Seal Baby

I was on the stern when I saw a little baby seal.  This is actually the second time I've seen this seal.  Of course it happened to be the exact moment I was dumping the card on my digital camera so I run back there with my phone.  By this time the seal has seen me coming and has gone under.

...so I did what anyone in their right mind would do... I banged on the side of the hull with my hand and called, 'seal baby!  come back seal babbbbyyy!'.  The fact that no one saw me doing this is probably a good thing however; seal baby came back!  He checked me out and I took a quick pick with my phone.

Fast forward to later in the afternoon - seal baby is back and sunning his (her) face.  My camera is up and running and I start behaving like a paparazzi.

Seal baby was quite a ways out but, lucky for me he slowly started drifting towards my boat.

Doesn't he look blissed right out?

He kept getting closer and closer.

By this time Seal Baby is CLOSE.

....and then he spots me and opens his eyes....

 I'm in LOVE.

I mean seriously, you gotta love this face.

I hope Seal Baby comes back for more adventures!

The guys on the boat think we should name the baby Lucille.  Get it? 

Here's to Seal Baby and the reminder to keep our faces to the Sun! 

Heaving Line Arms

​This post could also be called:  What I currently suck at (i.e. what I'm determined to ace)

Time for a little real talk around here, yes? Yes. I'm struggling hard with one thing at work. Throwing lines. Nailing it I am not.

Sports? Could care less. Throwing a ball? Meh, I think I'll watch. Catch something? MmmKkkkk...if you're lucky.

I was totally the kid at the neighborhood Easter baseball game who was allowed unlimited pitches. I remember one year being mortified and just wishing they'd strike me out....see ya later I'm outta here. Except no, I had to try again and again until I finally hit it and made it to first.

Needless to say, throwing mooring lines (which are a decent amount of heavy) and snagging a bitt on the dock is not coming easy. Throwing a heaving line that actually makes it up the the barge? Also not coming easy.

I'm determined that by the end of the summer (preferably way freaking sooner than the end of summer) I start acing it.

I work on it every day...and my arms are killing me...hahahaha!!!

Here's the training program:

I currently have a 'heaving line arms' exercise routine because truth, my arm muscles are almost non existent.

I also throw the line every time even though someone is standing behind me because the odds are good I won't make it. I have made it. For the record, when I made it the whole crew cheered :). Since I made it once we know it's possible and now I'm working on refining my technique.

I have a practice line on the stern. Sometimes I go back there and just wing it around a bit to build strength and see if I can figure out what's going to work for me.

The struggle is real friends, the struggle is real.

It's also invigorating to have a challenge.

Here's to making the toss more often then not!!!!

just a tiny note...

How great is this card my Auntie Noni sent me?!  Love it! 

Hello Friends, 

I just wanted to mention one small thing: 

I connected my Instagram and Facebook accounts!  Finally, right?! 

I know some of you wanted to see the Instagram pics and couldn't...maybe this will solve the problem? 

When I'm at work (and sheesh, even when I'm at home!) I use Instagram as a microblog. It's just fun and easy and I don't need as much patience with the sluggish Internet. 

Hope this helps Historiauntie! 

xo, 

Megan

M.L.I.S.W :: Beaver Fur

Standing in the wheelhouse talking about some of the things the Chief Mate has bought in Native villages in Alaska... 

CM: I got some beaver slippers

Me: Nice. I think I'd like a hat...

CM: I got a spotted seal hat...it has beaver fur on the inside.  

Me: I bet that's pretty warm... 

CM: Beaver fur is really soft. SO soft.  

*a little pause* 

Me: Beaver fur is soft, huh?  Like SO soft? *I proceed to crack up* 

CM: Oh thank god you're laughing...I didn't think I could keep a straight face for one more second.... 

*thinks to myself: man, they have no idea how much time my mind sits in the gutter...* 

This photo has nothing to do with this post...there was a 'dock dog' in King Cove...I mean he did have soft fur... 

King Cove, Alaska

We stopped in King Cove, Alaska​ for some water and were able to walk around town for a bit. 

Exploring new places, even if for an hour, is one of my favorite things about the job. ​

King Cove was interesting (as so many small Alaskan villages are). The town is basically a cannery. I'm sure people who live and work there would disagree so it maybe isn't a fair thing to say but, from an outsiders perspective the cannery was the town. ​

The docks were bustling with fishing boats and tenders - coming in for supplies and dropping of their catches. ​

The cannery was a hive of activity. Forklifts moving totes around the dock, trucks driving around re-stocking supplies, ladies in rubber boots and hair nets stepping out for breaks.​

There was a laundromat, a store, a large cafeteria all within a two minute walk from the dock contained within the cannery. From the dock you could also see the cannery barracks. 

As a sailor, one of the nicest things about being in port for a bit is the ability to stretch your legs. Don't get me wrong there are ships out there where you can get plenty of steps in.  But, going for a walk in town?  Much better.  Walking to the grocery store with your shipmates?  The best. 

Making them stop on the way back to the boat so you can snap pics of mossy mounds of net and line - hilarious.  What always cracks me up about taking pictures is that I first get made fun of...and then people ask me for copies of the photos!

I know I've said it ten million times buuutt...I love Alaska. Just love it. It's wild and gorgeous. It makes you want to have adventures. It encourages exploration.  It pulls at you. It freshens. It's hard but resilient. Untamed. Friendly. Rugged. It's incomparable. 

Even strange little canning towns make you want more.  

Sea Spray

Here's the thing about a 98 foot tugboat...you're going to feel the motion of the ocean.  

It's something that I'm currently loving and hating.  Loving because I'm at sea - I love being out here. Hating because I haven't showered in a few days because I'm not ready to get knocked around. So there's that. 

After a couple days of fairly rough seas the sun came out. There was still a bit of a swell kicking us around but, the sun was making them sparkle.  

Clearly, this meant I needed to step out of the wheelhouse and document it.

We were still taking a decent amount of spray (and still are for the record) but, it was getting more and more sporadic and I really thought I could time my outing. ​

...and then this happened...​

My view was completely obliterated by a massive amount of sea spray. I ducked and dodged back into the wheelhouse but not before getting a cheek full of salt water.  

It was pretty fun truth be told. Plus, having this sea spray photo?  Love it.