Today is a beautiful fall day with a bright blue sky and a cool breeze blowing down the river. Every so often a black walnut drops out of the tree and hits the tin roof of the canoe shed, sounding like a firecracker or a gunshot. There is a good crop of wild persimmons this year and there have been lots of pawpaws, but there have also been a lot of squirrels preparing for winter.

The wood ducks and warblers are passing through. We still get goldfinches at the feeder but the hummingbirds have gone. Day before yesterday Holly and I spotted a barred owl sitting in a tree next to the path going up the hill. It's the first owl I've seen near the Island and we hope it stays a while.

The beavers are starting to munch down the trees so let me know if you see any fresh teeth marks in the bark and I'll wrap the trunk in chicken wire.

We had a small but dedicated crew at the last work session: Ann Kip and her daughters Julia and Amy, Robert Henry and his children Margaret and Michael, Betty Burchell, Esther Delaplaine, Stan Cohen, Holly Syrrakos and myself. We attacked the nettles and the kudzu, cleaned upstairs, carried wood up to the stove, and brought the swim float into shore. A special thanks to Renee Dunham who came last week and weeded some of the thorny plants out of the lawn.

The next work session is on Sunday October 17, any time after 10 AM. We need to gather more wood for winter, pull down some more vines and prepare for the big workfest in November.

Autumn is a beautiful time on the Island. Be sure to come and enjoy it.

-- Peter Jones, Sycamore Island Caretaker