July 6
So much has happened since my last entry back on June 23 that I don't know where to begin. First, I feel very fortunate that the Island was not completely washed away by the recent rains, and my heart goes out to those who weren't as lucky. I was sure that I would have to cut my vacation short and rush back to the Island to rescue my things; but the river gods were smiling on me and I was able to stay in Bethany Beach (where it wasn't even raining). The Island is back to normal except that the swim float is still over 100 yards downstream from the Island. I think it would have gone over the dam if it were not for the heroics of Tryon Wells, Dave Winer, and my friend and substitute caretaker Dominique Maggio who came down in the rain to tie it to a tree.

We had ten canoes venturing onto the river at sunset on Tuesday night to watch the fireworks. It was so much fun paddling in the moonlight and we weren't disappointed by the fireworks either. What a show!

The roof above the Club kitchen has gone bad and I pulled two very wet and ant-infested planks down from the ceiling. John Matthews and son were down to assess the damage and it looks like the roof will need to be replaced.

July 7
I noticed last night that we lost a large black walnut tree. It must have fallen during that first wave of heavy rainfall we had two weeks ago. It damaged some other trees and left a big hole in the canopy. The heavy rains eroded much of the topsoil on the Island and now the bulbs of the blue bells can be seen poking out of the washed-out hillsides. The rain also carved out miniature canyons and made little mesas where there was a pebble or a stone to keep the dirt from washing away. Some of these stones caught my eye and, after examining them, I think they may be chips from making arrowheads.

July 9
Tryon and I went out to rescue the swim float on Friday. These kinds of projects are never straight-forward and always require a bit of creativity and a lot of back work. Tryon arrived with 200 feet of rope. After gathering the necessary tools, among them my climbing ascender for gripping the rope, we paddled out to the wayward float. Our plan was not to get the float back in position, but to merely free the anchor and get it to safe harbor. There was a very impressive length of rope holding the float to a tree on the Island; and, of course, this rope was a magnet for large trees and debris, making our task that much more challenging. Convinced that the anchor was indeed stuck we planned to secure a new line to the Maryland shore and then cut the other line in the hopes that this would free the anchor. The wind was blowing pretty hard down river and Tryon had a tough time starting off with his 200-foot line. The wind died briefly; Tryon got close to the shore, but he was still thirty feet from the closest tree.

Then the back work started. I cut the old line and sent the float adrift and, while Tryon feverishly paddled toward the shore, I began to pull on the anchor rope. Whatever we did seemed to help because I was able to gather in a lot of anchor line and, with all my might, I held the anchor off the river bottom while Tryon towed us in. Tryon finally reached the trashy shore and with a groan I dropped the anchor. It was inspirational the way Tryon fearlessly stepped off the boat into the thick, wet and smelly mud to reach a tree on the bank. Now that our anchor was free, our next task was to retrieve the other rope, the one with the snag of trees stuck to it. It took some time, but we managed to free the rope. Once again, Tryon heroically braved the mud to refasten the rope on the Island so that it would reach the float. Once we had a new line from the Island to the float we cut the line to the mainland, hoisted anchor, and pulled the float up close to the Island. We decided to wait until we had more help to get the swim float back to its proper place. It might not sound like a lot of work but it took the two of us over three hours to accomplish.

July 10
The swim float is now back in it's proper place thanks to the hard work of a few devoted members. Tryon Wells, Bruce Gaber, Mac Thornton, Andre Thornton, John Membrino and I gathered on the Island yesterday at about noon and went to work. I put on my waders and did my part by holding the float from the shore while the five of them manned canoes. It was no simple job and I'm sure it was entertaining to watch us as we slopped through the mud on the bank trying to keep the float from getting snagged. Tove and Susan Elfstrom also showed up in time to take pictures and add some crucial assistance. Happily, the wind was blowing up river and a lot of muscle power was all we needed to get the swim float operational again, well almost, I still need to attach the ladder. Thanks to everyone who helped and to those that wanted to help but couldn't make it.

July 11
I just met long-time member Joe O'Boyle. Joe is a plumber and he very generously offered to help me fix the outdoor shower. I visited him at his home on Iroquois Road, a house he built, with help from John Matthews, back in 1953. I found him in his surprisingly large back yard where he had two sheds full of plumbing parts and a kennel for his award-winning beagles. It was great to hear him talk about the way the area has changed as he patiently fiddled with our broken faucet. His was one of the first houses in the area. Back in '53 when he moved in there was still a working truck farm next door. He said he had to put up a fence to keep the chickens out of his wife's flowers. He also told me about a log cabin that used to be at the end of the street. I watched as his expert hands loosened the rusty fittings and replaced the worn parts, stopping occasionally to spit tobacco. I found out that his wife, Pauline, is bedridden but Joe still takes on some plumbing work even with his two replaced shoulders and one replaced knee. I'll have to find more plumbing work for him to help me with so I can hear some more of his old-timer stories.

July 21
I called Louise Rogers yesterday. She and her husband George Rogers were the ones who lived at and operated the Sycamore Store for all those years. I'm sorry to report that George died about a year ago, but Louise was very glad to hear from me and very interested in all the happenings around Sycamore Island. I told her that I would forward my Islanders to her and she said she would love that.

-- Joe Hage, Sycamore Island Caretaker