Today we packed up and went home to Mount Sinai. In the morning, John and Philomena rode to Bartlett’s Farm and picked up breakfast for us. After we ate, Philomena and John rode their bikes into town, and Mom dropped me and Frankie off at the end of West Chester Street. We rode in to meet them before she went back to finish closing up the house. On the way, we stopped by Paul’s house to say goodbye to him, Perry, Ariele, and the kids, Millie and Cameron.

While we were riding into town, Frankie’s chain fell off his bike again, and he got a little bit hurt, but he was very brave. We took it to Young’s Bike Shop downtown on Steamboat Wharf, and the mechanic had it fixed and running beautifully in just about five minutes. We had our final lunch together at The Tavern and then got ice cream at the Juice Bar, which is our custom. By this time, Mom had finished closing up the house and drove down to Steamboat Wharf to get the car lined up to get on the ferry. The kids did their last little shopping adventure, and then we got on the ferry and started our journey home. We got home around 2 in the morning, but we arrived safe and sound, and now it’s time to get ready for another school year to begin.

This was our last full day on Nantucket for the summer. We went into town together, and the boys found some other kids to play baseball with at Children’s Beach. Afterward, we got ice cream together at the Juice Bar. From there, the boys rode their bikes out to Eli’s house and enjoyed an afternoon in the pool.

Philomena and I took a walk in town together and returned the library books we had borrowed, as well as hunted around for a visor for Mom’s friend. Mom came and picked us up and brought us home. After that, Philomena and I worked together to prune a tree away from the house, and she got to use a ladder to seal a hole as well. It was the first time Philomena got to use a saw, and she did great at it.

We ordered a pizza from Sophie T’s Pizza, and Mom met the boys at the hospital to give them a ride home the rest of the way. Tomorrow, we have a reservation for the 5:30 p.m. boat, and that means at this time tomorrow the house will be cleaned up and closed up and drained of water, and we will be on our way back to New York.

Today John went over to Eli’s house and played catch and went swimming in the pool. Eli gave John a tour of Moors End Farm, and John got to try corn picked straight off the stalk. He thought it was delicious. Philomena and I went to the hardware store to get some stuff, then had sandwiches from Henry’s. Afterward, John met us at Duck Pond. I flew my drone over the salt marshes and the harbor. Then we went to Kitty Murtagh’s for a little pool and dinner. Later, Philomena and John rode home, and Mom came to pick me up.

Today we had a lazy morning, but Philomena, John, and I rode bikes down to the center of town where they went to the thrift shop and found some treasures. Then we went to the Whaling Museum because it looked like it was going to rain. There were a lot of interesting things and exhibits there detailing Nantucket’s whaling history. Nantucket was once the whaling capital of the world in the 19th century, and the museum showcases artifacts, including a massive sperm whale skeleton that washed ashore in 1998.

When the rain let up, Philomena and John rode home while I waited for Mom to pick me up. Then we went home with dinner we picked up from Sayle’s Seafood, and Mom and I enjoyed a dinner of belly clams and crab cakes along with clam chowder. After dinner, Mom enlisted Philomena and John to clean up a bit. Great teamwork!

Today was a lazy day at home. John went shopping at Stop & Shop for us, and Philomena went along to help him. Mom and I took a nap together in the middle of the day, and later Mom towed the log and hung out with John in the hammock for a while and had a beer.

We also sent postcards to our friends, the Baeks, and John wrote a postcard and made a keychain for his friend Lily.

Today we went and played disc golf with Kathy Stevens and her grandson, Eli. Kathy is Nat’s sister, and they are Yia Yia’s first cousins, which makes them Philomena, John, and Frank’s first cousins once removed. Eli is their second cousin. The boys found out that Eli also plays baseball, so they ended up playing catch before we were done.

After that, we went and got lunch and ice cream nearby. Then the kids rode their bikes downtown while I took the bus. They went to the library and returned the books they had borrowed and got new ones. The boys then went to Children’s Beach to play pitcher and catcher. Philomena and I caught up with them later, and then we went home. Frankie fell riding his bike home, but he was brave and feels much better now.

Today was a lazy stay-at-home day. Frankie’s LEGO set he ordered came a day early. Philomena rode her bike to Stop & Shop to get medicine for John, who has a bad case of poison ivy.

Today Mom took the kids to Dionis Beach. When they got home, the boys needed to wash all the sand off themselves. John found a “mermaid’s purse” and learned about what it is. A mermaid’s purse is the egg case of sharks, skates, and rays; it’s a tough, leathery pouch that protects the embryo until it’s ready to hatch. We also found out who the kids’ teachers will be in the fall. John’s 5th-grade teacher will be Ms. Wilcken, Frankie’s 3rd-grade teacher will be Ms. Braga, and Philomena’s 8th-grade homeroom teacher will be Mr. Hacker.

We took a walk downtown and Philomena did a workshop where she made slime at the library.

Afterward, Mom and John colored seashells, and then the boys went for a bike ride, and Frankie did some epic wheelies. Mom, Frankie, and John played cards before bed.