Monhegan Musings

I suppose the time has come for me to write a reflection on my Monhegan Musings, back home here in Orleans, MA. I'm leaving to go back to school tomorrow, and am grateful to have had a few days at home to reflect on my time out on Monhegan. Here are some of the things I've thought about: My goal was to slow down, and that goal was achieved and also wrecked at the same time. Monhegan gave me an opportunity to live life differently, certainly in a slower manner, but I don't think I slowed down per se. I brought 8 or 9 books and read 2, which encapsulates how much alone time I actually had. When free time came around, I just wanted to spend it with the people I cared for on the island -- my friends. I had much more free time than I do when I'm at school, but alone time? Very little of that. Which is not a problem, because I like people! I did notice myself slowing down, in multiple ways: - I slowed down my walking on Wildlands Walks to allow visitors to enjoy the forest mo...

It's Day 51 of my journey, and I am no longer on Monhegan Island, but I'll walk you through my day -- most of which was spent on the island. I woke up on the early side and grabbed some breakfast. It was finally not scorching hot today, so I enjoyed it out in the sun on the picnic table on the lawn. Then, I got to work packing. I was (and still am) surprised at the amount of stuff I have procured during my time on this island. At work, I prepared for some special visitors -- reporters from both the Portland Press Herald and Maine Public Radio came to cover the Wildlands Walks. With all their awesome questions, we finished up the walk at 3 -- almost an hour after I usually finish. It was a great way to end the Wildland Walks series. I scrambled down the Hill after saying my goodbyes to say another goodbye -- to Jorgie at the Wharf. She and Ty left on the 3:15 ferry to New Harbor. I didn't jump, because right after they left I had to finish packing and head to the dock myself...

Today was day 50, and my last full  day on Monhegan. It was once again another hot day -- perhaps the hottest we've had in this little heatwave, maybe up to 90 degrees! I set my alarm for 4:50 and met Maya outside the Yew at 5am. We walked out to Burnthead to watch the sunrise, something I've been meaning to do while I'm out here. It was a cloudy morning, but even so, the sky lit up with oranges, pinks, and blues as the sun rose over the vast North Atlantic Ocean.  Around 6:30, Maya and I headed back into town and I got some breakfast. Then, I rode with Alex to the dock for the early boat. I love waking up early, especially here, when 8am on the wharf is the busiest time for the islanders. Boats are coming in and out of the harbor, the freight is being offloaded by a winch, then stacked into truck beds with a forklift. It seems like 6-year-old me's dream. It's fascinating to watch and neat to be a part of. We all help each other sort through the mixed pallets and pl...

It's day 49 on little Monhegan Island, and once again, it was hot. I walked up to work this morning and enjoyed my breakfast sandwich in the climate controlled office. I don't feel quite as bad/greedy having the museum be climate controlled, because it's not for the people, it's for the art. Sometime around 12:30, the fog abruptly rolled in, completely changing the clear, blue-skied mood to one of mystery. But seriously, it was strange!  I took two people on my walk, including David! He asked some fantastic questions and had some great insights. It can sometimes be hard to do the walk on foggy days, because so much of what I talk about involves looking across the coves from Headland to Headland, and in the fog they can't be seen. And of course, right as I got back to the museum, the fog had lifted. What luck! Here's what the view from the top of the cliff towards the water looked like: After my walk, I sat in the keeper's house to cover for a volunteer. I at...

Welcome back to Monhegan Musings! It's my 48th day on the island now, and It was another hot one! I got a ride into town from Alex, then walked up the hill. I took a little break on the bench about 3/4 of the way up to cool down a bit. My 1pm walk was a big hit today! I had a record-breaking 10 people, which doesn't sound like a lot, but I felt like I was leading a disney tour and that I shouldve been holding up a bright-colored umbrella to show people where I was. Jorgie and her boyfriend Ty (who is visiting) came on my walk today and seemed to really enjoy it. Thanks for coming you two!  I ate lunch and did a little more work back in the office, then walked home, but saw Alex driving the truck about halfway home. I hopped in and went down with him to the Wharf. It was so hot, so I decided to treat myslef to some gelato at the Barnacle. I got a mix of pistachio and salted caramel, and Mar and Jes gave it to me for free! What a treat! I rode back to the Yew on the tailgate, the...

It's my 47th day on Monhegan, and it was back to work. Today was a scorcher, and it was a hot walk up the hill. Luckily, the office was nice and cool and I got to work writing up something to summarize my internship. Then, I went on the 1pm walk, and it felt very nice out at Whitehead with the breeze blowing.  I ate lunch, then went on the 3:30 walk. Maya and Olivia joined me, which was super fun! Their feedback was super sweet (thanks for coming you guys!). Then, it was time to go to trash. we threw the frisbee around for an hour or so then  went back to the Yew because it was dinnertime. Gabe made jerk chicken and quinoa salad. It was yummy as always! Then, we went to Fish Beach and went for a swim! It was low tide, so Alex and Maya and I walked to the end of the breakwater to swim from there. Jess, Alex, and I ended up swimming across the harbor to Manana. We didn't go up on the island, but we stood on the seaweed-clad rocks on the eastern shore. The sun had almost set, so ...

Hey! It's day 46, and I'm sitting on my bed listening to my current most favorite playlist that I've just titled with the 8 ball emoji. The song playing right now is 'Burn Bus' by Midnight Breakfast. I had an interesting day today; I realized that today is/was my last day off before I leave on Friday (I'll be working Friday, too). It made me feel a little down for sure, because I didn't know exactly what to do with it. Suddenly, this island with few choices seemed way too large. I could go for a walk on one of the dozen or so trails, or sit on the beach all day, or craft, or draw, or write my play, or just sit and watch. Before I got too far down a spiral, It was time to send Jane off.  An island tradition is to jump off the Wharf into the water when someone you love leaves. You give them flowers that they then throw to you from the boat, making a promise to come back. I think it's a really beautiful custom.  So, I jumped for Jane along with almost the w...

It's day 45 on Monhegan, and I had the day off! I woke up on the early side this morning and rode down with the truck to the morning boat. I like waking up early on my free days and taking a nap later instead of sleeping way in -- it makes me feel like I'm not wasting my day. Anyway, down at the wharf I helped offload freight from the boat and load it onto the appropriate trucks. Then, I rewarded myself with an oat maple flat white from The Barnacle (thanks Mar!). I walked back to the Yew and ate some breakfast, then put some laundry in. I went to the store with Jorgie to grab a few things, and put my clothes out on the line. Then, I relaxed in the sun on the picnic benches out on the lawn. I enjoyed a quick lunch/snack of some tinned sardines and crackers, then decided to go out an explore one little road near the church that I had never been on before. I ended up on a trail that went down to the shore on the south end of the harbor, and walked along the rocks keeping my eyes ...

It's Day 44 on Monhegan, and just one week until I leave. I walked up to work this morning in the surprisingly hot weather. Well, hot for Monhegan, it was certainly no more than 80 degrees. I worked a little bit, then took four people on the 1pm walk. It was gorgeous weather, save for a little extra heat in the sunny spots of the forest.  I ate lunch, then took four more people on the 3:30 walk. I met the crew back at the Yew and we took apart the remnants of yesterday's boat. We put it into bags and rode up to trash. Alex and the truck left shortly, but Jorgie, Olivia, and Maya and I stuck around to play soccer with some of the island kids. We lost, but Maya scored one dramatic goal in the last minute.  We headed back to they Yew to grab something to eat, then went down to Lobster Cove to watch the moonrise. It was a full moon tonight, and it was beautiful. I tried to get some pictures, but the moon never looks right through a phone camera. Here's my best try: Then, Maya, ...

Hello! It's day 43 on Monhegan Island, and it's been an exciting one! I woke up on the earlier side and went to the early boat with Alex. I met my parents at their hotel and had breakfast with them, then talked and sat near the wharf with them for an hour or so. Soon, it was time for them to catch their ferry and I sent them off. It is hard to believe that I will see them in just over a week now, as I'm nearing the end of my time on Monhegan.  Afterwards, I went back up to the Yew and put a couple finishing touches on our boat. It was named MAXIMUS , after the extremely large sailing yacht that has visited the harbor here a few times this summer. I put some the name on the sides in large sharpie, and added her home harbor, Monhegan, as well. Then, I put a couple motivational quotes inside, including: ROW, ROW HARDER, ROW FASTER! THIS IS NOT A CRUISE, GET TO WORK NO STOPS, NO BREAKS Then Maizy and David and I worked to patch a couple spots on her hull. Work called, though, a...

Hey blog-followers, It's day 42 on the island! This morning I met my parents in town and we walked to the Mooring Chain for some café goodies. I got an iced turmeric latte. Then, I took my parents on a grand tour of the village part of the island. Here's what was included in the tour: Cabot Hill the Wharf Ice pond Secret beach Deadman's cove Then, we got lunch at the Yew! After nearly two months of living at this place, I have never had the lunch from the restaurant that all of my dormmates work at -- the 'Bake Shop'. I got peanut noodles and a kale salad, and sampled my Dad's hummus veggie toast. It was very good! Then, we made our way up to the lighthouse for the 1pm Wildlands Walk. I had five people on the tour today (including my parents) which I have determined is the perfect number to have.  Again today the sky was so clear. I was able to make out cell towers and forests on the mainland, which often looks just like a line or is obscured completely by haze....

Happy Day 41, and happy Museum Party Day! I walked up the hill this morning with my sheep earrings on and got to work setting up tables for the party. We set up cookie decorating, sheep mask making, cardboard boat decorating, sheep croquet, and pin the horn on the ewe-nicorn. The party was a massive success. I mainly split my time between supervising cookie decorating and cardboard boat decorating. Once three rolled around, we started cleaning up. Meanwhile, my parents had just arrived on the island, and they came up to the museum to visit. Once we finished cleaning up, I walked with them back to the Yew and I took a shower. Then, I went down in the truck with Alex to dump slop off the wharf, and met my parents on the lawn to catch up. It's hard to believe, but I haven't seen them in nearly two months! We then ate dinner at the Island Inn (I got salmon) and I headed back to the Yew.  I met everyone behind the dorms and played UNO for a few minutes, before feeling a bug in my sl...

Day 40 on Monhegan! This morning, I got up, made my lunch, and hitched a ride with Alex into town. I walked up the hill, and got started on making a 'pin the horn on the ewe-nicorn' game. Here's the finished product: I made a few horns (complete with glitter), then made some sheep-themed croquet hoops. I took a woman on the Wildlands Walk and she said that she had heard about it from the program on Maine Calling the other day! How neat! Afterwards, I made my lunch and finished the croquet hoops. Nobody for the 3:30 walk, so I walked down the hill and chilled with the Yew crew until Trash. One of the things I really enjoy about Trash is getting to ride in the truck bed. It's sort of like a rollercoaster on the roads here. I played a bit of frisbee, then we headed back to the Yew. Dinner tonight was breakfast sandwiches and sweet potatoes. Now, I'm sitting on my bed writing the blog! The plans for the rest of the evening are to play some cards and/or do some beading, ...

Hey! It's day 39, and this morning I took it nice and easy. I laid in bed for a while, listening to the birds outside of my window before arising and sitting out in the lawn at a picnic table. I worked on a project (which I will reveal tomorrow on my instagram) and then hung out with Alex and Jorgie. We noticed that Donna who lives across the road was putting out some free items in her driveway, and Jorgie got lots of beads. Based on that, we decided to have a craft-ernoon at Swim Beach. Up on the rock, I made some jewelery, a friendship bracelet, and did some nature journaling. Then, I got hot so I decided to head over to Fish Beach and walk down the breakwater. From there (like the other day) I swam back to the shore (after floating on my back for ten minutes or so. I went back to the Yew and took a shower, then took a nap. When I woke up, it was nearly time for dinner! Tonight, Mo made rice noodles with veggies fresh from the garden, including some gorgeous chard. We had chicken...

It's the end of Day 38, and it was a pretty restful day off. I woke up and had a muffin, then decided to head down to the boat with Alex. The tide was very low, and the harbor was flat as glass: We  drove back with some guests' bags, then I put in my laundry. I cleaned my room, then hung up my clothes outside on the line to dry in the sun. It was another gorgeously sunny day, so they dried pretty fast. Alex mentioned to me that he had been asked to help someone move some furniture around at their house and that he could bring someone to help, so I walked up Horns Hill with him. We moved a few desks, chairs, shelves, and a bed before building a new bed frame and installing it in a bedroom. We were compensated handsomely, but I was mostly just pleased that I was able to see the interior of another Island home.  It was then time to meet another boat, so I tagged along again. Afterwards, I folded my laundry and rested in my room. I really wanted to do something creative today; I h...

Hello, and good evening on day 37 of my Monhegan Island journey. This morning, I packed a lunch and hopped in the truck with Alex all the way to the Wharf. I had a hard time waking up, and I thought I should treat myself, so I got an oat milk flat white at the Barnacle. I then walked up the hill to the lighthouse and got right back into my sheep. That is, the signs for Museum Party Day that are shaped like sheep. I decked them out with exciting colors and graphics. I'll just show you: There's a lot of information packed into just one sheep, because there are BIG plans for Museum Party Day! Big plans I say! Then, I took my guests on the Wildlands Walk. I think today may have been the most perfect weather day I've experienced so far on Monhegan. The sky was clear, there was a slight breeze, and the air was crisp but not cold, just perfectly pleasant. Among the walkers were the co-directors of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, who have been tuning in to the Blog (Hi Anne and ...