Wed 8 Nov A Member and his fishing buddy were down this morning, and when they rang the bell it was a lesson for us all. You may recall that Tryon Wells and John Matthews made adjustments to the newish large bell now hanging in the hickory tree near the deck. This is a large, clear bell that can be heard almost everywhere on the Island, and placed especially so that it may be heard by a substitute caretaker in the warm room during the winter when the doors and windows are closed. But it was also hoped that it would be heard further afield on the Virginia side of the Island... wind direction and intensity permitting. Well... today it was not. The would-be fishermen were left ignored on the landing while the Caretaker was puttering at the top of the Island. Mea Culpa. One problem is that one still must swing the rope greatly to activate the big bell. Doing the usual casual swing will only activate the cow bell and the bell near the Caretaker's quarters. So Members take note... do not be afraid to swing the rope vigorously if your first polite attempt does not result in a prompt ferryperson after a couple of minutes... and listen for the hickory tree bell.

The Caretaker is, of course, disappointed somewhat... having hoped that the new bell arrangement would allow him to visit the nether reaches of the island more frequently. Therefore, the old protocol of caretakers being restricted to the middle of the Island will be resumed, and should be continued by all substitute caretakers. However, attempting a serious swing to ring the hickory tree bell should be done only after no response is apparent to a first or second ring, and this is the way it should be, because if we attempt to adjust it to ring every time as the other two bells are, no one will be able to sit on the deck near the hickory tree bell when the ferry is in operation.

Thu 9 Nov Finally it is raining (well, drizzling, anyway), after the driest October in recorded history, and thus certain materials, especially the wood torn out of the walls in the warm room, can be "disappeared." This being a semi-public record one might not wish to go into details, but it has always been fascinating how one little wooden twig, with a tip coated with phosphorus and sulphur, can reduce great piles of material to constituent elements.

This is an onerous all day chore, requiring constant attendance, water hose at the ready, all other responsibilities in abeyance, a large area raked and cleared, and little if any wind. Other things that "disappeared" included a couple of years of horticulture magazine, treasured but until today un-revisited copies of Texas Highways, many New Yorker magazines (interestingly, a magazine that more than a few Members can not bear to throw away and thus is brought down and left for the elucidation of others), and almost twenty years of various canoeing magazines... although a 1984 issue of Canoe magazine featuring Cruising the Yukon with Robert Service was saved. You have all been there, that moment when previously cherished words and pictures are being consigned to history's final dissolution... those sweet/sad moments of the last flip-through.

Yes... it was an onerous day to have to spend out of doors... the warm, light drizzle... no Members... the fall colors... that certain quality of light... please, please, don't throw me into that briar patch again.

Mon 13 Nov Would you believe that the noon weather actually had an announcement that this was National Storm Preparedness Week? Some well-meaning bureaucrat has issued this from somewhere intending, one imagines, to turn our thoughts to getting ready for the coming cold season. This is an alert that, like the squirrels, one should hasten to gather one's nuts before the approaching storm. Frivolous one might think, except that even now snow storms rage in the Dakotas where, like some other parts of the country, the weather is such an integral and serious component of people's lives that no warning is needed because the outdoor condition is too frequently "in your face." Unlike here, where we bask in that best of all outdoor places, a "Zone 7" gardening zone. And being basically urban and hence disconnected from the natural environment except by deliberate effort, perhaps it is wise the bell be rung to draw our attention to the obvious. The fable of the preparing ant and the playful grasshopper springs to mind.

Wed 15 Nov So there they sat yesterday... outside in the cold... Miss T and the Caretaker... who was performing his assigned duties as warm cat lap... as the 5 o'clock Florida deadline came that would allegedly determine the leader of the free world. What to do... rush inside and stare at the box with the rest of this country? Safe to say, no toilets in this town were being flushed at or just past the top of the hour. Despite the cold, a magnificent dusk was in progress... a phenomenon that would not be repeated, unlike the indoor punditry. The priorities seemed clear... dusk witness must be performed... the free world must get along as best it can... the cat must not be displeased.

Wed 22 Nov Lest there be any doubt... the temp fell to 26 degrees last night on the Island... and winter has arrived down where. Previously we have been sheltered somewhat by the microclimate dictated by the surrounding water temperature, but you will note that the river temp has now fallen to 38 degrees. This means we have reached the seasonal cross over point where river temperatures no longer moderate the Island temperatures but instead will keep them below what y'all will experience "up the hill" in the real world. So, should Indian Summer visit, and the desire to flee urban conditioning and take refuge once more in beauty win out... remember to bring one more layer with you when you come down here.

Fri 24 Nov The first indication of how bad it was came upon returning late at night from Thanksgiving frivolities when the Caretaker's Wife exclaimed "Oh no... we know what that sound is." Well folks... "That sound" is unique... and occurs when the ferry is breaking ice. Sure enough, this morning the slough was frozen three quarters of the way across... the slough being the side of the river between the Maryland shore and the Island. Unfortunately, the ice had to be broken through to answer the bell at 0800 hrs to get a contractor working on winterising the quarters. More unfortunately... over night the shrimp had danced with the truffles and it was a bleary and groggy Caretaker that answered the bell. The moral of the story? Take the alka seltzer before going to bed, not at 3 AM.

Thu 30 Nov A Member has asked about the responsibility and authority that can be exercised by Substitute Caretakers. The story that raises the question has to do with an early spring Sunday when a new Member who did not seem to know his way about took his family out in a canoe on a day when it was not wise. The Substitute Caretakers advised against it and the situation was such, with approaching storm and wind, that had they felt empowered with sufficient authority they would have forbade it.

We have oft suggested that a Substitute Caretaker should function, in military parlance, as the responsible Duty Officer, and thus represent all responsible authority of the Club subject to an appeal to the Club Captain. In fact, the Florida Supreme Court (known to accept silly petitions) would probably rule that unlike a regular caretaker, who is after all an employee... a Substitute Caretaker, by definition a Member and hence part owner of the Club, must have powers and authority on the Island second only to God.

Fri 1 Dec You will notice in the parking lot on the parkway that there are some colored stakes driven into the ground near the two trash receptacles. Happening by when Park Service employees were installing them, the Caretaker inquired as to their use. Seems they are not at all related to the trash receptacles... but are instead located to mark the location of the metal gratings of the storm drains. Why...? Well, seems these poles are so the drivers of the snowploughs will know where the drains are. We do not remember this from last year. Considering that these poles are taller even than the trash cans... one can only ponder what the Park Service must know about the coming winter snows that we do not.

Excerpted from the Caretaker's Log at sycamoreisland.org

-- Doc Taliaferro, Sycamore Island Caretaker