TCC for 2/15/09

The Caretaker's Concern 2/15/09

The Caretaker hopes everyone had a happy Valentine's Day. Today's post is going to just be a journal entry from his first year back to the Island. The posts for the next few days will most likely just be entries from his journal. The Caretaker needs to focus his attention on his submission for the Australian job, Tourism Queensland of Australia refers to it as "the Best Job in the World" however the Caretaker begs to differ, he already has the best job in the world but he is willing to take a step down in employment (not to mention that 150,000 Australian dollars for 6 months of work is a pretty easy pill to swallow). So, when the Caretaker finishes his 60 second video submission and uploads it to the job website he will be sure to let you know so you can go view it. You will also be able to rate it, his only request will be that if you find his submission funny and entertaining than give it a high rating, if not give it a low rating.

--The Caretaker


2/15/09

Posting of the Caretaker’s Journal entries from 2003 began on the 2nd of February 2009, if you’ve missed the earlier posts click on “TCC for Feb 02” on the left in the “Blog Archive” and begin reading from there.

The Caretaker's first stint on the Island was during the mid-nineties, then he returned for the Summer of 2003, the text that follows has been edited only for spelling, it is basically a verbatim transcription from his journal (thus unedited except for general coherency), this tenth entry is from his tenth day back at the Island. It is as follows:

June 5th, 2003, Thursday

Much of the day was spent doing work for myself and the Island. In the afternoon I went for a bicycle ride on my 12 speed road bike. I biked North on route 9N to the trail accesses for the Tongue Mountain range on the other side of the street from the trail access is a river with a nice water fall. I hung around there for a while letting the sounds of the falls block out the noise from the road. After a while I returned home. Overall it was a nice ride, around 14 miles round trip. The only drawback were the packs of Stick Twisters, and of them it was really only the noisy ones, thankfully Americade is only a week long. It's good for commerce they're here, but it will be nice for the peace and quiet when they're gone.

The Canadian geese are passing through, yesterday while hanging laundry a gaggle flew overhead in "V" formation, from end to end was probably over a mile long. They make enough noise at times to almost be more of a nuisance than the Stick Twisters.

Overall today was quite long. Most of my days have been long. Which is good, pretty soon I will have finished all that there is to do here on the Island and will have to get work off Island. I am not looking forward to that, but a man's got to do what a man's got to do--hopefully I can figure some way out of it.

(The Caretaker didn't get no job. Of course he figured a way out of it. It was simple, he didn't look. This probably needs not be stated but if you haven't noticed, the Caretaker is perhaps the world's greatest procrastinator, lazy as lazy can be.
--Caretaker's note 2/15/2009)

End Journal Entry for 6/5/2003
Coming tomorrow the Caretaker’s journal entry for 6/6/2003.

TCC for 2/14/09

The Caretaker's Concern 2/14/09


2/14/09


2/14/09


2/14/09


2/14/09


2/14/09


2/7/09

Not wanting the post for Valentine's Day lonely without verse the Caretaker has posted another poem, this too, lyrics to a song, it has no title as of yet, he often uses it as a warm up so for now the working title is that.

"Warm Up"

I need to know
What it means to let you go
Through that door
For a while
Until you return my smile.

Heart grows dark
When we part
I miss you more and more
By my side through the night
I love to feel you sigh.

It's okay it's alright,
It's okay it's alright,

It's okay it's alright
Until we say good-bye.


Happy Valentine's Day.
Love,
The Caretaker

TCC for 2/13/09

The Caretaker's Concern 2/13/09

The Caretaker has been away for about 7 days or so, he is now back at the Island. He's got plenty to report but is still trying to get caught up after having been away for a while. He's got lots to share and lots to explain, he hopes to be able to do so come tomorrow.

In this post is a photo from today, and in honor of Valentine's Day the Caretaker has posted a photo of a rose that he took while he was away. Also in honor of Valentine's Day the Caretaker has posted a poem, it's actually lyrics to a song that he came up with a while ago but hasn't made the time to finish writing it so what he's got for now will have to do (it's just a working title). It probably doesn't really read too well but it does sound much better when sung, someday the Caretaker will sing it for you.

2/13/09


2/7/09


"If For No Other Reason"

So I,
Wanted you
To know why,
I'm in love with
Your mind
And all of your
Heart and your soul.

It feels right,
By your side
When we hold tight
Through the night
And I know I,
Will never,
Want to let go.

Some
Times,
Want you now,
But daylight
Crowds your brow.
I fall high
Without you now
So low.
Oh babe,
Don't go.

In my arms you'll always be
Home.

In my heart I'll always dream
Home, with you.

--The Caretaker

TCC for 2/11/09

TCC for 2/11/09

Posting of the Caretaker’s Journal entries from 2003 began on the 2nd of February 2009, if you’ve missed the earlier posts click on “TCC for Feb 02” on the left in the “Blog Archive” and begin reading from there.

Unfortunately the Caretaker is currently having some trouble uploading photos, not that he took any today, and there really isn't much to report, so instead the Caretaker has decided to dig out his journal from when he first started working again at the Island. His first stint was during the mid-nineties, then he returned for the Summer of 2003, the text that follows has been edited only for spelling, it is basically a verbatim transcription from his journal (thus unedited except for coherency), this tenth entry is from his tenth day back at the Island. It is as follows:

June 3nd, 2003, Sunday

Woke up and was out of bed before the sun so I decided to watch it rise. I don’t often watch the sunrise in the summer, that’s more of a winter thing, but I was up so I figured why not? Brought my laundry to town and washed it. I then brought it back to the Island to hang on a clothes line to dry. (While living in Amsterdam, Netherlands the Caretaker had a conversation about line drying laundry with a Scottish woman who commented that it was worth the effort because it made the clothes smell nice. When the Caretaker returned to the Island he made a point to test her theory, she’s right, it is worth the effort. If you’ve ever been to Lake George and think it generally smells nice then you should line dry your laundry there if you get the chance, especially on a nice sunny windy day. Whenever the Caretaker has the time and weather permits he always line dries his laundry on the Island, it is certainly more work but well worth the effort. –Caretaker’s comment 2/11/09)

After I put the laundry on the line I left for the big city to take care of some errands that I wasn’t able to do the last time or forgot to do. On the way to Glens Falls I decided to take Route 9 through Lake George Village, it being Americade and all I figured why not see what the stick twisters were up to, pretty much the same old thing: twisting sticks and making a lot of noise or talking about twisting sticks, and making a lot of noise, some probably even offered to let others twist their sticks, and make a lot of noise. (Americade is a large motorcycle rally that occurs every summer in Lake George Village, it’s about a week long, brings in lot’s of tourist dollars and a ton of noise. –Caretakers comment 2/11/09)

I accomplished most of what I wanted to in the big city, there are a few things left to do and I will get to them in due time. However, it looks like I may have to go to the metropolis, Saratoga, to accomplish some things but that will be at a later date.

I returned to the Island, put things away and then began to make dinner. After dinner I took down my laundry. While taking it down the Lac du Saint Sacrement passed by the Island, I noticed on the starboard side of the bow of the ship there was a banner of a motorcycle company, this company makes many other things besides motorcycles, any way, when I saw the banner with the logo I knew what that meant, it was a boat load of stick twisters. (The Lac du Saint Sacrement is a large tour boat for hire that plys the waters of Lake George. –Caretaker’s comment 2/11/09)

Before starting the dishes I went down to cocktail point with some white grapes to take in the view for a while, I walked right out to where the grass meets the rocky shore with a chair and sat down. Just as I did so I looked to the right and about eight feet away from me was some sort of water fowl, gray top, beak like a gull, the gray feathers were fluffy. Perhaps it was a gull with a rather large body? It was feeding under water. It would stick its entire head underwater and root around for a while then come up for air. It followed the shoreline around from the East side to the West side, quite close to shore paying no mind to me. It was as if it didn’t notice me, nor care to notice me.

The debate over loons is still on, I think what I’ve heard so far has actually been a gull, who knows?

Saw the moon for the first time this year from the Island. It was in the Western half of the sky so will set before the evening is through. About an 8th of it or so was reflecting towards me.

Oh yes, while taking in the laundry I noticed the Island has its own thunder hole on the South shore. It really sounds more like a sink draining but “sink rock” does not sound so good so I shall instead name it “gurgling rock” or perhaps “babbling stone”. Either way I’ll be sure to listen to it again and see what comes to me. The rock is a large one, but the ice will mostly likely move it next year and so it may not “talk” like it does now when the water of the lake flows in and out of it.

End Journal Entry for 6/2/2003
Coming tomorrow the Caretaker’s journal entry for 6/6/2003.

TCC for 2/10/09

TCC for 2/10/09

Posting of the Caretaker’s Journal entries from 2003 began on the 2nd of February 2009, if you’ve missed the earlier posts click on “TCC for Feb 02” on the left in the “Blog Archive” and begin reading from there.

Unfortunately the Caretaker is currently having some trouble uploading photos, not that he took any today, and there really isn't much to report, so instead the Caretaker has decided to dig out his journal from when he first started working again at the Island. His first stint was during the mid-nineties, then he returned for the Summer of 2003, the text that follows has been edited only for spelling, it is basically a verbatim transcription from his journal (thus unedited except for coherency), this ninth entry is from his ninth day back at the Island. It is as follows:

June 2nd, 2003, Sunday

Did not sleep too well which is probably the first time ever that I did not get a good night’s sleep on the Island. It was very cold last night and my sheets and blankets were tucked too tight leaving a gap on both sides of me. I pretty quickly realized that I would be cold, I tried to remedy the situation while still in bed, I could only improve it a little. So I decided to give it a go as the bed was. I continually woke up throughout the night. Now I know I should have gotten out of bed and fixed the problem, but as cold as it was in bed it was all the more colder outside of the bed and who would want to go out in the cold? Not me of course—rather stupid.

Overall the day was a success. Went to town to do some errands which was most of the morning, was back on the Island by noon. In the afternoon when opening up the North doors to the dining room of the main house a humming bird came up to the breezeway entrance to the North patio and inspected a large pink candle shaped like a flower. The bird quickly realized it was not a flower and so then flew off. It was nice to see a humming bird.

I am quite certain I heard the call of a loon this morning, I hope to hear it more often.

After dinner I went for a kayak following the West shore around Fish point following the shoreline all the way around Basin Bay to Cotton point, then returned to the Island coming up along the East side of Three Brother Islands. Just this morning on my way into town I noted to myself how where the boat is docked on Green Island is very well protected, the only time it faces the wind is when the wind comes from a Westerly direction and how the wind so rarely comes from a Westerly direction. In my experience I have only seen it happen a couple of times at most, and sure enough which direction does the wind come from for the day but the West. So now my couple have become a few. It was for this reason, the wind coming from the West, that I chose to paddle down to Basin Bay. I don’t usually go South on the Lake. Basin Bay is quite sandy. While paddling along the shore of Basin Bay, the South West corner to be exact, I was looking East when I then looked down to see there on the Lake floor the sand made a drastic change in composition, more pebbly than sandy, and these pebbles formed a distinct shape, a “V”, well that signaled none other than the silt from a stream, so I immediately looked West to shore and sure enough there was a current coming from the mouth of a stream.

Lake George is filled from underground springs, and streams and rivers, the former contributing 40%, the latter 60%, give or take. So far I have seen at least three possibly four of the streams and rivers that contribute to George. On my trip around the Lake I shall make a point of noting the rest.

While kayaking I noticed that parts of Basin bay afford a nice view of Pilot Knob Mountain and its surrounding mountains. Also, the view up the lake from Cotton Point is very nice too.

After kayaking I did dishes then burned brush and pine needles for two hours during the night. The pile is so big I may very well end up burning needles for the entire summer.

End Journal Entry for 6/1/2003
Coming tomorrow the Caretaker’s journal entry for 6/2/2003.

TCC for 2/9/09

TCC for 2/9/09

Posting of the Caretaker’s Journal entries from 2003 began on the 2nd of February 2009, if you’ve missed the earlier posts click on “TCC for Feb 02” on the left in the “Blog Archive” and begin reading from there.

Unfortunately the Caretaker is currently having some trouble uploading photos, not that he took any today, and there really isn't much to report, so instead the Caretaker has decided to dig out his journal from when he first started working again at the Island. His first stint was during the mid-nineties, then he returned for the Summer of 2003, the text that follows has been edited only for spelling, it is basically a verbatim transcription from his journal (thus unedited except for coherency), this eighth entry is from his eighth day back at the Island. It is as follows:

June 1st, 2003, Sunday

The wind did carry over from the night, lasted until the end of the afternoon, made for a somewhat chilly day—see your breath. The first thing I did this morning was take the paper cup out into the wind and the waves. Some of the waves were about three feet, and eight and a half feet of canoe does not make for dry paddling. I took the paper cup out and around Sloop Island and then back to the Island to drain the water out of the boat then ate breakfast. After breakfast I took the canoe out again, but soon realized that if I stay out much longer I will swamp the canoe. Now if the water was warmer it would have been fun, but it wasn’t warm and so fun it would not be. Quickly realizing this I returned to the dock, drained out the water and put it away on shore.

With the waves proving to be too much for the paper cup I opted for one of B’s sea kayaks. Personally I prefer a canoe but without a larger one on hand I had to go with a kayak. I paddled out to Gull Rock, but without a skirt I was taking on water so opted to return to the Island for one. After putting on the skirt and attaching it to the kayak I decided to paddle around Green Island. The way out there was much fun and excitement in the rolling waves, much of the South side and all of the West side of Green Island were in the lee of the wind so it made for very calm waters, then I hit the wind again on the North and East side of the Island. The return trip was with the wind which there was plenty of, a very good time paddling.

I would like to paddle the entire lake, preferably in a canoe, but if all I end up having at my disposal is the paper cup I will have to instead use a sea kayak. Have to wait and see.

When I first woke up and got out and about on the Island this morning I saw the Bolton Landing fire and rescue boat was anchored in the lee of the Island, they were doing practice dives. Upon my return from kayaking around Green Island and after pulling the kayak out of the water one of the guys on the boat called over to me:

“Do you have any jumper cables?”

I said I’ll check. There weren’t any on the Island. I told them sorry I had none, but is there anything else I could do? They said no, they have a cell phone and someone is on the way to help. I wished them luck then went about my business slightly bummed I could not help rescue the Rescue boat. Eventually someone came and rescued the Rescue boat with a set of jumper cables. It started up fine and off they went.

Other than that the rest of the day wasn’t too exciting, most of the remainder of the day was spent inside due to the cold high winds. I mostly worked on the Ghetto and things in the main house. The weather this coming week is due to be warm and sunny, I hope so, I would like a change from the cold and the clouds.

End Journal Entry for 6/1/2003
Coming tomorrow the Caretaker’s journal entry for 6/2/2003.