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Borrego Springs, CA

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

When I’m bored, I get cranky

There seems to be a pattern developing here.  Whenever I have a day off, it rains.  Grr.  I did chores like laundry and grocery shopping yesterday, and we had just short of an inch of rain.  So far today, it’s been steady rain almost all day with 2” so far.  I’d much rather work rainy days, and have sunny days off, but that’s not how it’s worked out so far. 

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Haven’t been able to take any photos for the last two days, so tonight’s pics are from when I was here back in 2007.  (young brown pelicans)

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Being trapped inside because of the weather makes me a little cranky I guess.  If I didn’t have to work four days a week, a day or two of rain wouldn’t bother me so much.

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This is the time of the year that the loggerhead turtles hatch.  When I was on turtle patrol in 2007, we set up this runway for the young turtles to follow down to the sea.  It’s not like they couldn’t find their own way to the water, but they have to run the gauntlet of ghost crabs to get there.  Since they’re endangered, we provide a runway for them so that volunteers can knock the crabs out of the way with a stick.  The crabs try to rush in and pinch the flipper muscles so the turtles can’t get to the water.  They later come back to eat them.

When the nests are close to hatching, volunteers come out each night from 7:00 pm until midnight to set up the runway and hope for a hatch.  The young turtles always ‘boil’ out of the nest at night.  They use the moonlight reflection on the water to find their way to the ocean.  My job on the first turtle night I went on was to count the number of youngsters coming up through the sand.  47 hatched that night, and all made it to the sea.  We do not pick them up to help them so the location of their birth will be imprinted in their brains.  Those females that survive all the perils of growing up, will come back to the same beach to lay their eggs.

What an exciting night that was for me.  I was on nest watching patrol several more times, but this was the only hatch I witnessed.  I could hardly believe my luck.  The other nights involved sitting on the beach fully clothed and hooded against the mosquitoes and leaning back to enjoy the Perseid Meteor Shower.  It was a mystical time, and it didn’t rain once!

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                            I took Emma out in between downpours, but they were few and far between.

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The forecast for tomorrow is similar to today.  Wouldn’t you know it?  Oh well, I’ve still got plenty of time to see the places I want to see before I move on.  That of course assumes that the new schedule maker doesn’t put me in the visitor centers four days a week.

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I’ve been checking the tide charts, and there should be a low tide on early Thursday morning.  That fits perfectly with my plans to scour the beach for shells and such to replenish the hands-on display at the Pea Island VC, and a new display at the Gateway VC.  Of course, the other volunteers here told me that was not necessary.  They’ve taken care of that.  They’re a little pushy and all knowing.  This sometimes happens when people return to the same place.  I simply told them I didn’t hear what they just said.  Smile with tongue out  I’ll be on the beach on Thursday!  Yep, the rain has made me a bit cranky…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

32 comments:

  1. It's like camp hosts - too many seasons at the same campground makes them proprietary and they think they own the place.

    As long as you can keep the lens dry, rainy day pictures might be better even than those taken on a good day.

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  2. Lawd help that scheduler if he puts you inside for four days. If I hear rumblings coming from the south-east, I will know what it is. Cheers!!1

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  3. Hopefully your next days off will be full of sunshine!

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  4. You are just not the "inside" kind of person! Do you get to express your preferences?

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  5. Thanks for the work you and the other volunteers are doing. I'm sure many don't realize the contributions you make.

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  6. Yep, I know all about that bored/cranky connection:((

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  7. I loved seeing the pelican pictures - my daughter works for Maryland DNR and has banded pelicans 2 times in the last 3 weeks. She also has recently banded Ospreys and Barn Owls. The worst part with the pelican babies is when they throw up after being caught !

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  8. Would you come visit us on your day off and bring the rain with you?

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  9. Judy, when I was about 13-14 years old I was flown down to take care of four little kids in Jupiter Fl. I don't know where it is in relation to the ocean, but someone took me over to meet a game warden and I saw a female turtle crawl very laboriously up from the water way up on the beach (gelatin) tears coming from her eyes. She took hours to dig a deep hole with her back flippers and layed a 157 eggs. The game warden told me that there were poachers who would come and cut off the mothers' fins and tails for turtle soup and he was allowed to shoot them. He also said that kids would go down to the beach and ride them up and back, making their journey so much more difficult. I'm amazed at how you make a safe place for the babies to return to the sea. Thank you for sharing.

    As far as cranky when it's raining. Unless it was lightening, whenever we camped we wore gortex boots and good rain gear and didn't let it stop us. Everything looks different in the rain. Of course, that was in cooler weather; maybe NC is too hot for that. If it is, the rain would cool you off, and I bet Emma would love it! I know it was a treat for our labs!

    Enjoyed your pictures, as always.

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  10. Maybe it is time to start showering the scheduler with their favorite snacks just before it is time to make up the schedule:)

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  11. Love about the loggerhead turtles....AND..I am with you on the crabby...I get really crabby when I cannot sleep (the trains), cannot hear the TV (the trains), cannot talk on the phone (the trains)....and cannot sell this house for a decent price (the trains)....Full timing would be a great idea if I could get Dennis onboard..

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  12. It seems like the scheduler has quite a bit of power over you. I hope they listen carefully and try to match the volunteers with their interests as much as possible. As to being cranky, I would be cranky if I had very many days like the one you had the other day--being pecked by geese, irresponsible, sneaky adults, and lost children. Has the rain cooled things off?

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  13. I hear ya, Judy. I've been a wee bit testy being on enforced leisure with all this medical stuff. I'm just not the type to sit around! :)

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  14. It would sure make for an interesting blog if the new scheduler did put you inside for 4 days!!

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  15. Wish I could send you some of our sunshine and warm...I mean...hot weather.

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  16. what is it about some volunteers who get the khaki jacket and it somehow empowers them to command a kingdom?

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  17. It was sooo hot here today and the sun was scorching. You could have some if we could find a way to blow some of this to the east!

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  18. nice turtle story!..sorry to hear you are cranky..me?..cranky if I have too many chores?..some may say I am a crank all the time!.. :) thunder lightning wind and rain here tonight!..what happened to summer?

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  19. Happy or cranky, your blogs are a pleasure to read.

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  20. Your pictures are just stellar... that bear header picture is just ... well, stellar.

    I don't like being bored either...

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  21. Sounds like the weather here. And yes I am getting cranky too

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  22. Interesting story about the turtle hatch. I'm wondering how big those baby turtles are when they hatch.

    Here's hoping you get a nice sunny day off soon. You deserve it and thank you for all the hours you volunteer in helping preserve some of our national treasures.

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  23. Hope it clears up for you to get out and about. nice post and wonderful pictures.

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  24. I'd love to be on turtle patrol and see the young hatchlings making their way to the ocean. In the Galapagos, we saw nest sites and the trails the mamas make going up and down the beach, but that was it. Timing is everything of course. One afternoon, I sat and watched the ghost crabs going about their business of feeding. It's one of my most precious memories of our trip, even though I know they predate on the turtle hatchlings.

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  25. Here's hoping you see nothing but sunshine the rest of the week!

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  26. How wonderful that you got to see a hatch. I have always wanted to do that. Good luck getting some sun and some outside assignments.

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  27. What luck for us that you have such a wonderful storehouse of pictures of all the places you've been and have them so well organized. I love these and the turtle story.

    When I read the title in my blog list I almost said out loud....BOY is she right - bored=cranky in my life too.

    I think bribe the scheduler is the way to go. :-)

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  28. Your pictures are always the best. We get cranky when we get hungry which is why we eat all the time.

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  29. Heck, you must've been feeling cranky to post a photo of a SPIDER! Yikes, I can't stand to even see a picture of one, much less be in the vicinity of a REAL one!

    Hope you're feeling better now.

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