Another year on the Island; another year of changes. We went in August instead of July. We rented a small cottage on Detroit Harbor instead of a larger cottage on Green Bay. Our week was Sunday to Sunday instead of Saturday to Saturday. But, unlike last year, we had twenty-five people instead of twelve and, since we were all vaccinated, we were again able to have shared meals every night.
One advantage of arriving on Sunday is that there was less traffic. No ferries were waiting when we arrived at the dock at about 3:30 PM, and there were only three cars in line. When the Washington arrived it was only about half full and there weren’t many more cars on it when we departed.
Our new cottage this year was the “Skinny Dip Inn.” Had we been here fifty years ago we might have taken the place up on its name, but not this year. It was clean, comfortable and cozy. Yes, cozy means “small” but, since it was just the two of us for most of the week, there was plenty of room. The best part is that it sits right on the water. Detroit Harbor is the beautiful view that we had through the picture window and the even more beautiful view we had from the shore. There was a pier for our use and two kayaks. In the distance we could see the ferries arriving and departing. Though there are four other cottages in this condominium, no one else ever came down to the water or used the pier.
An immature bald eagle stopped by every day but, unfortunately, it would land atop a flagpole a couple properties away. So, with fences, rocks and a harbor in the way, even with a long lens I could only photograph it as part of the scenery.
Although we faced southwest, the sun could still be seen to the west-northwest along the far shore of the bay. In past years we used to see sunsets over Green Bay where the sun slowly sank into the water. Here we saw the sun set behind distant trees while lighting up the water of the harbor. Regardless, the sunsets were beautiful. Not to be outdone, the moon was in its waxing gibbous phase and slowly approached full as the week progressed. Not many stars were visible, but the harbor, dressed up in moonlight, made up for the loss by sparkling brightly.
One afternoon I headed down to Jackson Harbor to see what was going on. I wasn’t looking for any specific thing, I just wanted to wander around and look at the birds, boats, and old buildings. It wasn’t difficult to find some of each. A Great Blue Heron flew in when I arrived. He was searching for dinner in an area that is still wet from last year’s high water. Three old fishing tugs were tied up along the dock; one looked like it might still be in use but I’m not sure.
The sun was bright and created interesting reflections on the water and on the sides of the boats. One of the sailboats sported a skull and crossbones in her rigging but, since I didn’t hear anyone say “Aarrrggghh!” or spot any old guys with peg legs and hooks, I felt pretty safe. And, if you didn’t know where you were, a sign on the side of one of the Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum buildings announced “TOWN OF WA HINGTON.”
As I mentioned, each evening we gathered together for a meal prepared by different members of the group. Kathy, of course, made her delicious meal of ham, beans, potato salad, brown bread and too many other things to list. She also make a pan of brownies which was decorated with candles and used to celebrate the August birthday folks. As usual, one night we rounded up everyone and took the annual “group shot.” It can take awhile to get everyone together, but they all seem willing to participate.
By the end of the week Eric, Matthew and Lisa were able to join the group for a delicious fish fry. Afterwards, the winners of the trophies and cash awards for biggest bass and biggest other fish were announced. This year’s awards went to Jimmy Sustachek and Tom Sorensen. We finished the evening with our annual Island sing-along with guitar and vocals performed by Steve Sustachek, Jimmy Sustachek, Brock Shoff, Anna Ceragioli and yours truly. You can never have too much music!
Most of the gang had to leave on Saturday but we — Kathy, Eric, Matthew, Lisa and me — stayed an extra day. That gave us time to try out the kayaks, enjoy malts at the Albatross, and finally have our shot of bitters! Later we finished the day with a campfire perfect for roasting marshmallows, making S’mores, and celebrating Lisa’s birthday with some glow-in-the-dark balloons.
We also took time to finally capture our 50th family photo. We had to rely on Zoom to get our 49th last year and were very happy to all be together to add this one to our collection!
1971 – 2021
Although you might think that if you remain very busy, the end of the week will never arrive, but Sunday showed up anyway. We packed up, ate a delicious breakfast at the Ship’s Wheel Restaurant, and then caught the ferry for our first ride on the Madonna.
Until next year, if you should get Island Fever, just think about going fishing down to Figenschau Bay where you can spend Another Day in Paradise.