. Making sure we had all our groceries/errands complete, we let Ethan know we were ready if he unexpectedly saw a weather window of opportunity for travel to Seguin. Could be another hotel night…
Then we got the call and had 45 minutes to get to Popham. Wearing rain gear and bagging up our mountain of supplies, we headed out on the water before 2pm in his power boat Guppy. We would never have done this trip with anyone other than him. With skill and patience he navigated the waters to get us home. To really appreciate our journey, please imagine a roller coaster ride at your favorite amusement park. Those 3-5 ft swells (and felt like 6-8 to us) were the equivalent of climbing the rise, pausing at the top, and pitching down the tracks. Lily was bravely up front with Jamie & I while we screamed and laughed in the rain, wondering why we hadn’t worn our life jackets. Keep in mind, the previous day a great white shark was seen nibbling on a Minke whale carcass floating in the area. Not a good time to go overboard – not that anytime is a good time. And how come the women are up front while the guys are in the back with the captain? And what better Seguin welcome to our gal who loves the ocean? These are the thoughts that go thru your mind at times like these, lol…
We did arrive safely and two dinghy trips later traipsed up the hill to the house. We received confirmation that Cap’n Ethan made it back to Popham. Got some dry clothes on, unpacked, and sat down to a grilled salmon dinner. So happy to share this paradise with our kids. And Lily was happy to cuddle on her favorite futon. We even managed a card game of Golf, and a foggy evening tour of the light.
Friday turned out to be a gorgeous hot sunny day. One of the neat things about Seguin is the availability of guest quarters on the museum side of the house which can be reserved with a donation to FOSILS. A group of 5 arrived around noon and had a great time enjoying all aspects of the island. They even managed to get outside around 2 am to watch the August Perseid shower happening this week. So many shooting stars! It was a pleasure to learn one of the visitors has been following our blog since she made these plans. She thanked us for volunteering by making 2 wristbands for us with an imprint of “Seguin Island” and its gps coordinates. Amazing!
And even with guests and tours, we still had time to spend with the kids in the cove and of course, enjoy a true Maine lobster dinner. We’ll cherish every moment of this special visit – and it’s just started :))
Greetings,
Your brother Jim shared this blog during my visit over Fourth of July. I meant to comment right away, but somehow slipped my mind. I’ve read thru week ten and it truly sounds like an adventure. From serious work to seal carcasses and blue lobsters, stormy weather, the variety of visitors and even a wedding. A bit different lifestyle from my visits to Balboa Island 🙂 These are awesome memories to last a lifetime. Hope the rest of your stay is as wonderful and rewarding as the previous weeks!
Thanks, Mark! Yes – this is one of those life adventures that will stay near if not at the top of the list. As you can probably guess, having Jamie & Michael here this week was the frosting on the cake 😉 Hope we see you this winter.