Weekly Chat, Sunday, June 6, 2010

Hi everyone:  Don't forget to check the final posts of last week's chat for tips on ordering stuff through the mail and what to do when a package has been tampered with and/or items never arrive in the first place! Also, OG is back and had a lovely time and may post photos if she can find some without total strangers blocking the views!  Brenda/dibnlib: Americans aren't "allowed" to go to Cuba because - oh don't get me started. But a friend of mine did go there - he had to go somewhere else first and then pop over to Cuba on the QT before heading back to the States.  Tiger:  Nice to see you.  Emma:  "They" have just approved a bunch of wind turbines offshore of Cape Cod - one of the most famous scenic places on the U.S. East Coast!  I'm fascinated to see what happens since I can't believe the moneyed and well-connected folk with fab houses in that area would allow it to actually happen.  Diane: Yes, I read some comments on Trucker Steve's blog about some negative folk on Facebook, but no idea what that was all about and, like you, had no inclination to find out!  He's heading to Florida next...

Since folks on here are talking about it, thought I'd mention that BP's curly headed CEO? didn't endear himself to anyone last week when he said he was eager to "get his life back" after the spill.  A nice option for him when those killed and their families won't ever have that option, not to mention the wildlife.

Haven't been around much today - Farmer's Market and errands this morning, then this afternoon went on our Gray Whale "thank you to volunteers" boat ride on the Condor, which typically does whale watch cruises for tourists, etc., but was just for us this afternoon. Mike, our main GWC guy, works (unofficially) with the captain of the Condor during Gray Whale season. The Condor calls us when they see whales heading our way while we let them know when we have whales around Coal Oil Point. A win-win arrangement for everyone.  Today, we left the harbor and immediately found ourselves in a pod of dolphins - a huge pod of about 700, Mike estimated, in full hunting mode. Just an amazing spectacle; we were surrounded by them. The dophins on the outer edge of the pod were leaping out of the water in coordinated groups of four or five - one of the rangers said she'd seen that behavior before and speculated that it may be a way of driving the fish into a particular position to facilitate feeding for the rest of the group . We could see fish jumping - literally for their lives.  Other dolphins were behind the boat and still more right beside us, riding the wake from the bow . Immediately in front of the bow the dolphins were swimming (all this very fast) upside down, their bellies exposed and our guide explained that this was normal hunting behavior - that they can better see the fish from this position. Just amazing. Then we headed 9 miles out to track two humpback whales - a cow and calf pair, which we followed for about 30 minutes, watching the mother roll on her side to feed on krill; then saw the calf breach, which was a real treat.  They served us wine and food, but I didn't partake since we were in a heavy swell and my innards were feeling a bit odd. That wasn't helped by the diesel fumes or the very strong perfume that two young women were wearing. I haven't had problems on boats before, but as they say, there's always a first time and this was it.  Suffice to say I made it to a quiet corner at the rear of the ship before.....

Probably going to bed early tonight!  Granddaughter and OH arriving Wednesday, so a busy week ahead.  Take care all!