Those Socks

Those shoes, those socks. 

God's Mercy Bike

Amen.  Now that's a bike. 

Hurricane Katia's Gift

 Hurricane Katia was pretty friendly to us islanders a few weeks ago.  Long period groundswell stirred up from way out to sea combined with beautiful sunshiny skies made for a perfect day in the water.  This spot featured here is getting to be pretty well known (as evidenced by the crowds) but I went to another place in the morning that was much bigger--and top secret.  The top secret spot also cost me a surfboard, snapped in half by the sheer force of the water.  I'll be back soon...
(photos by Kathryn Kirby)

Fruit Loopy Penguins

 Hiya everyone... we've finished our voyage east and now I can start to take a look back at all the adventures that have taken place over the last couple months.  Miles Island will be looking a little more tropical in upcoming posts, so I thought I'd do a post about our local penguins before I forget about them.

Pictured above, we have a local resident peacefully eating her fruit loops...

 But suddenly she hears a disturbing waddling sound behind her.

 Please feed us! the local penguins cry out.  (They're actually not that hungry since they're quite well-fed, but they pretend to be so when sugary cereal is available)

 Ah, ok, says Amy.

Yum, say the penguins.  Do you have another spoon?

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Tomorrow we leave on our epic journey East.  We shall voyage on the Dawn Treader.

So then:  To bed!  For we rise at daybreak!  We shall rise with the dawn.  For we leave at first light!

Although we may have a run first, in order to loosen up.


Thus, to bed!  Sleep the sleep of a thousand martyrs.  For at daybreak, we will breakfast.   And we shall leave with the wind to our back.


To bed! For we leave at 9:30.  Ish.


(I would love to do a costume drama along the way, perhaps among the lawns of suburban Illinois.) 

Island Animals

 This weekend I got to see my favorite animal: a puffin.  I used to sign my name with a little puffin drawing, and I think it's one of the only things I would draw whenever I could get my hands on colored pencils.  Now I've seen them flying around and swimming on top of the sea in their natural habitat... some day I'll hopefully see them swim and fly underwater, where they're at their most graceful.  Did you know they spend their entire lives at sea and only come to shore to breed?  

It's been an incredible time for wildlife on the island the past few days, and below is a small sampling of what we've been seeing lately...

 

 

 

 

Jumping in Mountains

 Miles Island has...

 Salmon...

 Glaciers...

 Reindeer...

 Jumping...

 Mountains for dayhiking...

 And more jumping...