The bloom I spoke of coming off the rose for the MacGilvras did not die for several more days. Edgar talked to them and found they were still in residence, but planning to leave on the 25th. Even though town water was off they were able to get drinking water from the spring at the Weltys, keeping true the name Isle Of Springs, rather than Isle of Town Water. Lugging from the pond seemed sufficient for their other needs. As Keith told Ed, Deb came for two days and stayed a month!

Other than that, news from the island is that the private float has been disconnected and the Morrell whaler is gone from Sawyers.

Jane Welty e-mailed when she returned from helping brother Bob get to his winter home in Ft. Myers. Jan said they were so busy she did not have a chance to call Phyl Webster. It was a two-day drive for her to go from his summer home in Beech Mt., N.C. down to Florida. Her remark was, "It was hot down there." Colorado was beautiful on her return, meaning less hot I guess for she refers to snow which has melted, flowers which have been hit by frost and most of the leaves off the trees. For leaf peeping she says she was at the peak in N.C. where she thinks the colors were as good as New England. Now with the New England Red Sox playing the Colorado Rockies in the World Series it remains to be seen which one of us will host the others for a celebratory or consolation libation on the island next summer.

June Sturgis daughter, Peggy Aker, wants the island community to know how grateful that family was for their love, care, cards and support during their Mom's two-year battle with cancer. She said that she speaks for Tom and Parker too, when she thanks everyone for their cards, prayers, and donations after June's death in July. She was a valued member of our community, especially in the area of music for our Sunday night church services. As to her family, she has let me know that daughter Elizabeth is being treated by a retina specialist for a condition called Idiopathic Choroidial Neovascular Membrane. She has already had two shots in her right eye to reduce the size of the blood vessel. Brooks is recuperating from a fractured collarbone and a sprained wrist following a collision with a youth advisor on a recent church retreat. His sporting days are curtailed for six weeks so he will miss the beginning of basketball season. I ask, "What was he playing when it happened?" Peg and Greg are fine, but taking things one day at a time. We hope for success with the treatments for Elizabeth and fast healing for Brooks.

Nicki Patterson e-mailed me lots of news of her family. Andrew is a part-time student at UNH working on his master's thesis, but no classes. He does have a part-time job at a brewery working in the kitchen. It is the same brewery which sponsored a race he won last spring. He's enjoying the job and the company discounts. He is still running road races with a team and was in Maine for a cross-country race a couple of weeks ago, and ran on a course he used to run in high school. He really enjoys being on a team again. His job hunting is difficult, even though his area is justice studies. The thesis is on Cyber Terrorism, a hot topic but not an easy area in which to find a job. Sarah, a senior at Connecticut College is a House Fellow, responsible for an entire dorm. Not much fun when two of her freshmen were caught by security with drugs and weapons. I hope that's two less she has to oversee. She has been chosen as a Fulbright Scholar applicant, which is a great honor. Honor it may be, but you must find agencies and universities in her chosen country to sponsor her. Spain is where she wants to be. Her proposal involves Granada, plus two months in Morocco. Spain is considered a highly competitive country that looks for graduate level Fulbrights. Her proposal has been sent to national and now it's a waiting game until spring. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Neil and Nicki attended fall weekend and enjoyed a dinner put on by the group that sponsored Sarah's internship in Madrid last year. They attended a Flamingo dance show but a group that was visiting campus and it was a fantastic group that is based in N.Y.C., and most appropriate to Sarah's Spanish experience. Unfortunately later that night Sarah broke her foot at a dance the students had, so she took herself to the emergency room the next morning. Because of that she has had to drop an African dance class which helped fulfill her arts credit. No running or jumping for six weeks. She'll have to pick up that credit in the spring. She is wearing the "boot" given to her in the hospital since she only has flip-flops! Neil and Nicki will fly to Florida the end of the month to check the house they've not seen since March. Avoiding the Halloween tricksters?