Thursday, July 30

Up and at ‘em this morning. I helped Brenda get the bathroom windows unstuck while she continued to scrape the paint off the bedroom floor. She spent the whole day giving tours to our daily visitors and working on that floor. After she scrapes with the razor blade and scrubs with steel wool she uses the paint thinner and finishes with soap and water. After that is done and the paint spots gone she waxes the floor. Looks pretty good!

Meanwhile I went to the cove to give Ethan a hand off loading visitors. While I was there I decided to cut the grass again. That’s getting old. The grass is supposed to be dried up by now, not growing, brown…..dead. Not this year!

I got it spruced up again and headed back to the lighthouse. By now it was close to 1700 and the last visitors were leaving. Brenda went back to her floor work and I picked the meat out of the lobsters we got yesterday. There really isn’t that much meat in one of these things, but it is good. Same thing can be said of our Maryland blue crabs. A lot of work for a little meat.

Sunset looked promising this evening and I got a few pictures before the clouds took over. Today was warm and it felt like summer again.

In the afternoon I opened the door to the well house to turn off the switch to the pump and guess who was there? Lawrence de Esuom. A smiling Lawrence de Esuom. I said “Where have you been?” He said “I’ve been doin a lot of thinkin. I remembered when that man used the axe on the piano and thought about the woman I never seen again. Then I thought about not seein any more women. I tink I suffered from PSTD or something like that. I was tramertized. It seems the more I thunk about it the better I understood and then I seen it! I seen a little girl goin in that lighthouse. I couldn’t believe it. I was sooooo happy! Then I begun seein more of ‘em! I think I’m cured!”

I said “Lawrence, that’s great, I’m glad you worked things out, but do you know if they can see you? If they can they’re going to be upset”. Lawrence said “Why would they be upset?” I said “Have you looked in a mirror, do you know what you look like?”

Lawrence said “No, what’s the problem?” I said “Find a mirror or puddle of water or something and look at yourself. I’ll see you again soon and we can talk then.” Lawrence then scurried off. I hope he doesn’t surprise himself.

Just a little while ago we saw the CAT on its way back to Portland from Nova Scotia. Although it was in the distance it looked pretty neat through the binoculars. Here is some info on the CAT.

Prepare to be amazed. Travel aboard The CAT, and you're traveling in style – aboard a ship so remarkable the Discovery Channel called her one of the World’s Top 10 "Super Ships."

Serving Maine and Nova Scotia – two of the world’s top vacation destinations – The CAT saves you time and driving miles. Enjoy movie theatres, a casino and on board dining. You'll arrive relaxed and refreshed along with your own vehicle, luggage and gear for traveling comfort.

Drive your car, motorcycle, bike, RV or walk aboard The CAT and you'll be whisked across the ocean at highway speeds between Portland or Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. And whichever your direction, you’ll enjoy some of the world’s best destinations.

Wednesday, July 29

I did wear shorts. It started out foggy and cool but the day quickly warmed up to the eighties. It actually felt like summer.

By now our routine is down to a science. After doing the laundry we went to see Connie at the office and then had lunch at Kennebec Tavern with other members of FOSI. We had an enjoyable lunch by the river. We learned that Ken and Dot Young spend their winters in St. Petersburg, FL and we plan to meet them there. We discussed island projects and bounced around ideas.

Off to Walmart for groceries and other stuff and then we headed back to Popham. It seems we have begun a new tradition. On our way back to the beach we stop at Bisson’s Store. Locals call it Center Store. They have ice cream there. Moose tracks is our favorite, but they were all out today, so Brenda settled for Butter Brickle and I got Mint Chocolate Chip. They were OK, but when you want Moose Tracks nothing else will do. After all this is Maine! Moose and all that.

On our ride back to the island Ethan surprised us by stopping by his personal stash of live lobsters and pulled four nice ones out for us. He said it was his gift to us for helping him out with getting visitors on and off the island. He said “That’s the way we do things up here”. I said “Thanks” and “That’s the way we should all do things”.

Just another example of the caliber of folks here in Maine.

Tuesday, July 28

I was a bad boy today. I got strict orders from the BOSS today. She said I could not take any more baths. The reason? The despicable RING! That’s right, the ring around the tub. Apparently I did not do a satisfactory job of removing the despicable ring, so I am bath banned.

Yeah, right…..

Early in the day Dave Power showed up with the folks who check the moorings. I went down to watch while Brenda continued to wash the walls and prepare for even more painting. The work platform for the mooring work is a modified two hull vessel with a large hole in the middle. Over that hole is the superstructure for a hydraulic winch. Once the mooring is located it is hooked to and hauled up by the winch. Out of the water the mooring is inspected, new fittings and rope attached and then lowered back into the water. This involves splicing of one inch three strand line, replacing clevis, attaching chain, etc. An interesting operation to watch.

A few visitors arrived and Brenda was busy giving them tours and operating the store.

After lunch I prepared the weed eater and took off on the North trail. This had not been cut in a while and was in dire need of work. It took a couple of hours to get about one third of the way done. I was tired then and the rest will have to wait for another day.

Back at the ranch, uh….lighthouse, Brenda was giving some more tours and working on the guest quarters in between. After cleaning off the weed eater and mower I went to take a bath.

UH OH…..did I say BATH?? The despicable ring! I wonder if the BOSS will know. OH boy!

Ethan called about 1730 and asked for help off loading some visitors on the beach. I went down and helped and then Ethan offered to take me on a ride around the island. Well, you know I wasn’t going to turn that down. So, I simply told the visitors to walk to the lighthouse, find someone named Brenda and ask her to give them a tour. They did, and she did. Actually I got back in time to give the lighthouse tour myself. Brenda closed up the store, prepared stuff for our office visit tomorrow and started dinner.

Good woman!

Now, as I sit here writing the blog, she is dragging out the ironing board. Seems the curtains she got from somewhere need to be ironed and then hung in the guest quarters. Guess who will be putting up the curtain rods? And she tells me the bathroom door does not shut properly…..needs planning down.

Tomorrow is our day ashore. It is supposed to be warm. Maybe I’ll wear shorts!

Monday, July 27

When we got up today we noticed some people walking around outside. I went out an introduced myself to the three men from Long Island. They had sailed from New York in their thirty-four foot catamaran. They took off on a hike on the North trail and returned later to tour the lighthouse. Meanwhile I saw two Outward Bound boats in the cove. The Outward Bound group made their way to the lighthouse where we gave them a tour and opened the museum.

This was a group of fourteen and fifteen year olds on a two week Outward Bound sailing adventure. They sail in open boats called a pulling boat; these boats were modeled after 19^th century whaling boats. These boats are powered only by sail or by oars and they navigate by dead reckoning. No GPS or fancy chart plotters here. The boats are open to the weather. They erect hoops over the boat and cover the deck with canvas to sleep under. It is a bare bones experience. The only piece of electronics on the boat is a VHF radio.

I watched the boats sail away in the fog around noon. Meanwhile I cleaned the visitor restroom and Brenda continued working in the guest quarters. She finished painting the bathroom walls and then began removing the paint that was spilled on the floor of one of the bedrooms. We can only assume that whoever painted these rooms did not use a drop cloth because the floors are a mess. She spent five hours working on the floor in just one of the rooms. Razor blades, steel wool, mineral spirits, soap and water and a lot of elbow grease. It is a slow process. But, the floor looks great, a real improvement.

I went to the shop to continue my organizing and ended up cutting the grass…..again. Grass is as green as it gets and is growing daily. Looks good but it is a lot of work. By now the sun was shining and the fog lifted. Brenda’s arms were giving out and she stopped around 1800.

Oh yeah, look at the pictures above to see how hard we are working. Don't laugh! Since Brenda was busy I had to get the camera, set it up, focus, move the chair, set the scene, program the camera for a timed exposure and rush back to the seat in time for the picture to be taken. And I had to THINK about all of this ahead of time and precisely plan it.

I mean, she could have taken the picture BUT she was scraping the floor.

It's tough, but somebody has to do the hard work.

A brief storm blew through around 1930 and then the sun came out again, just in time for a nice sunset.

Sunday, July 26

I am beginning to wonder if summer really comes to Maine.

Last night was beautiful. Stars, crescent moon and excellent visibility. Then dawn came. Or at least what they call dawn. It did get brighter but the mist and fog hid any trace of the sun. It wasn’t cold but it sure wasn’t warm either. You needed a jacket to be comfortable. It seems the rest of the country is enjoying a real summer of eighty plus temperatures but not here. Oh well, we can still hope for the next few weeks.

The girl scouts came up to the museum to get out of the weather and Dave picked them up early at 1230. A few of the girls wanted to row the tender and found it’s not as easy as it looks, but they did a great job and said they had a good time despite the weather.

No one else showed up today and I don’t blame them. The fog never lifted and visibility never got better than a few hundred feet.

Brenda continued the bathroom project and I watched another movie. Then I took a nap…. Just like old people do. I could get use to this.

The wet weather does have some redeeming properties. The island roses are in full bloom and the raspberries are ripening on the vine. Of course the grass is growing as fast as ever. I was told that things dry up mid July, but not this year. I continue to cut grass at every dry opportunity.

Saturday, July 25

A lot of people stopped by today. After yesterdays weather people are getting outside whenever they can. At first it looked like rain but by early afternoon the sun was shining and temp in the mid seventies.

Ethan brought out a couple of groups. A photographer, two artists and a former keeper from 1995. Ken Young showed up with a professor from Bates who helped with cataloging artifacts in the museum. Jim Bennet came by to look at the residence, take measurements and make plans for next Saturday’s work party. Dave Power showed up with the girl scouts who are spending the night.

I spent most of the afternoon in the cove area shuttling people back and forth while Brenda took care of the museum, store and tours all by herself. I felt bad leaving her there all alone but she made out OK. The artists were picked up at 1700 and seemed happy with their work.

Brenda and I had a break about 1830 and when we looked out the window fifteen minutes later we noticed three tents set up on the helicopter pad and three people spread out on the grass having a picnic complete with alcohol. I went out and told them they were not allowed here, that any camping on the island has to be pre-approved. They said they were members of FOSI and had camped here before. I said unless I get a phone call approving your stay, you will have to go. This is the first time I have had to deal with unauthorized use on the island. The standard operating procedures that we operate by state that camping is only allowed if first approved by FOSI.

At 1920 I looked out the window again and saw that the tents were gone. I ended up speaking to some of this group later. They said they were on a sailboat that comfortably slept six and there were eight of them. They were hoping to sleep some on shore and leave in the morning. They apologized for any concerns and said they were heading off to Robin Hood Marina for the evening.

Problem solved.

The girl scouts visited the light at 2000 for a tour and to watch the sunset. These girls are great. Well behaved, well mannered and full of life. They said they planned to be up all night and take pictures of the sunrise. I said have fun, but don’t wake me up!

Friday, July 24

Well, the weather guys were right. Today is a nasty, rainy, windy day. We are lucky we got the wedding in yesterday because it would have been a total washout today. Wind was sustained at twenty knots most of the day and peaked at thirty-five. Seas were high and we got six tenths of an inch of rain.

According to the Central Maine Shelf buoy wave height peaked at ten feet this afternoon, water temp is fifty-six degrees and the wind at thirty knots.

It was a lazy day around here. At least for me. Brenda has a hard time sitting still so she decided to sand the drywall and put a base coat of paint on the ceiling of the guest bathroom. I didn’t do much of anything. I watched a movie called “The Fog”, took a nap, sat around, etc. You know, the stuff old people do.

What can I say? I’m guilty.

Not much else to say. I still haven’t seen Lawrence. I don’t know if he is hiding, staying out of the rain, or what. I’ll let you know when I see him again.

Thursday, July 23

Wedding Day has arrived. Today we hosted the wedding of Katherine and John from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ethan provided the transportation for the wedding party and the ceremony took place at 1230. Brenda presented them with a cake and they toasted their marriage with champagne. Everything went well, the weather held out and they make a great couple. We wish them all the best.

A large group of young folks from the Small Point Summer School showed up around 1130. This was a group of about twenty ranging from six years old to young adults. They were very well behaved and the older guys took care of the younger ones. They had respect for the wedding party and everything worked out well. I showed them the lighthouse and talked about the island.

During the day the sun did not shine. It was warm at times and cool at times with occasional mist but that really did not put a damper on things. Both the wedding party and the summer school students had a great day and we enjoyed hosting them.

Brenda cooked up those sirloin tips we bought yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to use the grill. The tips were great. We’ll try them again. Maybe I’ll use the grill next time.

We didn’t get much else done today and the forecast is for a nasty, rainy day tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 22

Yep, we made it ashore again. Very low tide this morning and some mist was in the air.

(That's Brenda under the towel)

Breakfast at Percy’s and off to the post Office and laundromat. We stopped to see Connie at the office and then on to Burger King for lunch. They have the best fries. I got a haircut and Brenda went to Big Lots. Then off to Walmart, of course. It is a pretty safe bet that they have everything we need. On our way back to the dock we stopped at Brackett’s Market for lunchmeat and marinated sautéed sirloin tips. We didn’t get lobster today and thought we would try these. We were told that they are very good.

Of course I’ve got to cook these on a grill and the one at the island has gone kaput. That meant one thing. I had to get a grill. While at Big Lots I saw a George Foreman electric grill on sale and picked it up. I’ll fire that up tomorrow and cook those tips…..YUMM! This grill will most likely end up in Florida when we go there this winter,

Back at the cove we saw two sailboats moored. While we were getting our stuff ashore we noticed a couple get off one of the sailboats and head in to shore. We thought that they were going to ask for a tour, but, to our surprise they said “Can we help carry your stuff up?” They did help us carry our stuff to the tram and then watched as we ran the tram up the incline. We suggested that they come up to the lighthouse at 1930 to see the sunset and tour the lighthouse.

Don and Casey from Cambridge, Mass showed up at 1930 with another couple from the other sailboat. We toured the lighthouse, watched the sun go down and perused the museum. Don is a grad student at Yale and Casey is an historical preservationist with credentials from Cornell. Both were quite interested in engineering aspects, preservation efforts and historical references pertaining to the island structures. I showed them the basement of the residence to see the cisterns and the old construction. They appreciated the special attention and we appreciated the bottle of wine they gave us! Two very nice young adults who are sailing a boat down the Maine coast for some family friends.

Thanks to both couples for visiting Seguin!

Tuesday, July 21

Dave and Dave showed up this morning to work on the mooring buoys. Dave Power and Dave Percy. Dave Power had the boat and Dave Percy had the drysuit. Together they located the missing moorings and replaced pendants, shackles and other hardware. Dave Power had emailed me last night that they were coming out this morning. Unfortunately I was not getting and reception last evening and did not get the email.

So, at 0900 we heard a knock on the door. Some visitors wanted to see the lighthouse and they told us someone was working on the moorings. Brenda gave the tour and I went to the cove. Dave and Dave were successful! Now we have seven moorings ready for use.

Ethan had a busy day. He brought out three or four boatloads of visitors and a couple of sailboats showed up too. All went to the lighthouse where Brenda gave the tours and took care of the museum. The day was not a good beach day and we believe people were looking for other things to do. Visitors kept us busy from 0900 until 1500. After that some rain set in and that took care of visitation for the rest of the day.

Tomorrow is our day ashore and we are to meet Ethan at 0700.

Monday, July 20

I don’t know what it is with Mondays, but they continue to be our busiest day of the week as far as visitors go.

At one point there were thirteen boats in the cove and I watched at least four more turn away. Since I was busy at the cove Brenda was giving tours of the light and manning the store at the same time. We estimate seventy people visited today. Some kayaked over from Popham Beach; some were sailing from Oxford, MD and others from Rhode Island plus a smattering of locals from Harpswell, Bay Point and Linekin Neck. Everyone was in good spirits and happy to be here. The kids ran all over the place enjoying the beaches and trails.

Sun, salt air, a gentle breeze, temps in the eighties, the gentle clanging of #20 bell buoy, the smell of fresh cut grass and high altitude cirrus clouds made an almost perfect day. You can lose yourself out here. It is a time to get refreshed, mentally, spiritually and philosophically.

It was so nice I took my shirt off and got some sun. The forecast says rain for tomorrow. We’ll see.

Sunday, July 19

Lots of visitors today. A number of summer residents stopped by to see the light and walk the trails. One guy arrived by kayak. He had paddled over from Small Point and he would be facing the wind and waves head on during the paddle back. He said he had done this before and was comfortable in the voyage. Later on we watched him with binoculars and he was doing fine.

Our first visitors of the day were a couple from Virginia Beach, Virginia. They had come out to scout out the island and make final plans for their wedding on Thursday, July 23. They checked things out and we are all hoping for good weather on Thursday. Should be a memorable event.

We were so busy with visitors that we got little else done. The Friends said that is to be expected during the second half of our summer on the island. We are looking forward to visits from family and friends as well.

We saw a lot of boat traffic today. A number of tankers were leaving Portland and we saw the Cat on its way back.

Saturday, July 18

The day of the annual meeting dawned rainy and gray. However by the time Ethan showed up, at 0830, the rain had stopped and we had a decent ride ashore. Brenda carried the cake in her lap all the way. From the tram to the beach, into the dingy, transfer to Ethan’s boat, to the dock, into Brent’s house, into the Scooby van and to the Georgetown community center.

We also decided to take a change of clothes and other stuff in case we had to spend the night ashore. It was forecast to blow up to twenty knots later in the day and we needed to be prepared for whatever happened.

Ethan took us to Brent’s house in Bay Point and Brenda got off with the gear. Ethan and I continued on to transfer from big boat to his skiff, stop at Percy’s in Popham Beach and then go back to Brent’s. Since Ethan picked us up early we had plenty of time and were in no rush.

Once back at Brent’s we loaded the Scooby van (local moniker for Brent’s dog/bait/do anything van) and drove to Five Islands. Ethan took care of us all the way.

Five Islands is just that…five islands in the Sheepscot River, a beautiful area. At the wharf is the Five Island Lobster Company, an eatery and an ice cream place. I went into the lobster company and they had some decals for sale for fifty cents. I wanted two but I only had a five dollar bill in my wallet. So I went outside looking for change. I met a guy hosing down the dock and he checked his wallet for change. He didn’t have five ones so he just gave me a dollar and said “no problem”. I expressed my thanks and went back to the store. In the meantime an employee had returned and I asked him if he had change in the cash register. He said he didn’t know but would check. He couldn’t get the register to open and then he said “What did you want, anyway” I said I wanted two decals and said they were free. I told him that there is a sign that says fifty cents each. He said he didn’t know who put that there but as far as he was concerned they were free. I said “OK” and “Thanks”. Then I went back to the guy on the dock and gave him his dollar back.

That’s the kind of people we had had the pleasure of running into everywhere we have gone in Maine.

About fifty people showed up for the annual meeting. We gave our presentation, Brenda helped with the auction, Connie took care of sales and keeping things straight and, I believe, all had a good time. We met many interesting people and enjoyed the meeting. Money was made at the auctions and we all enjoyed the cook out and desserts.

During the day the sun came out and then went back in. As we traced our steps back to the island we encountered considerable fog until we neared Seguin. The fog had lifted around the island and visibility was improving. The closer we got the better it looked.

It was a long day and we were beat. We went to bed early.

Oh yes, the article we interviewed for was printed in yesterday’s paper. Here is the text…. It was on the front page!

Following The Light

Bill and Brenda Simmons are spending their summer as lighthouse keepers on Seguin Island for Friends of Seguin Island, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of the historic beacon.

Maryland couple loves keeping lighthouse on Seguin Island

By Rachel Ganong, Times Record Staff

Published:

Friday, July 17, 2009 2:14 PM EDT

GEORGETOWN — Bill and Brenda Simmons had never stepped foot in Maine before they responded to an advertisement for lighthouse keepers on Seguin Island. Since they got the job, they haven’t stepped much beyond the 64-acre island that sits two miles from the mouth of the Kennebec River.

And that’s fine by them.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Brenda said.

A retired state parks manager and a restaurant office manager from Berlin, Md., the 60-year-olds serve as sentinels for Seguin Island’s historic lighthouse and grounds for the Friends of Seguin Island, a nonprofit organization that assumed care of the lighthouse and island in 1987.

The Friends choose caretakers for the island out of dozens of pairs of applicants every year; this summer Bill and Brenda are filling the post.

From an interview in 2007, they anticipated whitewashing buildings, trimming lawns, living in the quaint caretakers’ quarters and giving tours of the historic lighthouse on an island surrounded by sun-drenched seas, views of the presidential mountain range to the west and Monhegan Island to the east.

When they arrived Memorial Day weekend, they discovered another aspect of their job: the weather.

“We had about three days of sun, and then rain, fog, you name it,” Bill said.

Two months later, however, not even this summer’s slickest conditions have dampened their spirits.

“It’s just the sense of adventure,” Bill said, explaining how he landed a summer on Seguin.

He spied the lighthouse keepers’ job in a caretakers journal listing employment opportunities. Enamored by the proposition of keeping a lighthouse, he and Brenda knew they could do the job: they were physically, financially and emotionally capable and offered marine experience as avid boaters and a hands-on skills set (Bill fixed a lawn mower with a spring from a ball point pen, as an example).

After applying and interviewing for the post in 2007, they learned they received it for 2009.

WHAT: Friends of Seguin Island annual meeting and fundraiser with silent and live auctions, caretakers presentation, barbecue and potluck, raffle for a gourmet lunch for four on Seguin and other prizes. WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m. start; dinner around 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Georgetown Community Center, Schoolhouse Road COST: $12 adults, $4 children or $7.50 for members WHY: Proceeds to benefit Seguin Island Lighthouse preservation and maintenance

Rain notwithstanding, the job is demanding, and the couple has been steadfast in their efforts to prepare the grounds, museum and lighthouse for visiting boaters. With so much painting, cleaning and trimming, theirs is a life of work balanced by wonder.

“It is so beautiful,” Brenda said. “The sunsets are absolutely gorgeous.”

“On the Fourth of July, we could see fireworks from 20 different places,” Bill said.

He pointed to where they launched along a panorama of the Maine coast from Portland to Boothbay Harbor, looking out from the famed, first-order Fresnel lens at the top of the lighthouse.

On the clearest of days, it’s too far to see to their hometown near Ocean City, Md., a summertime tourist flytrap. Instead, visitors to Seguin satisfy their people-loving personalities.

This week, they welcomed a 93-year-old man who kept the lighthouse at age 19 during the winter of 1936. Not able to walk the steep trail from the cove to the top of the island 140 feet above sea level, they loaded him in a diesel-powered tram that runs along a wooden track.

At 150 years old, the tram was there in lighthouse keeper’s day and is still used to convey groceries, drinking water and supplies to the lighthouse and keepers’ quarters.

The tram is one part of an extensive island history Bill and Brenda have learned to share with their visitors, which this summer have included people from Moscow and Finland.

Learning about the island and the light, they’ve come to love not only Seguin, but also the people caring for it.

“The Friends (of Seguin Island) are hurting out there,” Bill said, explaining how efforts like this Saturday’s annual fundraiser are needed to help maintain the island beyond the caretakers’ efforts. “It’s a sign of the times and of the economy.”

“They open up their doors to you and their hearts right away,” Brenda said, explaining how she warmed to the hospitality of Friends of Seguin board members like Ethan DeBery.

DeBery, who runs a shuttle service to Seguin, ferries the Simmonses to shore once a week.

On their “day off,” they run to the grocery stores, eat lunch, post mail and launder clothes, cramming as many errands as they can into their afternoon on the mainland.

By 5 p.m., they are back on the boat and back to the island and back to work.

Unlike most visitors to Maine, there’s been no trips to Acadia National Park or dinners in Portland for the Simmonses; the closest they’ve come to glimpsing Boothbay was Wednesday, one of the clearest days yet.

“We’re not able to travel around,” Brenda said, citing the time constraints of their weekly offshore excursion.

But for this summer’s adventure on Seguin, they’ve learned, putting oneself out there requires simply staying put.

Friday, July 17

This was supposed to be the first day that really felt like summer. Well, sort of.

Humidity was high which reminded us of home. If it wasn’t foggy it would have been downright hot. However the fog did stay around all day, the fog horn sounded and we saw no visitors.

Brenda spent most of the day baking, designing and decorating a cake. Cake decorating is one of her hobbies. She does a great job and takes it seriously. The plan is to take this with us to the meeting tomorrow. Should be an interesting voyage ashore. Forecast for tomorrow is a downpour of rain in the morning with clearing in the afternoon.

A picture of the cake is above…. Just in case it doesn’t make it ashore in one piece, here is the proof.

Another adventure.

After working some more on tomorrows program I got out the mower and cut the grass around the lighthouse. Looking good again.

Thursday, July 16

Today was a slow day. Weather was nice, humidity low and temps in the seventies.

I spent some time today working on a presentation for the annual meeting and Brenda ironed curtains and hung them up. She then put together two accent tables she bought and set about rearranging some of the furniture. She is doing an outstanding job of decorating and sprucing the place up.

If it were up to me it would be bare bones and stark. Lucky I brought her along J

At the shop I made some more frames and mounted another chart for display. This is a small scale nautical chart which shows a large area. I am marking bearings and distances to places of interest. It seems a lot of visitors share my fascination in maps and charts, so I thought I’d add this display.

Still no sightings of Lawrence, but Brenda is experiencing some paranormal experiences.

You will have to ask her about that! (Just leave comments right here on the blog)

Wednesday, July 15

Low humidity with nice temperatures in the seventies ushered in the day. As we walked down to the cove to meet Ethan I noticed a rainbow over the house.

A nice way to start the day.

On our trip to shore Ethan spotted a dolphin playing in the water and pointed it out to us. When we arrived we did not stop at Percy’s’ for breakfast. We had an appointment in Bath at 1030 with a reporter from the Times Record in Bath. So we went straight to the laundromat, had breakfast at McD’s and to the appointment at 1030.

We met Rachael, the reporter and spent about half an hour with her. We offered to take her out to the island when we returned and she said “yes”. We made plans to meet her back at the dock at 1700. Then it was over to the FOSI office to see Connie. She was busy with the arrangements for the annual meeting which takes place on Saturday.

On to Burger King for lunch, Walmart for food and stuff and then we returned to Bracketts Market in Bath. Bracketts was recommended to us for lunch meats and other stuff, so we thought we would give it a try.

Back to the dock by 1700 where we met Ethan and Rachael. Immediately after leaving the dock we spotted a baby seal. We made a quick stop to pick up some fresh lobster (right out of the traps) and then back to Seguin. The cove was quiet and Rachael helped us off load the boat, up load the tram and off load the stuff at the top. She spent the next hour looking around, interviewing us and taking pictures. She said the article should be published in Friday’s edition.

We are anxious to see how it comes out!

We had our lobster dinner at 2030, watched some TV and went to bed. As I said before, our days ashore are long and busy. They are calling for some rain tonight and degrading weather for the next few days.

Tuesday, July 14

Beautiful day! You can see forever, or at least to the horizon.

Monhegan Island is clearly visible (22.5 miles), Portland (24 miles) and Mount Washington (height of 6,288 feet) in New Hampshire (86.3 miles). Visibility today is only limited to the curvature of the earth.

A person of average height standing at sea level can only see 2.8 miles out to sea. With an increase in height this number changes dramatically. There is a mathematic formula for figuring this out:

Remember the Pythagorean Theorem?

a² = 3963² + x² = 15705369 + x²

Solving for x,

x² = a² - 15705369

a must be 3963 miles + 6 feet (Let's say the men are actually 6'3", so their eyes are six feet above ground.). Thus
a = 3963.001136 miles

x² = 15705378 - 15705369 = 9
x = 3 miles

but for my purpose let’s just say that today we could see “forever”.

I returned to the South trail to finish mowing. It is now looking good. Brenda weeded the garden and it is looking good. Don’t know if we will get any tomatoes from our lone tomato plant but the flowers look good. At least the rain didn’t drown everything!

After lunch I trimmed the Lighthouse trail and Brenda hosted a handful of guests at the lighthouse. One visitor was from Moscow and another from Finland. Sure do get people from all over the world.

Tomorrow we go ashore. We have an appointment with a reporter for a news article about caretaking and our adventures on Seguin. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Many of you have been asking about Lawrence. Fact is I haven’t seen him in a couple of days. Maybe he goes elsewhere when the weather is good? Or, maybe he is still thinking about not seeing women? Don’t know. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on additional sightings.

Monday, July 13

Another nice day. I put on shorts and headed to the cove. My plan was to get the weed eater I left there and clean up the trail to the lighthouse. Instead I ended up reading a book I got from the library while sitting in the chair near the boathouse.

Brenda was busy with painting the trim in the bedroom. She called me on the radio to say she got a phone call from Connie at the FOSI office. Connie said Ethan was bringing some visitors out and among them was a former assistant keeper of the light. Connie asked if we could meet them on the beach and assist with getting them ashore.

A little while later Ethan arrived with Mr. Sterling, his son Allen and cousin Bruce. We got them ashore safely although a little wet. There was a surge in the cove and the tide was coming in. This resulted in two foot waves crashing on the beach which created a challenge in staying dry.

Once ashore we got to the lighthouse and Mr. Sterling shared his remembrances. He was here in the 1936. Mr. Sterling is now 92 and lives with his son in Savannah, Georgia.

Following is an article from the Lighthouse Digest Magazine (April 2008 edition)

The Last of His Kind

Harlan E. Sterling is shown here on a recent visit to the Georgia’s Tybee Island Lighthouse. He was not your normal tourist on his visit to the lighthouse, because he actually lived a large portion of his life servicing aids to navigation, including lighthouses. And he is one of the last surviving employees of the United States Lighthouse Service. After growing up on Peaks Island in Casco Bay, Maine, he joined the United States Lighthouse Service in January 1934 when he was seventeen years old. He served as crewmember on the lighthouse tender Hibiscus out of Portland, Maine. He recalls on his first day of duty he arrived on board the ship with the clothes on his back and a small duffle bag of personal items. He was immediately handed a bucket and a large cake of yellow soap for washing paint as well as his clothes. He recalls servicing many lighthouses and buoys from New Hampshire all the way up the Maine coast to the St. Croix River Lighthouse and Whitlock’s Mill Lighthouse. In 1936 he was sent to Maine’s Seguin Island Lighthouse for two months of temporary duty as lighthouse keeper due to the illness of another keeper. At that time Millard H. Urquhart was the keeper at Seguin. After duty at Seguin Island Lighthouse he returned to duty on board the Hibiscus and remained a crewmember until 1939 when the Lighthouse Service was merged into the Coast Guard. At that time he was transferred to a lighthouse and buoy tender in Puerto Rico and over the years he served on a number of other Coast Guard vessels including the Spruce, Cowslip, Nettle and Violet. He retired from the Coast Guard in 1965 as a CWO4, and now resides with his son and daughter in law in Savannah, Georgia. He truly is the last of his kind.

We hosted a few other visitors during the day.

Later in the afternoon Brenda returned to trimming out the bedroom and I took the lawn mower to the South trail. Last time I cut this trail it was with the weed eater. This time I used the push mower. This meant carrying it over the numerous rocks, starting and stopping numerous times and generally humping it around. I got about two thirds of the way and left the mower where I stopped. Tomorrow I’ll finish.

It is 2030 now and we can see two storms off in the distance. One has nimbostratus clouds and the other cumulonimbus or a thunderhead. Just heard on the TV that there is a severe thunderstorm warning in the Augusta area.

Sunday, July 12

Summer has finally arrived. This is our second day of sun! Temperatures in the seventies.

I spent most of the day mowing and trimming around the house. Brenda worked on the bedroom, scraping paint from the doors and putting a coat of new paint on the room. She will do the trim soon and that room will be done.

We only had a few visitors today. Kind of surprising for a Sunday. We saw a lot of boats both sail and power but nobody was stopping. I guess they were heading home after a weekend vacation.

I put together and used a propane powered string trimmer I bought a few weeks ago. Not only is it propelled by propane, it is four cycle and quiet. Seems to work well, time will tell.

Saturday, July 11

Outward Bound did not show up. Did not hear anything so we don’t know what happened.

I went to the cove to wait for Cindy Carney and Jim Bennet. They were coming out to take some trash off the island and to make plans for needed work on the lighthouse and the keepers quarters. They spent a couple of hours and it was a productive visit.

The seas were building from the west. A low pressure system was moving in and the winds increasing. Cindy and Jim left in the early afternoon.

While waiting for the boat to come in I mowed the grass in the cove area. Meanwhile Brenda cleaned the house, swept the light tower and museum.

One couple arrived early in the day aboard their forty foot steel trawler. They travelled from Newburyport, Mass. The vessel is a passage maker powered by an eighty horsepower John Deere diesel. At only two gallons per hour they have a 3800 mile range. They plan to spend the night in the cove and wait for the front to pass.

The only other visitors today were a group of five men aboard a large sloop. They visited the lighthouse and sailed away around 1500.

Friday, July 10

Busy day!

Most visitors we have seen.

It started at 1000 when I saw some people walking around outside. I went out front and met Maggie, her mother and her brother. Maggie helped me run the flag up the flagpole and she was quite excited. I took them up the lighthouse. This was the first of many walks up the 38 steps to the top.

Over the next seven hours we hosted groups and families both local and from afar. There was a large group that has a family cottage in Pemaquid, another family from Texas and two families that have special ties to Seguin.

The Ramsey’s are from Raeford, NC. Beverly spent the first year of her life on Seguin. Her father was a Coastguardsman assigned to Seguin in the late 1950’s. She was born ashore and brought to the island when only a few weeks old. Beverly showed us many pictures of her dad on Seguin and one or two showing her as a baby while here. The Ramsey’s are going to stop in the FOSI office and attempt to document and verify her father’s time here. There is an obvious break in the island records during this time.

Another man arrived with his dog and told the following story. About 65 years ago his father was assigned to Seguin and brought his wife along. During that time the wife got pregnant and when it came time for the delivery his father rowed to shore with the pregnant wife lying on the bottom of the boat. They made it ashore in the nick of time and his sister was born thirty minutes later.

Around noon I walked to the cove intending to cut the grass. When I got there I noticed more boats coming in and visitors walking up to the lighthouse. I stayed down for a while and got the camping area and the trail mowed while Brenda took care of things at the top. Wasting no time I walked back up and joined her in giving tours and taking care of visitors.

When we mention to visitors that we are writing a blog about our adventures on Seguin, they all want to read it. I ask them for their email address and then email a link to the blog. People must be reading it. I can monitor the number or readers and it is well above fifty. If this keeps up we should have a real following by Labor Day!

One lady today asked me if I knew the story of Malaga Island. When I told her no she said I should check it out.

It truly is “A Story Best Left Untold” and a shameful moment in the history of Maine.

Malaga Island’s tranquillity belies a sad history of hope and desperation. Malaga was settled sometime during the Civil War by Benjamin Darling, a black man. He had a wife, who may have been white, and two sons. Soon he was joined by a group of blacks, Indians, and other mixed breeds who built a community of driftwood shacks. The squatters and their descendants fished and scratch-farmed the rocky soil. They dug clams and caught lobsters and heated with whatever washed ashore. Occasionally they would work as laborers for mainland farmers.

But rumors began to grow. It was said that the social order of the Malagoites was loose and that incest was rampant. Ben Darling was said to have been an escaped slave, and the women were thought to have been concubines of local sea captains in the West Indian trade who were put ashore before the captains returned to their wives. Others were reported to have escaped from a slave-trading ship headed to the south. Some claimed that the children grew horns and lived like beasts in tunnels.

One of the group was James McKinney who was born in Phippsburg into a family of Scots. He became known as the “King of Malaga,” but by the time he became the leader of this desperate outpost, his kingdom was a shambles. The natural bounty of clams had been depleted, the topsoil had eroded, and much of the population suffered from malnourishment and lack of education.

By 1903, the Malagoites were so desperate that they sought help from the town of Phippsburg, which at the time was being discovered as a place for summer cottage development. Not wanting the problems or the embarrassment of Malaga, Phippsburg was quick to argue that the island belonged to the town of Harpswell. For better or worse, the dispute publicized the islanders’ plight. State legislators finally settled the dispute by granting Malaga to Phippsburg, but then, at the urging of Phippsburg, reversing their decision, leaving the Malagoites, by default, wards of the state. Locals called Malaga No Man’s Land.

Malaga’s plight caught the attention of Captain George Lane, who had a summer house on what was then called Horse Island to the south. George was a descendant of the Lanes of Lanes Island at the mouth of the Royal and Cousins River and Malden, Massachusetts. He used to sail into isolated coves and preach the Good Word. Concerned for the Malagoites, he approached the Superintendent of Schools only to discover that there was no money to build a school on the island. At Lane’s insistence though, he conceded to providing a teacher if there was a suitable building.

In the spring of 1908, James McKenny, the King, allowed Lane to set up a temporary school in his house, taught by Lane’s daughter. She would row across from Horse Island for classes. The Lanes raised food, clothes, and money, and by July, they broke ground on a new school building. When it was completed in October, the Superintendent, true to his word, supplied Malaga with a teacher.

In the summer of 1911, Governor Fredrick Plaisted visited Malaga to observe the progress. Instead, he saw only the squalor. Appalled, he suggested burning the shacks down, drilling a well, and rebuilding. But by this time, Malaga had become a highly publicized scandal and a political liability. Newspapers dubbed it “Maine’s Scandal Island” and a “salt-water skid row.”

The politically safer and more expedient alternative was eviction. The next year the State evicted the 56 residents, dug up the remains of the dead, and burned down the hovels. For lack of any other expeditious solution, many of the Malagoites were committed to the Maine School for the Feeble-Mined in Pownel. Others were left to fend for themselves.

Sadly, Malaga’s stigma still haunts descendants of Malaga’s exiled in the form of local taunts and jeers and name-calling.

Most all states have a story like this. Fortunately we are slowly rising above this bigotry.

An Outward Bound group is scheduled to arrive in the cove this evening and spend the night. The plan is to see them in the morning and do a project together.

Thursday, July 9

We got ashore today. It was a nice day with great weather. No fog, no rain.

We met Ethan at 0700 on the beach and arrived in Popham about twenty minutes later. After breakfast at Percy’s it was off to our on-shore routine. We had lunch at Friendly’s and were back on the island by 1630.

On arrival we noticed some boats tied up to the moorings. Brenda met an artist who was painting the lighthouse when she walked to the top. Another family was here also, from Annapolis and Severna Park, Maryland. We got some of our stuff put away and enjoyed talking with them, touring the lighthouse and I showed the youngsters how the tram worked. Great kids and a wonderful family who have deep ties to Seguin.

Both of us were tired by 1900. Our shore days begin early and are busy. We had a light dinner and turned in early.

Wednesday, July 8

Happy Birthday to our favorite granddaughter!!

Kiersten Gray is fifteen today. She is our first grandchild and we are very proud of her. She is probably thinking about a car in her future. Kiersten is a great student, a kind and caring person and a talented singer. We miss you and will see you soon.

Surprise! Another gray day.

This one set records as being the coldest for this date in recorded history in Portland. I don’t believe it got above fifty degrees.

So, once again, we busied ourselves inside. Brenda started working on the front bedroom. Of course that meant that I had to cut and install molding. I did that and she caulked and scraped all the old paint off the closet door. Next time we get an inside day I’m sure she will paint it.

After fitting the molding I mounted another chart on plywood and then framed it out. I will hang it in the living room next time I get a chance. Then I worked on the map of the USA in the museum. I am remounting and framing that also.

We are supposed to go ashore tomorrow as long as the waves and current cooperate. Weather is predicted to improve throughout the night and the sun should shine tomorrow afternoon.

Oh yeah, I had to go to the old oil house this afternoon and guess what I saw there?

Lawrence deEsuom

I said “What are you doing here”. To which he replied “You told me not to sit on that throne thing in the bathroom, so I came down here”. He also said “You should be more sensitive”. I told Lawrence that the bathroom is off limits, that there are certain boundaries to respect especially when there is a woman in the house. He surprised me when he said “Woman? What woman? last time I saw a woman in that house her husband chopped her up. Ain’t seen a woman since!”

I said “Lawrence, what are you talking about? My wife is in the house with me. She has been here the entire time, and you’re telling me you haven’t seen her?” He replied “First of all, call me Larry, I don’t like Lawrence” I said “OK, Larry”. He then went on to explain that he has not seen a woman for a “terrible long time”. He said “I use to see ‘em but some guy a while back got mad about some music, he got crazy and chased his woman all around the house, and then they went outside and I never saw the woman no more, the man came back and then left. Since then I ain’t seen no more woman”.

I told Larry that he had a serious problem. Most likely a mental block that resulted from a traumatic experience. I said to him “Go see a shrink”. Larry said “What’s that?” I said “Never mind”. Larry said “I wanna see a woman; I miss ‘em, they look nice and I thought they was all gone. I need help, I wanna see a woman”.

Then he disappeared again. I don’t know what that was all about, but I guess he needs to see a woman.

Oh well…..

My woman is now sitting here with me. The dinner dishes are done and the mess cleaned up. We are watching “America’s Got Talent”. Boy have they got some weirdo’s on this show.