March 2026 Island Trip – Day 6

We just returned from dinner at our fav wee restaurant in town. As usual, it was a delicious delight. We did get the sad news that they’re closing by the end of the year 😢. Their landlord doesn’t want a ‘bar’ in the building anymore. The landlord’s daughter wants them to stay, but she’s not the decision maker. The restaurant owner said, “We looked on and off island for potential places to reopen. I just don’t have it in me to restart, rebrand… I’m 75. It’s time to retire.” He said this with resolve rather than regret.

The gang was back today working on gutter drainage and buttoning up the wall above the window in the pump room where all the framing had rotted out due to the formerly leaking roof.

I spent time moving shelving around the lower barn (with a hand truck), and generally attempting to ‘move in’ to the space. None of it is written in stone, and certainly I didn’t move any of the seriously heavy things. I want to start using the space, and figure out the flow before addressing the heavy lifting.

While moving things about, I created an amazing amount of cardboard that we’ll take back with us. A new oil heater came in today, shipped in its own box, in a bigger box. I unpacked an outdoor two-burner propane ‘stove,’ and broke down the box that a couple of big jacks came in. We can recycle this for free on the mainland. Not so on the Island.

A quick run to the hardware store, yielded, among other things, picture hooks. I was able to finish putting a framed print on the lower barn wall. It’s a piece about an organization that was very important to my parents.

Mom’s bottles will be done being cleaned and corked (to keep the damn bugs out of them) by tomorrow. This is big sentimental place for me. Not only because it was an important collection for her, but because where my DH and I went to summer camp had a collection (10 fold) of the same. It kinda represents being home somehow.