rainbows
A departing gift
We had a short stay on Seguin this year but it delivered plenty of joy. The trails were in great shape and we walked them all.
We dripped in fog for days – not a good time to try to dry newly spun yarn or laundry. A gale came through with winds of 40 mph. We dined out aboard a sailboat and we tucked the island in. The lens sparkled brightly even with its new solar powered LED light.
Friday, our last full day on the island, began with fog, which turned to rain, and ended with double rainbows at sunset. What a treat.
Islands always give more than they take.
I love surprises
The flight from Honolulu to Sydney was outstanding. The plane was relatively empty and Tim slept in his own row. I had a bulkhead to myself. Best of all they gave us a cute little goodie bag with an eye mask, ear plugs, toothbrush and chap stick.
This time we were somewhere over a rainbow.
I knit for at least six hours while I power watched the Great British Baking Show and finished a pair of lined mittens just in time for 98 degrees f in Hobart.
But I can not complain about traveling into summer.
Acclimating
Some things are easier to get used to than others.
The shift from sub-zero temperatures, with snow and ice, to balmy and sunny was easy peasy, even if I still need to wear a wool sweater after swimming.
The time zone is a little tougher. It is five hours earlier here, but I think I have adjusted…for now. I go to bed my usual time and wake up before dawn. Today we fly to Sydney and the easy way to think about it is we lose another 3 hours. But in reality we cross the international date line and gain a day. So we actually gain 21 hours for a net change of 16 hours ahead of NY. Got it? Thank goodness for Apple’s world clock.
And then there’s the wind. It seems to howl all day and night. Nothing close to what we will experience on Deal Island, but it’s a good reminder. Lots of hair ties and hold on to your hat. Tim thought jets were landing nearby while he slept.
We’ve only explored a small bit of Oahu, by bus, and it is stunning. From the deck the other day I saw two very different rainbows. One low, one high. You know what they say.
This Yellow Billed Cardinal was introduced to Hawaii from South America. It is a real chatter box and hard for me to catch a good photo.
The beaches are stunning. We are on the southeast side of Oahu and despite the wind, the coves were protected and we could easily swim.
We found a collection of heart shaped coral at Sandy Beach. Very sweet.
And now we are off to another ten hour flight, same seats.
Wacky weather
We were supposed to go ashore today to run a few errands and pick up a couple of people from Audubon who place purple martin houses on the island. I woke up at 5:30 and heard the sound of wind from the south. It was whistling and ultimately small craft warnings were announced so we stayed ashore. I got to weave with my pin loom and then we repaired the fence around an enclosure where native plants are growing. The fence keeps the black tailed deer out and we’ll use the weed wacker to prevent invasive grass seeds from landing inside it. Next we placed markers at daffodil plants that will be removed from the island after they bloom, and potentially sold as heirloom bulbs as a fundraiser, to make the way for native prairie grass.
Weather was supposed to improve midday but it didn’t so perhaps we will get to rendezvous tomorrow. The clouds and rainbows are incredible.
The new spikes on the house are working, mostly. One seagull managed to inch its feet just up to the spikes and accompany the lone gull on the chimney.
Every day we run across the remains of a mostly eaten bird. I’m not sure if the predator is the northern harrier that stays nearby or one of at least eight eagles we have seen. They rudely leave the carcass on our wood chopping block. Tim still uses it, I don’t.
We’ll see what tomorrow’s weather brings.
Chasing rainbows
We try to air the lighthouse in sunny, breezy days to prevent mold and algae growth. It takes at least an hour to walk there and back. Tim opened it in the morning and I closed it before dinner.
To my delight, I saw several rainbows during my walk.
When I got to the lighthouse, sea squalls looked like clouds rising directly from the ocean.
And there were more rainbows arising from the sea.
Magic.
Off island
Back on the mainland of the Alaskan panhandle. Yesterday began with a whale just next to the island.
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We were picked up and got to watch long lines of halibut (and lots of starfish) brought on board.
This starfish was sort of creepy and only a few inches.
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After the fish was prepared and iced, we steamed north to Juneau and passed six rainbows!
All in all, a beautiful trip. This morning began with a four am alarm and our journey home will end three pm tomorrow: twelve hours today (cheap flights, too many connections) an overnight in Manhattan (island to island travel) and a six hour train home. Phew.
Island and North Country Life 