Friday, August 28, 2020

Misadventures At Sea

 

A tug boat

I met a man who worked his way to the United States on a big ship. That seemed pretty great to me. 

When I drive by Baltimore's harbor on my way to work, I see container ships, tug boats, cruise ships, and more. I imagine many come from far away.

Sometimes I think about crossing the ocean working on a ship. Or staying close to home working on a tug boat.

While visiting good friends in Massachusetts, we agreed to go whale watching in Provincetown. We set off on a medium size boat in search of whales. The seas were rolling, but all seemed well as we traveled straight out to sea. Eventually the captain announced that whales were in sight! 

The boat started turning this way and that to get close to the whales. The unpredictable stops and turns, and rolling of the waves reminded me I get motion sickness. My gastric system began to do very, very bad things. I looked and confirmed that yes, there were whales in the water. Then I spent the rest of the trip below deck wishing I was somewhere else. 

The sea-faring life is not for me, though it is a quick and efficient way to lose some weight.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Fowl Weather

Bird on a roof top

Unpredictable weather has been bothering us lately. July was really hot, August has been cooler, with a lot more rain. Before the last cutting, my yard looked like a hay field, ready for cutting and bailing, except for the part that runs like a river when the rain is falling.

Our bird looks like he is standing in for a weather vane. An okay job if rain is on the way, not so much if a thunderstorm is coming. In that case, his success as a lightening rod will likely be his undoing.  

Another old sketch, revived with color and texture.