Lots of Thank Yous and a Good Kind of Humble

The blog has been quiet for too long once again. Time runs away or events intercede or there doesn't seem to be as much that is newsworthy. I get away from it and then I see how the calendar has advanced and guilt kicks in. Here we go.

Normal water service was restored to the Lightkeeper's Cottage on April 9. We first had it freeze up on February 15. We were fortunate to have neighbors like Linda Martin and Lynn Ferreira help the girls and fortunate that Tom Galligan and the Water Department rigged a temporary line from Ralph and Betsy Brown's house. Lots of splicing, lots of trips to haul water from different places, lots of camping out at home.

In this picture, the line from the street has finally defrosted and a valve meant to hold it back has failed.  Fun times.

Haley and her aunt took off for Germany over the April vacation as Julie and I worked at cleaning up the cottage after the month of not having the wherewithal to do it. One of the highlights of the week was the chance to teach a third grade class from Torrance California through the medium of Skype. 15 kids stepped up and asked me a question and listed patiently gathered around their classroom computer for my answer. Thanks go out to Mr. Tim Lyne for giving me the chance to share our stories with his kids.

With the weather changing it was time to get to cleaning up. A couple of pictures tell the story. George Downton's snow shovel turned out to be pretty good for moving rocks too.

     

I also began a project working with a postcard collection the Scituate Historical Society was able to purchase from Marc Jacobsen with monies provided by Yvonne Twomey. I learned a ton, and seeds were sown for a talk on, not only the lessons learned from the images, but also from the notes that were included on many of the cards.

Working with these messages has been a blast to date. Some of them are quite sad; others hysterical.

April closed with my dear friends Peggy and Peter arriving on the doorstep. As they call Winetka Illinois home, this was a huge surprise. It is one of the perks of this place that people who want to find it, can find it. The Hoyts had a flight to catch so our visit was way to brief but it was a thrill to answer the door that Sunday.

May brought our first open house of the year. The numbers were manageable and my sister Lee and Julie carried me through the day. The next is coming up on July 12 from 1:00 to 4:00. 

We began to give the gardens some attention as the open house was coming on and our neighbors did an amazing job this year working around all the islands and even bringing some new spots under the green thumb.  Thanks go out especially to the Wankums for going over and above building a new garden with me and to Donny Ferreira who took on the ugly chore of cleaning up the overgrown bushes that hold the center of the Lighthouse Park. Thus far the flowers are thriving.

 

We also had a duck nesting along the fence all through May. Hidden in the rushes along the driveway was a mother duck protecting 5 yellow eggs for their required term. The eggs were first noticed when a gang of Scituate High School hockey players came by to help clean up the beach for Ship Shape Day. They did a super job and one gave me the heads up that we had some new quackers on the block. In early June these two were right up in the kitchen garden.

     

Another project on tap for the Light got a jump start with the delivery of a fog bell once in service at Graves End Light. Gary Tondorf-Dick of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology arranged for the donation of the bell to the Scituate Historical Society. It should be placed in the yard quite soon. Yet another item for which to give thanks. Thanks too go out to Russ Totman for helping us move the bell when another project emerged.

The Travel Channel filmed in the Keeper's Cottage in early June for an episode of their series, Mysteries of the Museum. The Army of Two story will be the focus. More details on that as they become available. 

Several months ago, David Ball was approached by commercial painter and Sand Hills General Store owner Dan McAdam with a fantastic offer. Dan volunteered his crew and all the materials to paint Scituate Light. On Friday June 19, the Tower was power washed. On Saturday June 20, his crew arrived on the first windless day of the year, to paint the Light. The power washing had revealed just how yellow the Tower was. When Dan and his team finished it was as white as the February snow. 

     

To wrap up June we had a visit from Debbie Donovan, once of Wampatuck School, and guests of hers from Japan. Debbie is now the Principal of the Boston Higashi School in Randolph and had members of the Board of Directors with her. We loved their enthusiasm for Scituate Light and their passion for the history here.  Each time we have guests from the Far East I am humbled by their manners and their grace. It is a good kind of humble too.