July 13, 2021

More reflections on the July 10-11 trip.

Summer on South Fox Island is a plethora of projects, from painting and restoring to landscaping, cooking, and gathering wood for the campfire… admittedly, one of the more anticipated “projects” is enjoying the evening campfire. Cookie Kathy S. provided the “fixin’s” for s’mores, spoiling our island contingent as usual with great food and special treats. Captain Joerg got us safely to (and fro) the island, despite some funny noises from the starboard engine. Chief bottle washer (me) raced around in squirrel mode, fetching and carrying as well as helping Kathy to paint the boathouse and move some rocks. Did I mention the rocks? Lake Michigan vs. the South Fox Island boathouse—we may be winning the war. Great hopes for some help from heavy equipment later this summer; in the meantime, island dwellers lift a shovel or two of rocks as the spirit moves. Project Manager Karen W. kept a nice balance of “nose to the grindstone” and “visionary breaks,” asking all of us what we see as our roles in the continuing restoration efforts, as well as what intrigues us most about the light station. Pete K, one of our newer volunteers, has made several trips to the island this summer. Pete’s been working on glazing windows, carpentry projects, painting projects, troubleshooting equipment—he is a man of many talents! Pete is fascinated by the different systems used at the station to overcome the challenges the keepers faced throughout all four seasons. Thanks, too, to the Rollins, for their assistance landing, and, especially, to Bruce for trying to get the power washer to work.