Live Life

Below: A photo of a purple starfish I took with the tide coming in at Lime Kiln Lighthouse last Thursday. I really like how it turned out. All the photos in this blog were taken by me at some point in the last few weeks around the island.

This past week has given me a lot of time for personal reflection. I guess sometimes it takes a bit of tragedy to make you look at things in perspective. My landlord’s wife, Katherine, died of ovarian cancer last Saturday after a three year battle. I wasn’t particularly close with Katherine, but I saw Rob every day and couldn’t help but feel for the family. Katherine was 54 years old when she died… much too young. Her age is what hit me the hardest because my dad is only two years younger than her. I couldn’t help but think the worst… like what if something happened while I’m living so far from home? I suppose death makes people evaluate life. What’s important? Who do you love? Are you living how you should? One thing about life is sure: it doesn’t last forever. We get a brief moment in time, a flash of a firefly, to connect with people and figure out who we are before we are no more. I’m not trying to be pessimistic because there is hope. I learned that every day is a gift, an opportunity to do something great. Never go to sleep mad, because you aren’t guaranteed to wake up. Tell the people you love that you love them. Don’t sweat the small stuff… in the end they don’t mean anything. Don’t be judgmental; it’s not your job to judge others, but to help them. Sometimes we get so stuck in a routine that we fail to notice what’s important. My prayers are with Rob and his family and hopefully Katherine is in a better place.

I’ve been hanging out more frequently with young people from other companies and a group who Mike introduced me to: Adam, Jean, and Cindy (in boat below left). The three of them work for “the man” counting marbled murrelets, a threatened species of bird here. The purpose for this census is to count all birds within a certain area so if there is an oil spill, which there is a good chance of, we would know what we lost. Sad, but true. They’re not like the people I generally hang out with, but that’s what I like about them. They’re different and it’s refreshing to get a different perspective on things by associating with different groups. We also got a new roommate, Sarah. She’s from Bellingham and is finishing up her job as a librarian before she starts work this Sunday. She seems very sweet and is probably my complete opposite! Hahaha. However different isn’t a bad thing; it’s just that: different. I actually think it will be a good thing because I don’t think she’ll see me as any sort of competition. Sometimes the more alike people are, the more some feel the need to compete for attention. The way I see it, people are going to like you for you and you shouldn’t have to go out of your way to get attention. So many girls get caught up in needing attention, but I’ve found the less you look for attention, the more attention you end up getting. I think Sarah and I will get along just fine and I’m really excited about the rest of the summer and meeting the other SJS girls.

This Tuesday and Wednesday were my favorite whale watch trips of the season. The Tuesday trip was great because we took off later than usual, to accommodate a high school band trip, and the orca were quite far from us in Point Roberts. The trip took about 1.5 hours to get to them, but once we got there the other whale watch boats were leaving. We had a one on one encounter with J-Pod, and they seemed to know it. They put on a show breaching, cartwheeling, spy hopping, tail lobbing, and pectoral slapping. Sea World showcases these moves in their shows, but something about seeing it in the wild is so much more gratifying. There is something about dolphins, orcas being the largest members of the dolphin family, that people connect with. Dolphins have been active in human history as a figure that wants to make a bond with humans and as a creature people can count on. The dolphin was an important animal to the Greeks and Romans and they even immortalized the dolphin in the stars by naming a constellation after it. Although I love them all, it’s difficult not to have a favorite. My favorite animal is in J-Pod and her scientific designation is J-28, however her name is also immortalized in the stars: Polaris. She was born in late 1993 and I saw her as a calf with my dad in the summer of 1994 with her mother. She was a small calf and was her mother’s first, which lessened her chances of survival. However, Polaris beat the odds and she’s still swimming around with her mother and little sister, Tallequah, today. I only had one brief look at Polaris… until yesterday. J-Pod was swimming near False Bay on the west side of the island and we took our guests to see them as they swam up the coast. We make it a point to slow down far away so people can observe from a distance and then once we get to the 100 yard limit, people think we’re really close. We were about 250 yards off from a group of males when a whale came up right next to the boat. Her loud exhale shocked me and I turned to see the trailing edge of a female dorsal with a nick exactly in the middle of it. There is only one whale in J-Pod with that feature: J-28! I prayed that she’d come up close again as we instantly shut down the engine. My prayers were answered as she stayed with us for about 15 minutes. She was by herself and just investigating the boat. She spy hopped near us and I could see her eye looking right at our boat. Then she decided to play for us, wrapping herself in kelp fronds and rolling around. This behavior is called kelping and it’s very cute. Haha. I was so excited to see her and she definitely made my day. To top it all off, we had a man who was retired from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) on our boat. He didn’t tell me until after our encounter when he shared that he represented the United States in the meetings of the International Whaling Commission. In other words, he was a big wig. I was a little nervous about having such a high profile person on board, but I still worked the boat as usual. When he got off the boat, he shook my hand and said, “You are a fabulous naturalist. You have NOAA’s stamp of approval.” I don’t like to brag, but that was probably one of the best compliments I’ve ever received.

I hope everyone is doing well. It won’t be long until we’re all together and can share stories in person. Take care!

New Paintings:

Dirty Dancing ~ inverted tail slap painting that I gave to Jean, Adam, and Cindy
I'll Fly Away ~ a nightly breach painting that I gave to Captains Pete and Nancy
Point Break ~ transient orcas breach at sunset... currently in my bedroom Sunset Somersaults ~ multiple resident orca breaches... also hanging above my bed

Surfin' USA ~ a travelling pod of orcas that I gave to Pat, our office manager

T Time ~ transient orca, T-14, swimming at sunset. I'm going to give this one to Hobbes, the first captain I worked with alone and T-14 was the whale we frequently saw. He's British, so the title, while refering to transient time, also works perfectly for him! haha.

In the End... Family's what Counts

To put the world in right order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our heart right.

~ Confucius ~

All the pics in this blog were taken last week Thursday when I went out on the Whale Watch trip.

Hey all. I just want to say thanks for all the advice and concern. (Unfortunately, I don't think I got Grandma's e-mail... but it's the thought that counts.) This past week has been difficult, but I'm learning a lot about myself. Sometimes I think the most difficult person to get to know is yourself! I'm realizing that my attitude is the only thing I can control and I just have to put the rest in God's hands and trust that things happen for a reason. I'm just glad this blow-up happened sooner than later.

I'm really enjoying my job lately. Everyone has been so understanding. Mike is working for Beam Reach this week, so my other coworkers have stepped in and invited me to dinner. I'm currently the youngest on the staff, but I feel like I fit in just fine. J-Pod has also helped by being around every day this past week (a special thanks go to Granny and her orca family for sticking around). You can learn all about what I see on the San Juan Safaris Blog. Colleen and Bill, my bosses, have been impressed with my entries and have even sent them to the Orca Network. My entries can be read on the 14th and 16th: http://www.orcanetwork.org/sightings/map.html. All you have to do is scroll down.

The weather has been nicer and I'm looking forward to when the rest of the college students start coming to the island. I'm beginning to think the Nicole thing was a totally isolated incident and the rest of the summer will be great. Once again, I want to thank you all for being so supportive. Sometimes it's difficult to feel like people besides my immediate family have my back. Our family has been so spread out that sometimes I think we lose touch with what's going on in everyone else's lives. I'm happy we have this blog as a way to get a unique look into everyone's lives and as a way to know that we're all here for each other... despite the distance.

On Maturity

A lot has happened since my last entry. J-Pod returned and Nicole went back home… an interesting changing of the guards. I’m pretty bummed about how everything turned out. I was really looking forward to her moving in because we seemed like we had a lot in common. However, not everything is as it seems.

Nicole’s explosive altercation became a learning experience for me. I’ve found that just because someone is an adult by legal standards doesn’t make them mature. She refused to talk about her nerves and concerns and when confronted, she lashed out. I’ve never experienced somebody treating me so poorly after I went out of my way to try to make them comfortable and prepared. I learned that being able to accept criticism as an opportunity for growth as opposed to a personal attack is the best way to handle yourself in the work place. If you’re not learning then you’re not growing, and if you’re not growing then you’re dead. I think sometimes girls have a hard time getting along because many of them see each other as competition and not as equals. All of us are born with different gifts and talents. Just because someone might be better at something than you doesn’t make them a better person… it just makes them different. If we all had the same skill levels and knowledge, then the world would be a pretty boring place. Sometimes it’s best to recognize someone else’s gift and realize how your talents can work together to create an even stronger team. I don’t think Nicole was ready to do this and it caused a conflict. I’m not a stranger to conflict. Many times girls feel like they have to work to undermine the competition and miss the opportunity to make a great friend. I’m looking forward to meeting the other girls and hopefully they will handle themselves more maturely. I’ll also have to be more careful about opening up too soon. I just get so excited over meeting girls who share my interests that sometimes I forget how I may come across as too confident. Either way, I learned a great deal from the experience and look forward to moving on and gaining the understanding necessary to work in an environment where many personalities come together. I’m still a bit hurt, but I have a great group of friends and coworkers on the island who are making me see that I couldn’t have done anything different. I’m a competitive person when it comes to sports and games, but life isn’t a game and it’s not a competition. All we can do is our best and sometimes that won’t be good enough, but as long as it’s your best then you have nothing to regret. Not everyone will like you and you won’t get along with each person you encounter, but you have to shrug them off and realize that those people don’t matter and the ones who do love you despite the flaws.

I think I’ve grown up quite a bit this past month and I look forward to what the rest of the summer may bring. I’ve seen whales the past two days and our guests have been very moved with each encounter. I love my job and my coworkers. I really feel like I’m making a difference in our guests’ lives and hopefully for the whales. We actually had some guests from France on Tuesday who were so moved by the whales that they cried. The lady came up to me, hugged me, and said, “We really need to do something to save these whales. The Mediterranean is so polluted that we barely see life there anymore. We have to save this for our children before there’s nothing left. Thank you for bringing us to the whales. This is the best trip of my life!” It was hard for me not to cry with her. I’d been having a hard time with the Nicole situation, which came to a head the morning before that Tuesday trip, and I really needed to be reaffirmed that I’m here for a reason. In the end, you can judge your success by how many lives you affected positively by being you. Even if you can’t please everyone, that’s not a reason to stop making people happy.

On a brighter note, I’ve made two more paintings since the last entry. They are Star Gazers, the one of the two whales spy hopping at night, and Leap of Faith, the one of the whale turning sideways in mid-breach. I gave Mike the one called Active Pass and I have a few in the making, which I plan to give to Pat (our office accountant), Pete and Nancy, and Hobbes. Captain Hobbes, the one I worked with when Pete and Nancy were gone, now works for Sound Watch. Sound Watch is a group that informs people of the distance they must keep from the whales. They help keep the orca safe from the “cowboys” who try to cut them off or chase them as they search for food. I would like to volunteer on his boat sometime this summer. I really enjoyed working with him and plan on seeing him next weekend for the Sound Watch party. I also developed a name for my collection of paintings. I’m storing them in a folder on my computer called Whimsical Whales and I decided this would make an appropriate name for the “collection.”

I’d appreciate all your prayers and can’t wait to see everyone in June. Love ya!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Below: Me jumping on a rock at Lime Kiln State Park. Don't worry I wasn't jumping off a cliff, it just looks like it. Nicole and I took quite a few pics at the park and they turned out really great. Check them out at the bottom of the blog. Nicole is in the one where I'm holding the Sea Urchin. It was killed by a seagull, but we've made his dead body our pet, Urkel the Urchin... Urk for short. He currently resides on our mantel, but we have plans to take him on a whale watch and take some pics of his journey. All the photos were taken by me, except the ones of me, which Nicole took.

A Poem for Mama
by Megan Young

A mother is she who is at your side
She’ll always be proud as long as you tried
She may not be perfect, but will always be true
When no one’s around, she’ll stand by you
A real friend is tough to come by
She’s there when you laugh and when you cry
She’ll stay up late full of worry
Because you grew up in quite a hurry
Time goes by way too fast
If you don’t enjoy it, you’ll be sad when it’s past
One day you will move away
But don’t worry; she’ll call you every day
She’ll teach you to dream; to shoot for the stars
She’ll drive you ‘cross the country in your little car
You will learn to laugh, to live, to love
Your relationship with her is sent from above
Some days will be easy and others are rough
You will become strong, you will become tough
You will grow into all she’s hoped for
She gave you the key, now open the door
One day you’ll see when you are grown
That she’s the best friend you’ve ever known

This painting, called Mother’s Day, is a gift for my mom. I painted it with her in mind. The whales in the painting are J-14, Samish, and her daughter J-40, Suttles. The whale in the foreground is J-2, Granny. These animals represent four generations of J-Pod females. Granny is Samish’s grandmother and Suttles was born in 2004, the year I graduated from high school. Orcas are 6ft long at birth and can nurse for over two years. When they’re born, the mother helps bring them to the surface for their first breath. This is the first moment for mother and calf to connect on both visual and tactile levels. This connection will last a lifetime, from first breath to last. The babies are gray and mottled and their white has a yellowish tint to it. This odd coloring helps scientists recognize newborns. Orcas stay with their mothers their entire lives, so the birth of a calf is monumental in a mother’s life. The mother orca spends her life with her offspring and shows signs of deep depression if a calf doesn’t make it. Their devotion to their calves reminds me of my mom’s devotion to me and Mikie. (Don’t worry; I’m not comparing my mom to a whale! LOL.) I decided to paint this for my mom because I know how strong our bond is, and although I can’t spend my whole life at her side, like the orcas; I will carry her love and lessons with me wherever I go.

New Roomie

"Every artist dips his brush into his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures."

.::Henry Ward Beecher::.

Nicole is moving in tomorrow and I'm sooooooooooo excited! It will be really nice to have a girl in the house! I've been keeping busy painting, redecorating the cottage, and making room for Nicole. This is gonna be a pretty short post because I really just wanted to get some more pics of paintings up... so here they are:

This is Purple Mountains Majesty. I wanted to do something a bit more abstract so I could experiment with color shading and values. I didn't want to do it with detail so I ended up with this. The whale is an adult bull named T-14, Pender. Transients are known to travel solo, so it makes sense that this is Pender.

This is called Active Pass. Active Pass is an actual location north of Swanson Channel. That area is a favorite location of J-pod and they tend to breach and play in the currents there at the end of the pass. So this painting was meant to showcase that play time.

Below is Sunset Voyage with one of my favorite animals, Ruffles. His fin is so fun to paint with it's wavy pattern... makes it more difficult to mess up. This painting is one of my favs and I don't think I'll be getting rid of it. However, the above paintings are up for bid with the regular tribal discount. hahaha.

Hope all is well with everyone. I'm anxious for the summer and better weather to get here. I dropped off the painting to the post office and they really liked it. They said they can't wait until the whale research team sees it. I'm getting more confident with my painting skills, but not enough to paint anything but whales. hahaha. They're pretty easy to draw, which makes them easier to paint. I might branch out and my confidence grows, but I'm not making any promises.

Cinco de Mayo!

From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.

~ Cesar Chavez ~

Mockumentary

I miss Lancie kisses...

Yesterday was pretty sparse on the water, although I think the guests still had a good time. I take it upon myself to be the entertainment when the whales show up. We also had people on our boat who were filming a documentary from France. I’d really been looking forward to their visit because I was under the impression they would be interviewing me about the whales, pollution, and global warming. I really wanted to share my knowledge of the whales on a global stage and hopefully hope to ignite international interest in them. However, I quickly learned the cold truth about documentaries…

Science is a great avenue to learn about the world, but it is flawed in that it can be found in the name of conclusions that were previously drawn. In other words, if you’re looking for a reason for your theories, there is a science to “prove” them. Unfortunately, the French filmmakers were looking for a link between global warming and its adverse affect on the whales. This link cannot be scientifically proven. In fact, there isn’t hard science to support this. I do believe global warming is a threat, but it does not currently threaten the whales. The water temperature here is 47º F year round. There is little fluctuation in water temperature, which is perfect for salmon spawning. If the temperature increases in the future, it will pose a threat to the salmon and in turn, to the whales. However, global warming doesn’t kill whales; pollution does. These people wanted me to say global warming is killing the whales when it is not and I refused to say so. I’m sure they will find someone to say it is killing the whales, which really weakens the power of documentaries in my mind. People often mislead people by claiming “science” proved their theory and therefore there is no room for a counter argument, when there is another “science” that can prove theirs wrong. This makes me question how many documentaries out there are made under similar agendas. I think the general public thinks documentaries are by nature neutral and the facts are uncovered throughout the filming process. However, many times they have a story line prior to shooting and look for “facts” to prove their conclusion. It’s really unfortunate, but a valuable lesson nonetheless. The more I’m around science, the more I realize how it is constantly changing and a fact today is a fiction tomorrow. There are few laws in science and all too many theories to be proven. The experience was a let down because I was really excited to be a part of their film, and now I’m not so thrilled. My coworkers feel the same and it’s a shame there are so many people out there trying to shift the facts. It makes you wonder what is true anymore.

On a brighter note, I completed two more paintings called Shoot for the Stars and Family Ties. Shoot for the Stars is of Polaris, J-28, popping up out of the moonlight towards the starry night sky. Family Ties is of the group of whales, J-Pod, traveling together. I am giving Family Ties to the local post office. They requested a painting when I sent the others out and I decided this would look nice in their office. I think the plan is to put it up on the wall near the register lines. Hopefully they put something up with my name on it so all my future fans can see. LOL. I think my most recent paintings have turned out the best, which is likely due to practice. I’m beginning to hate the first painting I did of the whale and the kelp. The inexperience truly shows and I don’t like it anymore. I guess that’s what happens when you’re a perfectionist. If anyone would like that painting please let me know because I’ll probably throw it out soon. It really doesn’t fit with the other paintings and it makes me mad every time I see it. Hahaha. I know it’s ridiculous, but I really can’t help it. So tell me if you’re interested or that one will be one its way to the dump. I’m going to have to slow down my painting production because the drug store is all out of small canvas. I bought them out of stock. Hahaha. The better I get though, the more excited I am to paint another one. I’m still keeping my eyes out for J-Pod’s return, but so far no luck. Keep your fingers crossed, I really am beginning to need a sighting. I can only entertain so many people before I run out of gas… or hot air. Thanks again everyone for your interest and I’m glad you all enjoyed the paintings. (The picture above is of a juvenile whale breaching in front of one of our boats called the Kittiwake. I'm anxiously awaiting for this to happen to me!)

Never Stop Learning

Below: The other night some black-tailed deer were hanging out across the street from my cottage. They aren’t shy around here because some tourists have been known to feed them. Black-tailed deer are a bit smaller than the white-tails back home in Michigan, but they are equally as bad about crossing the street in front of cars so people have to be careful in the evenings. They are also excellent swimmers and swim from island to island. We always joke that it’d be awesome to see a Transient orca take out a black-tailed deer as it’s swimming across the straits.

I’m happy to report the paintings all made it to their homes safely. I’m glad everyone’s happy with how they turned out. Today was my first day off in a while and it was nice to get some groceries, despite the fact they cost a fortune here. Today was a big money day because rent was due and I had to get some food… spending money on needs and not wants is difficult to adjust to. Who would have thought money was important for things like shelter and food as opposed to clothes and gifts? Hahaha. And so the growing up begins. Life was much simpler when I could blow my paycheck on clothes and souvenirs on vacations. Don’t worry though; I haven’t completely given up on buying the knick knacks. My favorite place to shop locally is at the Whale Museum. They sell awesome pictures of the whales and the majority of the proceeds go to whale conservation… so I feel like my money is at least going toward something that means a lot to me.

I haven’t seen the whales since Sunday. Apparently Transients have been in the area, but the high seas due to pretty extreme wind conditions have made it difficult to get to them. T-14 aka Pender, is fast becoming a favorite of mine because he tends to rescue me when there aren’t other critters out. I’m getting along with everyone at work well. I really enjoyed the guest captain, Hobbes, these past few weeks. He helped me feel better adjusted to working on a boat by giving me pointers for successful knot tying and fender placement. (The fenders are these little bumpers we tie onto the boat upon arrivals so we don’t scratch the boat against the dock.) Lately the seals and sea lions have been a bit skittish and the boat captains believe this has something to do with all the Transients in the area. Orcas are super clever and sometimes will swim really fast towards the rocks where the seals are hauled out. They will veer away at the last moment, which sends a wave crashing over the rocks. This washes the seals into the water where the whales can eat them. Although it sounds brutal, it’s difficult not to be in awe of their power and intelligence. This intelligence and ability to use sonar to locate prey are prime reasons why I believe there are no recorded attacks on humans by orcas in the wild. It is much easier for them to identify what is and what isn’t prey. The Transients are pretty cool, but I really miss J-Pod. I always talk about the whales, whether we see them or not, because people really tend to be fascinated by them. Every time I discuss the problems that affect them, I have to be careful not to get choked up. I know that sounds super lame, but I really do care about the whales and hope to make some sort of difference that may help save them. J-1 (Ruffles) and J-28 (Polaris) hold quite a bit of sentimental value for me and I can’t help but wish to see them every time we go out. I am becoming a firm believer in the idea that certain animals were put here specifically for the connection they have with people. Dogs, cats, horses, and even whales and dolphins all hold special places in the human heart and I don’t think this is a matter of coincidence. Perhaps they were given higher intelligence and different “human-like capacities” to better form bonds with us. Every seaside culture has stories of whales and dolphins interacting with humans. There are still places in the world where humans rely on dolphins to help them in their daily lives. Fishermen in a city in Brazil rely on dolphins to cooperate with them and herd fish into their nets along the shore. The dolphins seem to appreciate the interaction with humans and the free fish people give out after the hunt. Their connection to people has really taken a hold on me and I don’t think I could ever tire of seeing them. One day it’d be nice to have a wild underwater encounter with a dolphin. Don’t worry though, I won’t attempt this any time soon with the orca out here. I’m pretty sure they don’t reciprocate the fondness for me, although it would be nice to think they do. Too bad they aren’t like Free Willy and I can’t call them to me with terrible harmonica playing. I watched Free Willy 2 the other day because it was filmed in the islands. It’s really cool to pick out landmarks, islands, and whales that I recognize. It also gives me something to talk about while on the boat, like, “This is the spot where Willy was caught.” (Being on the boat is sort of like my fifteen minutes of fame. I really don’t mind being the center of attention, in fact, I enjoy it. Go figure.)

I’ve been reading more in Letters from a Skeptic and of course I love it. I also started reading a book called Togetherness is Our Home, by Dr. Astrid van Ginneken. The book is a journey through an orca named Tuschka’s life. It is written through the eyes of a young orca born near Norway and taken into captivity at a young age. Dr. van Ginneken is from the Netherlands and works here at the Center for Whale Research doing research and photo cataloging of the local orcas. She used her knowledge and fascination with orcas to write the book. I really like reading her perspective on the social aspects of an orca’s life and how they have a hierarchy in their pods. This reminds me of the hierarchy in herds of horses with some animals being dominant, playful, or shy. Each individual has a place in the group and they work together for the survival of their families. There is a true story of a juvenile female orca from a pod in New Zealand who was nearly mortally injured by a boat propeller that made several deep cuts in her back behind her dorsal fin. This female, nicknamed Prop, was supported by her family so she could heal. Her family was seen holding her up so she could breathe and feeding her for months after the incident. To this day, over 20 years after the event, they still guard her as she is not as strong as her relatives. Amazing stuff, no? Wouldn’t it be nice if people treated their own families as the orcas treat theirs? It’s so scary to hear about situations like in Austria where that man hid his daughter in a shed for years so he could rape her and keep her for himself. I feel so terrible for the daughter and the deprived children who resulted from the incestuous relationship. I can’t help but wish we took a lesson from the orca. They respect their elders, realizing they have more life experience and can give great advice. They also realize the value of the individual within the group. Some orcas live to be in their nineties, like J-2 who’s estimated to be 97 yrs old, and still find time to spend with the younger whales as opposed to lagging behind and complaining. They are the ones leading the pod into the future. They also have been known to spend time resting and socializing when one animal is dying. They spend all the time they can together, knowing time is short. It’s funny because the more you learn about them, the more you begin to humanize them and feel for their plight. I’m so fascinated by orcas and can’t wait to keep learning about their lives.

I can’t wait for family and friends to come out and see them in their natural environment. It’s like a heaven on earth and I’ll be sad to go.