Tue 3 Apr Fishing guru George Malusky let drop a gem the other day when he noted that the shad would not start running until the water temperature reaches 53 degrees. Fisherpersons are reminded that the temperature given in the Caretaker's Log is taken from the Little Falls gauge where the new fish ladder is... and so should be accurate for the water temp there... and here. But something must be out there because the river is now covered with diving and fishing cormorants.

Star Mitchell has called to say that the Annual Downriver Whitewater Race will be held on Saturday, 9 June. The endpoint of the race is Sycamore Island, where there is daylong frivolity. All Islanders with a fondness for canoeing should consider entering... and all Islanders, including waiting list folks, should consider the event a perfect reason to be on the Island.

Wed 4 Apr Your caretaker has decided upon the subject of his presentation to the annual Caretaker's Convention. Of course, all such staff has, by job description, intimate knowledge of all on-site porcelain, but only at such an event can esoteric trivia of such arcania be shared and appreciated. Sycamore Island has antique porcelain from the art deco period, and surely the slide presentation being prepared for the convention will be a showstopper. It is in the spring when such appreciation runs high... when every square inch is lovingly caressed with pine-sol. But Members who are also aficionados are urged to come appreciate early in the year, before high traffic causes frequent use to outpace the loving caresses.

Mon 9 Apr If you are reading this and it is still Monday... log off immediately and rush down here. It is glorious. We have declared the first caretaker-in-shorts day. It is also the first day of large groups swimming at the rope swing tree... pretty reckless considering the river is less than half a foot under the officially hazardous status and the water temp is only 56 degrees.

Wed 11 Apr Look for the violets lining the walkway... and everywhere else on the Island. Never have we seen so many trout lilies... or so many in bloom. On the Island we have the traditional blue periwinkle, or creeping myrtle. But have you ever noticed that near the ferry landing at the towpath there is a white variety? Now should be the time to make your way down to catch the peak performance of the bluebells.

Mon 16 Apr Since the Alison Thresher disappearance from the nearby towpath the Caretaker's Wife carries a 2-way radio for security when travelling between the Island and the car. The Island radio is kept on in her absence. It was surprising when the radio came to life at approximately 1245 hrs... surprising mainly because the conversation was in Chinese... and... by range and definition... very near our Island and other neighbors. The timing on this is so incredible it can only be a joke of the Gods. Then... at 1345 hrs a large, official looking, black helicopter with lots of special antenna came cruising casually by at treetop level. The imagination is a wonderful thing.

Tue 17 Apr What a difference a week makes!! Virginia is disappearing behind a soft green wall of leaf and the hill path down to the Island is known less and less visually and more and more audibly. Suddenly, insects are everywhere... and we begin to hear the distant sounds of fish jumping. Last night at dusk a very large flock of sea gulls could be seen circling the river just up from the fish ladder. It looked just like something one would see on National Geographic when gulls are in a feeding frenzy above a school of fish. This could be good news and bad news for our fisher persons... the ladder is working and something is getting up... but what is getting up is feeding waterfowl and not swallowing hooks. And then... anything getting past the gulls has to brave over a hundred cormorants at Ruppert's Island.

Wed 18 Apr The Island is closed today primarily because of the high water... but would be closed in any event by the high winds... which are sustained above 20 mph. Members are reminded that high winds can render the ferry inoperable just as high water or ice can. Sometimes you just cannot get here from there.

Thu 19 Apr The goose nesting in the tree root ball near the Captain's float has been out of her nest a lot lately, so the nest was inspected and only broken shell was found. This is the second nest on the Island to be plundered this season. There have been many "cries in the night" on the Island lately... often heralding that somewhere life has become dinner.

Our lucky Island kitties listen unafraid to these goings on from the security of the screen porch... content to salivate only at the sound of a can opener. What a metaphor for our safe, soft, comfortable, smug, American culture. On most of the rest of the planet even the human animals listen fearfully in lawless urban jungles for "cries in the night". God Bless America!

Fri 20 Apr This is the weekend to be on the Island to catch the peak of the bluebells... with a supporting cast of flowering: trout lilies, Dutchman's breeches, violets, star of Bethlehem, marsh marigolds, bleeding hearts, creeping myrtle, dog toothed violets, pink beauties, Solomon's seal, etc. Because the geese are doing such a good job of cropping the grass... the Island looks like a wildflower garden growing out of a putting green. The bluebells are of such a height that one can sit on the lawn... seemingly alone... and be constantly surprised by slender goose necks rising from the bluebells... looking around... and then disappearing amidst the blue. Like some Saturday morning cartoon.

Sat 21 Apr Everyone on the waiting list was invited to attend an orientation that commenced at 1000 hrs and was conducted by Jeff Komarow's committee of Tryon Wells, Tove Elfstrom, George Malusky, and Jane Winer. A Caretaker's Tour of the Island was part of the process. Departing attendees were vocal in their opinions that such an orientation was a great idea and that this program in particular was well done. Especially appreciated seemed to be the mass of specific and practical information about the Club and about using the Island that, left to their own devices, might take new Members years to stumble across. The responsibilities of Membership were made clear and basic rules were covered. The committee provided several written handouts and these will be incorporated in the Red Book upstairs and thus available to everyone. Certainly it is the opinion of this observer that those Members who have been concerned regarding the transmission of Club traditions and heritage would have been well pleased.

Tue 24 Apr With this heat one might think spring had come and gone... were it not for duck frolic. The ducks are cavorting... all the time... loudly. The sounds of duck frolic are unique and unmistakable. Yesterday in the early evening one could feel honoured to sit and listen... as though being allowed to participate in one of the Mysteries of Life. But by midnight it was beginning to be a bit much. Ducks are obviously master cavorters of some endurance... after all... it is over a month since this log reported flagrant and mindless and obscene duck cavorting in public daylight as a ferry full of people docked.

Fri 27 Apr Although the bluebells have peaked... the exciting news to report is the great number of babies or first year plants that are still coming on and may yet bloom. Bluebells, trout lilies, violets, Solomon's seal, and especially the rare Dutchman's breeches have multiplied incredibly... although being perennials they will not be in their glory until next year. This is a direct result of not mowing the lawn until after the wildflowers have set seed... and we ask the Member's indulgence again this year.

Sat 28 Apr There were 90 people signed in for today's Spring Workfest. The task list ran to two pages... yet almost everything was accomplished. There were simply too many outstanding contributions deserving of mention in the dispatches to be enumerated here. This means the Club deserves a special unit citation for its performance as a group enterprise. Members... you were awesome... take a bow.

Excerpted from the Caretaker's Log at sycamoreisland.org

-- Doc Taliaferro, Sycamore Island Caretaker