Day 76, 1 Aug

70 Visitors

Assorted Flowers with Bumblebee Planted Earlier in the year Down by the Cove

The first day of August and only a month left for our island stay. A very sunny, warm and beautiful morning greeted us today and we knew it would be busy. I raised the flag and actually had breakfast in the morning time frame and baked some chocolate chip cookies. I made up 4 sandwiches and 2 little Baggies of cookies for Ethan and his first mate for some lunches for them. We had lots of leftover food from Navy and Armada days and I thought they would like some sandwiches after dropping the visitors off today. I also made two sandwiches for Fred and I. In all of the sandwiches I used the fresh lettuce from my garden. The visitors arrived en mass from the ferry at around 11:30 am and we had steady groups for tours which Fred and I gave. Fred helped with getting people off of the dinghy from the ferry while I ran around to get everything open for tours and museum and gift shop. Ethan brought us a small bag of dog food that he promised he would. We had forgotten to get some on Wednesday and we would run out with the little we had before the week was out. We texted Ethan and asked if he could bring us some to tide us over. So he kindly got us a bag. We also had private boats moor and their occupants added to the crowds on the island. I talked

Late in the day Picture of the Lighthouse, Museum Lights are still on

to one lady and it turned out she was from a town near Philadelphia (Broomall) that is very close to my hometown of Newtown Square. All her kids went to the same high school that I did and one of the daughters and son were visitors also. – small world. Even after the ferry left at 2 Pm there was a steady stream of visitors from their boats and we didn’t get any respite till about 4 pm. I managed to grab my sandwich and a few sides and eat them in the gift shop while Fred continued tours. Fred was finally able to eat his sandwich as the crowds thinned out. He went down to the cove area to do more work on the injured tram and then finally take a break to relax. I was able to catch up on some emails and finally get down to the boat dock to enjoy some sunshine and reading. There were two young seagulls very close by,

Outside View into our Kitchen very Late in the Day

down on the rock cliffs below me. They were cute staying together and walking around poking at things to eat. They eventually nestled down in some seaweed, covered rocks sleeping together. I wondered where their parents were. I was quite tired from the busy day and soon was sleepy and laid down on the deck and took a nap. After a short nap I went down to the cove beach to pick up just a few pieces of sea glass and then hiked the Cobblestone trail and around the peninsula on the rock cliffs to get back to the Cove trail. At the end of Cobblestone when the beach starts there is a seagull nest where I saw two young ones getting attention from a parent. There was one that was slightly smaller that was being doted on. As I hiked around I did see other young seagulls, some able to fly. Near the cove trail I came upon my poor decaying black back, his magnificence gone as he lay there returning to his mother earth. I tried to look for a good-sized rock to put over him but could find none. I did spy a single white rose on a bush near him. How odd to see this singular white blossom, the only one I had seen anywhere. I went up to it to take a picture and the petals became loose, it was dying. I gently took two petals and could smell the rich rose scent from them. I then walked over to the sad black back and placed them upon his white chest, the least I could do for him. How poignant to have the dying white rose so near the dead white and black Seagull.  I continued back to the beach area on the tip of the cove trail and picked up few more pieces of sea glass that I found in the pebbles. Back down the Cove trail I went snipping with my shears and gathered my things at the kiosk and headed up the main trail to the house. I decided to hike down South trail before returning to the house and pruned along the way. I still always feel sad at the empty nest in the trail where I found Arthur and his siblings, always wondering if he survived. I went all the way to the south tip of the island and could see more young seagulls including the two always together at the rock cliff edges. Other young ones were getting their characteristic white heads but still had their grey speckled bodies. The sun was setting in a hazy clouded sky and the mosquitos had already eaten enough of me. I took one last look at the younger chicks calling for their parents and headed back to meet Fred about halfway back. He was wondering where I was. He continued to the south point and I returned to the house. I got some lettuces for salads before it got too dark and the western sky was still pretty with its watercolor panorama deepening into dusk. While Fred took a shower I prepared Hawaiian, apricot chicken with garlic cheese, cinnamon and pineapple chunks and a bit of Thousand Island dressing. It all went into a casserole dish to bake for an hour. While it was cooking I took a shower and Fred made a nice salad. The apricot chicken turned out great for our late night dinner and we watched Jimmy Fallon and were falling asleep. We barely were awake to eat our salads and off to sleep we finally went, dreams of young seagulls taking their first tentative flights into an enormous and intimidating sky.