JDW Photos and Life

We stopped to talk to a deckhand on a cod boat. It was his first year on a boat and he really enjoyed it. As we were talking, a sea lion popped up in an empty slip next to where we were standing. The sea lion played around in that slip for about 4 minutes (first photo to last photo) entertaining all three of us. The sea lion had a fish and was playing with it the entire time. He would pop up, splash and toss the fish, and go back down. More photos coming over then next days! Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

We continued walking around the harbor docks. There were a few fishermen working on their boats and nets and everybody seemed to be in a good mood. The weather was one of the prettiest days we had. We spoke to most anyone we ventured past. There was a mix of crab and fish boats. The fish were king salmon and black cod - all less than 30 miles out of the harbor. They said they had a good season. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

Josh took us on the boat ride in the morning and Lauren had to work all day. Josh had work to tend to in the afternoon. After the boat ride, lunch, and a short rest, Donnice and I ventured back out and walked around the harbor docks since it was a pretty day. We had some time to kill before picking up Lauren from work. We ran across another boat selling Dungeness crab. This photo is of his hull / live-well. He had a lot of crab to move and they were really large. This was his last load as the season was essentially over. After we picked up Lauren from work, we came back and bought 4 for dinner that night. We had not come prepared to buy crab so the large tote was at the house. Lauren said, no problem, we have these grocery bags. I missed a kodak moment watching her and the fisherman trying to get a huge crab into that grocery sack without getting a claw! I still laugh thinking about it. Fortunately, the fisherman had a large garbage bag so we gave him a little extra as a tip. These cra...

We will wrap up the sea lions and our boat trip with this post. The sea lions became rather vocal with some setting of pecking order. Some of these poses and photos could be mistaken as something from Sea World or something. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

There are usually rankings and arguments when groups of animals are together. This little guy poked his head up and asked for permission to get up on the dock. He was greeted with a solid "NO  FIND ANOTHER LOCATION"! Just like a dog, if they get an itch up on the shoulder, you use your hind leg/flipper to scratch it. The big guy to the left looks like he just finished a joint or something. I wonder is the smaller sea lion is a girlfriend or just an admirer. While on the other end of the dock, there seems to be a bit of an argument brewing. OK kid, you are making me get up and show you how large I am compared to you, You better be careful! Don't start something you can't finish. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

First, I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. I said we had a lot of sea lion photos to work through. I hope it's not boring you too much. As they woke from their naps, there was a lot more noise being made. This little one looks like he/she is admiring the skill of the one singing. The big guy told me that draping his flipper over the dock makes him look cool. I think he has an admirer. This one is hollering across the dock. Then his/her little friend decided to sway to the music. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

Another big splash as one hits water. I think these two were having a pose-off. Giving me the side-eye. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

The sea lions entertained us for some time so get ready for a few days of those photos. The big guy woke from his nap and stuck out his tongue after seeing us. Look, if you are going to take my photo, here is my good side. One of them decided it was time for a swim. The one looking at the splash was next. Those dives happened all so fast I failed to get a good mid-dive photo. That tail is from the one above. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

As we drifted near the sea lions, we saw a few different angles of the animals. These guys were pretty laid back and generally lazy during our visit. And then the noise started. They are like howling dogs. Once one starts, more have to join the chorus. They have a singing voice on par with me. As they are belting out their tune, you could almost smell the fish breath! Note the big brown fellow. You may think that I caught his head in an action shot. You would be wrong. This big boy was sleeping that way as far as I can tell (despite the noise on either side of him)! After singing his serenade, the big guy on the right was exhausted and it was time to resume his nap. Notice the big brown guy has not shifted his pose at all! Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

Sorry for being a little late this morning. Thanksgiving baking preparations took presidence. Back to Kodiak photos. We left Puffin Island and headed into the city harbor. Since the last time we visited, the harbor built a pier for the sea lions. They were causing a problem on the docks for the fishing boats. They seem to be pretty happy with their new pier as a good number were sunning and napping. The big males were having a little squabble but not enough to bother anyone at this time. With protection from the wind, the water smoothed out giving some nice reflection color and we were able to slowly drift in the boat. The sea lions were not bothered by us though we did keep our distance. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/

Ocassionaly, I get asked what I've been working on in my shop. I received a call a couple weeks ago from a '78 classmate very closely involved (understatement) with the corps and band. He sent a photo of a very beat up stand the drum majors use to hold their batons when not in use and asked if I would be willing to make a new one. I accepted the challenge as a meaningful donation to those organizations. Like most jobs, I say yes and then have to figure out the details. The most critical detail is selecting the correct wood species. The original stand looked to be a mix of pine and oak with joints coming apart and exposed nails. I selected ipe for the wood. It is a farmed wood out of Brazil that is very hard, dense, and full of natural oils that make it the wood of choice for outdoor applications like decks and furniture. Teak may be the only other wood in this category and it is even more expensive than ipe which is pricy enough. I had a couple of short boards hanging around in...

The photos yesterday and the first one today were taken on the west side of the island looking east. The last three photos today are from the east side looking back towards the main island. Though we missed the puffins, we still saw some pretty colors and landscapes. In the third photo, you see a WWII bunker on the island. This was part of the Kodiak Harbor Defenses that included torpedoes, 90 mm guns with 42 - 49 lb projectiles, 40 mm automatic guns, and .50 caliber machine guns. There were also supporting barracks, officer's quarters, administration building, and search lights. You can see some of the abandoned facilities on the far left of the island in the last two photos. There is even an old Army pier on that end of the island. You also see a lot of rocks in the shallow waters around the island! The island is a federally protected bird nesting area but there must not be any restrictions on people exploring the island as I see a few internet photos of people at/in the old mili...

I had just a couple of things on my "want" list for this trip based on our trip last year. I really wanted to return to Puffin Island and take more photos of these unique birds. They were everywhere last year (late July, early August) and constantly flying to the sea, catching fish, and returning to their nests on the island. Puffins were everywhere and it was clear the island was aptly named. Puffin Island is located about half way between Womens Bay and the town of Kodiak and is pretty exposed with no other land structure close by. The wind was pushing us around pretty hard as we would position the boat, kill it, and then drift (quickly!) along the island to keep noise down and hopefully see wildlife. My dreams of a repeat of last year were quickly dashed as about all we saw were a few gulls. The puffins migrate to islands in the north Pacific Ocean for the winter (I had to look that up after the trip). Now I know to not expect puffins in late September. Thanks, Doug White ...

We kept traveling out of Womens Bay and towards the town. Along the way, we would see solitary otters here and there. We would slow down to see if they would not swim off - what happened the majority of times. We originally thought we saw a single otter floating in the ocean but they then separated enough to see there were two. Given the smaller head/size of the second, I am guessing it was a mother / pup pair. As a bonus, we saw "mom" eating an oyster. You know me and wildlife, I have to take photos of something eating something else. Thanks, Doug White https://jdwarchive.blogspot.com/