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06 November 2011 | A Dock, Spud Point Marine, Bodega Bay, CA
We’re settling into life in one place for awhile, and re-integrating back into our lives in Sonoma County (although I’m already twitching to be going again). Doctors, dentists, lab tests, new glasses, physical therapy… Jeez, send me back to SE AK! Same stuff for Dot, with the addition of some outpatient hand surgery. She’s doing fine, although her mention that the surgery would keep her from cooking or washing dishes for at least 6 months is a little suspect.
Spud Point at Bodega Bay, compared to the many harbors we’ve stayed in the last 5 years, is quite squared away. Laundry, showers, toilets right at the top of the dock; single slips (I don’t think we’ve ever been in a single slip); power pedestals and water at each slip; garbage and recycling. I do miss the rubbish sampan which would come by the boat every day in Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter, Hong Kong. They took everything – trash, furniture, metal, used filters, used oil & coolant. And when they got done making the rounds of all the boats, they spent the rest of the day with a big net / strainer lowered into the water, grabbing up anything floating around the harbor which shouldn’t be there. In Japan we had to separate our trash into 9? (not sure, have to go back and look it up) separate categories! Some of the distinctions between this and that type of plastic were quite beyond me.
Our last couple days underway down the coast, I noticed a red tide running, but for two weeks after that the water down here was such a deep maroon! Diving this coast since 14 years old, I’ve never seen a red tide so intense. Apparently a significant die off of invertebrates as well. Could this be connected to the warmer waters offshore this past month bringing albacore as far north as the Columbia River? We had phosphorescence in the water all the way down also. Biologists at Bodega Marine Lab are looking into the phenomenon.
We’ve been making the rounds of family and friends, some of whom we’ve not seen since we retired. Many of them look older. We don’t look older. Attended a monthly retirement luncheon (for former SCSO employees); nice to see the folks that were there. Even better without all the tension of our working days. Lots of friends out to the boat – it’s not in boat show shape as we’re in the middle of stuff, but people seem to enjoy getting to see it after reading about it for the past 8 years (including the build).
One of my original partners, Mike F, who (along with Dorothy) met us at the dock when we came into Bodega Bay last month, had us up to his place on the hill in Freestone. He’s put in a beautiful vineyard there, a scenic setting to chat about old stories, old friends and the odd enemy or two. Rascal and Rusty got to spend a whole afternoon running around the property chatting up the chickens and the horses. Mike and Carlene were recently in Africa and Bangledesh; her photos of the people there are stunning! Carlene has a real gift with a camera.
We’re getting into boat project mode: rust / paint issues, woodwork, plumbing, electrical, electronics. Really looking forward to getting some of these off my list (knowing full well that as I dig into projects, others will jump out like a jack-in-the-box). Hand tools, power tools, cleaners, paints, scrapers, things scattered everywhere of course, because to do anything on a boat, requires moving everything – at least that’s how it seems.
The local fisherman are getting ready for the crab fishery opening. Wishing them good weather, safe fishing, a bountiful harvest and good prices for their product. Pallets of crab pots have been lining up along the roadway, soon they’ll be stacked on deck ready for the opening.
October weather was the beautiful Indian Summer I remember about west Sonoma County. Although there was very much less fog here at Bodega Bay than I recall – not complaining! Took a walk with Rusty & Rascal along Bay Flat Rd (which has very little traffic, as it’s been superceded by West Shore Rd). Many of the aforementioned crab pots are stored there, and walking along, smelling the eucalyptus, cedar and cypress; seeing the wreck of the old ferry / scow Petaluma which is now rotting away in the bushes, was all a trip down memory lane. Rascal brought us back to here/now as he found a mud filled ditch to run back and forth in until he looked like one of the raccoons he’s been stalking… baths for everyone!
The dogs have been cataloging the local wildlife – raccoons, deer, herons, egrets, sandpipers, gulls, cormorants, seal and sea lions. Treed a ‘coon (can I still say that?) the other evening and have sussed out that the little bandits use the culverts for getting around.