it is possible that i am the only one who didn't already know this existed

matt and alexis introduced me to this youtube video last night. they tell me this clip was featured in an episode of "30 rock," a show i now plan to watch (for free!) on the computer with religious dedication. at the time of this posting, this video has gotten 17,608,604 views, at least 17 of which can be attributed to me, as i can't stop watching it. enjoy!

meanwhile, back in the real world...

the poppies bloomed in our yard.

touching the hogchoker

one of my favorite things about the clearwater has always been watching kids touch fish for the first time. no matter what their age, they approach the opportunity with shy enthusiasm, delight, and a hint of revulsion. do you think it would be creepy if i set up a folding chair on a street corner in brooklyn somewhere and constantly was like, "psssst, kid, do you want to touch a fish?"

skin cancer in the sign of a Z

eyes on the prize

at one point, captain sam spotted a dead fish floating in the river and i was absolutely sure it was a sturgeon. she turned the boat around to get another look. parks kept a careful watch on the fish carcass as we approached.

see that little silver spot in the water? doesn't that look like a dead sturgeon to you?

turns out, it was just a large striper, taking advantage of the dreary saturday afternoon to bask upside down at the water's surface. when parks tried to scoop it up in the net, it casually swam away. it reminded me of this one time, on a family sail, i thought i saw a seal in the river. i had captain j.c. get real close so we could get a good look at it, and it turned out to be a dead bloated deer.

what i was hoping for:

what we caught instead:

grip

one lesson that i didn't forget from my earlier days aboard the sloop: never underestimate the pinching strength of a blue claw crab.

aloft

the splendid sloop clearwater was a bit broken when i first arrived in staten island. the crew had managed to de-rig the boat, remove the mast, fix the broken parts, and re-rig most of the boat in under seven days, which is an amazing feat. however, there was still additional work to be done- mostly re-installing the topmast. we lugged that topmast on and off the boat three times before finally finding the time to put it back in its proper place. i helped from the ground level, being petrified of anything that has anything to do with going aloft (not that they would have sent a former educator and current volunteer up there to do that job). these two photos were taken about two hours apart on the same day.

taking a break

lest you think this is just standard, par-for-the-course blog laziness, i wanted to announce that i will be on a boat and away from my computer for the next seven-eight days. i decided to volunteer on the clearwater for a week and i'm leaving tomorrow morning, taking the fung wah bus from boston's chinatown to new york's chinatown, traveling by foot or by underground train to the battery, hopping on the staten island ferry to staten island, taking another subway to the other end of the island, and then getting on the sloop which might or might not have working rigging, trying to relive my glory days, and returning home sunburned, stinky, and with tar stains on all my clothing (in those respects, at least, i am sure it will be just like the good ole' days). i'll take plenty of pictures and do some good blogging when i return. wish me fair seas and cooler temps!

busy days at the hive

certified wildlife rehabilitator

around about this time of year, we start getting a lot of calls wherein people have found baby animals of some sort or another- birds, squirrels, raccoons, komodo dragons, etc... and want to know what to do. i have a standard statement that basically tells them only certified wildlife rehabilitators are allowed to take in wild animals- injured, abandoned, adorable or otherwise- and that for any one else to do so is actually against the law.

the reason for this law is that if any average joe was allowed the raise wild animals, we would end up with a lot more nonsense like this:

Sugar Bush Squirrel is a real, live Eastern Gray Squirrel who is owned and photographed by Ms. Kelly Foxton. Rescued, as a baby in her nest, from a tree which was being cut down, she is now living the 'good life' with Kelly in Boca Raton, Florida. Being an International Superstar and The World's Most Photographed Squirrel, Sugar Bush loves to dress up, and has over 2,000 outfits with matching hats and accessories. Sugar Bush Squirrel has her own, posh studio with an elaborate stage and thousands of stage props, and has posed for over 5,000 photos since her modeling career began. As News Anchor of SNN-The Squirrel News Network, she has turned the catch phrase, 'you've been squirreled' into an overnight success. It is fast becoming her very own, international, household expression.

behind bars

"please don't leave me here. i am lonely and sodden."

for the joy of jumping

jack and emma recently reminded me that running up a ramp and then jumping off of it can be one of life's simplest pleasures- simple, that is, if you have a ramp.

because nitzi is bored

matt, jake, nina and i went down to zephyr farm last sunday. matt updated himself on the status of michele's bees, i helped weed the onions, and we and nina and jake learned they could jump out partially-opened windows of matt's car.