You lose any real sense of time working a job like this. I never have the same two days off week to week, which on one hand is nice because I work, at most, three days before having an off day. BUT it means I never really know what day it is, only if I have to work the next day. So strangely enough it’s when the DQ sign in Port Isabel changes that I have some sort of understanding of the passing of time in the “real world”.
It’s been another few unpredictable days. We had a really crazy work day a few days ago with tons of visitors and then fortunately yesterday wasn’t as busy so I felt a little more relaxed at work. The calm days also give us time to catch up on chores so we did things like paint tanks and unpack inventory. Our big news on Tuesday was the stranding of a juvenile Green in the jetties in Isla Blanca. Now we’re not exactly excited when we get a call for a stranded turtle, but I think on some level it makes us all seem more useful so we all jump into action. So unfortunately when we find out that a member of the public made the decision to release the turtle because “it looks healthy to me” we were a little bitter. And as far the turtle’s health is concerned it is generally safer for it to get care in the hospital after any sort of stranding. As far as we know the turtle hasn’t stranded again, so I’m sure it was fine after all, but really you give a glimmer of the oh so glamorous life of a sea turtle rescue squad and we feel cheated when it gets taken away. But staying so late after work, with the intention of working with the little Green, gave Adrienne, Andy and I the opportunity to help Jeff empty and scrub Fred’s tank. Adrienne took a ton of pictures so when I get them I’ll post a few.
Then yesterday one of our patrollers called in tracks that looked more like tractor tracks than turtle tracks to him and we spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating the arrival of our first Atlantic Green tracks of the season. When Jessica and I were in Mexico I think we saw more Green tracks than Kemp’s Ridley tracks, so all of the pictures looked very familiar, but we were still just tickled to have our own Green babies. Unfortunately this late in the season the eggs won’t be due till we are all back in school, but this nest brings our count up to 48 and that’s something we can all celebrate.
I’m trying to take advantage of this beach life that I love so much so yesterday after work I walked down to the beach bar Wanna Wanna that is close to my apartment and sat at the bar, drank a soda, looked out over the beach and read. It’s nice to escape from the turtle work on occasion and the free time gives me lots of opportunity to read.
Today’s my day off so I’ve been running errands and hopefully I’ll eventually get to some laundry too. But what I’m most excited about is the visit from one of my new friends from Mexico. Ana, one of the employees at the turtle camp where we worked, is visiting a mutual friend in Brownsville so we are all meeting up tonight to go bowling. It will be nice to catch up and get some turtle news.
The pictures are of Jessica and I with Ana and of my first nesting female.
Read a good book, enjoying the feeling of sand between your toes, recycle.
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