So we know that the Chesapeake Bay needs oysters for its health, and we know that the Bay's salinity is ideal for oysters, but the population in the last fifty years has been devastated. Maryland used to have about 200,000 acres of oyster reefs; today the number is about 36,000. In pre-colonial days, the oysters could filter the entire Bay in about 3 days; and in 1988 the filtration time was 325 days. The gross value of the oyster harvest dropped 88% from 1982 to 2007. One report stated that the Bay contained less oysters in 2008 than it did in 1983. Over-harvesting, pollution, and disease are the known culprits.
The depletion of the oysters has had a very harmful effect upon the quality of the water in the Bay. Oysters serve as natural water filters, and the fewer they are, the dirtier the Bay is. Water that was once clear for several feet is now so turbid that a wader can lose sight of their feet before their knees are wet.
Efforts of federal, state, and local governments, working in partnership through the Chesapeake Bay Program, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and other non-profit environmental groups, tp restore water quality have had some good results. One obstacle to cleaning up the Bay is that much of the polluting substances appear far upstream in tributaries lying in states that are far removed from the Chesapeake itself. Twenty years ago, the Bay supported over 6,000 oystermen and their families. Today, there are fewer than 500 oystermen.
Repopulation of the Bay oysters via hatcheries has been carried out by a group called the Oyster Recovery Partnership, with some success. They recently placed 6 million oysters on 8 acres of the Trent Hall Sanctuary. And scientists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William & Mary claim that the experimental reefs they created in 2004 are now home to 180 million native oysters, Crassostrea virginica; but that is much less than the billions of oysters that once claimed the Bay as "home."
Earlier this week, it was announced that the 45th Administration planned to cut the Environmental Protection Agency's staff by one-fifth, and eliminate key programs. The original "leaked" numbers proposed that the White House would reduce annual funding for the EPA's Chesapeake Bay Cleanup project by 93 percent, gutting the program from $73 million down to $5 million for the fiscal year. The real numbers were released yesterday, and the Bay Cleanup Program will get nothing from the proposed budget.
The project represents a unique state and federal cleanup plan that began in 2010. It is working. The Chesapeake is getting better, and each partner plays a vital role. The states developed and implemented their own plans to reduce pollution and restore water quality. The EPA's portion of the cleanup program coordinates the science, research and modeling to implement the blueprint and it makes grants that fund pollution reduction. Today, pollution is down. Jobs have been created, human health has been protected, and local economies have been improved. The Chesapeake Bay's "dead zone" where aquatic life cannot thrive is getting smaller; crabs, oysters and underwater grasses are being to rebound.
But the Chesapeake Bay is far from saved. Having the budget cut by 93 percent, or more, will reverse all of the progress that has been made. Bay restoration efforts have a long history of bipartisan support. Our elected officials have consistently pursued a legacy of clean water. Let's make sure that they understand that we want to, and need to, preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay!
Write to the President, the Vice President, to the EPA, and to each and every one of your Congressional representatives. Without clean water everything dies.
Showing posts with label Chesapeake Bay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chesapeake Bay. Show all posts
Friday, March 17, 2017
Thursday, March 16, 2017
The Chesapeake Bay - Part 4 - Oysters
The eastern oyster is one of the most iconic species in the Chesapeake Bay. For more than a century, oysters have been one of the area's most valuable commercial fisheries, and the filter-feeder continues to clean the waters and provide food and habitat to other animals. However, over-harvesting, disease and habitat loss have led to s severe drop in oyster populations. Scientists are working to manage harvests,establish sanctuaries, overcome the effects of disease, and restore reefs with hatchery-raised seed in an effort to restore this important bivalve.
You don't have to like eating this peculiar-looking shellfish to appreciate its vital role in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem - and its importance to people who live around the Bay. Oysters are natural filter feeders. This means they feed by pumping water through their gills, trapping particles of food, as well as nutrients,suspended sediments and chemicals. In doing so, oysters help keep the water clean and clear for bay grasses and aquatic life. One oyster can filter more than 50 gallons of water in a single day.
As oysters grow, new larvae (or seed) settle on top of adults, forming layers of oysters that spread upward and outward. With their countless nooks and crannies, these reefs provide habitat to hundreds of diverse water creatures - from small fish and invertebrates seeking shelter to larger fish looking for food. Oysters do have a number of natural predators: (1) anemones, sea nettles, and other filter feeders eat oyster larvae, (2) flatworms and mud crabs feed on new spat, (3) blue crabs and some fish species eat older spat and first-year oysters, and (4) shorebirds feed on adult oysters that are exposed upon intertidal flats.
Since the late 19th century, the oyster industry - including the catch, sale, shucking, packing, and shipping of oysters - has contributed millions of dollars to the region's economy. Oysters have also added to the region's historical and cultural heritage, fueling countless bull and oyster roasts. Oysters have also inspired the unique design of boats in the area: the log canoe, the pungy, the bugeye, the skipjack, the deadrise and the scow.
The decline of the Chesapeake Bay's native oyster population can be attributed to several factors, including historic over-harvesting, disease and habitat loss. The severity of this decline is often illustrated in terms of its impact on water quality: in the late 19th century, the Bay's oysters could filter all of the water in the Bay in three or four days; today's oysters would take nearly a full year to filter the same amount of water.
In the 17th century, huge numbers of oysters lived in the Chesapeake Bay. European settlers reported enormous oyster reefs that thrust up from the Bay's bottom, posing hazardous navigation for their wooden ships. Colonists first used hand tongs to harvest oysters, but by the 1800s, oyster dredges were also in use. In the 1850s, more than 1.5 million bushels of oysters were harvested from the Bay each year. In the 1880's, the number jumped to 20 million bushels each year. At the turn of the 20th century, the Chesapeake Bay oyster fishery was one of the most important assets of the United States.
Over-harvesting, however, removed huge volumes of oysters from the Bay and led to the end of the Bay's healthy oyster reefs. Dredging for oysters has scraped the reefs away, and oyster beds are now limited to flat, thin layers of dead shell and live oysters spread over a wide surface of the Bay's bottom. These damaged habitats offer less surface area for reef-dwelling creatures to inhabit, and can easily be buried by a heavy wash of sediment, or dumping.
In 1949, scientists discovered Dermo in the Chespeake. MSX was discovered in the waters ten years later. Dermo, or Perkinsus marinus, is a parasite that usually infects oysters at the age of two years; it causes slow growth rates and death. MSX, or Haplosporidium nelsoni,also leads to oster death, but can infect oysters of all ages. Both diseases are contracted between May and October, and their prevalence can be affected by water temperature and salinity.
Overcoming the effects of Dermo and MSX has posed a challenge to oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. It is estimated that by age three, 80 percent or more of a single oyster year class, in a high disease area (like the Virginia portion of the Bay) will die from disease. Over the past century, the watershed has experienced a change in land use, as urban, suburban, and agricultural areas have replaced forested lands. This has increased the amount of nutrients and sediments entering our rivers and streams, and has contributed to the poor water quality that affectslife in the Chespeake Bay. Excess nutrients, for instance, fuel the growth of algae blooms that create low-oxygen dead zones that restrain the growth of oyster larvae; while sediments can suffocate oysters and other shellfish. Also, poor water quality can cause stress that will make oysters more susceptible to disease.
You don't have to like eating this peculiar-looking shellfish to appreciate its vital role in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem - and its importance to people who live around the Bay. Oysters are natural filter feeders. This means they feed by pumping water through their gills, trapping particles of food, as well as nutrients,suspended sediments and chemicals. In doing so, oysters help keep the water clean and clear for bay grasses and aquatic life. One oyster can filter more than 50 gallons of water in a single day.
As oysters grow, new larvae (or seed) settle on top of adults, forming layers of oysters that spread upward and outward. With their countless nooks and crannies, these reefs provide habitat to hundreds of diverse water creatures - from small fish and invertebrates seeking shelter to larger fish looking for food. Oysters do have a number of natural predators: (1) anemones, sea nettles, and other filter feeders eat oyster larvae, (2) flatworms and mud crabs feed on new spat, (3) blue crabs and some fish species eat older spat and first-year oysters, and (4) shorebirds feed on adult oysters that are exposed upon intertidal flats.
Since the late 19th century, the oyster industry - including the catch, sale, shucking, packing, and shipping of oysters - has contributed millions of dollars to the region's economy. Oysters have also added to the region's historical and cultural heritage, fueling countless bull and oyster roasts. Oysters have also inspired the unique design of boats in the area: the log canoe, the pungy, the bugeye, the skipjack, the deadrise and the scow.
The decline of the Chesapeake Bay's native oyster population can be attributed to several factors, including historic over-harvesting, disease and habitat loss. The severity of this decline is often illustrated in terms of its impact on water quality: in the late 19th century, the Bay's oysters could filter all of the water in the Bay in three or four days; today's oysters would take nearly a full year to filter the same amount of water.
In the 17th century, huge numbers of oysters lived in the Chesapeake Bay. European settlers reported enormous oyster reefs that thrust up from the Bay's bottom, posing hazardous navigation for their wooden ships. Colonists first used hand tongs to harvest oysters, but by the 1800s, oyster dredges were also in use. In the 1850s, more than 1.5 million bushels of oysters were harvested from the Bay each year. In the 1880's, the number jumped to 20 million bushels each year. At the turn of the 20th century, the Chesapeake Bay oyster fishery was one of the most important assets of the United States.
Over-harvesting, however, removed huge volumes of oysters from the Bay and led to the end of the Bay's healthy oyster reefs. Dredging for oysters has scraped the reefs away, and oyster beds are now limited to flat, thin layers of dead shell and live oysters spread over a wide surface of the Bay's bottom. These damaged habitats offer less surface area for reef-dwelling creatures to inhabit, and can easily be buried by a heavy wash of sediment, or dumping.
In 1949, scientists discovered Dermo in the Chespeake. MSX was discovered in the waters ten years later. Dermo, or Perkinsus marinus, is a parasite that usually infects oysters at the age of two years; it causes slow growth rates and death. MSX, or Haplosporidium nelsoni,also leads to oster death, but can infect oysters of all ages. Both diseases are contracted between May and October, and their prevalence can be affected by water temperature and salinity.
Overcoming the effects of Dermo and MSX has posed a challenge to oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. It is estimated that by age three, 80 percent or more of a single oyster year class, in a high disease area (like the Virginia portion of the Bay) will die from disease. Over the past century, the watershed has experienced a change in land use, as urban, suburban, and agricultural areas have replaced forested lands. This has increased the amount of nutrients and sediments entering our rivers and streams, and has contributed to the poor water quality that affectslife in the Chespeake Bay. Excess nutrients, for instance, fuel the growth of algae blooms that create low-oxygen dead zones that restrain the growth of oyster larvae; while sediments can suffocate oysters and other shellfish. Also, poor water quality can cause stress that will make oysters more susceptible to disease.
Monday, March 13, 2017
The Chesapeake Bay - Part One
I feel that I am lucky to have grown up with two parents who, themselves, grew up with completely different backgrounds. My Dad was born in Oklahoma, and was raised in Oklahoma and Kansas - a true farm boy for the previous 200 years of his family's history - all farmers, along with teachers and preachers as side-lines. My Mom's family, on the other hand, were watermen - fishermen, oystermen, clammers, crabbers, net men, shrimpers - if it came from the ocean, they harvested it. I feel that I grew up with a much greater appreciation for both the lands and the waters of our planet thanks to those family ties.
I just read that, in the new President's so-called "house-cleaning," he plans on cutting the Environmental Protection Agency's employees by at least one-fifth; but the item that really caught my attention was the cutting of funding for the clean-up of the Chesapeake Bay from $73 million to $5 million. That's a 93% budget cut for a single program that is greatly needed.
About the Chesapeake....
The word Chesepiooc is, supposedly, an Algonquian word referring to a village "at a big river." It is the seventh oldest surviving English place name in the United States; it was first used by explorers heading north from the Roanoke Colony in 1585 or 1586, as they visited a "Chesepiook" tributary. The name may also indicate a Native American tribe who inhabited the area now known as South Hampton Roads, in Virginia, the Chesepian or Chesapeake people. The tribe was known to inhabit what is now Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. Local residents today almost always prefix the word/area with "the": "The Bay," "The Chesapeake," or "The Chesapeake Bay."
The Chesapeake bay is an estuary lying inland from the Atlantic Ocean, and is surrounded by the North American mainland to the west, and the Eastern Shore (comprised of parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) to the east. The Bay is the drowned valley of the Susquehanna River; it was the alluvial plain where the river flowed when the sea level was much lower. It is the largest bay in the contiguous United States, with the northern end of the Chesapeake within Maryland, and the southern portion in Virginia. The Bay is an important feature of the ecology and economy of those two states, as well as others. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the bay's 64,299-square-mile drainage basin; that covers parts of six states (New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia) and all of the District of Columbia (Washington, DC).
The Bay is approximately 200 miles long from the Susquehanna River outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. At it's narrowest, it is only 2.8 miles wide, and is 30 miles wide south of the mouth of the Potomac River, it's widest point. The total shoreline mileage, including tributaries is 11,684 miles, circumnavigating a a surface area of 4,479 square miles. The average depth of the Chesapeake is 21 feet, and the current maximum depth is 174 feet.
The Chesapeake Bay, long known for both its beauty and bounty,became "emptier," with fewer crabs, oysters, and watermen in the past years. Recent restoration efforts, begun in the 1990s, have been ongoing and show potential growth of he native oyster population. The overall health of the Chesapeake Bay improved in 2015, and marked three years of gains in the past four, according to a new report by the University of Maryland.
More regarding the Bay this week.....
And, the island that my Mom's family is from, is on the eastern side of the Delmarva peninsula, out in the Atlantic Ocean, not in the Chesapeake Bay... Chincoteague, the inhabited island is located in Virginia, while Assateague, which is home to the Assateague National Seashore and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, is in both Virginia and Maryland. The Wildlife Refuge itself is in Virginia, while the Seashore is in both states.
I just read that, in the new President's so-called "house-cleaning," he plans on cutting the Environmental Protection Agency's employees by at least one-fifth; but the item that really caught my attention was the cutting of funding for the clean-up of the Chesapeake Bay from $73 million to $5 million. That's a 93% budget cut for a single program that is greatly needed.
About the Chesapeake....
The word Chesepiooc is, supposedly, an Algonquian word referring to a village "at a big river." It is the seventh oldest surviving English place name in the United States; it was first used by explorers heading north from the Roanoke Colony in 1585 or 1586, as they visited a "Chesepiook" tributary. The name may also indicate a Native American tribe who inhabited the area now known as South Hampton Roads, in Virginia, the Chesepian or Chesapeake people. The tribe was known to inhabit what is now Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. Local residents today almost always prefix the word/area with "the": "The Bay," "The Chesapeake," or "The Chesapeake Bay."
The Chesapeake bay is an estuary lying inland from the Atlantic Ocean, and is surrounded by the North American mainland to the west, and the Eastern Shore (comprised of parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) to the east. The Bay is the drowned valley of the Susquehanna River; it was the alluvial plain where the river flowed when the sea level was much lower. It is the largest bay in the contiguous United States, with the northern end of the Chesapeake within Maryland, and the southern portion in Virginia. The Bay is an important feature of the ecology and economy of those two states, as well as others. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the bay's 64,299-square-mile drainage basin; that covers parts of six states (New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia) and all of the District of Columbia (Washington, DC).
The Bay is approximately 200 miles long from the Susquehanna River outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. At it's narrowest, it is only 2.8 miles wide, and is 30 miles wide south of the mouth of the Potomac River, it's widest point. The total shoreline mileage, including tributaries is 11,684 miles, circumnavigating a a surface area of 4,479 square miles. The average depth of the Chesapeake is 21 feet, and the current maximum depth is 174 feet.
The Chesapeake Bay, long known for both its beauty and bounty,became "emptier," with fewer crabs, oysters, and watermen in the past years. Recent restoration efforts, begun in the 1990s, have been ongoing and show potential growth of he native oyster population. The overall health of the Chesapeake Bay improved in 2015, and marked three years of gains in the past four, according to a new report by the University of Maryland.
More regarding the Bay this week.....
And, the island that my Mom's family is from, is on the eastern side of the Delmarva peninsula, out in the Atlantic Ocean, not in the Chesapeake Bay... Chincoteague, the inhabited island is located in Virginia, while Assateague, which is home to the Assateague National Seashore and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, is in both Virginia and Maryland. The Wildlife Refuge itself is in Virginia, while the Seashore is in both states.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
The Skipjack (or Bateau)
When I was small, Mom frequently talked about taking her own "bateau" out on the Bay and in the Channels. I have to admit that i always thought a "bateau" was built like a rowboat, only a bit longer and slimmer. Boy, was I ever wrong. In doing research about watermen on the Chesapeake Bay, and on Mom's home island of Chincoteague, I have found that what was called a "bateau" when she was a girl, is what I was taught to call a skipjack. A boat built for oyster dredging - who'd-a thunk? Not me.... The Skipjack is a V-bottomed boat that was developed in the 1880s, that was slightly larger than a sailing bateau. The Skipjack was was used to harvest oysters, and, under sail was powerful enough to haul two full-sized oyster dredges. Traditionally, the skipjack was called a "bateau" by watermen; but in 1900, the newspaper The Baltimore Sun published an article that described how the boats were fitted-out for the oyster season in Baltimore Harbor. Because of the boats speed and power while under the sail, the writer called the boats "Skipjacks." The city name stuck to the boats, but locally, the words bateau and skipjack were interchangeable.
Here are some photos of skipjacks along the Chesapeake Bay:
Here are some photos of skipjacks along the Chesapeake Bay:
You can take sailing tours of the Chesapeake Bay from St. Michael's
Oyster dredging in the Choptank River
Skipjack on the Chesapeake
The Rosie Parks in a sailing competition, 1982
The Rosie Parks on a test sail in 1995
The Deal Island Skipjack races
The Helen Virginia
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Chesapeake Bay Photos by Jay Fleming
The following photos were taken by Jay Fleming, who is well known for his photography of life and work along the Chesapeake Bay. I am happy to share these with you.
Fishermen pulling in a pound net on the Chesapeake Bay
Male crab attached to a Smith Island piling
The last house on Holland Island; it fell into the Bay in October 2010
Maryland crab legs at the JM Clayton Company in Cambridge, Maryland
Captain Arthur Daniels, 93, and mate dredge for oysters while under sail on the skipjack City of Crisfield
Sophie on the bow of a crabbing skiff
Captain Stoney Whitelock, of Deal Island, dredging on the skipjack Hilda Willing
Hoopers Island marsh in Dorchester County, Maryland
Pulling croakers in from a pound net at Cape Charles, Virginia
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
55th Annual Deal Island Skipjack Race
The 55th Annual Skipjack Race at Deal Island was held over the weekend. There were twelve entries, and the race was won by the Helen Virginia . It was also another first, as this boat sailed with the first all-female crew in the Skipjack Race.
Four of the Skipjacks, at the start of the race
The City of Crisfield
The Ida Mae
The Somerset (left) and the City of Crisfield
The Helen Virginia and her winning all-female crew
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Places and the Denver Stage
Colonial cabin in Indiana
The Jean B leaving the Crisfield, Maryland dock
The new public fishing pier in historic downtown Chincoteague (looking east)
Camping area at Llewellyn Johns State Park in South Dakota
Scene from Steven Sondheim's Company at the Equinox Theatre in Denver.
At left is Joel Silverman, who employs me five days a week.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Assorted Photos
Sunset at Xingping, China
Impalas in Botswana
Egret at sunrise
Albino fawn
Chesapeake Bay sunset
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
This 'n' That
It's a nice sunny day out - the squirrels and the birds seem to be happy. My kits have been having a ball, running in and out, chasing each other, but Jim, the maintenance man, just walked by, picking up trash, and both kits skedaddled back inside. Since I'm not walking the Rs again until Monday, I think that I may go and, finally, see The Hobbit this morning. I've taken all regular meds, plus my stuff for the bronchitis/pertussis, and I'll take a dose of migraine meds and anti-vertigo prior to heading over to the theater. Currently, the movie is only showing twice a day, so I'll go to the 11:10 showing...
I understand the new head coach for the Chicago Bears is the guy who prepared both Jay Cutler (current Bears quarterback, and known as a "coach killer") and Tim Tebow for the NFL combines, and that the coach really liked Tebow... Some sports figures are thinking that Tebow may be heading to Chicago. If that's so, I'll root for the Bears; but I'll never root for Cutler again. He totally alienated me when he was a Bronco.
We've had several more people killed in gun fights in Denver recently, and I'm beginning to feel as if I live in the old wild west... A woman was shot in the back and killed by a spurned ex-coworker; a woman was shot in the head while crossing a street; and yesterday a Denver policeman was shot, and three other folks were in the hospital due to a strange rampage. Then, too, the Adams County Sheriff's department has shot and killed two pet dogs, without provocation,in the past couple of months; one of those incidents was caught on video, the other happened when a friendly dog ran out to greet the officers, and was shot 3 times from a distance of 15 feet. Add the killing of the elk here in Boulder, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't move away. (By the way, the Boulder District Attorney said he'll have an announcement about killing of the elk tomorrow.)
When I saw the advertisement for a lighthouse for sale yesterday, I was quite keen to look at it. It's three miles off the shore of Matthews County, Virginia, in the Chesapeake Bay;the Wolf Trap Light. It hasn't been lived in since 1971, and is listed as a "fixer-upper" - it has five floors, including the light, three bedrooms and two baths. The price is $288,000, which includes a waterfront lot on the Bay, for the parking of your land vehicle and the pier for your much needed boat. If I had the money, I'd dearly love to purchase that place and make it my own!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Chesapeake
Someone made the comment to me that it was weird that I live at the feet of the Rocky Mountains and that I write so much about the Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore, and Florida. They found it strange that I have a continued interest in places that I have lived, and where my ancestors had a very defined history. I don't think that is weird, strange, or odd in any way... I have memories of the area and places and people, and most of the memories are extremely pleasant. I think that keeping up with the news about those areas - especially the health of the Chesapeake Bay - is important. To me, the health of the Chesapeake represents the health of the entire east coast... Anyway...
Yesterday, the 53rd Annual Skipjack Race was held at Deal Island (in the Chesapeake). The winner of yesterday's race was Captain Wade Murphy, and his boat the Rebecca T. Ruark. This was Capt. Murphy's eleventh win. Captain Arthur "Daddy Art" Daniels has had nine wins going back to 1965. Now 91 years old, Daniels raced again this year on board his skipjack, the City of Crisfield. Skipjacks are the last sail-powered work boats in North America. Most are nearly a century old and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Used for dredging oysters, many skipjacks around the bay are now owned by nonprofit groups, but they still have dredge licenses and use them to harvest oysters as part of educational programs.
Yesterday, the 53rd Annual Skipjack Race was held at Deal Island (in the Chesapeake). The winner of yesterday's race was Captain Wade Murphy, and his boat the Rebecca T. Ruark. This was Capt. Murphy's eleventh win. Captain Arthur "Daddy Art" Daniels has had nine wins going back to 1965. Now 91 years old, Daniels raced again this year on board his skipjack, the City of Crisfield. Skipjacks are the last sail-powered work boats in North America. Most are nearly a century old and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Used for dredging oysters, many skipjacks around the bay are now owned by nonprofit groups, but they still have dredge licenses and use them to harvest oysters as part of educational programs.
The skipjack Thomas Clyde participated in the Deal Island race yesterday
Lovey has been stuck to me like glue since I arrived home yesterday. Nedi decided that he needed to nurse on my right arm three times during the night. Nedi is out in the yard, hunting anything that moves this morning. Lovey is sitting between me and the keyboard, which makes blogging an interesting event. I have three more nights at home before I head out again - I'll be at Alexy's with Cloudy and Shady for a week, and then, while I'll eat and sleep at home with my kits, I'll be spending the daylight hours with Sasquatch and Tugger until October 4. That will be an interesting 3 weeks.
And I feel the need to salute the life of actor Michael Clarke Duncan. He passed away this weekend, having never recovered from a heart attack he suffered in July. He was only 54 years old. No matter the role he played, I always felt an affinity for Mr. Duncan - and I truly loved him in the movie Armageddon. I have to admit that I have never seen The Green Mile, for which he received an Oscar nomination. Now I'll have to see it - as a final salute to a wonderful person, a wonderful man, and a wonderful actor.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
US Views - Bay, Prairie Fire, Woods
Dick Callfield rides his horse toward a cattle pasture, while calling on his cell phone for a truck and trailer to pick the cattle up before the wildfire (near Springview, Nebraska) catches up with the herd.
Overgrown rail road tracks in a Vermont wood
The East Hampton, a buy boat, at Crisfield, Maryland
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