Day 31, 17 June

26 visitors

Another bright morning though cooler with more breeze. We had a boatload of people come over with Ethan at around noon and gave a number of tours. There was a group of 17 from a high school in Vermont that were quite energetic and enthusiastic. There were also people from their own private boats.   Sue and her husband and some friends showed up which was nice. While giving a tour outside the tower we noticed a dolphin swimming about and diving just off the sunset bench area. On Father’s day some visitors said they saw some whales off the south coast of the island. Since we sold a bunch of stuff in the gift shop I decided to take some inventory and make a request for more goodies to entice our visitors in the future.  A few requested shot glasses!  After all the visitors left, Fred started mowing the lawn around the lighthouse.  While he was mowing a young family showed up from a pretty white sailboat that moored in the cove. They had two adorable little boys and while we were chatting with them on the grass lawn we spied a cute little garter snake. This was the first live snake that I have seen on the island. We watched it slither very fast through the fresh cut grass and decided to catch it. I was the one able to gently grab him and he wound around my hand and fingers with his cool silky skin. The little boys wanted to hold him so I carefully passed the squirming reptile to each boy and they gently held him and we examined the cute little guy. His little head had the classic arrowhead shape with tiny eyes like little beads and a tiny red tongue that darted in and out. It was so cute to see the boys gently handle the snake and take a keen, caring interest in these good little creatures.

Roses with lighthouse in the distance

I walked over to the tall grass with the younger boy who was holding the snake and we let him go. I gave the boys and their father a nice tour of the tower and they loved making noises up and down the echoing stairs to wake up the ghosts. We waved to their mom who was sitting on sunset bench enjoying the views.

I finished inventory and even though I was very tired while Fred finished mowing the whole upper areas around the lighthouse and Whistle building.   I hiked down to the cove to have a look. It was so very still in the cove and the pretty sailboat was there with it’s family. I decided to hike down the Cove trail to the point and then hike around the peninsula on the rock cliffs back to Cobblestone beach and trail. I got a nice shot of the lighthouse with the wild roses in the foreground. Have just seen one bush of those and they smell so good.

Tire on beach

So I picked my way around nearly getting crapped on by an irate seagull. Got very near cobblestone and found a neat pebble area I hadn’t notice before where the large rock formations were sculpted by the sea and pebbles. A little further and there was a car tire lying there!  Back on the trail I went to the cove where I decided to check out the little beach and pick up a few beach glass pieces. The sailboat was cozy in the cove and I noticed the osprey flew from one

Osprey

tree to another. A visitor said there were some nesting there last year – so they must be back. It was the same one we saw snag a fish on the cove last week when I was painting. I tried to take a few shots even though it was late in the day about 7 pm. Back to the house to relax and knit and have supper of pizza and soup, then shower and bedtime after watching the news.  We awoke in the middle of the night to the storm with pounding wind and rain on the bedroom window. It was difficult to get back to sleep thinking if we secured all doors and windows. Back to dreams of thunder and pelting rain.