Handling Dept

Guess what? I am back on the boat, not off again until Aug 4th. This time I thought I would share photos of people I work with. At least some of us work..

New Babies

When I first came home I set out a few hanging plants, for some reason a bird decided to make her nest in one of them. Now just a few days before going back to the boat I find we have three new baby birds in the nest. We also have a dive bomber of a MaMa when every we go out to water the plants. As you can see from the photos all the babies are fine ( total of three ) and as long as MaMa stays safe all should turn out fine. I just wish I could stay and watch the day to day development. But then again I will also miss the food from the garden, it too will start to give food when I am back on the boat. Just the way it is with my type of job.

Back to School we go...

Once again I have been sent off for more training. This time for Fire fighting refresher, first Aid and HUET.

Sunday the 7th it begins with being picked up at home to go to the airport, driver gets lost and we have to meet at the Shell Station at a major intersection. Scheduled for a 1pm pickup , got into the car at 1:30 and off we go. Was not worried about the 30 min. my flight was not scheduled to leave until 4:55 pm and the drive was a max of two hours. Made it to the airport at 2:45 pm and checked in. Did the normal airport thing... walked around, played on the computer, and walked around some more. Once on the flight we departed on time and made it to New Orleans as scheduled. Went to baggage pick up got my bag and was met by a fellow student and the driver that took us to our home ( hotel ) for the next week. Driver kept us entertained with the history of the south during the ride. Checked into the hotel, went to the local Wal Mart within easy walking distance, had dinner and that ends day one.

Monday the 8th was a full day of nothing but classroom instruction on firefighting and different ways to fight a fire, depending on the type of fire you are facing. Test at the end of the day when the mind felt like mush, and back to the hotel for the night. Once again went to Wal Mart for food to have for dinner, do not like eating alone in restaurants. So ends the day..

Photo below is my impression of a tea pot.. After all I am about to get boiled.

Tuesday the 9th had us in the classroom for the first half of the day getting more instructions on firefighting. Then after lunch we went out into 95 degree heat and put on full firefighting gear to put out four different types of fires. First was a galley fire, second a paint locker, third was open pit, and the last one was the open pit using foam.

Day three was once again all classroom, first aid, CPR and PSSR. We all know what first aid and CPR is all about so will not bore anyone. PSSR is about not tossing things into the water and why ( mostly ) was not a very exciting day but it is over. Thursday and Friday will be spent mostly in the water doing HUET escape stuff..

Day four June 11th 2009. Today was the water torture, we spent from 11:45 am until 3:30 pm in the water. Did water survival training, then had to do the helicopter escape four times. See video for what I am talking about. I was exhausted at the end of the day.. But it was fun until just before the end when I got a lot of water up my nose.

Last day of school, YES!!!!!!! Today was cold water survival, almost the same as yesterday except it was about using immersion suits ( gumbey suit ) in cold water areas. Took a test and out at 2pm.. Easy day.. Tomorrow I head back home for two weeks before going back to the boat.

New Blood

Well I drove to Sequin Texas today, about 300 miles one way from Wills Point. I had been looking at the Web page for the last month and just had to go look in person.

As you can see from the photos, we have two more members of the farm, that makes eight goats, six chickens, two dogs, one cat, and two humans..

Felt like the old truck driving days doing 600 miles in one day, glad I do not do it often, it is exhausting....

Once the new ones were released in the pen with the others it became obvious that BIG Mama did not like the company. She kept chasing the new ones around until I had to separate them into different sections... Hope this changes with time. If it does not change then we will have a problem breading them, and will have to rethink the matter.

The little Mama does not seem to have any issue with them so time will tell...

Jail Break

Today we cut a door into the part of the shed that is now a chicken coop.... No sooner did I have that door open before the girls made a break for it. I was going to build a pen for them but it is too late now. Just have to wait for tonight and see if any come back into the coop or not.

The black chicken looks like she is daring me to put her back in the coop, just try it and see what happens.. LOL... I think she looks more like a crow then a chicken..

Run for it the door is open!!!!!!

Yesterday goats Today was Chickens

Yesterday I built a fence in the goat run to make it faster to catch the little kids. Wonders of wonders it worked, I was able to get all four under shelter for the night in no time at all.

Today was a new ball game, I went to First Monday in Canton just to look around for a few hours. I really did not think I would find anything that I was willing to buy, but as happens I was wrong. After walking all the way down and back ( Dog alley ) I had enough and was headed back to the truck when I say a little dog run into a small stall hidden in the bush. Being a dog lover I went to see what he/she was up to and ran into a chicken stall.... This little old man and his wife started talking to me as if I had known them all my life and was just dropping in for a visit. As we talked I looked around and saw two chickens laying, now that was the best way to make a sale with me.. I then proceeded to buy the two with eggs and four others that I liked the looks off.. Then had to get the truck to come back for the chickens...

As soon as I walked back into the stall to pick up the chickens a lady was waiting and wanted to know if I would sell her four of the six chickens I had just brought? She was willing to pay me $10 more for each then I had paid. Thought about it then decided if then chickens are that good I should keep them??? So home we go..

Problem we have no chicken coop, now I spend the next four hours putting together a coop that will at least hold the chickens for now. No door to the outside yet, will have to wait until tomorrow when I am a bit rested and can think on how to do it. Until then the girls are free to eat and drink inside only..

Back on the farm

Today is the second day off the boat, got on the chopper just over 60 hours ago to come home. Now working on getting the garden weeded and things set up for having goats, and hoping to find some chickens this weekend.. My big deal today was making friends with the goats, and building a new fence to devide the pen into smaller sections to help get the babies in the shelter at night, the little suckers are fast and not easy for an old folk like me..

Chopper Lands on The Snapper

The first chopper to land on the deck of the Snapper in over a year , and the first when we have all papers in order since I have been on the boat.

Well folks, today I witnessed for the first time a chopper landing on the deck of the Snapper.

Will this mean the end of small boat transfers during crew change?? I do not know, but it was nice to see one land here. It was only on deck for a few min. five maybe... But it does prove we can have one land, and that is good news for all.

And Farwell, such a short visit.

Return to the Snapper

I have returned to the boat and it feels different. The boat is almost silent, no joking or teasing among the crew, and without TAP no whistling to be heard at all. Been back five days now and even if no one will speak openly of the loss to the crew, it can be felt in the way we all go about our jobs. Moral is low and the seas are high.

Even with the sun out today the waves are between 7 and 11 footers. It is enough to rock the boot, and if last night was an example toss me out of bed.

So I stay here in the GOM until May 26th when I get to go home for a week before going to school for a week.

Been watching the news about the flu in Mexico and hoping it does not make its way to the states, or if it does it stays clear of me..


check this blog for what is going on at the ranch well I am gone......http://ourtexasranchito.blogspot.com/

Furniture for the home

Well for the past week or so we have been looking around for items for the house. My bedroom is almost done, I even painted it and put up curtains. Only one or two items and it will be done, problem is I still do not know what the last item or two will be. I did not know what color to paint the room until five minutes before I picked it out and was not sure it was what I wanted until the room was done. Curtains, were first planed to be multi color, but in the end white is what was hung.

The newest addition to the house is a sofa that PIA seems to like..

We also made changes to the cabinet handles to liven up the place, what y'all think???