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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Sea shells on the sea shore

One of the many blogs that I read is written by ANN.  I met John and Ann this summer while I was staying at Red Rock RV Park in Idaho.  They are spending the winter near Rockport, TX, and recently found a beach down there with a mother lode of sea shells.  When I read her post this afternoon, it brought back memories of the last time I had the joy of walking an ocean beach looking for shells.

IMG_0504It was back in the summer of 2007, and I was volunteering at Pea Island NWR and Alligator River NWR.

IMG_0423What a summer that was!  This was the view of the Atlantic right out my front window.  Pea Island is located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I spent a little over a month living on the shore.

IMG_0501 IMG_0502 This was a display in the Visitor’s Center, but it truly depicts the sea turtle nest hatchlings ‘boiling’ to the surface of the beach.

IMG_0513Volunteers would monitor each nest and construct a runway for the hatchlings to reach the ocean.  We would arrive at the nest at 7:00 at night and stay until midnight.  These sea turtles always hatch at night and need to be protected from the ghost crabs that will kill them all before they reach the water.  If you’re lucky enough to be there on a night that the eggs hatch, you have to literally beat the crabs off with a stick!  One of the nights that I was on watch, an entire nest hatched.  It was an exhilarating experience to insure that all little turtles made it to the sea.

IMG_0485 IMG_0488

On a different day, I helped band 500 young brown pelicans on an island off the coast.  The young pelicans were not real happy about this, and showed their disdain by emitting foul substances from both ends!  Those big pouches that they have feel like the softest kid glove leather.

IMG_0495After a month or so, I moved over to sister refuge, Alligator River, and had other creatures to contend with.  This mother black bear with three cubs came into the RV pads when we neglected to make sure the electric fence was turned on one day at lunch time.  We never forgot again.  :)

 

I know some of you may remember some of these pics from when I did my Sunday Blast from the Past posts about a year and a half ago, but then again maybe you don’t.  :)  Anyway,  ANN talking about collecting shells took me mentally back to that time on Pea Island.

 

It was cold and rainy and windy when I drove in to open the VIS this morning.  Absolutely no one was visiting, and who could blame them?  The wind out of the east kept getting stronger and stronger, and I began to worry about my slide toppers back at the rig.  Then the electricity went out!  I was plunged into darkness, and no way to heat the VIS shed.  I waited almost an hour, and then decided to close up and head for home. 

 

For a minute, I didn’t think I was going to be able to get all the way into the rig.  Once I pried the door open, it flew open and I was stuck in the doorway trying to hang onto the door, and get it closed with my computer backpack wedged against the side of the door frame.  Time seemed to stand still as I struggled to get the door shut against the wind, and Emma kept trying to lick my face!  Ugh! 

 

I did finally get it closed, and then I tried to get the slide outs in.  The bedroom slide came in easily, but the big living room slide would only come partially in.  I tried three times.  Ugh, again!  Okay, so I took a big breathe and waited for what I thought was a slight lull in wind.  The fourth try worked, thank goodness.  It’s not unusual for it to be windy in Texas, but today was ridiculous!! 

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

19 comments:

  1. Thanks for the blast from the past. Love the little turtles. I'm glad you got everything together in the wind and got the slides in. It must have really been blowing!

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  2. Oh, what fun to live that close to the sea!!!AND help with the little turtles...

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  4. I'm gonna hop on over to Ann's blog since I love anything regarding seashells.
    Thanks for the rewind to "Blast from the Past." Love those little babies, both turtles and cubs.
    Blessings, K
    (

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  5. An interesting blast from the past, and a not-so-nice blast from the present. Glad you made it safely back to your motorhome and finally got the slide back in!

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  6. I heard there was a big wind going on there. Take care and stay steady!!

    Cheers!

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  7. We've had some wind here in Desert Hot Springs today as well though it doesn't sound quite as bad as what you had in Texas.

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  8. One of my worst fears was that a slide would get stuck. That must have been some wind to prevent your slide from coming all the way in, but you sure did the right thing waiting until the wind died down to try again, and best of all for just breathing deeply and staying cool.

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  9. love the little turtles!..are we going to call you the 'turtle lady of blogville?'..nope always the bird lady!..glad you got the slides in finally!..hope the four wheels stay on the ground!!

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  10. Note to self: High winds and slides do not mix. I'll try to remember.

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  11. You are a true lover of nature and protector of the helpless! Thanks for your service, your stories, and your great pictures!

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  12. Wind is always our number one major Nemesis here in the Southwest. People in sticks & bricks have no idea what it is like to be in an RV during these huge howling winds. The noise alone is maddening. Not nice!!!!

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  13. I would love to see those little baby turtles "paddle" their way down to the ocean..We have run across some protected nests in our travels in Florida..how lucky to be there when they hatched out!!
    I'll trade the Texas winds for the wind chill factor of 5 degrees..Illinois can be the "armpit" of the nation...

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  14. it was windy up here in El Paso too!!! We put our slides in for the day... having lost three slide awnings in a wind storm around Lake Superior last summer we have now learned our lesson! Supply shortage/color discontinued/etc,etc,etc.......got new ones put on just in time for this trip. Been there/don't want to do it again!!!!!

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  15. I had no idea slides needed to come in during a windstorm. I'm so glad to have all you "experts" out there sharing your knowledge. Thanks.

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  16. Love the turtle and bear pictures from the past. I have a fanny pack for geo-caching, but doesn't hold near enough.

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  17. Enjoyed the blast from the past. I always learn such cool stuff from you. Thanks!

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  18. Hope the winds have died down now....

    LOVED the little ramped off area for the turtles to follow to get into the water, safe and sound. I bet it was a blast to help them!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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