July is always the time for the annual Anderson/Sustachek/Sorensen clan vacation on Washington Island, which sits just off the tip of Door County, Wisconsin. With the COVID-19 pandemic this year, we were not sure it would take place. Earlier in the year, Door County was requesting that people stay home and not go up there. They hoped this might keep the infection rate lower.
About six weeks before the dates of our cottage rental, I contacted the owner to ask about the status. Door County had reopened and he would be renting this summer. He said that most places were open and food services offered carryout. Because of the virus, he had to have the cottage cleaned more thoroughly and leave it vacant for one day between renters. Due to a mix-up with the renters before us, our rental time had already been reduced from 7 to 6 days. With the need for a vacant day we were down to a 5-day vacation. So, we headed up on Monday this year.
As usual, we made a quick stop in Gills Rock to buy smoked fish at Charlie’s Smoke House before heading to catch the ferry in Northport. When we drove off the ferry, my sister Mary Ann and nephew Jim were waiting to meet us. Meeting new arrivals from our group at the ferry dock has long been a tradition, but with the virus, we assumed no one would do that. We all were wearing face masks and avoided hugging or shaking hands, so it seemed safe. It added a touch of normality to the abnormal times.
Our first afternoon and evening at the island we didn’t go anywhere or visit anyone. We just unpacked and settled in. The weather was sunny and warm so it was nice to just sit on the beach and listen to the murmuring of the waves.
We had a nice sunset to enjoy on our first night. We gave it an 8 out of 10. Maybe we were too generous, but it was nice to be back on the Island!
The weather was not very cooperative on Tuesday. Clouds and showers came and went and we mostly hung around the cottage. Kathy, who is great at assembling puzzles, worked diligently on one while I played my guitar and read the next book to be discussed at my upcoming book club meeting. Every once in a while the sun would peek in through the windows and tease us for a bit.
The weather was not much better on Wednesday, but we drove around for a while to see what had changed since last year. The most obvious thing was the level of the lake, which was extremely high. A couple piers were barely above water and the Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum was closed for the year because some exhibits were in the water. Rock Island State Park also closed for the year and the Karfi, which ferries people to Rock Island, was sitting in dry dock. A beautiful sailboat, the “Heron Jewel,” was docked in the harbor and the old fishing tug, “Welcome,” was tied up in its usual location. We then made a short stop at the Island Farm Museum, where we felt very safe from the virus!
The nice weather finally returned on Thursday. We went to see Mary Ann, Steve and Jim at the Berkley House, which was a new cottage for them. Later that day Kathy was shocked to see Jan and Joe drive into our cottage driveway. They only came for a day visit. So, after a few hours talking and relaxing, they headed home again!
The Sustachek crew had to head home on Friday so we had a fish fry on Thursday night. This was the only time our entire group, small as it was this year, got together for a meal. We ate outside and kept our distance but it was nice to be together for a while.
After the meal we all put on our masks and went inside to take our annual group shot. As you can see, we were a rather small group this year.
