Alex the Not-So-Great

Hurricane season in the southeastern part of the US generally spans from June to November, and as it turns out...I am in Florida right smack dab in the middle of that season. I came across this cute little saying about Caribbean-area hurricanes, which seems oddly accurate at this moment because I really do feel like I am on stand by (even though there is technically one more day til July):

June- too soon.
July-- stand by!
August-- look out you must.
September-- remember.
October, all over.

Luckily for us, though, Hurricane Alex is still on the other side of the Gulf nearest to Mexico (and moving west), but the effects of the storm are being felt here in Cedar Key in the form of windy water and overcast. It has been off-and-on rain and we have been stuck inside for the past two days. This is a bummer, as photo-IDing is boring and I want more practice working on the boat.

We did manage to get outside last night, though, to save the boat from possible sinkage! The rain started to really come down around 9:30pm last night and didn't seem to lighten up within the hour, so Stefanie thought it would be a good idea to get the boat out of the marina - last week it seems a friendly neighbor of ours did not make that same wise decision and lost his boat because of the heavy rain. So, Stefanie, Emily and I got on our rainjackets and headed out to get Truncatus out of the water.

When we arrived at the dock we noticed that the tide was incredibly low (at 0.2), so we had to bring 'er round the outside dock that was better suited for loading up in those conditions. The thing with the outside dock, though, is that, while it is better suited for low-tide, it is not better suited for reduced visibility and rain. It is much narrower than the inside dock with large concrete sides and a steep decline into the water. It gets slippery and is more susceptible to waves, but Stefanie has 4-wheel drive and we had the will to do it, so it would work.

We got in the boat to find that a good amount of water had filled the back-end, and that the white light (so people could see us) was not working. But! We barreled out the water and since I had my awesome tripod light on me (which we used while hooking up the trailer) I decided to sit in the front and watch for crab pots as Stefanie made it to the other dock - which we did safely! As Stefanie and I went to the truck to get it ready for the boat, Emily steered Trunc to the dock, losing one of the fenders in the process. She had to go back and get the fender in the dark and rain, but grabbed it on the first try and headed over. Stefanie and I loaded the boat and pulled the 18-ft boat out of the water. We pulled the plugs, drained the pool of water that had collected, and headed home.

We got home around 11:00 pm, tired and soaked, but with a sense of accomplishment. We saved the boat, and prevented that 'sinking' feeling of leaving it behind. It was a successful trip, and even though we got some mosquito bites and got our feet wet, at least we finally got out on the water that day!

Cedar Key: Bring your Mum

It's been a few days now in Cedar Key, and I have started to adjust to life down here away from all my loved-ones. I was very homesick the first two days, but have decided to enjoy this awesome experience and not wallow in my self-pity and nervousness.

I really love being out on the boat. I don't mind the heat and the sun, and I think I can get the hang of driving the boat and taking pictures of dolphins. On my second day out I saw a group of 30 dolphins! It was amazing. They are so cute...but also aggressive. I watched them socialize and fornicate and spit water at us, but I also witnessed a near-infanticide - it was scary. There was a group of males that tossed the small calf (just a few months old) up and out of the water. Luckily though, they were just after the calf's mother (to mount) and had no real intention of killing the baby. That was the largest group I have seen so far. I have seen a few groups of three and four, but have sadly had two half days out on the boat due to wind and waves.

The rest of the time I spend inside the house doing photo-ID. It is excruciatingly boring. It's usually when I am photo-IDing that I start to feel homesick - too much time to think and miss people. I can't say I like working all these hours. It's pretty much work all the time, from 8am to 9pm. I would love to get a day to explore the island. Cedar Key is such a cute town! It is a little fishing town with shops and art galleries, but not a whole lot else. I could ride my bike from one end to the other in a half hour (if that). I am glad I am here. I am learning a lot about the field and about myself.

She's going the distance...

I left Boston on Thursday morning with Adrienne. It took 10 1/2 hours to get to York, PA, where we spent the night. The drive was good. Very little traffic and the highways were far from congested. I'm happy with the route I chose; 90 to 84 to 81 to 83. 84 is a great highway. It's smooth sailing the entire way; no traffic, just straight open road with beautiful scenery. Adrienne is an even better road-tripper. She didn't complain even though it was hot, humid, and sunny the entire way. She even accepted the fact that I was nervous about the terrible sound my car was making and in no way made me worry, but did have me go to a mechanic to check it out. The hotel was luxurious. The bed was super comfy and I don't think I've ever had a more relaxing bubble bath (much needed). Travel today was slightly more stressful. It took longer than expected to get to the airport, so we were rushing. It worked out fine, though, and I saw her off and she got on the plane home (with the added benefit of not having her liquids thrown away!). It was sad to leave her. It left me to fend for myself and truly start my self-exploring journey to Florida. I hit traffic going through DC, but made it to Lorton with plenty of time to spare (3 hours to be exact). It left me time to organize my car, pack my overnight bag, and hit up a coffee shop. I delighted in a mint lime white iced tea - delicious! I got to the auto-train early and have spent the passed 4 hours waiting to head south…