Monhegan Musings

 Hi! It's day 36, a rainy one, even a little chilly! This morning I woke up to no power, so I couldn't make my lunch (no going in the walk in). Instead, I grabbed a bunch of baked goods and opted for more of a boulangerie style meal. I caught a ride down to the Wharf with Alex, stopping at the store and the rope shed to put new signs on top of the ones advertising tonight's speaker event. In large letters on pink paper they shouted "TONIGHT" with a cute little sheep on each. I stuck one up on the wharf shed too, then stopped in to the barnacle, because when in Rome... Turns out Rome was out of order (the espresso machine runs on electricity) so I took that as a sign to walk up to the museum. Today, I managed the whole day at work without using my computer. Why? The task was to make signs for the annual Museum Party Day. I cut sheep out of cardboard, painted them white, attached ears and ribbons, and began working on the text to advertise the activities. They'r...

It's day 35 on Monhegan Island. Today, like most days, I got up and made my lunch, then walked up the hill to the museum. It wasn't quite as hot today as yesterday, but It was still steamy. I did some more work, then checked to see if there was any interest in the Wildlands Walk. Nobody today, so I ate my lunch (lentil curry over roasted potatoes), and then asked my boss if I could hike for the rest of the day. I wanted to see some trails that I haven't walked on for a month now, and look at how they've changed.  I started out on my classic walk on Trail 7 to Whitehead, then backtracked and took 1A to connect to Long Swamp (12). I merged onto Maple Trail (16) before heading southwest back towards town on Black Head (10). I turned right to head north on Evergreen (15) and took the Cliff Trail (1) to connect over to Pebble Beach Trail (14) before coming back out on Black Head road. I cut back into the forest on Red Ribbon Trail (9), then Alder (6) to Gull Cove (5). I expl...

Good evening on Day 24! It was a hot one on the island today, by our standards. It probably hit 85 or so, and just seems to be getting hotter. My room was really hot when I returned from work, so I decided to open up the window and that has seemed to help a little.  Anyway, this morning, I packed lunch then caught a ride with Alex into town. It was nice to sit on the tailgate and feel the wind as we barreled through the streets at a staggering 8 miles per hour. Up at work, I continued the project I've been working on of mapping where on the island artworks featured in the exhibit were made. My 1pm walk was attended by what I've found to be the perfect number of visitors -- 5. Out at Whitehead there were a lot of harbor seals, which are much cuter than the gray seals we see on the coast of the Cape. Afterwards, I ate my lunch and continued my work. Nearly all day today there were two super yachts anchored just outside the harbor. I used my hands marine traffic app to find out th...

Good evening on the foggy and hazy night of day 33. I didn't realize just quite how much of my energy my trip inshore used up until I tried to get out of bed this morning. It was certainly the hardest it has been to wake up since I've been here. Nevertheless, I got up and made my lunch then headed up the hill. It was foggy this morning, but around noon it lifted and the sun came out. I got a little cold in the office, so I took a quick break to look out at the harbor and over to Manana: Then, it was time to take folks out for a walk. Thankfully the fog had lifted just enough for us to be able to see Black Head. Back at the museum, I ate my lunch (sweet potato gnocchi with sage walnut pesto) and did some more work.  Once I got back to the Yew, I hopped in the truck with Alex, Jess, and Abigail to go down and pick up some guests on the ferry. We drove back up and I decided to stay home and take a nap instead of going to trash. I'm glad I did, because I think I might've ju...

Good evening on Day 32 of my time on Monhegan Island. This morning, We headed out of Appleton to the equally rural town of Warren. We visited Beth's Farm Market and picked up some goodies, including pickles, jams, and fresh blueberries. It's the season for blueberries on the mainland right now. Monhegan is about 3 or 4 weeks behind when it comes to plants and produce because of the climate. We also picked up a strawberry shortcake, which was exquisite! We continued our journey south back into Rockland and got hot dogs at Wasses. I made sure to pay respect to my time living in Chicago and got both of my hot dogs with onions, relish, and mustard (NO KETCHUP). They didn't have tomato slices as an option, but I did my best. Then, we went to Hannaford to pick up a few things that had been requested. In addition to chocolate and canned tomatoes, we were asked by the innkeeper to pick up 15 to 20 pounds of bananas. So we did. The bananas occupied almost the whole duffel bag on the...

Hey! It's day 31, and It's July 26. I came out on a bot to little Monhegan Island on June 26, and I made the reverse journey today, which I will tell you all about shortly. This morning I went to the mooring chain with Jess, Charlotte, and her friend from home. I indulged with a flat white, then went with Alex to drop off some bags at the ferry. We didn't have anyone to pick up, but we got boxed in by other trucks so we stuck around until the traffic cleared. Back at the Yew I did my laundry and packed for an epic adventure.  Alex and I took the 12:30 boat to Port Clyde, marking my first time inshore since I've been on Monhegan. The purpose of this journey was first and foremost to drive my car. I want to make sure he stays healthy, since he's been sitting in a gravel lot for a month. We drove up to Rockland from Port Clyde and did some eating and shopping. Rockland felt like an absolute Metropolis juxtaposed to my life in the village for the past month. Around 5 we...

Welcome to day 30, which marks nearly a month into my time on Monhegan Island. Even though this island is so small, there is still so much of it that I don't know. This morning it was very hard to wake up, though I managed and packed myself a lunch. I walked up the hill and got awfully sweaty from the humidity and sun. The sun, however, did not stick around. Many times during the day I found myself getting chilly in the office, and a quick trip outside didn't help much. Likely because of the weather, there weren't any takers for either Wildlands Walk today, which is completely okay. It's been a super busy week for them, and I've had walkers every other day of the week.  Back at the Yew, I sat on the porch with Alex, Olivia, and Jorgie and we discussed evening plans. I decided to clean my room quickly, then hopped in the truck bed with the crew to go to trash. I threw the frisbee around a little bit with folks, and we ended heading back home shortly after six. We ser...

It's day 29! This morning I packed my lunch and got managed to get another quick lift from Alex into town, as he was on his way to meet the boat. I walked up the hill and got to work. There was a lot happening up there today, lots of people visiting and lots to prepare for. My walk today had seven people, including a reporter from the Lincoln County News working on a story about the exhibit. It was very windy today, which made the view at Whitehead even more glorious with the waves crashing against the cliffs: It's hard to tell from the photo, but I had to speak extra loud to my group because of how much the wind whisked away my voice. At the end of the workday, my bosses and I headed down the hill to the school, where tonight's talk was held (part of our lecture series in conjunction with the conservation group on the island). We set up the chairs and the projector and then I went back to the Yew to shower and put on a nice outfit. I then went to the Fish House, a restaura...

Good evening on day 28 of my time on Monhegan Island! Tonight, I'm listening to Isabelle Antena's 1987 album 'Hoping for Love'. It's mainly sung in French and has lots of jazzy and latin influences. I'm also enjoying a coffee sweetened with Maine maple syrup. This morning I packed my lunch and walked through town and up the hill to the museum. I worked on making a digital map of where the artworks in the exhibit were created on the island.  At 1pm, I went on my walk and was joined by the museum director! It was super neat to have someone as knowledgeable on the walk, but also a little nerve wracking! Regardless, the walk was amazing and I got some awesome feedback from one of the visitors once we finished. Back at the office, I ate my lunch and enjoyed the last nectarine I had stockpiled. I went home the backway, because I was really enjoying the weather today. This rather secret path goes down from the lighthouse to the cemetery, then behind the meadow and ends...

Happy day 27! I'm sitting in my bed listening to Sammy Rae and the Friends. Once again, it was an incredibly lovely clear day. I hitched another ride into town with Alex, then walked the rest of the way up the hill. Here's the view today: My professor and his research students were here for the day to continue some of their vegetation research, so the folks at the museum and I visited with them for a little bit to catch up. Once 1pm rolled around, I met folks for the Wildlands Walk. A record 8 walkers today, which is a lot to lead through the narrow island trails. It was a great tour, and many interesting questions were asked. Most of the people didn't know each other before the walk, but by the time we got to Whitehead they asked me to take a picture of all of them! My goal was definitely achieved with today's walk. I did some more work, and on my way home I swung by the Wharf shed to put up another poster. I also stopped at the store to see if they had any more nectar...

Good evening on day 26! I'm sitting in Alex's room right now, with absolutely abhorrent posture. I remind myself of a shrimp once its been cooked -- curled like a contortionist. Kind of like them: Anyway, I got up this morning and made my lunch in the cookhouse, then set up the hill to work. The sun was out all day today, however it was really quite windy. I managed to get cold in the office today, so I took my work outside on the deck of the workshop out back. It was nice to sit in the sun, but my computer screen got very hot. Worried for my laptop's health, I went back inside after an hour. I then went on my 1pm Wildlands walk with three people. One woman had many questions, which I appreciated but didn't have all the answers to. The view at Whitehead was really gorgeous today, thanks to the clear skies. I would show you all a picture, but I didn't take one. Instead, I took 5 photos of a spider I saw. It wasn't even that remarkable. Here, I'll show you: I ...

Hey blog readers! It's day 25, which marks nearly halfway through my time on Monhegan. This morning I slept in, because I had a busy night yesterday. I had a bagel, then went to the Mooring Chain with Jess and her friends, and I got a coffee. I wrote some more of my play, on the picnic bench in the yard and got a little hot in the sun. Alex had the day off too, so I proposed we go to the brewing company. The garden is set up as both a beer garden and picnic area, where you can order food from the food truck there -- The Bait Bag. It was my first time there, and I got a fried haddock basket. I doused my haddock and fries in malt vinegar, which reminded me of eating at Cooke's seafood in my hometown.  Alex brought his cribbage set, and taught me how to play. It's a fun game, very different when it comes to card games. Eventually, all of our cards were blowing off the table, so we headed back to the Yew. Alex showed me this word game he got today that is sort of a mix of Scrab...

Howdy! It's 11:11 on day 24, so I'd better make a wish. Does anyone know if the wish still counts if by the time you end the wish it's 11:12? Let me know. Or, I guess I'll figure it out based on if my wish comes true. It's a secret though. This morning, I woke up naturally at 7, and decided to take that as a sign that I should get my day started. I had some breakfast, then walked down to the Wharf. I sat on the porch of the Barnacle (coffee shop) and watched the Laura B come into the harbor from Port Clyde. Today was my first time seeing that boat since I rode in on her just over three weeks ago. I feel that I know this island so well, but so much remains a mystery to me. I decided to go in and Mar took my order. I asked her what her favorite drink was, and then I ordered something completely different. It was yummy.  I stuck around on the wharf to watch the passengers disembark and then watched the pallets get taken off the boat by crane. There were probably seven ...

Happy day 23! This morning, I woke up, then I went back to sleep. Rebecca was meeting a friend for coffee so she was going into the office late, which meant I got to do the same! I ended up going over to the Mooring Chain to get an iced turmeric ginger latte, then packed my stuff and went up to work. I updated my professor on how the internship is going over the phone, and he mentioned he reads the blogs now. (Hi Barry!) Once again, it was an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun was shining and the visibility was easily 30+ miles. I could see sailboats as far away as the Damariscotta River. Surprisingly no walkers today, which was kind of a bummer because I was hoping to go out to the shore. I did end up eating the most divine nectarine outside the lighthouse, which was pretty awesome.  Note to self: buy more nectarines. I went home a little early, and arrived at the Yew just as Alex and company were leaving to meet the boat. Jess had two more  friends coming today, and we met the...

Good evening on Day 22! This morning I woke up a bit earlier, because it was thursday, and on thursdays the museum has special programming! Today's happened to be in the morning, so I walked up the hill early to help out with set up. The event was Nature Journaling with Karen Zimmerman, who is a Maine Master Naturalist. Essentially, she's certified as someone who knows lots  about the natural world, especially those species that live in Maine. I was hoping to just sit in on the workshop, but it turns out that someone registered twice, so I was able to fill the empty seat! We spent the morning learning about what nature journaling is -- and I'll tell you. In short, it's noticing the living things around them and doing your best to accurately document them. Karen told us the ways to do this are with 3 things: words, drawings, and numbers. Now, this wasn't a drawing class, because the goal was not to become a master botanical illustrator (although I'd love to), the...

Welcome back to Monhegan Musings! Today is day 21, which means that I've spent three weeks on the island! They've certainly gone by fast. Today, I'm listening to Alex play Blackbird  on the guitar. It was another hot day, and humid too. The walk to work was a little cooler because Alex gave me a ride about halfway there, since it is gas day, when everyone with a vehicle goes down to the wharf to fill up their gas cans. I still had to walk up the hill, but it was a fun change of scenery to drive through the village instead of walk through it. Up at work I did some sanding on a tree stump we have in the keeper's house and then finished it with Tung oil. I then worked on some more enrichment for the exhibits then xascdefgthy (there was a bug on my keyboard, but I'll keep that little keysmash because it tells a story). Then I went on my walk and brought two ladies out to White Head. One of them noticed that I was wearing a Cape Cod Women's Music Festival t-shirt, an...

Whoo! Day 20 on Monhegan Island -- what a milestone! I'm sitting in Alex's room right now with Amelia, Alex, and Jess. There's some tattooing happening next door in Jorgie's room. This morning, I grabbed a breakfast sandwich and decided to eat it on the Yew porch before going up to the museum. It was pretty hot today, and I did my work in the nice cool gallery. Nobody today was interested in a Wildlands Walk, but it made sense because of the heat. I worked on another scavenger hunt for the keeper's house, and I realized I'm a little sad that I don't get to actually do all the scavenger hunts that I'm creating. I left work 30 minutes early today because I finished my work. Woop woop! I walked back to the Yew and shortly ran into Alex. We decided to go meet everyone at Swim Beach, where we sat on top of a big rock and sunbathed. We saw Tom (the island fellow) rowing out into the harbor in a little skiff. We cheered him on and he nonchalantly asked if we...

Good evening for day 19! This morning, I got a breakfast sandwich and headed up the hill to work. It was another foggy day, and I got in the office and started putting the finishing touches on my scavenger hunt. Right before the museum opened, I stepped outside and who did I see but my Aunt! My Aunt has been visiting my great-aunt near Augusta for a few days, and on her way home she and my second cousin stopped by Monhegan! They went on a little hike, and then I met them out at Whitehead and gave them a private Wildlands Walk (in reverse, which was a good exercise for me). I hugged goodbye, and went back to work. Soon enough, it was 3:30 and Mar and JJ from the Island Inn came up the hill to go on my longer walk! Two fun private walks today, and it was a super nice way to ease back into the week. At the Yew, I put my stuff down and met Jorgie, Maya, and Skyler who were getting ready for Trash. Shortly, Alex drove us, Louis, and the trash up the hill. We played some Ultimate frisbee (sh...

Good evening folks! Tonight I'm listening to some super awesome unreleased music that Alex is playing on the guitar. He's finger picking, which is so cool. If I could acquire any talent without any work it'd probably be tap dancing, but guitar would come in close second. Today was similar to yesterday. I woke up around 9 and chilled in bed until 10. I snagged a muffin for breakfast and read my book. I then did a few chores and heated up some lunch. Afterwards, I hopped on my laptop and started writing a play that I suddenly got an idea for, but then I started to get sleepy so I took a nap (what else are days off for?) for an hour or so. Once I woke up, Jane and Jorgie and I decided to go to the little thrift shop behind the Monhegan House. It's in a little storage container and had some good stuff! Nothing for me, though. There was an extremely large Texas flag that I thought would be funny to hang up, but I decided against it. Turns out Jorgie had the same idea, so whe...