October 1, 2015

The weather is much the same:  winds are unchanged at about 20 mph steady out of the north, which brings the surf directly into the cove, and it’s 48 degrees and humid.  No more lunch time meals at the picnic table.

I tried out a new recipe by Melissaa Clark from the New York Times and thought it was as good a title for today’s blog entry as any, since we couldn’t forget about it for the rest of the day, after feasting on two slices each for breakfast.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017644-summer-berry-buckle

I think when we leave I’ll put down all the recipes from the blog that I didn’t invent myself (which is most of them).

Three hours of the morning were spent closing down the guest quarters which involved vacuuming up all the dead flies, moths and dust bunnies, shaking out the curtains and rugs and making up all the beds.  We also put the closets in order equipped with blankets, sheets and towels appropriate for each room and making sure all the bureaus were ready to be filled next summer.

Cyndy is master of the composting toilets and did a number on the bathroom, foremost of which was to empty the throne and dump the contents behind the Whistle House.

We were determined to leave the garden ready for spring, and since it had rained most of the day before, thought it might be relatively easy to turn.  As most chores turn out here, it was more involved than we anticipated.  We didn’t finish until one.

We were more than happy with the result.

We plan to get just a couple of plants (zucchini and cherry tomatoes) to plant in May to inspire the next caretakers.  It’s always a fine line as to how much you let them discover  on their own and how much you give them a head start by sharing your experience.  Larry and T’Ann (2015 caretakers) said at the Summer Fest that it was invaluable to them to spend a week with us last May before their stint began on their own for the whole summer.  I remember that France and I spent the month of June 2010 in the dark about a lot of things.  It was a cold month and the big electric heater downstairs kept tripping a breaker until we figured out how to toggle two of them together (following David Power’s advise).  By that time we didn’t need it anymore.  And that’s just one example of finding our own way.

Over the last of the shephards’ pie at the picnic table for lunch, we discussed what was needed to treat the rust on the two landings inside the tower.  We have a primer for rust but the anchor gray paint will have to wait until May.  By that time we’ll see if our rustproofing did the job over the winter.  We also spent a little time planning the menu for next week in an effort to use up fresh and frozen items in the fridge.

In the afternoon we cleared some of the signage and benches from the lawn and played a couple of games of rummy.  After a little prep for dinner we decided to see if there would be a sunset worth braving the cold and wind for, even though it was still overcast.

So we donned heavy clothing and with big hot mugs of tea, took our seats at the sunset bench to see what would happen.  As is often the case on Seguin, surprises were in store.

I had intended to grill burgers, but the wind made that prohibitive, so we broiled them instead with bacon and had broccoli and the rest of the roasted beets on the side.  The olive buns Cyndy picked up at Whole Foods toasted up just right to accommodate.

There was time for more cards and some reading and by ten, we were out for the day.