13 May 2011
May 13, 2011
Friday
This morning I awoke to lots of loud footsteps across the bow (front) of the boat. I peeked around the leather flap which holds the light back and up through the open porthole to find Tom, in his new bright plaid green swim trunks, tag still attached, running about with the broom chasing and swatting at about a dozen white Heron.
I threw my hair into a quick ponytail and came up from below. Wally was at the wheel with camera at hand. He said, I've got some nice pictures of the birds. I said, what about that fool chasing them? Has he reached a new level of boredom today or something?
To fully explain about the birds I need to turn back the clock about 36 hours when we had our first hitchhiker; a small brown Swallow of some kind. This little guy, no bigger than a baseball flew in and landed on Wally's arm! We thought maybe he was looking for his nest and were ready to see him burrow into Wally's thick white beard, but he had bigger plans and after a few minutes flew inside and eventually landed on Lexie's back as she stood, unaware at the foot of our small table.
In the last few days since we left Sarasota we have seen nothing but water in all directions and maybe 4 freighter type boats. Apparently the birds get separated from their mate or flock and fly to the point of exhaustion searching for them. Anyway, at some point I guess they need a break and we have been it to 3 Swallows and 3 Heron, all of which have arrived at different times, until this morning. I guess word got out about the hitchhiking and that our dogs and cat were lulled into a sea induced coma.
Tom finally quit chasing the birds and soon after the flock quit trying to land on our boat then we were back to just one hitchhiker.
Being at sea day after day, time kind of warps together. I have to think real hard about what day it is and create things to occupy my mind. We've played Suduku, read, watched old dvd's on the computer and slept about all I can take at this point. I'm ready for land!!!