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I don't think I have ever seen such a beautiful sight as the ocean presented last night. The moon was almost full and the night as light as day. Again I longed to be able to paint a picture of it. Standing on the shore and looking up the "coast" of the island toward the brilliant moon, the cliffs were just inky black against the sky, while across the water came the same sparkling silver path that you have seen so many times.

[[underlined]] To Mother from Shoals, July 5, 1925: [[/underlined]] Last night we had no fireworks whatsoever, but the scenes, in spite of the rain, were the most picturesque I have ever seen here. The harbor was full of boats, which is quite unusual. They were mostly sloops of fisherman put in here for the night. But in among them road a long gray "Rum Chaser' of the Coast Guard Patrol. As it got dark, the lights began to appear here and there among the boats and the reflections shimmered in the water. And then I got one of the profoundest thrills I have ever experienced. All at once there was a great rush for the front porch. Willie and I went out with the crowd, and peering into the growing dusk, we saw, high in the sky, a long gray shape, while across the sky came the faint roar of great motors and propellors. It was "Fishums!" The "Shenandoah" was coming down the coast, and passed directly over the island! It was just the right height and as it passed over our heads, the lights in its various cars began to shine out through the gray, misty dusk. From the forward car came a signal, flashed in brilliantly white dots and dashes. We looked across to Appledore and saw an answering signal from the tower of the Coast Guard Station, while the patrol in the harbor also flashed a reply. I don't think I ever had such a feeling of awe. It was just foggy enough and dusky so that the giant looked like a phantom in the sky. Off she went straight down over the ocean and finally disappeared into the night. It was phantomlike and yet the bright yellow glow at the cabin windows shining down at us gave one such a strong realization that it was real. Willie and I both thought, what a sensation it would have made flying over old Gosport one hundred years ago. ...... Eleanor and her husband leave today. He is very nice and certainly can play baseball! I shall never get over my surprise at seeing him the first time. Eleanor is very lovely and just the same.

[[underlined]] To Mother from Shoals, July 6, 1925: [[/underlined]] You asked about the mica I sent. Willie, the chemistry professor, tells me that she thinks isenglass is the same composition as Mica but is synthetic. They use mica as an electrical insulator, pasting all the little pieces onto wax paper. You see, mica never comes in large sheets. It makes the rocks sparkle like diamonds here. ...... I do wish you might have seen the Candlelight Service from outside last night as Willie and I saw it. Such a lovely picturesque sight I have never before seen. The little chapel stood out in silhouette against the bright moonlit sky. The big bright

Transcription Notes:
The "Shenandoah" airship crashed 9/3/25. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/crash-site-of-the-uss-shenandoah