Saturday July 18, 2015
61 degrees w/14 mph winds
Day 65

The seas look rough and it “looks” cold outside.  The sun is trying to peek through the clouds.  So I don’t know what the day will look like. 

The girls are up, coffee and conversation, giggling and laughing….this is good, I needed this.  By the way, we have solved all the world’s problems! 
The overnight guest after their tower tour

Late evening yesterday, we walked down by the Whistle House/Fog Horn Building….Mom said they called it the Engine House…she also told us about the three generator engines….Waukeshaw engines (sp?)…she told how when you would turn them on and off, you would have to raise one lever while at the same time lower another lever.  Once dad and the other two keepers were court-martialed because the diesel “froze” and the generators wouldn’t work, so the light was out….really??? like they had or could do anything about keeping the diesel from freezing.

She said the well house wasn’t here when we were here.  Our fresh water came from boats coming along the NW side of the island and then they would “shoot” a line to us and we would fill the cisterns.  She is still in amazement of all the vegetation on the island….there was nothing…just rock!

Larry got up early and started breakfast…Breakfast Burritos and picante sauce.  As always it was gooooood!!
Its almost 10am and it’s started raining…guess it will be a day of card games, eating and good family conversation. 
Momma telling us about the room beside the tower

These women who have come with momma are neighbors that I have known since going back home to Texas at age 2.  They have loved me, spanked me, and done amazing things for me….they are my other momma’s!  Their children are the same age as Larry and me.  We went to High School together, were part of each other’s lives, football, baseball, band, and weddings, etc…  We played “hit the dirt”, which meant when a car would be coming down the road, we had to “hit the dirt” and hide…we would leave our homes early in the morning and not go back home till late evening…we drank from water hoses, etc...
Momma coming up the tower stairs

Moving the girls to our side now…cleaning and changing sheets and making sure it’s good to go for our overnight guest coming with Ethan this morning.

About 11 am the fog horn went off…momma almost laughed at the fact that it isn’t making the sound that it used to.  I told her that the USCG had said it was only working at about 25% of what it was suppose to.  It is louder than it had been.  But this was the first for her and the other girls to hear it…a moment in time!

Larry has gone down to greet our overnight guest…it’s sprinkling, hate that they are having to come up in this weather.

I’ve been showing them “all” the photo’s I’ve taken since we got here…the good and the bad.

Momma told us of the phone in this house…it was only to contact the other houses or the CG Station on Popham Beach.  If you needed a real phone, you had to go next door to the head guy’s house and use that one.

We have been talking and laughing and eating…its been a great day.

Around 3 pm the temp is the same, but the wind speed is now up to 18 mph….the fog horn has stopped…our ladies next door are settling in.  They are wanting to grill tonight...hopefully the weather will be kind.

Larry gave the guest a tour of the tower, they are enjoying themselves.  We went up afterwards…the first for everyone except momma.  Mary wanted to sweep the tower…so she did…from top to bottom!!  Can I saw wow…she is 87 and I only hope I am going and doing as well as she is…I think she’s lying to us.
Mary sweeping the top level of the tower

All the way down...every step!
Mary finishing the tower sweeping...memories!
We started preparing for dinner as well as our guest…Larry helped them with the grill, helping them with something to put their steak and salmon on, getting a spatula, etc…  After their food was finished, he put our meat on the grill…he fixed pork tenderloin that he had marinated, I picked lettuce and spinach out of the garden, then we also made some “smashed” potatoes…cooked, smashed and grilled potatoes.  
Three of our four overnight guests...with Larry entertaining them with some "Texas" humor.

The first products from my garden...lettuce and spinach
The ladies are complaining!  They wanted to maybe lose a pound or two walking the island and here Larry is fattening them up.  A little dump cake for dessert too!
Momma pretending to work...the other girls just finished washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen

The ladies have all done some jobs around the place…sweeping, cleaning the bathrooms, washing dishes, hanging out the damp towels, folding and putting them away…..I want them to stay!!
 
Momma sitting in her old kitchen...the photo next to her left side is a photo of when we were here in 1960

We didn’t have any other visitors except our overnight guests.  It was a day to relax and not have any outside work.