Getting Back to Normal

Today was the first "normal" day we've had in since last Thursday.  Friday was the day Chuck and Clare came to visit, and Hog Boy Josh arrived.  We also stayed up late that night to go see turtles on the beach.  Saturday was a busy day - running the beaches with friends, and exploring new places on the island.  It was a fun filled day, but it most definitely wore us out.  Sunday Kate ran the beaches alone so I could see our guests off, and work on a few things on the list.  Kate also gave me Monday off, though that day did not turn out to be relaxing, as it came with the arrival of Hog Boy Cody.  Yesterday we were both tired all day, probably from all the stresses of the days before.  Today we are starting to feel like ourselves again.  The day wasn't perfectly normal, as our routine was interrupted a few times by our new roommates, but it was close, and we're starting to adjust to the changes.

We got up at the regular time, had a regular breakfast, and headed out on patrol in the regular style.  Kate took the north end and I went south.  She had 3 nests today, I only had a false crawl.  The turtles have seemed to slow in the past two days, but I'm sure they'll pick up again soon.  I wish I had more to write about them, but it really is the same stories we've told before.  My false crawl today looked like a nest but wasn't - requiring a lot of time digging while the gnats ate me up.  Kate's stuff was pretty standard.  One thing we can report is that our oldest nest (NB1) is 46 today.  In 4 more days, we'll take the small screen off and prepare for hatchlings.  We're very excited for this, and will have plenty of new things to write about when it happens.

I was done pretty early today, so I went down the the causeway to try a little fishing.  I hooked another big red drum, but it managed to wrap the line around something as I was working it in.  Eventually the line snapped and I lost it.  At least I'm feeling pretty confident catching them now.  They're rather tasty, and I'll have to try top get another soon.  Kate found me at the little dock there when she was finished, and we spent some time sitting there together.  Before we left, we pulled up the crab traps we set a few days ago and took home 8 crabs for lunch.

We cooked lunch and setup on the couch to eat it over a TV show, but we were interrupted by the Hog Boys.  When they left again, and after our meal, we laid down for a nap, which was ended about an hour later by the ringing phone.  It was Mark, our boss, calling to discuss how we ended up with two roomies instead of one.  He feels pretty bad this was forced on us, but there's nothing that can be done.  The conversation was difficult, as Josh came home, and privacy was lost.  When he left we finished up with Mark.  He gave us some good news - we're getting supplies tomorrow.

Some time last week, we ran our of the plastic screens we use to protect the nest.  In their place, we have been using welded wire fencing material.  The metal screens are a little harder to transport and work with, don't hold up well to the elements, and most importantly, may impact the baby turtles geographical location imprinting.  Turtles return to the same beaches they were born on to nest - some 30 years later.  Somehow, the location is imprinted into the turtles brain.  It may happen while they are still in the eggs, or it may happen when they hatch and walk to the ocean.  The science on this isn't complete, but however it happens, it has something to do with the electromagnetic field of the earth.  It is thought that the metal screens could have an impact on this process because they are magnetic.  In any case, when the plastic arrives tomorrow, we'll be replacing the metal ones we put out.

We are hoping that if the grant money for the screens came through, it could mean there is money for a replacement Mule.  We would love to have two (as we were supposed to, until one died our first week here).  We'll have to pry some information out of Adam when he comes tomorrow to deliver our screens.

By this point in the afternoon, a storm had built up, bringing some rain.  It rained a little yesterday too, but we haven't had any serious rain since May 25th, when we got caught out in a storm and couldn't run the beaches until after the Rain Delay.  Since we were stuck in the house now, we decided to do a puzzle.  It was a nice way to pass the time.  Kate also enjoyed some coffee, which made her all giddy for a little while, but then she became faint, dizzy, and nauseous.  We figured it was probably because she hadn't eaten much, so dinner came next.  Still, even after plenty of spaghetti, she wasn't right, so she went to bed.  I plan to follow her shortly, so I can get plenty of sleep, which will help tomorrow to get us back into our normal routine.