World’s Smallest Political Quiz.
Try the quiz and see where you wind up, you might be surprised!
Worlds Smallest Political Quiz
World’s Smallest Political Quiz
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How Orange Challenge- Weekly Prompts
I’ve been trying to get back into blogging more often. When I get a bit of time to do that I usually go online and look around at other blogs. Today I found this challenge: Weekly Prompts Color Challenge- Mainly Orange.
So, to join in I looked through some of my photo collection and found a few to fit. I tried to find some different ones, things you wouldn’t usually expect. Like an orange, or a pumpkin (though I did just have to throw that one in). 🙂
I didn’t realize how many different shades of orange there are in all the common things we see. I’d be interested in seeing how many others you can come up with. 🙂
RDP Sunday: Festival- Guanajuato’s Festival Internacional Cervantino!
Guanajuato, Mexico celebrates the city’s artistic and literary heritage during its yearly International Cervantes Festival. Beginning in 1972, this year it will be held Fri, Oct 11, 2024 – Sun, Oct 27, 2024.
Last year I showed up during the festival, unprepared. I had no idea it was going on. As I wandered around the winding cobblestone streets and passageways of the central area, I continually spotted references to Don Quixote. I wondered about his connection to the city.
The festival itself grew from the activities of Professor Espinosa at the University of Guanajuato in 1953. He put together a show and later a symposium devoted to Cervantes and his famous character Don Quixote. This caught the attention of the Mexican President which led the government to create the festival “to promote cultural, artistic and humanistic communication with other countries.”
Last year, there were events ongoing for 2 weeks at over a dozen different venues. Wandering characters dressed in period costumes welcomed visitors from around the world, passing out flyers and selling tickets.
Along with the usual roving mariachi bands to be found in any Mexican city of any size, there were musical ensembles playing classical, martial, and popular numbers for the free enjoyment of the citizens.
The festival seems to grow every year, with a good diversity of activities around the city. For example, in 2017 “2,367 artists from 35 different countries were invited to carry out more than 180 activities, of which 120 were scenic, 29 exhibitions and 37 academic activities in 51 forums.” Many of these activities are free in various parks and squares around town.
The Museo Iconográfico del Quijote is another example of the tie to Cervantes and Don Quixote in Guanajuato. It’s full of paintings, ceramics, sculptures, books, anything depicting Don Quixote- over 1000 items! The story goes that the founder Eulalio Ferrer Rodríguez traded a pack of cigarettes for a copy of Don Quixote de la Mancha while he was held prisoner in Spain during the civil war. The book was of such value to Eulalio that he later began collecting anything to do with Don Quixote and/or Cervantes.
After the war, Eulalio moved to Mexico and eventually- with the blessings of the Presidents of both Mexico and Spain- his collection became the museum which was gifted to the people of Guanajuato and Mexico. I spent a couple hours there, enjoying the serenity of the space and the evocative and expressive art. Some of the paintings were just amazing. If you are at all interested in art, Cervantes or Don Quixote I highly recommend a visit. It’s free on Tuesdays and only a couple of dollars otherwise.
The city itself is worth spending some time. Guanajuato is a World Heritage Site, with beautiful well preserved colonial architecture, unusual design features and interesting history. All that in addition to its compelling artistic and literary traditions. This post is specific for the Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Festival. Check out their site for this and other challenges. 🙂
More About Point Nemo- Inaccessible, Spacey, and Scary Monsters
I was scrolling through my emails the other day (I get a LOT of emails every day), when I clicked on an interesting link from gCaptain. For the first time ever, a cruise ship reached the North Pole of Inaccessibility. Looking at the picture there reminded me of the cruise I took to Antarctica a few years ago on the MS Roald Amundsen. We also plowed through the ice like that and we all got to get out and make snow angels where no one had ever been before. It was just amazing to be at the far end of the Earth like that still be so comfortable. I really enjoyed that cruise and hope to go back someday. 🙂
Considering that the ship I’ve been sailing on lately is named the Point Nemo, I clicked around the net a little bit and found another article on Atlas Obscura (I bought a book of theirs a while back- they’ve got tons of really fascinating stuff they write about). Point Nemo (Latin for “nobody”) was named for the fact that it signifies the most remote spot on the planet. It’s also a nod to Jules Verne’s base for the Nautilus. It is called the oceanic point of inaccessibility, located at 48°52.6’S 123°23.6’W.
It’s pretty far out in the middle of nowhere (pretty much like we are right now- a couple thousand miles SE of Hawaii). It’s 1451 nautical miles from land: North of Antarctica, S of tiny Ducie Island (‘near’ Pitcairn Islands) and SW of Motu Nui (near Easter Island).
Since it’s so remote, it’s a great place for dumping some of our ever increasing load of space debris. Not much chance of anything landing on top of somebody’s house, or a passing cruise ship or 737. It seems to be a favorite place for the Russians to send their old satellites. The most famous being the old Mir space station. Other countries also send their space junk there to the point it’s nicknamed the Spacecraft Cemetery with near 300 disposed of in the area since 1971.
Continuing with the spacey theme, the actual location of Point Nemo is within a relatively few miles of H.P. Lovecraft’s R’lyeh, a “nightmare corpse city (…) built in measureless eons beyond history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars”. The drowned city of Cthulhu…
I’ve read very little of Lovecraft’s work. I never really got into it, tho I do love reading and some of my favorites are scary stories. I love Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Joe Hill, Anne Rice, Clive Barker, Justin Cronin, George Orwell, Robin Cook- I could go on and on…
I love all kinds of weird stuff. I read constantly. All kinds of things, but my favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy, history, alternative history, science, philosophy, politics and social issues. The final weird thing about Point Nemo mentioned in the Atlas Obscura article of “the Bloop” was just the icing on the cake for me. I just had to write this post and share it to the rest of you. 🙂
Blasted by Hurricane Beryl in Texas
After 3 months away from home sailing across the Pacific Ocean on the Point Nemo, I came back to find class 1 “minimal” hurricane Beryl had done more damage to my property than all the other storms (Alicia, Harvey, etc) combined for the last 30 years.
Onboard the ship, I could only see news reports of Houston/Galveston and Surfside Beach. The photos and videos looked bad. Big trees downed and flooding all around Houston. Lots of flooding at Surfside and a few houses looked totally demolished. Surfside is only about 10 miles from Freeport where all of my rental properties are located. I used to live there and a lot of my friends still do.
I didn’t worry about it too much since I’d never been flooded before and I didn’t have many trees around my rental properties (though I did at my own house- which had trees fall through the roof twice since I’ve lived there).
I was more worried about the power being out again. Last time we had a storm knock the power out, mine was out for weeks. I came home to a horrible stink, tried my best to clear out the freezer without puking, threw out a couple thousand dollars worth of meat- but still couldn’t salvage the thing and had to buy a new one.
I lucked out this time. My own house made it through with minimal damage. Siding and gutters blown off and a few big limbs down in the yard (but thankfully not on my roof). I felt grateful. I walked around the block every day and it looked like at least a category 4 came through. There were trees down everywhere- BIG trees! People had stacked up huge piles of soaked sheetrock, carpet and ruined furniture along the side of the road. Only 2 houses down from me, a huge tree fell over from a neighbors yard onto their house. It must’ve been about 5 ft in diameter. One big old oak tree. I thought it was only sitting on the back part of the house, but a few days later there was a demolition crew there tearing down the entire house. Even the foundation is gone. All that’s left is their backyard shed. I hope their insurance paid.
My town, Lake Jackson, TX is a “tree city USA” and very proud of their beautiful trees. Beryl took out a lot of them. A friend of had one demolish their garage- took out a couple of their cool old cars. All over town the maintenance crews were out with backhoes and chainsaws for weeks. It was still going on when I left for work 6 weeks later.
I spent my entire time at home trying to deal with the damages to my rental properties. I felt so demoralized. Almost every single unit was damaged. I’ve spent so much time and money over the last few years working to get them in good shape to rent out. This was supposed to be my retirement. I finally had everything almost finished. Just one apartment needed a little bit more work- 2-3 days worth- and it would be ready to rent. Then we were going to paint a couple to make them look like new on the outside, I already had the paint and everything was ready to go.
Then came Beryl.
My manager didn’t want me freaking out while I was at work on the ship (and couldn’t do anything but worry) so she didn’t tell me everything about all the damage that had been done. When I got home, a lot of the major stuff had already been dealt with: 6 roof leaks, 27 blown out windows, 2 doors blown out, soffit and fascia blown off 1 building which caused the ceilings to collapse in the upstairs and downstairs apartments and also flooded the downstairs apartment. They told me the water was just pouring in, had a few inches of water on the floor!
My maintenance man had already fixed the roof, door and windows in one house and repaired the drywall and carpets that were ruined. He’d also fixed the roof leaks and drywall in another apartment, fixed most of the other blown out windows and doors, everything was fixed in the downstairs apartment.
When I got home, I think I pissed off my manager a bit since I insisted on getting the soffit/fascia repaired before anything else. We had more rain coming and without repairs, the rain would ruin all the work we just did in the downstairs apartment.
The woman who was “renting” that apartment (who had stopped paying rent before the storm came) was threatening my maintenance man every day to the point he didn’t want to work on that building anymore. She was also calling the city to complain about how I was such a “slumlord” every day. I had her apartment fixed only1-2 days after the storm, we had to prioritize. Lucky for her I wasn’t waiting on insurance like most people had to. Her actions slowed down our work quite a bit- for her and everyone else in that building.
Oh yeah, she also cut her ceiling back down after we fixed it so she could splice into the electric we were using to repair the upstairs apartment since she had stopped paying her electric bills and got cut off by the electric company. So she was blasting her AC 24/7 and threatening the maintenance man “don’t touch my electric” every time he tried to work on something in the maintenance room (she had cameras watching).
I also had another tenant who had a tree fall on her roof. I was told there was just minor damage, broke a window and some water got in that was causing mold to grow. She hadn’t been paying rent either, but my maintenance man had gone and fixed what he could for her a couple of times. She was moving out so when we went to take a look, we found the tree had done a lot more damage. Basically the entire back part of the house needs to be fixed and a window leak caused major damage in another room.
Another place I didn’t know was damaged except for a window and door turned out to have the entire ceiling come down in the kitchen and water damage practically everywhere.
SO. I’m back on the boat, waiting to hear back from the insurance agencies and my manager to hear what progress (if any) has been made. I knew rental property could be a hassle, but I really didn’t expect it to be this bad. I keep seeing stuff online about how landlords are just “evil”, out to just screw over the renters. Really? I don’t see it that way at all. I was a renter for decades and now I own rental property. I never felt that my landlords were screwing me, but I never rented a super top of the line place either. Maybe that would be different? My rents barely cover my expenses and so many tenants just screw me over- don’t pay rent, tear things up, etc. You really wouldn’t believe the conditions they leave. I wonder how in the hell anyone can live like that.
It’s pretty gross. I can tell you later. I have to get some sleep now…
Unalaska- A Day of Aleutian Life
We’re long gone from Alaska now. The Point Nemo left Dutch Harbor -our last port in Alaska- a few weeks ago- May 28 to be exact. This is really the first chance I’ve had to work on my computer. When the ship is constantly rolling around so much, it’s really too hard to concentrate on doing anything else but staying stable.
We had a nice break in Dutch Harbor. It took us about a week to get from Kodiak to Dutch Harbor and rough weather all the way. It was nice to spend a couple of days at the dock. We all got a chance to walk around town and relax a bit. Even the weather cooperated, it was actually pretty warm and sunny for most of our time there.
I really wanted to see the bears in Kodiak, but that will have to wait for another time. I did the next best thing and found Aleutian Life Tours to explore and learn more about Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Island and Alaska.
Lynda, one half of Aleutian Life Tours (her husband Dennis is the other half) was kind enough to meet me at our boat to start the day. She asked me more about what I was interested in and then took off around the ‘Spit’ to take a look at some of the fishing boats docked down there and see if there might be some sea lions hauled out on the rocks. I didn’t see any of those, but there were a lot of eagles waiting for scraps from the boats.
We took a ride around town to see the old radio station and the small boat harbor where more of the fishing fleet docks. Some of the famous boats from “Deadliest Catch” dock there. I got a few good pictures there. We saw a few sea otters drifting around, but too far away for me to get any decent shots of them.
On the way back, we stopped at a place where Dennis’ family used to live. I love to explore old buildings and hear about the old days and it was really interesting to hear how people used to live here.
We rode up to a hilltop for a nice view of the town, overlooking the Russian Bishops house (1882) and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Lynda explained how the building was shipped up here in pieces and put together when it got here, too bad the bishop never got to see it completed. He fell overboard on the way to Alaska and so never got to live in his house. Luckily his body was recovered and was buried in the graveyard outside the Cathedral of the Holy Ascension.
The town was small, but was very neat and clean. One small park had the most trees I’ve seen around these islands, they’re very uncommon around here due to the high winds. The school and community center looked like new and plenty big enough for the whole town to enjoy.
I really enjoyed hearing about the local history and Lynda told me stories about her family and how they’d been there for generations- about being evacuated during WWII and even about how they dealt with the Russians. She even knew where to find an eagles nest where we could see the mother eagle feeding her chicks. Amazing to watch…
It was time for me to get back to the boat after a really wonderful day of exploring the island. I highly recommend Lynda for anyone wanting to explore Dutch Harbor. Next time I might have to get Dennis to take me out in their boat to find those sea lions and get a better look at those otters. 😉
A Beautiful Sunday in Kodiak
It was a beautiful sunny day, the first one we’d seen in a while. I took advantage of the weather and decided to go for a walk around town. Since we were docked at the Ferry Terminal, the first thing I did was to visit the Kodiak Visitors Center right around in front.
The people there were very nice and helpful. They gave me some good ideas for things to do and answered a bunch of my questions. What I really wanted to do while in Kodiak was to see the world famous Kodiak bears. They told me it wasn’t really the best time to see them yet (they’re most active later in the year when the salmon are spawning). Since I was limited on time I didn’t bother trying to connect with a guide with a floatplane as they suggested.
I was looking forward to checking out the Kodiak History Museum, right across the street. I was disappointed to see that it was closed (only open Wed-Sat). I could only peek through the windows in the old house and take a walk around the grounds to see some statues and grave markers from hundreds of years ago. That led me around to the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church. This place is famous as being the oldest in the country- established in 1794. It’s characteristic blue onion domes are a reminder of the days when the Russians occupied Alaska. The parish priest was actually canonized and became a saint (Saint Herman) due to his efforts in behalf of the native Alutiiq people. His casket still remains here.
I took a few photos outside and took a quick look inside, but they were holding Sunday services so I didn’t stick around too long. I would have liked a closer look at some of the icons and other religious objects inside but not enough to hang around through the entire ceremony. Outside they were preparing a bar-b-que and I stopped to ask a few questions. “What is there to do around here on a Sunday morning?”. “Well, you could join us for a bar-b-que”, the men told me. “There’s not much else”, they said. But they did tell me about some nice trails for hiking and recommended a couple of restaurants for later (it was still even too early for lunch).
Up the block was a small park celebrating the original Alutiiq people, the Alutiiq Ancestors’ Memorial. A unique gateway led into the park, insides covered with small metallic salmon- an indication of how important these fish were for them. It was a nice place to rest for a few minutes and read about some of the native people and their history.
Continuing up the street, I was looking for the Alutiiq Museum. I was interested in learning more about the history and culture of the native people here. Sadly, it was closed for renovations until 2025.
I circled back around, hoping to visit the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, but it was closed too (only open Tues-Sat 12-16). I was getting discouraged on finding much to do with my time here.
I decided to take a walk around the harbor and maybe see some fish being unloaded. Fishing is a big business in Kodiak (and Alaska in general). Kodiak is home base to over 2000 fishing vessels. They fish for salmon, herring, halibut, cod, pollock, and (of course ) crabs.
The boardwalk was quiet and lined with plaques explaining about the harbor and fishing industry of Kodiak. I stopped to talk to a group of local fishermen enjoying their morning coffees and smokes. They were in high spirits and looking forward to a good catch. I wished them good luck and continued to the end of the boardwalk and over across the street to the Ace Hardware (where I was looking for a few items).
Across the harbor is a shopping center with a few popular bars and restaurants. My crew had already told me how they enjoyed their time at Tony’s. It was still too early for me to want lunch, but I checked out the menus they had posted at Henry’s Great Alaskan (and couldn’t believe the prices!).
Wandering back to the boat, I noticed a few interesting murals/photos posted around town. They’re part of an exhibit of the Kodiak Maritime Museum that I was really interested in. They have those QR codes where you can scan them with your smartphone and find out more information. Too bad I couldn’t get that to work on my phone.
Next to Trident Seafoods is a big parking lot for the harbor, with a boat ramp and an exhibit of the old canneries. There’s also a little boat there with an interesting story. the “Thelma C“. She was a typical salmon seine boat, maybe the last survivor of this type of vessel. Saved by the people of Alaska and the Kodiak Maritime Museum.
All in all, a good mornings walk. I needed to get back to the boat. Hope to be able to come back to Kodiak again in time to see the bears. 🙂
Surprise Stop at Kodiak, Alaska
Another long break from posting here. Sorry. I just haven’t been up to it. Nothing special going on, so I’ve had a hard time getting around to writing.
At the moment I’m on another ship. It’s called the Point Nemo (ex: New Jersey Responder). It’s with the same company I worked with last summer- maintaining the weather buoys around the Pacific Ocean.
Last night we arrived in Kodiak, AK. We hadn’t planned to stop here, we were on our way to Dutch Harbor. A crew member had to get off for a family emergency so we brought him in and we’re waiting for a replacement.
I’m on watch nights so I haven’t gone ashore yet. It was really a beautiful passage in to the dock. If only the sun wasn’t blazing right into our eyes the entire way in (at 2100 hours)!
We’re docked at the Kodiak Ferry Terminal next to the Trident Seafood dock with it’s giant ship-shaped office. We’re all wondering what exactly is going on there? Did they build a ship on the shore? Did one wash up on the beach from the 1964 earthquake/tsunami? It’s weird and definitely unique.
From what I can see Kodiak looks to be a walkable little town. There’s the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center just a block up the street. Nearby are the Kodiak History Museum and the Alutiiq Museum. I can see the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church with its distinctive onion dome from here.
Just across the bridge to Near Island is the Kodiak Laboratory Aquarium (& Touch Tank), the North End Park and South End Trail (one of many around Kodiak). I hear the hiking is excellent around here. I might go try a nice hike myself if the weather clears up.
I’d really love to go see the bears this island is famous for, but I’m not sure how long we’re going to be here or able to stay at the dock. Some of the guys onboard here say they got chased by a bear when they came up here last year. They were checking out some fishing near their hotel and a bear was after the fish. Wow!
It really is beautiful here. I hope the weather clears up.
More later 🙂
More Explorations of Mexico- Leon and Guanajuato
I spent most of the month of August in Mexico. I’ve been working on getting residency there and hoping to be able to move sometime soon. I’ve been exploring around the country, trying to find a place I’d really enjoy to call home. So far, I’ve been to Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Juarez, and Tijuana along the border. Cancun, Merida, Playa del Carmen (North) and Ciudad del Carmen (South) on the Yucatan Peninsula. Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan on the West Coast. Mexico City, Leon, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Toluca, Morelia, San Miguel de Allende in the mountains. And Tapachula at the Southern border.
So far, I’ve decided that although I love being near the ocean- for the beaches, and the opportunities to sail, snorkel and SCUBA dive- it’s just too dam HOT and humid for me. I’m just tired of being hot and sweaty all day long whenever I step outside the air conditioner. I grew up in Florida, have lived in coastal Texas since, and it’s always been hot and humid where I live- but I’ve never liked it. Never really enjoyed it- tho it was much better in Florida when I was young. I lived directly on the water then and was swimming and sailing practically every day. We also had a decent sea breeze that helped a lot. In Texas, I spend as much time as possible in the AC- almost never go outside in the summer ( where high temperatures last most of the year).
This year I was concentrating on the central part of Mexico. Up in the mountains. I flew into Cabo since that’s where I was dealing with immigration for my visa. I transitioned over to Leon to start looking around. I spent a few days in each city, more if I really liked it less if I didn’t.
Leon didn’t impress me much, tho I’m sure I could have found more to excite me about it if I had more time and interest. It seemed just another big city to me. It didn’t help that I had a not very good experience with the taxi I took from the airport to my Airbnb. The driver really had no idea where I was going but refused to admit it. He dropped me off saying it was 200 m down the block (it wasn’t). I wound up wandering around for over an hour before a nice policewoman helped me out and basically took me by the hand.
The place I stayed at was beautiful, had everything I needed and was just a few blocks to the center of town where I was interested in exploring. I just walked around looking at the churches, hanging out in the parks people watching and listening to the wandering mariachi bands.
I just didn’t feel like Leon was the right place for me. I soon moved on to visit Guanajuato, Queretaro and San Miguel de Allende. These 3 turned out to be some of my favorite cities (so far).
Guanajuato has an interesting history and some unusual features. It’s very hilly and even the central part has some fairly steep streets (like the one where I was staying). It’s also riddled with tunnels from the old days when they were created to divert the rivers from flooding the downtown area.
It gives the centro almost a medieval feel. The sight lines are short, so every few minutes you’re looking at something new. The colorful buildings are full of interesting shops selling everything from shoes, clothes, leather, writing supplies, arts of all kinds, and food. Panaderias (bakeries), butcher shops displaying delicious smelling baked chickens at the entrance, chocolaterias selling amazing hot chocolate and candy. Street vendors at every corner offering elote (corn- on the cob or cupfuls with your choice of added flavors: mayonnaise, jalapeño, lime, chile, cheeses, salt/pepper, and more).
I spent my time there just wandering around, I hadn’t planned anything. I noticed a statue of Don Quiote at the bottom of my street and wondered about it. Turns out Guanajuato has a Cervantes Festival every year. I noticed a museum with another statue outside. Turns out it was a pretty cool little museum on Cervantes and Don Quiote (more on that later). I spent a couple of hours there admiring the artwork. Definitely worth a visit if you’re into Cervantes or art (painting, sculpture, writing).
Every evening there was something going on. Groups of actors dressed up in costumes from the old days passed out flyers to the International Cervantes Festival. People hung out in the plazas to meet friends and relax while the mariachis serenaded couples and families out for a birthday party.
I really enjoyed my few days in Guanajuato. I’d definitely go back.
September- Working for Adriatic Marine
I returned from Mexico late on August 30 and thank god I had work waiting for me. I had to rush around to get caught up and ready to leave for work on the 1st of September. That only gave me 1 day to get everything done that I could.
Most important was to get a doctors appointment. Urgent need for that. Since I am a merchant marine, I must apply for a license to work from the United States Coast Guard. If they do not approve, I am not able to work. I don’t like that fact. Not at all. I think it’s completely against the foundational principles of our country (and basic human rights) that anyone should have to beg permission from the government in order to earn a living. But, I don’t really want to go off on that tangent right now (later I probably will)…
So. Part of what I have to do in order to be allowed to work is to take a USCG approved physical every 2 years. My latest medical certificate expires mid-October. So I can’t work after that until I get a new one. Send the physical in and (if) they approve it, then I can continue to work. I sent it in early August. I didn’t want to turn it in any earlier since the earlier they get it, the more time they remove from your ability to work (they date your medical certificate from the date of your physical). On August 29, they sent me an email that they wanted more information and a letter from my doctor before they would approve me. At one point they had asked for that info but stopped- told me I didn’t need to send it to them anymore so I didn’t. Now, they wanted it again.
Thank god I had time to call my doctor and she was able to see me. I called from Mexico since I had only 3 days maximum to get this all done. I got home from Mexico late on Wednesday, August 30. Doctor was closed on Thursday. I was at her office at 0730 on Friday and had to leave for work that afternoon (flying to New Orleans).
I made it to the boat on time that Friday evening and nervously waiting for test results and letter from my doctor to be approved by the Coast Guard for the next week and a half. I was SO relieved to get that email from them that I was approved (finally) and they had mailed my certificate. Now, I just have to get home to get my mail!
I’ve been working through CLS this hitch. They got me a gig with Adriatic Marine on their supply boats. I got on the Caribou on Friday, September 1. Switched to the Axis on the 6th, the Red Stag on the 11, and the Bison on October 5. I’m still on the Bison and hoping to stay here until crew change.
We’ve been running from Fourchon out to MC-650. Working for Chevron with the Blind Faith and the accommodation vessel Safe Concordia. It’s about a 12 hour run and the weather has been pretty rough the past couple of weeks. I think we’re having an early winter. Temps at home have been getting down in the 50’s at night. We don’t usually get that cool until late November. I’m looking forward to some of that. 🙂
I’ll only be home for 2 weeks. They’ve asked me to come back here and I’ve already agreed. This job is pretty good. I’m working as DPO and these boats hold pretty good. This one has an MPT (Chouest) system, but the Red Stag has Kongsberg (which I definitely prefer). We’re just doing deck cargo (no bulk) so just have to pay attention to weather (no hoses to worry about). We do a lot of back and forth between the Blind Faith and Safe Concordia. Breaks up the day. Lately we’re doing a run to the beach every couple of days so I’m hoping we’ll be able to crew change at the dock instead of by helicopter.
*(I wrote this while at work a couple of months ago- in September)
Another Long Break
It’s been a long time (again) since I’ve posted anything on here. I just haven’t been able to make the time for it. It actually takes me quite a bit of time and effort to make a post here. It helps to be in the right frame of mind, but even so it takes me at least an hour. Sometimes 2-3. I’ve been fairly busy this summer. Thank god I’ve finally got some work!
I wrote before a little bit about the job I had on the Bluefin. We were crossing the North Pacific Ocean, working on doing maintenance for the weather/tsunami buoys. That was probably the best job I’ve had in a while. I would probably try to hire on permanently if they paid a bit more and had some kind of benefits (but they don’t have any at all).
I was home for about a week- spent running around on errands. Catching up on sleep and bills. Had the air conditioning repaired again. Didn’t bother cleaning the house (tho I really should have). Then I was off to Mexico to renew my visa.
I flew into Cabo San Lucas on August 5. Had to renew my visa before it expired on the 9th. I spent my time relaxing around the pool, walking around town in the evenings when it cooled off (slightly) and trying to practice my Spanish. Went SCUBA diving one day and would have gone again, but the current was so bad on the 2nd dive that my toes got all bloodied up from rubbing against my fins that I didn’t think it was a good idea (sharks).
I finally got my permanent residency after 4 years of reapplying every August. Now I can come and go whenever I want. I’m hoping to be able to take a trip in January for the Greater Reset event in Morelia. I’m also hoping to finally see the whales and whale sharks in Cabo- or maybe I’ll go to the Gulf Coast near Cancun/Cozumel to see them.
I usually like to explore a few places when I go to Mexico (or anywhere else). This trip I went to Cabo San Lucas, Leon, Queretaro, Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende. I have to say I really have enjoyed my time in every place I’ve been to so far in Mexico- but I like the weather a whole lot more in the higher elevations. I go in August so I can see what its like in the hottest part of the year so I can see if I can find a place I’d like to live permanently. I love the beaches. Being near the ocean is so nice. I love being able to go swimming, and fishing and diving, and just hanging out in the shade with an umbrella drink. But it’s SO damn hot!
I’m looking for a place where I can really enjoy being outside. I love to just walk around (even at home- I walk every day). But I hate sweating! I grew up in Florida and have lived in Texas for about 40 years now and the summers are just miserable to spend any time outside in the daytime. I’m hoping to find somewhere much cooler.
So far, I think my favorite city was Morelia. I want to go back to explore more of the area. Some of the smaller towns around there might be a better fit for me. I definitely need to go back! 🙂
Real WILD Bears! Kodiak Island Alaska
I haven’t had much work since the covid shots came out. Before that, things were finally starting to pick up from the last crash in oil prices and I was getting more work. I’ve had almost nothing since I was laid off late 2015.
Then, I just had to quarantine for weeks before I could join the ship. Locked up in a hotel room. Daily covid tests with a stick so far up your nose you’d think your brain was going to start leaking out. Cold food. Nothing to do but think about how things were so screwed up or distract oneself with mindless crap on TV. Well, at least I was getting paid. I had to consider myself lucky that I had an approved by the elites (“essential”) job.
No work for 5 years due to low oil prices and another 3 now of covid crap and I’m REALLY sick of it! Not that I’ve been physically sick for even 1 day since the covid crap started, but mentally? Yeah, that crap’s been doing a pretty good job of destroying my peace of mind, my daily sense of magnanimity, my outlook on society and life in general.
Lately things have been a little better. I finally got approved to teach again at San Jacinto Maritime College. I was teaching there part time before they had to shut down due to covid. I had to re-apply since it had been so long ago. I was ready to start with a couple of tankerman classes they had lined up for me when another job I’d been hoping for finally came through.
Of course I’d rather be out on a boat anytime than doing anything ashore, so I pissed off my boss at school and jumped at the chance to actually go somewhere other than the Gulf of Mexico for a change. So. Here I am now aboard the M/V Bluefin.
I left home at 0300 Sunday Jun 4 to fly to Kodiak, AK. I wish I was able to leave a couple of days earlier and do some exploring around town before joining the vessel, but I went straight to the boat- exhausted. They let me sleep late (amazing) and gave me the rundown Monday.
The Bluefin is an old fishing boat that’s been converted for research. We are chartered to NOAA to service their buoys all over the world. For this voyage, we are working the North Pacific Ocean. I joined in Kodiak, AK and will be getting off when we reach Yokahama, Japan. It took us about a week and a half to make our way here to Dutch Harbor from Kodiak.
We checked out about a half dozen buoys on the way. Also had to shelter for weather for a couple of days in Shearwater Bay (S side of Kodiak Island)- that’s where the bears were. One of the crew onboard- AB John- had a drone. He takes some amazing pictures (check out his Instagram). He sent his drone over to get some shots of the bears- they were too far away to see much more than big fur balls from the ship (that’s it in the background). Sadly, his drone ran out of juice on the way back to the ship and sank.
I was expecting the weather to be better- more like summer. It is the middle of June already. It’s nice that it doesn’t get dark til almost midnight, but so many days have been overcast, rainy, windy and rough. I’m really impressed with how well they’re able to work those buoys.
The Bluefin is technically a Dynamic Positioning vessel since it has a DP system onboard, but it’s not classed and they “never” use it. I rarely even notice them using the bow thruster. They tell me they usually only take an hour or so to work a buoy, but a couple of times so far we’ve spent 2-3 hours hanging on.
Yes, they literally hang on to the mooring of the buoy while the technicians are checking everything out. We can’t put any strain on the line, so have to maneuver the vessel so that we stay in position very close to where we picked up the buoy and put it on deck. So far, I haven’t had the chance to work a buoy. I’m on watch from 2330-0730 (fantastic watch schedules on here!), so I’ve mostly just been driving the boat. A couple of times they were still working the buoy but the mate wanted to finish the job rather than have me take over (when I’ve never run this boat before).
So we finished up our last one before our planned crew change in Dutch Harbor just in time to avoid another strong weather system. We arrived late afternoon on the 17th. The weather was beautiful. Sun shining and warm for a change- but I was sleeping. Saturday morning was cold and rainy again but I didn’t want to miss a chance to go ashore. I went to the grocery store with the cook and stocked up my stash of snacks- for some reason the owner doesn’t like to supply the boat with that kind of stuff (cereal, chips, sweets, etc) so we all bring our own favorites.
After shopping, we went for lunch at the Grand Aluetian Hotel. They had a really nice buffet. breakfast/lunch with all the usual- plus. Made to order omelettes, prime rib, ham, biscuits and sausage gravy, chicken breasts, baked halibut, pancakes, blueberry muffins, danish, bagels with cream cheese and lox, macaroni salad, potato salad, nice green salad with all the fixin’s, fruit tray (canteloupe, melon, pineapple, grapes, strawberries), smoked salmon, and a fantastic dessert table full of delicious sweets (chocolate layer cake, pecan pie, lemon meringue pie, cheesecake, brownie bites, petit fours, pudding, lemon bars, and more).
I went back again and again, pretty much stuffed myself. Needed those sweets like I need a hole in my head, but damn they were good! I spent about $50, but it was worth it (cost $49 plus tip). They have a seafood buffet on Wednesdays. Everyone says it’s amazing and “not to be missed”. That one costs $65 but I don’t think we’ll still be here by Wednesday.
Yesterday I got to go with the cook again. We went to the store again to check on some last minute grocery items. I found a couple of interesting books on Alaska and fishing (hopefully will review them here after I read them).
We drove around a bit, searching for a good lookout to get a few nice photos. We found the cultural museum (where I discovered my camera battery was dead)- it was closed- and the military museum– it was closed too. We spotted the ‘famous’ Russian onion domed church from afar, but it looked pretty far way so we skipped it. We found a real interesting old house of a former radio station and the ruins of an underground hospital. We never found a great lookout, conscious of other crew also wanting to get ashore and needing the van we were driving around in. We decided to check out the famous “rat bar” and then head back to the boat.
The Norwegian Rat is the best bar in Dutch (at least the only one we found). It sits right on the bay and has fantastic views of the beach and the boats sailing by. They have a huge fire pit outside and I can imagine how sweet that must be when it gets dark in the early afternoon. They had a pretty decent menu, it was hard to decide what I wanted. All kinds of burgers and sandwiches, chicken wings, spinach/artichoke dip, nachos, chili, gumbo, steaks, pizzas, etc. I finally decided on a pizza (pepperoni, mushroom and onion) and Derrick had chili (home-made) and nachos. The pizza was great and cheers from Derrick on the chili too.
Seems I’ll miss out on a lot of the things I was hoping to do here. The military (WWII) museum is closed for repairs and the Cultural museum was not open until Tuesday (today) from 11-16. I’m not sure if I’ll make it over to town again today. Still, I’m glad to be here at all and looking forward to Yokahama.
Long Time No See…
Hey. It’s been a loooong time since I’ve been around. Sorry. It just got to the point where I was just ranting all the time. I felt I was turning people off. Yes, it was helpful to me to be able to get what I was feeling out into the open. Write it down. I probably should’ve started my journal again instead of putting it all out for the entire world to see.
Anyway. I’m back. I HOPE things are getting better now. For sure they are in the short term. I don’t know if I will be able to stop with the ranting since I’m pretty sure all the bad sh*t that we’ve all had to deal with the last couple of years is not over yet- in fact I think we’re going to have to put up with a lot worse. In the meantime, I’ll try to write about more positive stuff. As always, I will post about whatever I find interesting and hope somebody else out there will too. Maybe we can all learn something new together?
So. What have I been doing since my last post? Wow- November 2020! Well, not a lot of the usual stuff I do. Since the covid shots came out, I have basically been locked out of almost all of my usual job prospects. NO job is worth ruining my health for and that is what has already happened to millions of people who took those shots (including my watch partner- who WAS a healthy young man and now has his health ruined by Bells Palsy for the rest of his life). So, I’ve had VERY little work. Consequently, very little money. So very little ability to travel or do anything else.
I’ve mostly been hanging around the house. VERY frustrated, angry and kind-of depressed. Feeling like I’m at the stage of my life where I should have been able to stop working and really start enjoying everything the world has to offer. I had saved up a good bit of money, bought rental properties so I would have a steady income. Planned to work a couple months straight and then spend the rest of the year traveling the world.
I’d signed up as a house/pet sitter, got certified to teach English as a second language and was using Duolingo app to learn Spanish. But then- COVID. The entire world ground to a halt. Not for the 2 weeks they scammed us into agreeing to, but MORE THAN TWO YEARS! For what we now know (and DID know from the start- the information WAS out there for anyone who bothered to look) is that NONE of the tactics they used to “fight it”, to “flatten the curve”, would do or did a damn bit of good- but did do a hell of a lot of harm!
I’m sure some will call me selfish. To think that my freedoms are so important. OK. Yes. Hell yes, I DO think that! You think I’m selfish for wanting to be able to live my life the way I choose? Too bad! I think you’re selfish for wanting to protect yourself at the expense of everyone else on the planet! And stupid to top it off!!! NO ONE is guaranteed to live for even 1 day in this life! NO ONE is guaranteed their health. Or to never get sick. NO ONE is guaranteed any kind of safety in this world- and to trade away freedom for that false sense of security is an idea only fools would go along with. (Am I pissing you off yet?)
YES! I DO think freedom is more important than “safety”. There is only ONE legitimate function of the US government according to our founding documents and that is to preserve and protect our FREEDOMS! NOT our safety! We, as individuals are responsible for our own safety, and especially our own health. I can’t speak for the governments of the rest of the world, but personally I think if they are NOT doing the job of protecting the FREEDOMS of their people, then they are NOT legitimate- but only robber barons in disguise.
PS- our rights do NOT come from the government (any government), they are inherent to the fact that we are all human beings!
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am more than ready for the return to “normal”. It was nowhere near perfect, but a hell of a lot better than what we’re looking at now.
Are any of you keeping up with the WEF (World Economic Forum)? Their plans for 15 minute cities, 70% reduction in personal automobiles, our future diet of “bugs” (none of which applies to any of them of course)? Or the WHO’s (World Health Organization) plans to completely take over your life/health? How about the EU/WHO digital passport thing? No passport- no travel, no work, no food, no housing- or just go straight to the lock-up! Or the worldwide rush to CBDC’s (Central Bank Digital Currency)- where they will know everything about every single dollar you spend, where you spent it, what you spent it on. They will take their taxes out of every dime and if they don’t like what you want to do with YOUR money, they will shut you out of the system. Exactly like they did to the Canadian truckers (who were 100% legally protesting their tyrannical government). Just like in China, the social credit system will restrict your ability to work, to travel, to educate yourself or your children- pretty much everything. Bow down and enslave yourself to “your” government or pay the price!
Yes. This IS coming. The US is planning to bring out what they’re calling FedNow in July. That is the beginning of the CBDC here in the USA. The WHO is in (mostly secret) discussions with countries around the world re:amendments to the “Pandemic Treaty” which will severely limit your access to any kind of freedom re: YOUR life and YOUR health.
All it takes to stop this evil from once again dragging us down is to stand together and just say NO! Keep on saying it. DO NOT COMPLY!
Yes, it’s been hard the last couple of years without work. Running through my savings (thank god I had some!). Selling whatever I could get rid of to bring in a few extra bucks. Constantly being told I’m just a “crazy conspiracy theorist”. Not allowed to work, travel or even shop freely. Favorite bars, restaurants and businesses shut down, most never will recover. Being insulted constantly and banned from social media for sharing FACTS. TRUTH. BUT, I’m RIGHT. The masks don’t work for a virus (never have, never will), covid is nothing to worry about for MOST people (fatality rate less than 1% for everyone under 80 yo- so 99% (MOST) survived it just fine)(those Chinese videos of people dropping dead in the streets were as obviously fake as all the zombie movies I used to watch), the shots don’t help, there are other things that DO help, quarantines are for SICK people- NOT healthy people, etc!
Now, even the mainstream news is admitting all of those things are true. Wondering if people will finally open their eyes? Now that the people they trusted are finally telling the truth, instead of their constant parroting of the flat out LIES of the so called ‘elites’? I still see WAY too many people wearing masks- driving around in their cars by themselves. Sad.
Here’s a cool video, thanks to my friend Jack at Everything Voluntary. Hope it makes people THINK!
What Are You Thankful For This Pandemic Year Thanksgiving?
I am so thankful to be at work. I am thankful that this year I have had more work than I’ve had since I was laid off in 2015. Maybe this long downturn is finally ending?
I’m thankful I still have some savings left. I’m not totally broke yet. I still have my house and most of my assets, though I’ve had to sell off a few things in order to survive the last few years with practically no work. I’m thankful I’ve had the years of experience of working in the offshore oilfield which prepared me for this time. I did all I could to be ready for the layoffs.
I’m thankful to be fairly healthy. I’m not deaf, dumb, blind or seriously injured. I do have some health issues (I’m getting old) and I’m still fat (nothing new there, I still have no success dieting). I’ve pretty much given up on that and just accept that I enjoy my food and drink and always will. I’d rather enjoy it all rather than deprive myself in hopes of a few extra years of life.
You never really know what’s going to happen anyway. You could die in a car wreck tomorrow. I could find out I have some kind of cancer next month. I have such a hard time right now with this ‘pandemic’, it has a 99%+ survival rate but everyone in the world seems to think it’s worth throwing away everything that makes life worth living in order to be ‘safe’. Like anyone ever could be.
There is no such thing as 100% safety in this world. Life entails risk! There is no living without it! Giving up so much, reaching for that 1% just seems totally insane to me.
I’m thankful for my friends. They accept me as I am. I don’t have to dress up or play any games. They don’t run me off (very often) if I start going on about one of my ‘conspiracy theories’. I’m glad I have so many I can talk about such interesting subjects with. I get super tired of having nothing to talk about but sports and babies!
I’m thankful that I’ll be able to eat and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner out here on the boat where we’re all living pretty much normally (we just check our temperatures daily). I do not have to worry about any idiotic mask mandates or restrictions on how many friends I can invite over to eat!
I’m really, really thankful that more and more people are starting to wake up. To stand up and fight for their (and our) freedom. That they are no longer willing to submit to the idiotic, arbitrary and ultimately useless rules and restrictions being forced upon the world using the excuse of a deadly pandemic (covid).
I’m thankful that I can still get around (tho who knows how much longer that will last with all the covid restrictions ongoing). I’ve been able to keep my ’97 F-150 going and do my best to take care of it. I don’t ever want to have to buy another car in my life!
I’d love to find somewhere to live where I don’t need a car at all. Somewhere like where I grew up in Florida, where everything I needed was within easy walking distance. Not like Texas, where everything you need is miles away and we have no real options for public transportation.
I’m thankful that I still have access to so many great books to read! I have my kindle with me and it’s full of a few dozen good ones. Everything from travel to horror, to biographies and science fiction. I also brought a stock of magazines with me. I’m still working through the Seaways from the Nautical Institute and just started on the National Geographic. I still have a couple of Smithsonian’s and Reason magazines to get through.
I’m thankful I have my house and garden to go home to when I get off this boat. A place of my own where I can spread out. I can relax and lay down on the couch if I feel like it. I can fill the fridge with food, cook and eat anything I feel like. I can adjust the temperature to where I’m comfortable (this boat is always freezing!). I can work on projects like painting while listening to my favorite music. I can look forward to getting outside to clean up my yard while the weather is nice and cool. I can enjoy watching my plants do their thing and pet the visiting cats that come by to meow at me pretty much every day.
I’m thankful for my cameras and computers. They allow me to take photos to help me remember all the fantastic places I’ve been and all the beautiful people I’ve met. I can look back and remember all the good times I’ve had and fantasize about having more in the future. I can wind up practically drooling over some of the emails I get describing bucket list destinations.
They also allow me to share and meet people all over the world who I’d never be able to in any other way. I’m thankful for that too. 🙂
What are some things you’re thankful for?
Are Things Getting Better in the Gulf of Mexico?
I’ve been back at work since late October. I joined this vessel in Amelia, LA on October 27. It’s an ex- Tidewater supply boat, the Ken C Tamblyn, renamed Ocean Guardian. It had been stacked for a few years until this company bought it, They had a couple of guys onboard for a few months, getting it ready to go to work. Then they lined up a job and crewed it up at the last minute.
A company new to the Gulf, has to have a hard time finding work for their vessel. It’s been hell even for companies that have been around for decades. There are hundreds of boats stacked up all over the bayous of S Louisiana. They must have a hell of a salesman, they’ve managed to find work for it with a dive company for at least this one job. In November no less! Winter is not the time of year to be working dive jobs in the Gulf of Mexico.
If I could find work like that, I would be seriously looking for a boat of my own.
Too bad I couldn’t sell a steak to a starving man. Also, I’m still basically broke. Still trying to catch up to where I was a few years ago financially and don’t have any spare cash to invest in a boat or anything else.
I do think this is probably the best time to buy a boat I’ve seen in a long time. We got to work offshore for a while and then had to bring the boat in to Port Fourchon for the last hurricane (Eta). We spent a couple of days shifting between various docks (doing the old Fourchon Shuffle). It seemed busier than the last few times I’ve been in here.
We went offshore to get a little more work done before the weather kicked up again and we had to come back in. We still have no dock space in Fourchon, so shifting around over and over. It seems to be a sign of an improving situation for boats working in the Gulf. Everything comes through Fourchon now a days (personally, I still think that’s a terrible idea- we should not put all our eggs in one basket/port).
There aren’t nearly as many boats in port as there were previously, but the ones that are here seem to have work. I see a lot of subsea boats running in and out with equipment on deck. I’ve noticed a few supply boats loaded with pipe and casing and various tools. Maybe things are finally picking up offshore?
The latest lease sale was a bit of good news, with a larger than expected $120 million bid. I really hope that translates into improved work situations for all us offshore workers. It’s been a LONG 5+ years since the layoffs started in 2014.
I’d really like to get at least one more full year of work in. I know so many people who have been struggling to survive the last few years and just trying to hold on. It would be great to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and come out strong again. I’ll just have to keep on hoping
What’s Really Open in Europe for Americans Now?
So, where in the world are people still living normal lives? I’ve heard Turkey, Serbia, Croatia, and of course the poster child- Sweden.
Sweden sounds like a beautiful country. I was there once when I was in high school. We stopped at Visby for a couple of days. I don’t remember a whole lot except that the weather was gorgeous and it was very green. I’d like to go back for a visit some time and see more of the country.
Croatia looks beautiful from what I’ve seen of it online. I used to work with a couple of guys from there. They both made it sound very nice.
Serbia? I don’t know anything about it except that it had a war going on for a while. I should probably be ashamed for my ignorance. I would love to go there and learn more about it. Any Serbians here, please feel free to inform me. 🙂
I’ve been to Turkey a couple of times. I really loved it. I love history and I enjoyed spending time in the many museums and some of the ruins around the country. The coastline is gorgeous and I bet there must be some good places to SCUBA dive. I could definitely see myself spending some time there.
Is anybody on here familiar with any of these countries? I’m especially curious right now about how different places are dealing with the covid-19 virus. How close to normal (the old normal, not the ‘new normal’) are they?
I think I will spend some time researching how many countries Americans are allowed to travel to and how much time we’re allowed to spend there. I hate to spend so much time, money and effort to go someplace and then get chased out after a short time due to visa issues. I think we were allowed only 3 months in European Schengen zone (before covid) and not allowed at all in a lot of places at this point.
Sad. Really, really sad
New Normal? NO! Let’s Go Back to Living!
I haven’t been very motivated to write or do much of anything else since all this covid crap started. I’m sure some of you believe it is a serious disease and we’re ‘all gonna die’ if we’re exposed to it like the media keeps terrorizing everyone with their dire predictions (none of which are true). I don’t believe any of it.
Oh yeah, I’m sure covid-19 is a new disease. What I don’t believe for a NY second is that it ever was a “dangerous pandemic”. We’ve known from the beginning that basically the only people seriously endangered if they catch it is those people who are already medically compromised.
What I don’t understand is why did most people around the world believe without a second thought what they were told by the ‘authorities’? Why did almost no one take a minute to question the narrative? Why did we all the sudden go along with their orders to place ourselves under house arrest- when we’re HEALTHY?
Why do we go along with the propaganda that this disease is so very different than every other one that we’ve ever dealt with? Normally, when we have something catching going around, we isolate those people who are sick- NOT the healthy people! Why are we doing the opposite now? Oh yeah, cause supposedly we’re ALL sick. We just don’t know it.
That’s another thing. When did we all the sudden decide that someone is sick when they don’t have any signs of any kind of sickness? Covid testing involves sticking a swab so far up your nose there is pretty much a zero change that anything they find up there is ever coming out on its own. Even then, they have to multiply that sample dozens of times to make it come out with enough of a virus to show up positive. Then again, those tests are notorious for being WRONG.
But, because of all this, we’ve allowed our leaders to force the entire world to shut down.
The “new normal”.
This is causing MUCH MORE death, destruction and long term human misery than ANY virus ever possibly could!
Personally, I want to travel again. FREELY. I want to be able to enjoy life again. I am furious that so many people feel like they are justified in causing all this misery. I see the world falling apart and my country destroyed, it will never recover if we don’t stop this theft of our freedoms NOW.
I am torn between doing all I can to fight, staying home and taking a huge chance of winding up in some sort of prison. Or giving up everything I’ve ever worked for, running away to some foreign land and hoping it will not turn into the same panic driven banana republic.
It seems I am one of the very few who believe life is for LIVING and not for barely surviving while shivering in fear over some tiny chance of dying. Why won’t people face up to the fact that people die. It happens. It is going to happen to all of us one day. None of us is ever guaranteed to live even one more day, ever. Why are we allowing them to change so much of our lives for the worse, over THIS particular threat?
Is There Anywhere Left to Live Free?
I’m asking everyone here, who knows of a place- anywhere in the world- that has not gone bonkers over the novel coronavirus? Does anybody have any suggestions where a person can go to live like normal? NOT the “new normal”, which is anything BUT normal! I want to go back to actually LIVING my life, not getting used to giving up everything that makes life actually worth living.
I want to be able to talk to people- up close, not from 6 feet away- to see their facial expressions and smiles. I want to be able to give and receive a hug or a handshake without people looking at me like I’m going to somehow murder them. I want to be able to enjoy traveling again, in comfort (or at least what passed for comfort in those tiny airline seats). I want to be able to visit a new place without having to plan every minute in advance since everything is so confounding with all the ridiculous covid rules. I want to see busy city streets full of people living their normal lives and lined with thriving small businesses of all sorts- open to everyone without restriction.
I can’t stand to see what’s going on around the world and especially in America. Once the “home of the brave and land of the free”. Sadly, the insane over reaction to this virus has completely demolished any real freedoms Americans had left.
When “our leaders” can put all of under house arrest. When they can arbitrarily decide who can and can’t go to work, who’s allowed go shopping (and what we can or can’t buy), who’s allowed to keep their business going, …
They have taken it on themselves to decide who can and can’t actually LIVE in this ‘brave new world’ they’ve shoved down our throats. I shouldn’t say it like that, since it seems so very few object to this new medical tyranny.
Most of the people I see when I go out anywhere seem to be completely OK with the ‘mandates’ coming down from above. No matter how stupid, senseless and ridiculous they are!
For example, the mask mandates… there is not one single scientifically rigorous study anywhere that shows that masks help prevent the spread of the flu (or covid). There are a whole lot of them that DO show that masks are actually harmful! Yet, our leaders still insist we wear them and most people are happy to comply. WHY?
I want to know WHY we have all thrown out all of our common sense and submitted to these draconian measures for THIS particular disease? The experts, even the ones at the CDC and the WHO have admitted that masks are NOT the way to go! They have admitted that these mandates (masks, social distancing, lockdowns) are all MUCH MORE HARMFUL than the virus itself.
Why does no one care about all the other reasons people die every year? All the deaths from car accidents, plane crashes, cancer, obesity, tuberculosis, malaria, and all the other diseases have somehow lose all importance and we ONLY care about covid- WHY?
I admit, I am a conspiracy theorist. but when there is no apparent reason for something then I start looking for something that may be hidden a little bit. In this instance, it is blaringly obvious to me that all this is about nothing but CONTROL. PERIOD!
Why this disease and why now? Simple, because it is only now that “they” are able to exert so much control over us all. With the rise of the “surveillance state“, digital currency (or even credit cards), and social capital like in China, they have the technology in place to track, trace and eventually take complete control of EVERY aspect of our lives.
You think not? Read George Orwell’s “1984“, “Animal Farm”, and Huxley’s “Brave New World” think about it a while and then tell me they’re not being used as a road map for ‘our leaders’ to follow.
What’s Happening
So, I was able to find another job after only 2 months at home this time. This company called me out of the blue late Friday afternoon and asked if I could join the ship by Monday. Luckily, I have been keeping my sea bags packed and only had a couple of things I needed to take care of before I could leave.
I flew to New Orleans Monday evening, spent the night in a hotel and had my covid test the next morning before heading to the ship in Morgan City. It’s an old Tidewater OSV. This company bought it cheap and somehow managed to find work for it.
There are hundreds of these vessels laid up all over Louisiana. If I had a steady paycheck or a decent amount of money in the bank, I would be looking to buy one myself. Of course, I would first need to find a job for the boat and I’ve never been much of a salesman. Too bad, now is a time of fantastic opportunities if you have any way to hold on until things get better.
Boats, real estate, etc. I think any hard assets would be worth investing in right now. I’m very tempted to take what little savings I do have left and put it into real estate. Either another small rental locally or something overseas in a place I’d like to spend some time.
That’s a major issue. I can’t decide where to go. I’ve already been trying to move out of the US for a long time. I hate watching what’s happening here. I realize there’s really nothing I can do to change things. I LOVE what this country stands for and I believe in our founding principles 100%. I just can’t stand to see all that just thrown in the garbage. It’s extremely frustrating, depressing and makes me miserable if I think too much about it. I try to ignore it most of the time, but like when I have to fly and the TSA forces the loss of my freedom right up into my face, I just can’t ignore it any more and the whole flight is ruined.
I’m not a big Trump fan, but I have to admit he did do some good things for this country. I was hoping he would win the election (if Jo Jorgensen lost). Bidens plans will just flush us down the toilet even faster. I’d like to see some REAL FREEDOM in the USA, or anywhere in the world for that matter!
My best hope at this point is the Seastead ship. The “Santochi”. I’ve already emailed to ask for a job on there. I don’t see them looking for mariners (they must already have some), but I do see them looking for painters, plumbers, carpenters, etc. If I had any of those skills, I would definitely apply!
The prices for ‘apartments’ onboard seems pretty reasonable, even considering that they’re all up for bid so might come in quite a bit more than their starting price. The real issue is the monthly cost on top of the purchase price. You have to pay a fee, similar to a condo fee for maintenance (fuel, water, electric, etc) and that will add up quickly. Too expensive for me to afford, although IF it was actually going to be run as a libertarian community I would sacrifice a LOT in order to be part of it.
As I said, I would love to see at least ONE place somewhere in the world where people could live with some real, actual freedom. The USA used to offer that. Sadly, that is no longer the case. It hasn’t for a long time now. It’s just getting to be more and more obvious.
The covid panic has brought it all out into the open. We have become a corporatocracy- 100%! We have no real freedom any more. Our state governors have declared that none of us has any right to work, to travel, to shop for food or anything else, to go to church or to gather for any reason. They have made themselves the supreme arbiters of our lives. WHO gave them that power??? I most certainly did NOT! NONE of us did! They STOLE that power and they have NO legitimate authority!
President Trump did the right thing constitutionally by ‘allowing’ the state governors to decide how to handle it, but if I were him (especially knowing everyone hated him already), I would’ve declared that the USA was going to handle the “pandemic” in accordance with our foundational principles. That we would not shut down ANYTHING. That if anyone felt concerned about their ability to deal with a virus that had only a 0.0003% fatality rate and almost no one realized they had until they had a swab stuck up their nose almost to their brain and then replicated dozens of times in order to gather enough of the virus to show up on the (60%+ WRONG) test, they’d be welcome to stay home and quarantine themselves. Everyone else was going to go on LIVING their lives!
Any ship, airline, bus or business of any sort doing business in the USA in any fashion would be 100% immune from any legal action relating to covid-19. People could choose to do business or not according to their own risk tolerance but they would NOT be able to push off the responsibility for their choices onto anyone else!
Americans would uphold their traditions of the home of the brave and the land of the free and NOT the country full of paranoid whiny babies who can’t take any personal responsibility and run home terrified to mommy government over the slightest risk.
The world has gone completely nuts over this covid virus. It deserves it’s name covid-1984! The governments and media of the world are complicit in the worst crimes against humanity by their decisions to TERRORIZE everyone over this disease.
What I don’t understand is why have so many otherwise intelligent people fallen so completely for the SCAM? Why do we pay even one bit of attention to our leaders when they insist that we can’t let even one person die (from covid- when milliions die every day from all sorts of other things)? It’s so OBVIOUSLY NOT ABOUT OUR HEALTH OR SAFETY!
And yes, even tho some people have died from covid, it is still a scam! There is NO reason at all to shut down the world over this particular disease. Ebola-with a 80%+ fatality rate, people melting down into a bloody mess- yes- THAT would be a justifiable reason to shut down the world. THIS disease is NOT!
Hang In There
I’m coming back. I’m working on trying to fix all the problems that popped up while I was away.
I have no idea what happened. Does anyone else have these random problems with their blog? Blog disappearing from the web? Widgets not working right? Not able to update the site?
I just went to a site called “fixmysite.com” and looking to get their help to fix everything. I’m hoping they won’t ask much of me since I have no idea what they were talking about in the confirmation email they just sent me.
Too Long
It’s been a long time. I’ve debated just giving up and letting the blog go, but when the renewal notice came in recently I decided to keep it.
I haven’t been blogging because I haven’t felt like writing. I haven’t felt like doing much of anything at all. It’s been really, really hard for me to get motivated to do anything. If you’re been following me for any length of time, I’m sure you can guess why.
One reason I started this blog was to try to build an audience for my work. My writing, photography and art. Another was to ‘meet’ people online, from all around the world to have interesting conversations.
I haven’t had much success with the first goal, I’ve never made a dime from anything to do with my blog. I have kept on hoping to find a way to earn some income here, whether from directly selling a painting or photo to someone who sees something they like, or someone likes what I’m writing and gets in touch to see if I can do anything for them, or even figuring out how to put some relevant ads on here (instead of the ridiculous crap they’ve been putting up- I’m pretty sure no one here is really interested in those ads for skin creams or the diet pills that ‘really work’).
I’ve had much better luck with the second goal: to meet interesting people around the world and learn from each other about all kinds of things. I really was hoping for more back and forth discussion, but maybe a blog is not the right place for that? Facebook seems to get all of that sort of action.
I don’t want to scare off anybody, but I’ve decided that sometimes I do really want to just go at it on here. I want a place to express my thoughts and not have them censored. Facebook and Twitter are getting to be really bad about that sort of thing.
So. I hope if you’re still hanging in there, following me and looking forward to seeing whatever I may post, that you won’t get scared off by what I’m fixin’ to do.
I managed to get back offshore. I’m actually on a drill ship off the coast of Guyana (South America). I’ll write more about that soon. As usual, I don’t have a lot of time or internet access to be able to blog much from out here, but I will try to post more often than I have been lately (that shouldn’t be hard at all). 😉
Please comment and let me know what you’re up to and your thoughts on this. I’m really hoping to get back into the online community (I still miss the old wordpress).
5 Day Turnaround
I got off the Ocean Evolution last week. I had to drive home so I spent a little time job hunting on the way. I stopped in the office when I picked up my truck, hoping to talk to someone there and got lucky. I was able to talk to the HR people and they helped me get my application filled in (I’ve been trying to do it, but it wouldn’t let me past the 2nd page).
I don’t really have any idea if anything will come of it, they couldn’t give me a time frame for when or if I might be needed, but I still felt pretty good when I left.
Next door was another boat company, so I stopped in there too. I was able to speak to a man there who actually seemed interested. We talked for a while about the good old days in the Gulf. Back when things were booming and we could still go to work in shorts and flip-flops. God I miss those days!
It was already getting late, so I was only able to make one more stop that day. Was told there, they would probably be laying people off again next week (now). With the Coronavirus panic wreaking havoc all over the world, I expect that’s already happened. Looks like we’re in for at least another year of horrible job prospects.
I made it home late Thursday and spent the weekend running errands and getting caught up with the foot-high pile of mail blocking my front door. I was also able to spend some time online, looking at things I wasn’t able to at work (not stupid stuff- but internet was super sluggish onboard and lots of sites were blocked).
I saw a post on Linkedin where they were looking for a DPO and made a comment. I was super surprised that they actually called me back. That never happens! Turns out I was accepted for the position and had to get ready to travel again immediately.
This one, the Seven Pacific, will be my home for the next 2 weeks. 🙂
I left yesterday afternoon and am waiting to join the ship here in Mobile now. 🙂
Last Sunday Onboard
I’m still here onboard the Ocean Evolution. It’s a slow Sunday at the dock. Usually Sundays are what we call “Safety Sunday”. We try to take it easy and do a lot of safety related stuff (more than usual).
We thought we were going offshore today to do some testing, so we did all our drills yesterday after the usual Saturday steak BBQ. Today I haven’t done much but a little bit of ballasting for some crane ops, a little bit of paperwork and standing gangway watch.
That whole gangway watch thing is new since 9-11. We’re supposed to be on the lookout for terrorists who instead of just shooting us with an RPG from the dock, want to try their luck to sneak aboard and somehow attack a ship full of some fairly tough men (these guys don’t sit behind a desk all day). We also have a lot of things that could be quite dangerous if we want them to be. A match for any bunch of losers with box cutters!
Personally, I think the whole ‘be afraid, be very very afraid” of the terrorist thing is WAY overblown. I have zero fear of any terrorist. What I do fear is the fact that our government has used that fear to destroy our way of life. They’ve done it a hell of a lot more effectively than any terrorist could imagine in their wildest dreams!
As an example, I was reading an article today on how many people in the US don’t yet have “REAL ID” (internal passports, just like the old USSR and NAZI Germany used to have- great examples we’ve decided to follow). I have no idea how the “added security” these new IDs will help us in the USA. After all, this country’s government has one purpose and one purpose ONLY.
That SOLE purpose is: to protect the rights and freedoms we already have as human beings!
Will someone, anyone, please tell me exactly how forcing us to “show your papers please” anytime we want to travel (which we’re constitutionally guaranteed to be able to do without any kind of government interference) is going to help anything?
The ONLY thing it will do, is to continue to turn us into a bunch of zombies, dependent on our government masters to protect us from everything in the world (including ourselves). We’ve already gone way too far down that road to serfdom.
I’ll post this quote from Ben Franklin again here. It’s just as true now as when he (supposedly) said it back when we were fighting for our freedom from the British.
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
We need to wake the hell up and start fighting for it again NOW, before it’s too late. We will never have a safe society and I- for one- don’t want one. I want a FREE society. I want to be able to live my live, make my own choices and have the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. I am sick and tired of the nanny state being forced upon us all. We’re NOT all babies here. We’re entitled to live as fully functioning adults until and unless we prove we’re (individually) incapable of that.
I don’t know how many of you may support the nanny state we’re living in now, but if you do I’d like to hear your reasons. Why would anyone think we should choose to live in a “safe” society (which is unattainable) to living in a free society (which is also probably not 100% possible, but I’m sure it’s a lot easier to achieve and a lot better for a lot more people).
Let’s have a real discussion here. 🙂
PS- we used to be able to discuss interesting subjects like this in the local bars until the MAD mothers put a stop to that! Most of the bars have closed and no one talks anymore about anything but sports (men) and babies (women).
FOTD: Orchid
I’ve been at work the last couple of weeks (finally), so I haven’t been able to get online much. We just got back in to the dock and my phone started working again. Things have slowed down a bit now, so I’m taking the opportunity to check out the blogosphere and found Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge for today. So here’s my orchid shot…
Time Flies
I only just realized it’s been almost 2 weeks since I last posted. I’ve been onboard since January 30th and haven’t really had much of a chance to keep up here. It’s kind of strange, since I really haven’t been all that busy, but still on watch 12 hours a day and not able to spend so much time online like I can at home.
I’m back on the Ocean Evolution. I was on here last July for a hitch. It’s a nice boat. Good crew. Good company to work for. I used to work directly for Oceaneering. I spent 5 years on their DSV The Performer overseas. I loved it! I think that has to be my favorite job of all.
If we would’ve stayed overseas, I would never have left. I’d have 18 years here. But, that’s not what happened. They brought the ship back to the GoM (Gulf of Mexico) and it was such a horrible culture shock. I got an offer to go back overseas and jumped on it.
That turned out to be a bad decision. I should’ve known it was too good to be true. It was supposed to be on a drill ship. It would work in Alaska in the summer and Australia in the winter. Perfect! At that point, I never wanted to work on the drillships because I figured they would be so boring, just sitting in one spot for weeks at a time. This one would spend a lot of time underway- great!
Well, it didn’t work out for me. I joined the ship in Singapore. That was pretty cool. I always loved working in Singapore. It’s such an exciting, exotic, fascinating place. I love the energy there. I spent about a month onboard while we all worked hard to get the ship ready to go to work.
I spent most of my time on the bridge, working on correcting charts and publications. Years worth of work that hadn’t been done. Also making voyage plans. Plans that changed every couple of days.
We were supposed to sail from Singapore to Alaska to start work, but we had a lot of issues onboard. Most of the crew that was there when I signed on quit before I did. The rest of them quit with me. Only the captain and second mate were left while they scrambled to acquire new crew for the voyage.
It’s a long, sad story that I probably shouldn’t get into online. It’s not a good idea to air your dirty laundry in public. Especially online, where everybody in the world can see it and it never, ever goes away.
I’m just glad the industry was still going strong at that point and I was able to stay constantly busy with work from the temp agencies. The same ones I’ve been working with the last few years. Sadly, none of them have had nearly enough work since then. I wonder if the shipping industry is ever going to provide a decent chance of employment again?
Between autonomous shipping (theres already a ferry in Norway running around on its own), the STCW that allows shipowners to go to the lowest bidder for crew, and the push to get rid of fossil fuels it doesn’t look good.
Six Long Months
It’s been almost 6 months since my last job. I’ve been getting desperate (never a good frame of mind- people can sense it). I thought I’d be able to pick up some work when I got back from my last trip. The Christmas holiday is usually the best time of the year to get temp jobs. People always want to spend time with their friends and families, so they’ll ask for time off.
Well, not this year. Not for the last 4 years before that. I thought before I left for that trip that things were finally improving, but everyone is still too afraid for their jobs to take any chances. Maybe their job won’t be there when they come back, so they stay onboard and temp employees like me are out of luck.
So, I’ve spent a lot of time online looking for work (again). I’ve already applied everywhere I can think of (except MSC– my absolute last resort). I’ve done this at least a half dozen times, just going down the list of any companies with ships. I’ve called each of them at least a few times, eventually giving up when I can’t get past their computerized answering machine/secretary to talk to someone who knows something. I’ve even gone in person a few times.
I’ve filled out the same applications over and over (wondering why do they need to know when/where I went to high school and what my grades were from 40 years ago?).
Every time I actually manage to talk to someone, all I get is- “we’re not actually hiring, we’re just collecting resumes”. I don’t know why they post ads. Some even put up billboards that say they’re “hiring all positions”. I wonder why they’re collecting resumes, they must have thousands on file from the last 5 years of this latest downturn in the oilfield.
It’s been so bad. I’ve been so frustrated that I’ve been seriously thinking about quitting. Just throwing away 40+ years of professional maritime experience (not even counting another few years before I got my first z-card). Just to sit and twiddle my thumbs at home. I’ve been trying to make a few bucks doing things I enjoy- like selling my photography, paintings, writing- but no one seems interested in buying. I haven’t been able to figure out how to get noticed online. I’m competing with millions of others so no one even sees my stuff.
I absolutely refuse to waste my skills and experience. The idea of spending the rest of my life working at someplace like Walmart or McDonalds gives me the willies, but it seems those are the only kinds of jobs I’m “qualified for” on land. I mean, who needs a ship captain on the beach?
So, in order to save money I put an ad in the paper for a room mate. I need someone in my house to help pay the bills so I can afford to do something with myself (other than sit at home vegetating). I’d like to go ahead and make the move to Mexico I’ve been trying to do for years. At least there I can afford to live a decent life. I won’t wind up a grumpy old lady dining on cat food with my measly social security check.
I only had one call so far so nothing to hang around for. I saw a post online for a job fair in Lafayette, LA. They had one company (Pacific Drilling), with one job that I wanted (out of 4 companies scheduled to be there). I had already applied for that job 4 times before, but figured it would be better to talk to someone. I really don’t think anyone ever looks at those online application they all sluff you off with. So I decided to give it one more try and drove up to Lafayette.
I planned to make the rounds of the bayou boat companies again afterwards, so I brought my sea bag with me- just in case.
I got lucky! I was planning to leave after my painting class, early Tuesday afternoon. I got a call from one of my agencies about a possible job. Of course I told them I would take it, but was going to continue with my plans to go to the job fair anyway, in case their job offer fell through.
Turned out, the job did come through. I confirmed it when I was at the job fair. I got there a little late- an hour after they opened up. I was amazed at the crowds of people that showed up. There must’ve been at least 1000 people in the room, just in the hour I was there. Just shows how bad we’re still hurting in the oilfield.
The line for Pacific Drilling, where I wanted to apply, was tripled up across the room and then continued snaking out the door and all the way down the hall. By the time I got to the table to sign in, the stack of resumes was already at least 2 feet high. It was still 3 hours before they shut down the place!
The recruiter I spoke to sounded positive. I was hopeful I would hear back from her, but I’ve learned that it’s a good idea to keep on talking to people until you actually get on the boat. I continued on with the job hunt all that afternoon in the Lafayette area and then headed towards Morgan City.
I found out that afternoon, I would have to take another drug test (I just had one in October) before I would be allowed to join the vessel, so decided the best thing to do would be to spend the night in Morgan City, take the drug test 1st thing in the morning, then continue with the job hunt until I had to be at the dock at 1800 for a ride to the ship.
I joined the vessel about 2000 Thursday. The Ocean Evolution, (I was on it last year). So far, we’ve been sitting at the dock. I was hoping to go straight to work since I really need DP time! The officials have changed that system too, to where your certs expire if you’re not working so many days per year. I’m just thrilled to be getting a paycheck at this point, and at least I’m getting sea time. Every day is precious at this point. I can’t afford to lose my license, or I really will have to retire and no choice about it.
Thanks to this job, I’ll be OK for at least another 2 months without having to take anymore out of my retirement savings. Only 5 more months and I’ll be 69. It sucks when you start praying to be old, just so you can think you’re one more year closer to (hopefully) not outliving your savings.
Bluff Cove Lagoon
The muted wintry landscape sped by, shaded a weird blue hue by the vans tinted windows carrying us across the island to Bluff Cove. The browns of the tall withered grasses and deep greens of the heather lying close to the ground were broken up by weird rivers of broken rocks. This “stone run” landscape is unique to the Falkland Islands, caused by the erosion, thawing and freezing of the last ice age.
Bluff Cove Lagoon lies on the opposite side of the island from Stanley, about a half hour drive. Final approach to the farm passes over low rolling hills on a rutted dirt track to a wide spot where we traded in our vans for a fleet of 4 x 4’s (jeeps).
Speeding along in our jeeps, bouncing across sheep-shorn green grass and grinding through deep muddy ruts, we’re dropped off with a short speech at the rookeries near the beach. A flock of about 1000 gentoo penguins along with another 20 pairs of the kings we’d come to see were nesting there. Squeaking and preening, poaching rocks and tending eggs, they paid us no mind as we stood at the marked boundary and hustled for photos.
Along the edge of the lagoon, another 10-15 kings and their chicks- looking like fluffy brown puff balls- huddled in the steady cold wind. They paid no attention to us, but threatened the occasional goose that wandered to close to their chicks with their long sharp beaks.
It was wonderful to get so close to these wild birds. We were told not to approach closer than 5 m, but the birds apparently never got the memo. 🙂
It was a beautiful sunny day, but the wind was strong and it got so it was hard to hold my camera steady. With hundreds of penguin photos, I was ready for a hot drink. Picking my way through the fields littered with pellets of goose poop, I stopped at the top of the rise to take in the gorgeous seascape before me.
The ocean was a dark teal color, with breakers shining electric blue as they rolled onto the blindingly white beach, the wind blowing streamers of spray and sand upon the few brave birds searching for food along the shore.
The Sea Cabbage Cafe beckoned with the smell of hot chocolate and baked goodies in the air. The small kitchen bustled with friendly chefs, all ready to suggest their favorites among the many options to choose from: lemon drizzle cake, Hattie’s famous carrot cake, scones with local Diddle Dee jam and farm fresh cream, chocolate chip, peanut butter and coconut lace cookies, chocolate cake and even gluten free varieties. Yum!
Maybe I should’ve spent less time with my cameras and more with the cookies? I didn’t even have a chance to check out the gift shop before it was time to head back to the vans. Next time, for sure. 🙂
Stanley
The capital of the Falkland Islands, Stanley is a small town of only about 2500 pop (2016 census). I wondered how isolated and deprived the local people might feel, or if they missed much the ‘advantages’ of the big cities of the rest of the world. I wonder if they get sick of all the tourists tromping through their town when the cruise ships come in?
I think I wouldn’t mind living somewhere like Stanley. It has all I need- boats to work with, friendly people to talk to, museum, shops, restaurants, hospital, pubs, and beautiful scenery to walk around in.
Sadly, I didn’t get much of a chance to hang out and BS with the locals or sample the local delicacies. We were only there for the day and there was so much I wanted to do.
After stopping in to check out the local Seaman’s Center, I followed the paved footpath along the harbor front from the ship into town. There were informational signs along the way to describe the sights and the different birds to see along the way.
I detoured across the road to take a look at the cemetery. A large monument- the Cross of Sacrifice- tops the central stairway flanked with poppy- painted stones in remembrance of those killed in war.
The gates were closed, so I just peeked over the fence and continued walking along the harbor front, appreciating the history lessons I was getting from the signs along the way.
I noticed a couple of sailboats at the boat yard as I approached downtown. I was expecting more traffic, this being pretty much the only port for thousands of miles. But I guess maybe that’s why there wasn’t more?
There used to be a lot more. I really wanted to see the old sailing ships. Stanley Harbor is littered with the wrecks of about 20 ships- 100 more scattered around the Falklands. I had already passed by the wreck of the Afterglow- a 1920’s patrol boat- next to an old chimney used to burn the bones in ‘Hutchies’ slaughterhouse. All that’s left of the Afterglow is the boiler.
Downtown Stanley looked like a what I imagine a small British town from the 1950’s would look like. A two-lane main street with shops, cafes, and government offices clustered in the center. The famous whalebone arch and cathedral are right across the street from the Post Office with the red phone booths outside. The streets are lined with neat little houses and well tended gardens. A couple blocks from the Post Office brings you to the Falkland Islands Museum.
Continue past the museum to find ‘Victory Green’ with a few old cannons and the mizzen mast of the SS Great Britain. The famous six master of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. She was launched in Bristol (UK) in 1843. She was the longest (322′) and most advanced passenger ship in the world from 1845-1854. She was the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic in 1845 (in 14 days). She had a troubled lifetime, including being sold for salvage once and being sunk for 33 years in Stanley. Eventually, she was raised, restored and is now a museum ship back in Bristol.
For such a small and out of the way town, they do have a lot of war memorials, and they’re all well tended to. The 1982 Liberation Memorial is just past the museum, and after another couple of war memorials (Royal Marines, Battle of the Falklands, and 1914 Sea Battle of the Falklands), you’ll finally find the wreck of the Jhelum.
She was an East Indiaman, built in 1849 in Liverpool. Abandoned in 1870 after suffering much damage in a storm and just barely able to limp into Stanley. I was a little disappointed. There really wasn’t much left of the Jhelum. The weather had turned nasty again, with high winds and cold, so I decided to head back to explore the museum.
It was full of all sorts of interesting items explaining Stanley and the Falkland Islands. History, battles, biology, botany, Antarctica, and stories of day to day living were on display. I was especially fascinated by the artifacts of nautical history upstairs (of course). They had photos, paintings and pieces of the ships that called on their port during the heyday of the great sailing ships.
They had ships wheels, and ships bells, figureheads and furniture, chart tables, samples of salvaged cargos (ink), silverware, and so many more interesting items.
I would’ve loved to stay longer, but signed up for the tour over to see the king penguins on the other side of the island, so had to get going. Maybe one day I can return to spend more time.
Lens-Artists Challenge #80- Leading Lines
I always enjoy these photography challenges whenever I see them. I love to see the beautiful photos everyone posts, and I like to share mine too. 🙂
Here’s the link to this week’s challenge- Leading Lines.
And here are a few of my photos.
I hope you like my photos, if you click the links in the captions, you can find out more about them. 🙂
Tuesdays
Tuesdays are my busiest days of the week. I’ve started going back to painting class Tuesday mornings. I was taking a class in oil and pastels, but the lady who taught that class ‘retired’. So I had no class to go to for a while.
Recently, they started a watercolor class that I’ve been going to for a couple of weeks. Here’s a couple I started last week. I think I need to add something- any ideas?
I’ve always loved art. Wether it’s making my own, or enjoying someone elses. Painting, photography, writing, music, sculpture, dance, etc. It’s all good. 🙂
Watercolor painting is very different than oil painting. It seems harder to me because you can’t easily correct a mistake (or maybe I just haven’t learned how yet). It seems easier to me in that it’s a lot ‘looser’. You can just paint a lot faster, or at least it seems that way to me.
After paint class, I like to go to the movies if there’s anything interesting showing. The theatre has specials on Tuesdays. It’s only $5 for the movie and they have a $5 popcorn + drink special. If I go any other day it’s about $20!
Last week I went to see Just Mercy. Wow! I thought this was a great movie. Not one with special effects or tricks, but high drama and a very compelling story. It’s about a black lawyer (Bryan Stevenson) who graduates from Harvard and goes down to Alabama to work with death row inmates.
The film concentrates on his work with Jimmy D (Walter McMillian)- a black man who was wrongly convicted of killing a white woman in 1986. You might think that people would be glad to have justice served. Nope. It really upset me to watch this film and see how wrong I was (am). It amazes me how corrupt our system (still) is- and not just for black people, tho I am absolutely positive that poor blacks get treated a lot worse than rich whites (or rich anybody).
All of the actors did a great job. Jamie Foxx and Micheal B. Jordan played the 2 main characters, they did a fantastic portrayal. I was raging and crying right along with them. I highly recommend this movie. It’s based on a true story. I’m sure there are many similar stories going on today. We still have a long way to go to achieve our ideals of a free country with liberty and justice for all. A long way. This film is a wake-up call, if enough people will see it and take it seriously.
After the movie got me all riled up, I went to my Tuesday night meet up of the Campaign for Liberty. We meet every Tuesday at the Wayside Pub. I haven’t been going much lately. Mostly because it’s so depressing to me. We get together and talk about all the crazy shit that’s happening around the USA and the world. The concentration has been on what an individual can do to remove themselves from the mess. Some people are seriously committed to that.
I prefer to concentrate on fixing the actual problems. Sadly, I still don’t find any solutions at those meetings. I don’t see any way to fix anything all by myself. It takes numbers and the general populace just isn’t interested in anything but having “their guy” win- regardless of how that will harm the situation in the long run. The meeting is just a social event for me now. I don’t make it a priority anymore, but I do still like to go. At least there I can talk to other people who understand my concerns. I wish more people would, but I understand how it’s so much easier to ignore it all. I just wish I could do that myself.
