Post by Oakely Jackson, Program Instructor
We have been wrapped up in the bustle of summer for several months now. The peak of the season has been marked by a full harbor, a dock jam-packed with tenders and pleasure cruisers and the island alive with plants and programs. As the so called “Mayor of Hurricane” (I am honored Bob) I have been keeping track of the comings and goings of the island and playing host to the masses, which have been as many as fifty people at times. That many individuals can sure go through a lot of TP, water and Goldfish. We are kept busy raking the composting toilets flat, filling our beloved blue water jugs on Vinalhaven, and keeping enough vittles on the table.
Our dishes have been supplemented with greens and veggies from our gardens. The straw bale garden is over-flowing with squash, cucumbers, broccoli and green tomatoes. The berries are also in season and most guests leave the island with raspberry stained fingers. We now have a hive of honey bees on the island and the multitude of wildflowers are constantly being plundered of their pollen. In order to provide the bees with a greater variety of options we put in a new flower garden between the flywheel and Sam’s cabin. Although we have out-witted the deer (I have seen several does and a buck this summer) with our new and improved fencing, we opted to not fence the flowers and there has been a lot of nibbling going on… R.I.P. sunflowers.
Even with plenty of summer left, I am getting the sense that things are starting to wind down. With only a few summer programs to go and the interns leaving soon it is sad to admit that another season is coming to a close. In the three years I have been on Hurricane, for the first time this summer it has felt like we truly have a functioning community with enough people to run the island and the type of team cohesion that gets you excited to go to morning meeting. A major role in any community is the cook, and Micah brought us all together in the galley, both with the production of food and the sharing of meals. Micah is a techno-crazed magician who can produce the most scrumptious food while never missing a beat. Micah is now off to another island, this time in the Bahamas, and we are left to wonder when the next time we will eat beans out of a pressure cooker will be. You will be missed dearly Bean King, go forth and prosper!
