Family Adventure - Day Three (Sunday)

Before we all forget the happenings of the family visit, I'll try to write about the last bit.  We were all very excited to have seen the hatchling emergence.  Even though we didn't get home until 1AM, Steve, Kevin, Jen and I still had to wake up early and hit the beaches, giving our parents the morning off.  Steve and Kevin went to the north end, meeting Jill Stuckey from GADNR.  She was visiting the island and Mrs. West and wanted to get some photos of live hatchlings.  She accompanied the boys over to North Middle where they had two inventories to do.  Unfortunately for Jill, there were no live hatchlings from the nests.  Steve and Kevin helped get her and the camera gear safely across the creek and then patrolled Bradley.  They found a false crawl, giving Kevin an idea of what the adult female does.

Jen and I worked the south end.  We had two inventories, one on South and one on South Middle.  Working South Middle was fun, taking Jen on the kayak and then the ATV.  We excavated SM5 together.  We found one live turtle that still had lots of energy.  Jen named him Louie.  After we saw Louie off in the water, we returned to count the egg remains.  Soon we finished the patrol and headed for home.  I took Jen on the South End Roads, showing her the western side of the island and the older forest.  When we arrived at the guest house, the boys were already there.  Mom cooked breakfast for lunch and then we hung around for a bit, trying to decide how to spend the last afternoon.

Our last tour took the family to the Clubhouse, Boarding House, and Tabby cabins.  After much oohing and ahhing, we returned to the guest house as we awaited permission to enter Mrs. West's property.  Once we got the go ahead, we packed up treats for the horses.  We first stopped at the stables and called the horses over.  After some hesitation from Pheonix, he decided the group was safe and approached Jen for some watermelon and carrots.  Soon the girls, Cela and Poco, and Christmas Goose were around for treats as well.

After we ran out of food, we headed to the Main House.  We were offered a tour by Jill, which was definitely an unexpected gift.  We went room by room, enthralled by the original detail still left in the house.  The artwork, book, and natural relic collections illustrate just some of the greatness that surrounds Mrs. West.  This opportunity really completed my family's visit.

We returned home for dinner and down time.  Sadly, we only caught 7 blue crabs, so the crab feast turned into a BBQ.  Steve and I headed home by 9, having a super crazy Sunday ahead of us.  I woke early, and hit Bradley Beach.  I had inventories to do before I had to return to the guest house and take my family to the dock.  What I thought could be completed before 845 wasn't even close, especially since I also had two new nests, both relocated.  I worked quickly to do as much as possible, but after I took them to the dock, I knew I still had to return to the beach and fight the midday heat.  I saw them off, as well as Codey's dad.  After a brief stop at the guest house to repack my turtle gear, I headed back to the beach.  I finished several hours later, overheated and exhausted.  Steve and I slept most of the afternoon and all through the night.  As tired as we were though, nothing beats a visit from family.  Thanks for coming to see us!