HELLO OCTOBER!
October has arrived with a
mix of fog, sun and daytime warmth. It is still camping weather,
and yesterday I took another plunge in the ocean at Seawall! You
could have fooled me......it felt like August on that big beach.
I have to add, I didn't see anyone else in the water, but me.
I picked up a bag of small surf clams that had all been drilled
by Moon Snails. It seemed every other shell had these neat, beveled
holes - the work of the Moon Snail's radula. I now have plenty
of "jewels" for necklace making, that is if I can find
them next summer. They could also be used for Christmas tree ornaments!
As we walked the big beach, Monarchs
flew overhead. Sometimes, I would see their shadows on the sand,
before seeing them flying in the clear blue sky. There were also
Dragon Flies cruising the shoreline among the butterflies. I still
have a half dozen Monarchs in chrysalis form. Let's hope the weather
continues to be mild so they can take flight and find nourishment
in still blooming flowers. The purple fall Asters are now on center
stage among the wildflowers, frequently visited by those orange
and black migrating butterflies.
I was out ON the water kayaking
yesterday. The wind was such that we figured it wasn't a good
idea to make it over to the Hermit Island shore, but we did check
the coves over at West Point, chasing flocks of Eiders and a few
Loons. The former took off with much splashing, while the latter
just dove for cover. Meanwhile, a Kingfisher
dove for food, squawking as he flew. While this bird activity
was going on, I did a scraping job on our mooring. If you don't
take care of those floats, they will sink out of sight with a
heavy growth of barnacles, mussels, seaweeds and other marine
organisms. T
he water felt unusually
warm for this time of year. Many lobstermen are hauling their
traps and calling it a day for this season. Others are moving
their traps out to deeper water. Sailboats are hauled for winter
storage, but kayaks are still out on the water!
Well, I finally have a new camera
to play with. You will be a witness to how fast I master this
new toy. I will start with a picture of our new house project.
We are building a new garage that is attracting a lot of attention.
It has a heavy post and beam frame, and now has the rafters in
place. I went into the woods and cut a small Spruce tree to adorn
the peak. That is considered a good luck charm for the building.
I hope it also provides safety for th
e workers
as they heave the heavy beams into place. I also have had fun
building people made from the chunks of wood left from the fitting.
You can see one of these wooden characters standing by the barn
door.
I have lots of other pictures
to share, so you may see a more rapid rate of reporting. Columbus
Day weekend is now history and Christina told me that there was
a record number of campers taking advantage of an unusually warm
and beautiful weekend. Now the island will go back to the animals.
If any of you will be around and interested, there is a bird walk
scheduled by Audubon the last weekend in October (10/27/07, 9AM).
In the past, these birders have come fully equipped with scopes
and a wealth of knowledge about our feathered friends that visit
the campground.
10/9/07 Shuttering Ronnie......