DocAndersen
An Osprey, a protected Maryland bird! I love seeing them. They nest out on the buoys and channel markers of the Bay. There are a couple of pictures of the one we saw this weekend. He or She is just relaxing on top of the pole. They are very used to boats motoring or sailing by they are not often startled by boaters. On the larger channel markers, they build their nests. On the smaller markers, such as the ones in the pictures, they often relax and wait. I don’t know who their natural predators are; I doubt it is Maryland Blue Crabs. Not many fish are big enough to post a threat to an Osprey other than a shark, and the places where sharks are, this time of year are much further into the Bay.
As we were heading back to the slip, we saw the coolest pontoon boat (it’s in a couple of the pictures) I’ve ever seen. First, it was a lot smaller than you would normally see. More like the Mark Twain, Huck Finn Mississippi raft. Not something you would take out into the Bay. But a cool family boat that was fun to watch.
It is fun for me to watch the boats as they roll by. When I was little I used to help my grandfather; he would put in the dock (I was only part of that process twice in my life he did that very early in the year when I was still in school). But I would take the rowboats out of the water and clean them. My grandfather back in the day didn’t have a pressure washer, so we cleaned them the old fashioned way. Pull them out of the water, wheel them up to the spot by the house. Flip the boat upside down and scrub. Luckily they were fiberglass rowboats so that you wouldn’t wear the paint off. We never pulled the powerboat out of the water that I recall, except at the end of the year.
I hate gardening to this day, but I still love boating, even though I had to clean the boats! I suspect there was a father-son, grandfather grandson thing happening. Fathers try to pass wisdom on to their sons. It is hard-fought and hard-won wisdom. Grandfathers have wisdom, but they also don’t have the direct day to day living with the grandson.
I guess in the end you listen to your grandfather more. In part, because they will be part of your life many fewer years than your father. In part, because they aren’t the day to day manager. I do know I turned to my grandfather for advice often. When he passed away, I started turning to my father. The advice was always good! Now I turn to my mother, the advice is great!
Nice sight and boat ride, I like the boats
I love watching sailboats under way!