Guess where I am NOW

Eds Adventures: On Friday we were out on the boat with Freddy our captain and Melissa state wildlife from SC and Randy from La out on the Gulf. We have been assigned territories now spent the day visiting the islands and bays and out in the gulf. It is finally getting organized and most of the islands with nesting populations have been cleaned and boomed. very few oiled birds this week. Except a new wave of oil is expected to hit next week.

We find "fish camps" around the bays where people have the homes on stilts and come to on weekends for fishing. Many are still destroyed from Katrina but for lunch and to hide out in storms we have found a few to hold out at. Just using their porch and getting out of storm is great. Friday we were near where Freddy is staying at one of his friends places on Grand isle so we decided to head their for lunch and see if storms were going to hit. Wow air conditioning and a great place to hang out. Even got to see a bit of the US Open while storms came through. We thought that we may get in trouble from Melissa, who is the wildlife person and birder not golfer for going there to lunch. She was really exhausted and so she got a nap and we got some golf to watch.

No good deed goes unpunished. Late afternoon out on the gulf our boat broke down right about 5:00. We had to get someone out to tow us in about 6 miles. It seems there is a lot of bad gas, no pun intended. The marina supplies gas for free to wilflife agencies and boat captains. Several baots are having troubles. The boat that picked us up got hit by lightning that day. A little scary out there at times.

We ended up getting back around 7:00 pm after talking with the director about possible jobs. He is trying hard and seems positive.

I decided I would take the time as crews are full for now and come back to Fl for rest and to take care of some things. I have a wonderful clientin in Riverbend ,Betty Forsythe who had offered me her place while she is in Boston for the summer. What a blessing for me.  I needed to break down the camper and leave it at the state park until I return., I packed up FRI night at 7:00 for 2 hours set up my tent with the bugs eating at me. Took a shower ate some nuts and breakfast bar for dinner and tried to sleep. I got up around 2:30 am and took down rthe tent and started driving for FL. After 14 hours and 890 miles I am back in paradise enjoying every minute. Got back and got a little sleep Sat night. after watching US Open Sat and Sun. After tennis with Larry and unloading car at Jay's I proceeded to get sick from dehydration and overdoing it. What a Surprise!!!!  So after resting more today and y and sleeping more I hope to play some golf this week with Jay. 

Also get rid of about 40% of the stuff I had borught on my camping trip. All warm clothing for mtns,  GONE, Porta Pody, never used GONE, Ouside shower never used GONE, Several containers of supplies, kayak, golf clubs and tennis Racqet GONE. Car is cleaned out and will be so much easier when I get back to not deal with so much. Keep trying to simplify my life.

It is so wonderful to be home enjoying the ospreys, herons, cranes, none of which are oiled or feeding in oiled waters. Just sleeping in a condo with water and microwave and Tv to watch the US Open for a couple of days is such a great pleasure. I feel so appreciative of all my friends here and time to catch up and enjoy their company gives me the energy  to head back next week and just keep DOING IT.

Hope you enjoy the pics from Bird Island with all the baby pelicans, guls, terns and herons and roseate spoonbills. The islands are now more protected and hope that some of this generation of hatchlings can survive the year. Any storm and more oil coming depending on weather and currents may cause more challenges. FL has had more time to prepare and hopefully be in a better situation then La. As it comes ot the panhandle it may end up coming through the gulf stream and on to the east coast with all of our nesting turtles and baby's. The baby's who are attracted to seaweed piles in the ocean,  look just like the oil slicks in the water. So from underwater they think they have a place to feed and keep protected and instead are coming to the surface in the oil. What a nightmare it could be and just hope and pray for survival of all the critical species and eco-systems being affected.

The people living in the gulf are so challenged by Katrina and now their livelyhoods and still so tough and resilient. Yet is has hardened and angered and hurt so many. Some people seem to be living in a daze. Just existing and going through the motions. Not caring about or taking advatage of the situation.  It is challenging for me to be surrounded by this culture. But it has helped me grow and step into their shoes and see how their lives have been so different then the blessing we all take for granted. Their is little spirituality here and makes it really hard for me to find like kinded people. But the hours and days are so long their is little time for me. I am one of the oldest in the group and the younger crowd can HANG a lot better than me. My tired worn out body after 11 hours on a boat is just too beat up exceptto get a nice cold shower cocktail and somthing to eat.

The core group of people at fish and wildlife and boat captains are the people who keep me going. Dedicated and working hard to get through all the politics and get something done is what I want.  I know the spirit brought me to the right place with the right people for my journey.

How crazy can it get????

Eds Adventures My roomate Terrance left after a day of frustraion trying to get work. I have been back out on the water the last few days with Wildlife and fisheries. Found out I could have been hired if i had stayed there for the week. Great timing for me. Got settled in here again at the state park and last night told me I had to move sites today. After a 12 hour day and tired and hot I lost it last night and just wanted to give it all up.

Good news a new day and opportunity to do survey islands looking for oil and make sure boom is surrounding the islands where birds are nesting along with oiled bird. The group is so dedicated and caring and keep on going without thought. It all really puts it all in perspective. The job may also be back on but will not get my hopes up this time. Just going to lift it all up to spirit and know it will work out the way it is supposed to.

have some pics from the bays and islands

Back to Grand Isle

Eds Adventures:  I am back in Grand Isle on Friday. The contract did not go through for the observer job thanks to BP refusing to follow NOAA direction to set up a monitering system for the skimmers out on the water to test for water quality and marine life. So much for all their promises. I spent the last 4 days in a hotel waiting to hear about the assignment and now am in more debt thanks to BP. Sure would be nice if they started paying up like they say they are.

A few days rest was much needed but as you know me I went stir crazy after a couple of days and am glad to go back to helping out tomorow and hope to get a job with wildlife and fisheries soon.  Just keep plugging away. So many people are not getting paid and it is hard to see them working hard and getting burned. 

Not much else to report here, the camper is back up at Grand Isle St Park and it is hot as ever. Hope to get on a boat with shade tomorrow. Stopped by the marina and Mark, the director of Wildlife and Fisheries was talkiing with congressman and hopefully more will start happening. Always hoping. He will be surprised to see me back after leaving on Monday for the other job. Hopefully he will be happy to have me back.

My associate, Terrance who was waiting also waiting to here about the job stayed with me in HOuma and came down to Grand Isle and staying here for a week or so helping out. It will be niec to have the company and someone splitting the cost.

Will keep up with the progrees out on the water starting tomorrow.

Take Care

Ed

PICS from the site

Eds Adventures

Finally getting settled

Eds Adventures; The situation here seems to be slowing down after the president left and BP has cut the clean-up crews know that the president left. The local and people of the area are giving everything they have to help. Crews have been brought in from wrok release programs and causing a lot of problems in the area. A woman got raped today I heard.

It seems these disasters either bring out ther best or worst in people. The area around the marina where the logistics center is a chaotic mess with all kinds of trash and just makes me so sad. I am spending the mornings waiting for wildlife and fisheries folks to meet the contrarted boat owners and then go out to areas to moniter for oil and check out nesting islands of birds. There have not been too many oiled birds at this time and difficult to rescue because it is prime nesting season and they do not want to disturb the chicks and nesting areas. They radio coordinates and then crews will bring out and boom areas affected. We have seen several slicks on the days I have been out. Today it finally felt like their was some good done. The process of coordination is so unorganized so mostly you hurry up and wait. Sure is helping me grow in patience.

The state park is okay with internet and cell but beach is closed and not the best of crowds hanging out. All my biologist friends are gone so it is just me. I am hoping to get hooked up for a site to park the camper in one of the camps Wildlife and Fish are renting.

Today we surveyed several islands without boom that were filled with nesting pelicans, terns and gulls with oil dispersed all around. You could see the slick for a long way and pelicans feeding probably on sickened fish that will then transfer to the birds and cause a long and painful death. Sorry to be so grim but I think we will see the worst after all the press and publ;icity moves on to the next story.

CNN was at the docks this morning reporting and talking about how they feel bad that they can not stay and will have to move on knowing this is only the begining. With the first big storm of the year in Guatamla causing so much death. I was in some of the affected areas in October with our church and these people can barely survive in good times. Then we have Isreal and North Korea and  sure hard to stay positive. I just keep trying to do what is in my power and lift up the rest. Thank goodness for great people to be around doing everything they can to make a difference down here.

Some pics from islands we have been surveying