Urchins

Let me pause a moment to share a few thoughts about the Holiday I least care about; even to the point of hating it. Kids will not like my thoughts at all. "Halloween". Who ever came up with such an idea anyhow? Just the very thought of celebrating SPOOKS and HOBGOBBLINGS dos'nt make any sense too me. It must be a comercial thing, with tons of worthless candy making kids climb the walls. Just ask school teachers about the kids behavior!!! WOW!! And this thing called "trick or treating. I never see any tricks and I have yet to have these little critters ever treat me. Well I guess I have upset a lot of folks and I am sorry, but I still don't like this so called Holiday, and if you don't spend money for all that "junk" you get called names. Enough about that. There are several other Hollidays I don't care for, but that is a whole different can of worms. Catch you later.

More About "Sick Polywog"

Afew thoughts about what is refered to as Motion Sickness or as us "ole salts" call it Sea Sickness. That is putting it very mildly because it is difficult to describe how you really feel unless you have "been there, done that" if you know what I mean. The best way I can describe it is to say "you would have to get better to die". Things are just fine untill the ship leaves the calm and serene waters and things start happening as it starts going up and down, up and down, up and down, and kinda sorta twisting also. Nothing is staying still any more. Your insides just don't know whats going on. It really started for me when I somehow managed to get to the Mess deck {chow hall] for all you landlubbers. Metal trays,forks,spoons, and food all over the place with people slipping and sliding, some down crawling, some all doubled over and kinda green and pale, lots of bad words floating through the air and just a regular "mad house". I managed to make my way down to my assigned station deep in the ships bottom where the motion is much less noticeable. i recovered somewhat and realized that I would possible survive after all. Well, more to come later. May you have fair weather and calm seas.

One Sick Polywog

Maby some out there can relate to this tale. Having not yet developed my " sea legs" I thought I was one "salty" Sailor as we set sail out into the "smooth" Puget Sound just out of Seattle. This was sweet. It late evening and in my mind I was thinking to myself, "Man this is the life". Little did I know that by early morning my whole world would be turned upside down and every witch way it could be. Everything not tied down was bouncing off the bulkheads, deck, the overhead and just all over. The deck would just simpely drop out from under you feet, then just as quicky, come up to meet you and at the same time you are walking on the bulkhead[wall] and life as you knew it a few hours ago just was'nt the same and never would be. I some how made my way to the Head [bathroom] and there was'nt an empty stall,sink or shower stall that was'nt occupied. At first I thought everyone was praying, But not so.......they were "SICK"...VERY,VERY SICK. Then it hit me.......I went out side and almost could'nt find a vacant spot on the life line to let it all come out, if you get my drift. One little detail that I had apparently missed or perhaps we were'nt told, was that we would be in the roughest waters in the Pacific Ocean.....The Straights of Juan de Fuca. Well, I'll save that story for another blog. OK?