Camping - Frances Slocum State Park

 It was a driving day and Scotty drove about 5 1/2 hours. We stopped halfway and had egg salad sandwich sandwiches outside the temperature was perfect and it was a nice lunch stop. We’ve been to Frances Locum before, and the main reason is because it’s near the Susquehanna Brewing Company. We loved their new beer which was Called Sandy bottom (cherry and lemon), But they didn’t have any for sale as it was a promotional beer. Darn. Of course we did come out with two cases of other delicious flavours. We had dinner down the street at the tipsy turtle I had fish and chips and Scotty head Mark and cheese with crab. Both were very good. Now we’re back at the camper and it’s lightly raining outside, which is a pleasant sound when we’re in the camper. It will be a good night of sleeping.

Last Day - Thacher Island

 Today was our last day on Thacher Island. It’s always bittersweet but to be quite honest we’re always ready. It’s hard work and very tiring to be outside working on something every day. We did stay a few hours later to train the three new keepers coming onto the island interesting enough,  none of them had been on Thacher Island before except for Christine for a few days a few years ago. Scotty showed them the tractors and the oil house. And then Scotty,  Leslie and I showed them how to work the winch and run the ramp. Good luck. They will be pros by the time they leave. We decided to walk around Rockport and go to the Rockport Art

Association. It’s a very nice art gallery and then from there we walked around Bearskin Neck. All these years we have been going we never saw photos or paintings of Thacher Island. Finally we saw several this time. We then got an ice cream which was a delicious treat. We walked over to the farmers market and we ran into Peg and Dave from the Island as we continued our walk back to the truck, we then ran into Sebastian from the Island. We drove to Leslie’s farm where our Trailer is parked and unloaded our supplies. As we needed to wait for the refrigerator to warmup, we just landed on our beds. I love my camper bed!! We went to Agawam Diner. Scotty had a fish sandwich and I had crabcakes they each came with slaw and Crunch fries. It was the perfect dinner and now as I’m writing this, I’m about to fall asleep so good night.

Thacher Island

Leslie trimmed around the North Tower and inside the cistern.  Scotty trimmed the north wall of the boathouse and the helipad.  Leslie gave another coat of green paint to the tram carts.  Scotty and Leslie filled the tanks underneath the AKH.  Julie cleaned the AKH.  Leslie cleaned the PKH. Julie helped Scotty traced the outlets on the 2nd floor back to the circuit breaker box.  Julie sprayed poison ivy along trail to North Tower.  Scotty replaced battery in the privy.  Sandy Bay Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program came ashore.  Several kids thanked us for being on the island.  They left a donation.  A whale was spotted between the ramp and the green can, surprising the kayakers who had just left the ramp.

Thacher Island

 It briefly rained in the morning.  Leslie cleaned the museum and Julie started cleaning AKH.  Scotty put air in the front tire of the small green tractor. Leslie put another coat of green paint on the tram carts.  Scotty and Leslie pulled the battery out of the privy to put on the charger, and Leslie made a video of this procedure.  Julie inventoried supplies in 3 houses.  Scotty and Julie completed tracing all 1st floor outlets of AKH and apartment to circuit breaker boxes in the basement. Julie put directions on rocks for campers to place their food in the campground treasure box – to deter our raccoon visitor. Julie typed up winch operating instructions and made a page with photos of positions for choke and throttle. Julie raked in front of houses.  Leslie raked near the boat house. Today we noticed a cormorant trying to follow a flock of geese, but they weren’t having it.  Later, he was at the AKH door trying to push it.  Julie walked up and he jumped off through the railings.  It’s possible, he is sick.   He ran behind the house and we didn’t see him again. Close to 6, 2 kayakers came ashore to camp.

Thacher Island

 When opening the boat house, we are finding lots of Lions Mane jellyfish on the ramp.  The boats started leaving Granite Pier at 7:15. We had 4 boat landings with crew and various other agencies.  Then there were 4 boat landings of visitors.  Leslie and Christine swapped places so that Christine could practice with the winch and working on the ramp; while Leslie experience being boat crew.  We had one minor medical mishap in the boat house.  I (Julie) got stung by a bee just above my eye.  Doc got the stinger out and it turns out that a one-eyed person can run the winch.  Saville, Moss and Narkewiczfinished bed repairs.  Stoddard and Mickus finished AKH roof repairs.  Hoch and Erb finished painting tram and wheels. Scottyremoved the hitch from the old 2-wheel cart and left it on the workbench next to the Kobata. Scotty and Leslie finished labeling wires coming out of circuit breaker boxes below AKH and apartment. And if you’ve never been in the basement, you should know that there are many zombie spiders hanging among the cobwebs above. Leslie raked the campground as 2 campers had arrived.  The elusive raccoon stole some bread and scratched at their tent at 1 and 3 am.  They got a video of the rascal.  We had a delicious lobster dinner!

Thacher Island

 Thacher I left Granite Pier at 7:30 with docents (Karen Maslow & Paula); crew (Krause, Ives, Lovasco) and Leslie’s 2 friends.  Three boats of visitors followed with 17 total visitors.  Syd checked the honey hives and took honey frames back to Rockport. Throughout the day we had other visitors.  In the afternoon, we found various tasks.  Leslie had her chain saw sent over and finished up the larger branches on the trail leading to the Whistle House.  Standing on the tram roundtable, one can now see water at both ends.  Julie painted another sanded ramp board. Scotty weed whacked under the apple tree by Ann’s Way and to the north of the South Tower.  Julie sprayed poison ivy again at the same spots, plants are turning brown.  Julie picked cucumbers, peppers and green beans from the garden which we enjoyed for dinner.  

Thacher Island

We awoke to a surprise downstairs.  A raccoon had pushed through the corner of a screen and feasted on a pack of crackers in a backpack while sitting on the couch.  He tried the stale tortilla chips but left them on the floor where he may have taken a nap on a pillow!  No other food was left out, but tonight we will close all windows and the front door!  Leslie used the DR to trim from the boathouse to the North Tower and from the North Tower to the oil house.  Scotty used the hedge trimmer on these two trails and the Mid Island Trail,and he used the weedwhacker on Wedmore Walk to the North Tower.  Julie mowed the Mid Island Trail and the grassy areas around the helipad.  Midafternoon we checked lobster traps butonly pulled in 2 females so back they went. Julie sprayed poison ivy again around the South Tower and the Whistle House and from the boat house to the North Tower now that the trail is wider.  Leslie completed priming the tram carts.  Scotty fixed the raccoon door and chased a few more wires in the AKH basement.  Julie stained the apartment porch.