04 August 2011 Picture Day

Seguin Island is a place where time has stood still, to a certain extant.  The buildings are all approaching, if not past, 100 years old.  There are no phones, no television.  The electrical system is cranky at best.  The sights and sounds of the fishing industry and the natural Maine coast predominate, and are only enhanced, rather than drowned out by, the foghorn.  Even the very reason for the station here is based on a technology that long preceded GPS & satellites.  For all of these reasons, Seguin seemed like the perfect place to help resurrect an old art form.

Ferrotype photography, otherwise known as tintype, was a photographic process used in the latter half of the 19^th century, where the photographs were developed on a tin plate and varnished for durability.  One of the few remaining adherents to this art, Troy Bennett, approached Amy & I about being the subjects of some tintypes on the island.  Truthfully he wanted some shots of lighthouse keepers, and Amy & I, as the current residents of Seguin, where the closest match he could find.

Mad photographer Troy at work

Without hesitation we replied in the affirmative.  Accordingly, on our return from our day off yesterday, Troy joined us on Leeward, with an impressive array of gear packed with him.  I have seldom been so loaded down in the dinghy, but we got all the stuff ashore without incident, and with the tram’s help, up to the top.  We spent a pleasant evening with Troy chatting about island life, antique photography, and music (in which we have similar tastes).

Troy plying his trade, and practicing his cape flourish

Today dawned cool & cloudy, which apparently is perfect for tintype.  While not a particularly time consuming process, ferrotype is not a digital camera.  By the time we had all woken up, had coffee, set up the portable darkroom, and taken a dozen pictures, it was 1130 and Ethan’s visitors were rolling up the hill.  Timing is everything, and while Amy & I took care of the tourists, Troy packed up his gear.  We got it all to the bottom and into the dinghy (again, with the help of the tram) just in time to load Troy back on Leeward, with reciprocal promises to keep the new friendship going. 

Amy lined up for the shot

I left out pretty much everything about the photographic process; I can sum it up by saying it was fascinating, and very exciting.  I was, and am, completely jazzed to be a part of this project.  As an extra bonus, one of the two portraits he took may be the best picture ever taken of me.  It’s a little creepy but still the best.

Seriously, the best picture ever taken of me

After Troy left, our day took a turn for the usual, with lawn mowing and composting toilet battles dominating the afternoon.  The weather remained cool & damp, with bursts of sun that never really managed to warm up the day.  The wind did veer from NE’ly to SE’ly in the afternoon, which helped air the house out nicely.  Tonight we have the space heater on again, with Darcy Dog hogging the space in front of it- he is especially tired tonight, as he had never seen a camera on a tripod before, and being baffled by this new devilry, appropriately tried to dominate it with howling & growling at every opportunity.  This good start to the week bodes well for the rest. 

05 August 2011 Slow Start, Fast Ending

For a day that ended busy, we started very slow.  Amy & I (and the mutt) all slept until 0700 and continued the morning routine in a very sluggish fashion.  The sun was shining and the temperature was relatively warm, so there was no reason behind our dawdling, it just was happening.  The first hint of the pace picking up was when I turned on the VHF to find the weather reports had changed, pretty much stating that from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday were going to be nasty.  As Amy’s sister, brother in-law, and nephews, were coming to visit Sat – Monday, this was trouble.

A flurry of phone calls later had bumped their trip up a day, meaning that they were coming tonight, so Amy & I had to get rolling with cleaning & preparing.  It also meant I had to try to get some small amount of painting done; these plans are all well and good, but Seguin always has other plans.  Starting at 0945, we had guests looking for tours, and they never stopped.  The culmination of the day was when two tour boats arrived at nearly the same time, dropping off almost fifty people in one shot.  Woah.  In the flurry of activity, we saw once again what a romantic rock Seguin is- Nick Carter & Holly House got engaged today, right on our back lawn, next to the compost pile (I really should have started it in a different spot, how was I to know there would be an engagement, and a wedding, right there?  Maybe compost is actually an aphrodisiac aroma?).  Congratulations to them!

The happy couple

Happily I was giving the very last of these tours when Father brought out the Lamson Family: Mike, Mary, and Amy’s nephews Cameron & Levi.  I did not make it to the bottom in time to actually help them land; Amy rowed them & all their stuff ashore.  I was there to fire up the tram and pull the load to the top of the hill.  Thank God for that tram, it is doing double duty this week and working like a champ.  Mike, Mary, & co were all very impressed with the island from the get go.  On a side note, I have found that everyone is pleasantly surprised at the living conditions, when they arrive at the top.  To a man (or woman) every guest has said “Oh, this is much better than I expected”.  What on earth is everyone expecting?  I like it rough, but I don’t want to live in a dump.

Capt Kidd's treasure, waiting to be hidden

The treasure map

 Regardless, I’m very happy they made it.  I haven’t seen a little kid I know (Cameron is almost five) on the island in a long time, and it has already been awesome showing him the lighthouse, the tram, going swimming, and the rest.  Tomorrow is going to be even more epic, I hope, because my plans to hide pirate treasure should be coming to fruition.  The map is done, the treasure is done, all we have to do is hide it, and let Cameron find it.  I am stoked.

Arrival of Family Lamson

Mike & I grilled dinner, burgers & hot dogs, with potato salad and corn, and we ate outside with the sun setting.  Excepting one hamburger roll that a seagull absconded with, the dinner & the setting were flawless.  Dad called us to tell us the Northern Lights were probably going to be visible tonight, but I never saw them…I’ll be disappointed if they did occur and I missed it.  Ah well.  I still have to get to bed early, so I am ready for a treasure hunt in the morning.      

06 August 2011 Pirate Treasure

In the words of Father, I love it when a plan comes together.  I woke up early this morning, around 0530, and with Darcy Dog’s enthusiastic support proceeded to “bury” the pirate treasure on the south end of the island among some rocks.  I made it back to the Keeper’s Quarters about ten minutes before Cameron woke up (whew) and got him to help me make pancakes for breakfast.  I then announced I was going to take the dog for a walk, and put the bottle with the treasure map in the Cove.

Cameron finds Capt Kidd's map

When we all trooped down to the Cove and Cameron found the map, his reaction was very matter-of-fact “This is a treasure map.  We have to go find the treasure”.  He then announced we had to get ready for the adventure, took the bottle I had put the map in, and filled it with seawater “in case we get thirsty”.  After attempting to lead us into the ocean, Cameron got the right idea to lead us up the hill.  Once we got to the south point it took a little bit of searching to find the right cave, but in due course Captain Kidd’s treasure was located, Cameron was elated, and Mary was annoyed with Amy & I for giving Cameron a sword.

Finding the cave with the treasure chest

We had just returned from the treasure hunt when a man named Earle Davis was dropped off on the island with his family.  Earle asked me if I was the keeper, and when I responded in the affirmative, he shook my hand hard, informed me he had been the USCG Keeper from 1971 – 1973, and asked if I still had trouble with the gasoline donkey engine (which is no longer on the island, our donkey engine is diesel).  In this question/ answer fashion I learned many things about how Seguin use to be, that are deeply interesting to me, and perhaps to a dozen members of the Friends, but not to our general readership.  As much fun as I had learning about Seguin’s history, I had even more fun just talking with Earle.  He hadn’t been back to Seguin since he was transferred, almost 40 years back, and was thrilled that many of the things he remembered were still here.  It was truly a privilege to meet him.  

One happy treasure hunter

Saturday came to a close with more food on the grill, more adult beverages, and some good times just hanging out when the little guys finally went to bed.  The Lamson family is due to depart in the morning, but with the weather forecast looking shaky, it is possible Amy & I will have company for a little while longer.  While Friday and Saturday were beautiful, warm, & sunny, tomorrow is sounding not so good.

07 August 2011 Pterodactyl Baby

"Your kids are really funny", I told Mike & Mary last night, "I like them a lot".  Mike laughed, and replied "You haven't seen Pterodactyl Baby yet".  "What's that?  Does he hunch over & swoop at stuff?" I asked.  "Oh, no, you'll find out" he promised in return.

We woke up this morning to the predicted bad weather, with fog, rain, and seas that were stacking up wonderfully.  After conferring with Mike & Dad (at 0615), we decided to host the Lamson family for another day & night instead of trying to bail them out at 0700.  An island is still fun, even in bad weather, it just means most of the fun had to be inside.  That is when, after being in the Keeper's Quarters with everyone for the duration of the day, I discovered why Levi is Pterodactyl Baby.  Mother of God, can the kid shriek.

Cameron climbing the walls, with Levi "Pterodactyl Baby" flying below

Adjectives fail me when I try to describe that eighteen month old baby shrieking "NA-NA" at the top of his lungs and moving around as fast as his little legs could carry him.  I personally lost two pounds chasing him off of the stairs and away from the space heater- if you're trying to imagine this, keep in mind I was only 25% of the adults trying to keep him from damaging himself.  In shades of what is to come when Amy & I decide it is time to spawn, our neat little living space was destroyed by a fury of toddler energy, as he squealed in anger/ joy like his dinosaur namesake.

Happily Cameron was much better behaved, only wanting to play Uno and go for the occasional walk outside, which we were more than happy to oblige.  Really, despite the foul weather, we had an awesome day.  We hung out, ate food, listened to tunes, played Uno, I helped Mike rescue another stranded baby seal (really, I prodded the little guy once with my finger and it was enough to prompt him back into the water), and went for several romps around the island.  Now that the kids are down for the count, and we have time to have a couple of libations and write this, we're all happy & exhausted, thinking about tomorrow.....

08 August 2011 Fly’s Time

Initially we had take it on faith that the sun had risen this morning, as the fog was pea-soup thick when I got up at 0630 to let the puppy out, feed him, make coffee, and hit the galley to begin making breakfast.  Despite the zero visibility and the droning of the fog horn, Amy & I had the whole place to ourselves until past 0800, proving that even guests can sleep through the Seguin horn.  This worked out just fine for us, as I got to bake berry muffins & banana bread, before the hungry Lamson family joined us.  Cameron has decided I am an acceptable cook as he devoured two baseball sized muffins in short order.  Impressive.

The morning passed easily, with Cameron helping me plant flags in the approximate locations of the barn, bell frame, and fog horn, based on a survey from 1870.  I’ve had the information & the tools needed to complete the chore for an embarrassingly long length of time, I just need the proper motivation to get it done.  Like the assistance of a five year old kid, who could barely move due to the weight of muffin in his belly.  That task done we turned attention to packing up, as the visibility began improving and seas diminishing, Father would be on his way to collect The Lamson crew.

Cameron, with the un-cursed part of Captain Kidd's treasure

When the Lovely Linda arrived around 1030, getting everyone off the island into Dad’s boat went surprisingly smooth.  They forgot nothing except a wiffle ball & bat, Cameron didn’t cry at all about only getting to take some of Captain Kidd’s treasure, and Mike only cried a little when Mary wouldn’t let him take home a nice piece of slate he found.  Their departure ended a great visit that we all enjoyed, and one that went by too quickly, but did not return Amy & I to isolation.  A steady stream of visitors throughout the afternoon interspersed with a couple of thunderstorms effectively prevented us from getting anything meaningful done.

Additionally, there is no way to be truly alone on Seguin, with the flies everywhere.  I have come to two conclusions about the flies: first, they hatch huge clutches of eggs after heavy rain, and second, they only congregate when it is hot.  I’ll admit it, they won again today, driving me inside for the second time.  But I’ll have my revenge on them.  Somehow.

The flies were the only downside of today; even my first dose of poison ivy is more annoying than anything.  Yes, despite the fact I thought I was immune, I contracted a small batch on my ankle.  It probably happened when I was carrying Cameron over a bush of it last night, and inadvertently put my foot down in some.  Regardless, this morning when it erupted, I didn’t even recognize it.  Mike had to point out to me not to touch it.  Moving on from my ankle, even the weather wound up cooperating, cooling off this evening with a freshening NE’ly breeze to make sleeping pleasant.     

09 August 2011 Amy's View

As predicted, the island has been a tempest of activity.  Old friends, photographers, tourists, and baby pterodactyls (Levi) have filled our little lighthouse to capacity and provided hours of entertainment.  Today was a pause in activity and a chance for Nate and I to catch our breath.

Even the best behaved children (and I count my sister’s kids as some of the very best behaved children out there… thankfully) can be loud and a little raucous.  Then they leave, and you are left with a very pleasant peaceful calm.  Nate and I took full advantage of that this morning with a leisurely breakfast, time spent reading, and generally being a little lazy. Glorious.

Seguin Salad, all from our garden

 It didn’t take long, however, for the visitors to start rolling in. We had a steady stream all day, including two reporters from the Boston Globe who arrived to do a bit about Seguin for the travel section to be published at the beginning of the summer next year. While that was interesting, the highlight by far was lunch.  For the first time all summer, Nate and I enjoyed a meal entirely derived from our garden.  We had salads comprised of lettuce, arugula, roasted beets, carrots, and cucumbers. It was amazingly gratifying.

The day ended slightly abruptly when Ethan called and asked if he could pick us up tonight instead of tomorrow morning due to weather.  This made me happy, all be it a little rushed.  So our leisurely morning gave way to a hectic afternoon of packing, money tallying, and closing everything down. It was definitely worth it, however, to be able to spend a night ashore and eat one of Linda Power’s delicious dinners.  On the ticket for tomorrow is another monumental event. Nathan Power is FINALLY going to get a cell phone. Stand by.