Day 46

August 10, 2025

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 whole rest of the Yew staff. The tide was as high as can be, so it wasn't too scary. Then, I rode in the truck bed back up to the Yew and took a shower. I got pretty hungry, so I fixed myself some hummus and labneh and warmed up some pita. It hit the spot.

At 2, I walked back down to the Wharf and went on the Balmy Days cruise around the island. It's a 30 minute ride that points out the cliffs and wildlife of the island. It's only $5, but free for people who work on the Island (that's me!). We saw some seals (to be expected) and a bald eagle perched on Middle Duck Rock! It was also really eye-opening to see the headlands from a different point of view. They seem so much more imposing when you're below them, on the water rather than when you're standing on them. I imagine the cliffs were gobsmacking to 18th century mariners who had sailed all the way across the ocean from England.

I then walked back to the Yew and relaxed on the porch. Soon enough, it was another trip to the Wharf, where we were sending off Margaret (a Yew alumni) and her friend. The tide was so low that the boat was loading passengers onto the top deck from the slip, because the bottom deck was so far down the incline would have been dangerous. Because of the 12-15 foot jump, I decided to spectate. Here's a jelly I spotted in the water (ignore the corn stalk, it was probably compost):

I then walked back to the Yew and chatted with Marian about the possibility of spending more summers or parts of summers at the Trailing Yew. I'd love to work here and be a part of the Yew family again.

Then, a few folks went to the Brewery and we played cards. We came back for dinner, which was Pad Thai! Then, I decided I needed to go on a little walk so I went down to the rocks by Cabot Hill and walked on the pseudo-path near the shore. Now, I'm realizing how sleepy I am, even though it's only 8:46pm. The Monhegan Effect, I suppose. Here's some photos I took on that walk: