So, twas the night before my birthday when the phone rang. It was the local doctor and head of the Thacher Island gang. I got my invitation to accompany the reed organ on it's trip out to the island. YIPPEEEEEEEE! This was going to be a fun birthday.
I arrived, as instructed, at the end of T-Wharf, around 9:30 in the morning, camera in hand and documented the loading of the Smith-American organ in to the Thacher Island boat.
It takes about a half hour to power out to the island.
Once there the organ would be unloaded and put in place in the parlor of the Principal Keeper's house.
Some of the gang would spend until 3 in the afternoon working on the island while a few of us 'newbies' went exploring. 
There was a lot to see as long as the nasty seagulls allowed us passage. It was hatching season and the 'black-back' gulls were particularly aggressive. 
Our instructions were to carry a big stick to swing at them if they tried to attack us! And they did try. There are many trails that are kept maintained by the group of volunteers and much of the day to day maintenance is provided by the 'guest' keepers who sign up for living on the island for 3-4 week stints. Even when 'inland' on the island the gulls are still very present.
The north lighthouse tower is open to visitors. We fought our way through the gulls and reached the tower. The two other guests climbed to the top. I really would have liked to but being as it is an open circular stair my vertigo wouldn't let me. I had to satisfy myself with taking photos from the lower windows and in the entry. 
We ate our picnic lunches outside the keeper's and guest houses and then set off for more exploring and pictures. At 3 p.m. we met back at the boathouse to set off back to Rockport.
This week I'll be going through the 50 or so photographs that I took of moving the reed organ to the island and I'll submit a couple with explanatory captions to the GDTimes. If you want to read and see more about Thacher Island, visit the web site linked in the sidebar of this blog.
5 comments:
What an adventure! Thank you for sharing this much. Can hardly wait to read and see more!!
BTW, do you think Dickiebo would consider putting me on his "preferred" list (see his meme) even if I love and live with 3 big dogs, am a pacifist, a vegetarian and lean pretty far to the left (depending on one's definition of "left"? ) Other than all those descriptions, I am a pretty nice ol' bat!
Peace! Although my little grandsons call my peace symbols and necklace: steering wheels. Well, I am trying to "steer" them to the truth! :-)
Welcome back - missed your writings. Is your next craft fair next week? The 5th? Same place?
Glad you had a nice day, Deb. I'm getting to know Thacher Island quite well now. When I worked at our Cardiff Brewery, the gulls nested on the flat rooftops and, in season, they were really a nightmare. I instructed that all employees must wear hard hats.
Must say that I nearly didn't recognise you sat there playing the organ!
Hi you two! It never seems to cease being extremely busy. So...in brief...we had a good time on our mini-vacation and I'll be posting about it with some pictures soon, the past two days we have had guests with us - the new owners of the Minoan. It's been fun. I've got 8, yes 8, sets of keys arriving starting tomorrow. OMG, how will I ever get them all finished on time?!! Not to mention a few tunings. Yesterday a.m. I moved a piano for some folks who were refinishing the floors in their house. I'll need to move it back sometime within the next two weeks. The craft fair *is* the 5th, in the same locale.
Your good pal, Mary, has some dodgy points that can surely be overlooked, but............living with Bernese Mountain hounds AND left leanings. Sorry. 'Fraid that's just not on!!! Put her right, Deb.
Oh God! I forgot. Someone else is a ruddy Democrat too! lol.
PS. That was you at the organ, now wasn't it?
Yeah, right, age will do that to one's appearance. However, on the plus side, if that were me I can be in two places at the same time!
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