MAINE: my final frontier. These are the voyages of the Scooter Vespa 250 i.e. Super. Its continuing mission - to explore America's most heavily forested state - to roam the vast coastline, numberless lakes, and mighty mountains. To boldly go where no scooter has gone before!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

(Almost) Easter Seals

One week before Easter, the University of New England released a pair of rehabilitated seals:

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120405-NEWS-204050346

As the above link states, these seals just didn't want to enter the cold ocean. Although they eventually did, they did not seem thrilled, or even mildly interested.


As the large crowd waited for the seals to arrive, most were content to stay behind the yellow tape strung out to give the seals room to strut their stuff.


This young man, sporting a bright red hat and brighter green boots, ignored the barrier to test the squishiness of the soggy beach sand.



When the seals, secure in large plastic cages, arrived from the University, the crowd knocked down the tape to gather as close as possible to this unusual sight.


Order was quickly restored, and the pair slowly made their way toward home.


I am about to be reprimanded by the gentleman on the left: Apparently, I was about encroach on his particular part of the beach. "Back off," was all he said, but if looks could kill...


Is that a wistful expression? Did this seal suddenly realize that food would now have to be hunted, rather than being handed to him?


Before finally heading the the open ocean, the crowd was treated to a bit of seal-style body surfing.



The "Camera House" is for rent. http://www.vrbo.com/341752#ownerprofile

10 comments:

  1. I tell you Tom, in my view there would be nothing better than a quiet winter weekend in the camera house. A good book, some rich Chianti and some thick Sunday pasta sauce simmering on the stove.
    What more could one want?
    Now, if I could only come up with the 2-grand rental.
    Ciao.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike,

      It's always the last step that trips us up. Come up with the perfect plan, and someone says, "Oh, by the way - we'll be taking your firstborn..."

      Tom

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  2. Thomas you have to be a seal to wade into Maine waters even in August! Brrrrrrrrr! And yet, the Maine coast is one of our favorite spots to unwind. That Camera House sure is tempting. Pricy too! But not unbearably so for a few days off-season.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David,

      For me, it's hard to unwind when I think of how much I'm paying. My father was a Scotsman, and though not a stingy man, he hated paying a penny extra. I inherited that frugality.

      Tom

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  3. What a rude man. He needs to learn WI manners.

    Thanks for the day at the beach!

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    Replies
    1. Martha,

      I dismissed his attitude as that of an unhappy man. Look at that face - does he look like he enjoys life?

      Tom

      Delete
  4. Thanks for the post. Seals being re-habitat-ed. Nice. I suspect there would be some who might point out there are catfish bigger than those seals resting in the bottom of the Mississippi. However, I suspect they might be related to the man you encountered who seems to own a piece of beach in Maine. Sadly, they are everywhere.

    Thanks for the share. I really enjoyed this piece.
    ~Keith

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    Replies
    1. Keith,

      Well, one person's rehab project is another's waste of money. I'm pleased that you liked this post. It was quite a pleasant morning at the ocean's edge.

      In James Mitchner's novel "Centenial," the son of a Mexican laborer was shocked that, after a lifetime of being harassed just for being Mexican, his father wasn't vengeful.

      "How can you always find the good side of things?" asked the son.

      The father replied: "I'm always looking!"

      Tom

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  5. Thomas:

    unfortunately there are selfish people everywhere, these are the tailgaters, the ones who pass on the right, the ones who don't signal. He just forgot that he wasn't in his car. As you get older you just have to let things go

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast // My Flickr

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bob,

      I'm getting old enough to forget those minor slights quickly. Now, if I can remember where I left my key, I could go for a ride.

      Tom

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