Skip to main content

Current Events

Image
By

Good morning everyone. I have returned from sailing in Texas and hit the ground with both feet running. New deckhand Johanne was waiting at the airport when our flight landed and Katie was already back from a few weeks off. I should mention that sailing the barque Elissa in Texas was pretty darn cool. The ship, her many volunteers and the staff at the Galveston Historical Foundation are all wonderful. The devastation of Hurricane Ike can still be seen. The high water mark in one store front was proudly displayed two feet above my head. Recovery will take years but the island was very busy with “spring breakers” everywhere. Hotels and restaurants in the Strand district were very full. People are amazing.

Speaking of amazing... Jim Dugan stopped by the schooner yesterday to say Hi and welcome back the crew. He and I were admiring the tenacity of life as exhibited by the elvers. With the recent heavy rains the waterfall at the harbor is just ripping with a big head of water and the sluice gate wide open. At high tide the three windjammers at the head of the harbor strain on their bow lines as the rip current slams them right sideways.

Each year the baby eels, elvers, return from the Sargasso Sea to the brackish and freshwaters of Maine. Since this life cycle leads from freshwater to salt water spawning areas it is termed catadromous, unlike species like salmon which migrate back to freshwater to breed. Salmon exhibit an anadromous life cycle. And with the elvers come the elver fisherman with fyke nets that capture the “glass eels”. The glass eels are then shipped to the Far East to be raised as food fish. How elevers are able to get up any stream against this tremendous current is nothing short of a miracle. Some eels will even cross damp marshes to get where they are going. May we all possess the same fortitude as the eel.

The forecast for the next few days is sun, sun, sun. Let the games begin and let the paint flow freely!

Have a great day. Be well, Do good.

I kinda like this picture of the church steeple in Camden. That Capt Artsy is at it again!

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Dudley said…
I like your steeple composition! It has a bit of tumult (background),a nice glow to the steeple's edge denoting that all is not lost, the lack of color adds a nice attention getting statement and the steeple placement,just a weee bit off center, is pleasing.

Gallery Stuff!!

Dudley
April 5, 2010 at 5:35 PM
Michele B said…
You have to admire those eels. They don't even have the incentive of looking forward to a trip on the Mary Day. :)
Like anxious little eels, full of anticipation, we work our way to Camden for our yearly sail, dodging obstacles, and keeping that wonderful week foremost in mind. I'm counting the days...
April 6, 2010 at 2:39 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

By
My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...
28 comments
Read more

Swimming Anyone?

By
Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return. Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time. There se...
6 comments
Read more

Black Dots Make Me Smile

By
Good morning everyone. Happy Ground Hogs Day to all. If today’s forecast comes true folklore tells us we will see an early spring here in our neighborhood. What does the groundhog say about your weather forecast? We start a new month, albeit a short one but a month in which we gain an emotionally crucial 1 hour and 13 minutes of light. By months end the sunrise will be at 0620, a full 37 minutes ahead of this morning. Jen and I were shocked how light it was so early yesterday even though it was overcast. So while the weather is one thing we spend much time talking about the light is what really makes the psychic difference here. One of the things you will find me talking about in blogs, especially in summer, is seals. We have more lousy, unfocused pictures of little black dots on the ledges and every one of them makes me smile. Each picture reminds us how delighted we are to see seals. Harbor seals (phoca vitulina) are the most common seal here in Maine and their numbers have gr...
6 comments
Read more