What I did on my Spring Vacation

I don't like to have time on my hands.

Last week was the April School vacation and I worked with the surrounding stones to remodel the bench area dedicated to long time Cedar Point resident Joan Francis. Weeds and hard pan had replaced a purple stone surrounding the bench and I dug it out over the course of four days, replacing it with beach stone and pieces of granite thrown up into the yard over the winter. Two pictures below tell the story.
















A chorus of thanks was sent out last week to the Scituate Fire Department who came over on Wednesday and resolved my ongoing battle with the line on the Tower Flag pole. Using their ladder truck the SFD took a new line up and Julie got this amazing shot as the fireman worked his magic. Yes, that is a slice of the moon over his left shoulder. Haley shot some video on this but I need to edit it before posting. Check back soon for that link.





Two new gardens were installed as the week came to a close. Using a kit from Home Depot I assembled a four by four square in the small courtyard on the ocean side of the kitchen. Julie and Haley picked out some annuals and we added some color to the side of the house that was punished most by the rocks and sea all winter. I also spruced up the perennials on that side with some coreopsis, some hosta, some seedum, and purple sage. On Saturday my sister Lee arrived with a black compost that we used to dress up that perennial garden, the vegetable garden and at the same time creating new bed along side the runway on the harbor side in which I will be trying to grow some sunflowers.















I have this image in my mind of the buoys mixing with these sunflowers to create a new backdrop for our many brides. Seeds for some foxglove, some lupine, and a border sea grass went into the bed under the kitchen window. A climbing rose bush was installed next to the yard arm holding the blue and white Lighthouse sign.

The last chore of the week was to paint the message board. Time and weather had combined to wash out the white border and had yellowed the back to the color of a sorry pumpkin. The trim and the back got a coat of gray stain. The board looks cared for again and is ready to help us tell the story out here. I am researching some lighthouse poems and songs to share and the possibility of a digital photo frame to hold the many images the Society has that capture the evolution of this nearly two hundred year old landmark.

All in all a full and productive week. I lost about 7 pounds, still managed to correct a bunch of papers, watch the Celtics and Red Sox, and never threw out my old back. Our friends Marianne Bullock and Sean McLaughlin visited. I cut the lawn twice. The next vacation is August.