Day 96, 21 Aug

43 Visitors

Our Beloved Lighthouse!

This morning was our 32^nd wedding anniversary and a bit overcast and cool. We had left the dinghy on a mooring for Ken to use with the brick guys. Fred went down to run the tram for them to bring up of their supplies. We had a nice breakfast of yogurt, strawberries, granola, bagel and banana. I baked some brownies with pecans and saved two for Ethan and Brooke and I gave one to Ken. We had a few visitors come around 10:30 am. The couple that came the evening before for sunset came again to get a few things in the gift shop and join FOSILS with a membership.  Soon after, the ferry arrived with a full load and we gave tours and manned the gift store. Ken pitched in with both when we were swamped and trying to accommodate everyone and 3 members of a bat tracking team who arrived on the ferry with their heavy equipment to be set up. In the afternoon when I was manning the gift store an elderly gentleman was there and he had an artificial leg. I had given him and his family a tour of the lighthouse earlier. There was a father with two little boys in the gift shop also and one boy asked about the leg. The man was so delightful with his answer and demonstration and how he treated the boys. He showed them his leg and how he

Bat Monitoring Tower, Counts Nano-Banded Bats and
Birds Flying By

could flip it totally around with the foot like a tiny table to put a drink on (he said). He was so engaging and funny yet informative. He said he loved it when kids asked about his leg because adults were always too reserved and careful about asking. Not the kids, they just blurt out the questions and he loved to explain so humorously and animatedly how the leg/foot worked particularly with it’s computerized system. All of us in the store were so charmed and with this kind gentleman’s explanation and patience and we learned a lot! He left us all smiling, laughing and educated. The afternoon was filled with hosting everyone as usual and the crowd left at their usual time around 2 pm. I went on down to the cove to see them off and stayed a bit to look for sea glass. A man came ashore with a cute little Dachshund for a bathroom break for the dog. Turns out the little doggie was blind, but walked around and did her business which the man picked up after. She was such a little dog and just adorable. He went back to his moored boat and returned the dog and brought his family ashore. They went up to the house and I stayed at the cove beach looking for sea glass. Fred and Ken were up at the house and Fred gave them a tour. I later saw them coming down the main trail when I went back up. We had a nice lunch of minestrone soup, chips and grilled seafood

Ken Young, FOSILS President

or chicken melt sandwiches. We had just 6 visitors in the afternoon when Ethan returned to drop them off and then he went out with a group for fishing. The bat people were still here monitoring and adjusting their equipment. I gave them a tour also. Everyone left at about 5:30 pm and we finally had some time to ourselves. I worked on my delinquent blogs and took care of Sacatar. Not much of a sunset tonight and I went and dug out a few more carrots and gathered lettuce, cilantro and chives for salads which Fred made up. I heated up the leftover scallops and that was our quiet anniversary dinner. Such is the basic bucolic life on a lighthouse station island. We simply do our essential duties as required no matter what the occasion.