I"m Back!!!

Yay! My blog has been restored. Took long enough! What's new? Wow, let's see. We had another sail boat come in. Named the Minnow believe it or not. I sent out a photo from one of the folks on the boat that showed a Tiger Shark trying to eat a Laysan. Very cool photo. They went diving in the lagoon and had a bunch of other sharks start gathering around. The safety person who was still on board said she saw a huge amount of bubbles coming up as they came back. Don't blame them, I would have spit out my regulator!


Anyway, I'm back. Spread the word! I'll get my act together and get some pictures downloaded soon.

Video

I finally got around to reading some of the directions on the camera I've had for the last 4 years. Have never got around to trying video with it, but, after Sara gave me so much shit about wishing I had a video camera out here (she reminded me in her oh, so subtle way that my regualar camera probably DID shoot video and what do ya know, she was right) ANYWAY, lets' see if I can upload a quick one I shot of our trip to Eastern with all the Sooty Terns.

I'm Back

Yep, I'm alive and well. Man, that was some nasty bug! It was some kind of fever. No nausea. Just this fever and never-ending fatigue. No idea what it was, but, glad it got gone right about the time Sara got here. We had a lot of fun, but, wish she could have stayed longer.

The major bummer about being sick was that I pretty much missed the 66th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway. I spent a lot of time helping plan it, went to Hono to meet the group and come out with them, and promptly went home and passed out after I got here. Seems to have gone pretty well. The whole thing is just kind of a surreal memory to me.

Did I tell you I have geckos in the house? One just ran across the wall and caught my eye. Pretty good trade; clean up a little poop once in a while in exchange for him eating bugs around the house...

It's actually quiet around here for the first time in a long time. No visitors, no dignitaries, no special events. Just us island folk, doing our thing. I'm still researching. Got a 1943 photo from one of our visitors showing his father and a bunch of other guys in front of a Quonset hut over on Eastern Island. Looking at two others I have, one from 1941 and one from 1942, I think I can pinpoint where the photo was taken. I'll try to remember to put two of the photos on here. Amazing how different the islands look now.

Weather has been rainy, but, the birds are loving it. Not many adults left now; just an occasional one coming in to feed a chick. They are really stretchig their wings when the wind blows. They know the time is near when they must learn to fly away and find food, or, they will die. They are really fun to watch. It's like watching a child learning to walk. They both toddle, they fall, they get up, they try again. Some are actually lifting off a few feet, then they crash and look startled. "Whoa, what just happened? It sorta feels right, but, I think there's more to it." Hilarious! I stop for a while every day to look, smile, laugh, and cheer them on.

This guy lives outside my back door. I left my flip flops outside and he decided to steal one. Good thing we came out or I might never have found it.

Brent, our volunteer who left a couple of weeks ago, came on one of my tours and took a few photos. So, here's one of me in my spiffy new Fish and Wildlife uniform. OK, the hat isn't quite uniform, but, I'm tired of getting skin cancer and it looks pretty good.

Peace,

Murray

Guest Post by Sara

Murray is alive. Shortly after his last post on May 29th, he came down with something. He told me he was sick, but after seeing everyone's reaction on the island of him walking around, I think it was much more than "I am sick". He required several IVs and upon my arrival in Honolulu, my voicemail had two messages from him indicating he was possibly being flown off the island. As he put it "I'm being voted off the island". But he came through it and I arrived on Friday, June 6th at approximately 9pm. Upon arriving, he greeted me at the plane in a full sweat so there was a possibility of us leaving on the flight the next day. The plane was being held overnight because of a big wig on the flight. But he made it through the night.

My post won't be as articulate as his, but I will try my best. As we drove back to the house, it was obvious there were some birds here. The next morning I found out just how many...500,000 pairs of albatrosses. That is just the adults and doesn't count the chicks and sub-adults. I watched the movie the Birds when I was way too young and so you should know how I was feeling. I have gotten over the shock, awe, and holy shitness. But still there are like a million birds (and that is just the albatrosses). AHHH!!!

I am sure Murray has told you about the island...it is 1.8 x 1.8 miles long. I still can't figure out the layout either. Honestly, it would be easy to get lost on the island. I had to laugh the first day when Murray said we would tour the town first. I figure we could tour the entire island in one day, but honestly that just isn't possible. Each day, I have had a specialized tour of either the buildings or the trails. I have added 16 birds to my geeky life bird list. I have learned a little about the history of the island. Transportation consists of golf carts, bicycles, and foot traffic. My tours have been on a bicycle, one that has a faulty chain, but otherwise it is grand. Riding is like driving through an obstacle course with all the birds.

Although the island is small, we've been busy every day with something. Some times it is a tour in the morning with a nap in the afternoon. So here is a little list of what I've gotten to do on this small island....

snorkeling, bird watching, turtle watching, seal watching, tour of a NOAA ship, walking the beach, getting to see an albatross chick puke, hanging out with National Geographic film makers (watch the NG channel for Murray and Midway), eating 3 great meals a day (evenings of Thai food), laying on the beach and getting sunburned of course, walking the beach with 12 shades of blue water, seeing buildings from all eras of Midway Island, and hanging out with Shoe.

Hopefully one day others will be able to visit this place. Besides being beautiful in so many ways, the history is amazing as well. When I return to the mainland, I will post my photos here:

Sara's Photos

More Great Visitors

Wow! Another busy week. The new group came in on the Saturday flight that our last folks left on. It was kinda neat, the group leaving all gave me hugs as they left. We tell people when they get here that they are joining our family, and it's true; once you've been here you are forever part of the Midway family. Case in point. Two sisters who had been here on the late 70's came out on this trip along with their families to share with them a place that had been so special to them. So, almost half of the trip is related to each other. Great folks. I asked the sitsters to share some of their memories of the school they attended. It's gone now, done in by termites, but, it was fun to hear some of their stories. They were the last class to be there as the base was being "mothballed" and dependants were forced to leave. The class left a time capsule buried near the flagpole, so the quest of the week is to find the spot where it might be buried. Stay tuned.

They also have their twelve year old son with them. Wish I'd known earlier that he was coming, would have been fun to have Ben out here at the same time. Good snorkeling at the cargo pier yesterday and out on the reef today. Sara is bringing an underwater camera when she comes out, so, I'm excited to get some fish photos on here. Of course, she's insisting that I read the manual before using the camera. Sigh.....I thought was the LAST thing you were supposed to do. I guess I can understand her point since I've had my present camera for...several years....and still haven't read the whole manual....

Lots of chicks hatching and lots of Laysan chicks losing their down and getting ready to fly. I can't wait to see that. Right now they are flapping their wings, stretching, and getting stronger.

What else... We had a NOAA ship in late last week and there's a Coast Guard ship coming tomorrow. The NOAA ship was supplying the other stations in the island chain, doing some research and dropping off and picking up people. The Coast Guard ship is going to pick up the nets out of our pile of marine debris. We also did a little service on Memorial Day. Next week a 737 comes out bringing a tour group to be here for the anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Once again, for a place so far from anything, we always have something going on around here.

John, in the picture above is headed to Laysan Island for 4 months as a volunteer. He'll be camping out in a tent most of the time. Yep, we have it pretty easy here on Midway.

Later, Murray

Better

Ya know, there's nothing like a new group of visitors to put me in a better mood! The new folks, 13, plus Wayne, the naturalist for the Oceanic Society, arrived on Saturday night. Great bunch of folks. One of them, Jim, was stationed here in 1958-59. One of only 13 Marines on the island. Their main job was security. It's been enlightening having him point out where things USED to be before being bulldozed into rubble. He lived in a Quonset hut right across from the Midway Mall and they also had the brig right there. He's pretty amazed at the changes to the place. Who wouldn't be? So many of the buildings that were here were taken down by the Navy before they left. Most of them needed to be, I might add. Many were falling apart or had hazardous materials in them. I've been reading all the historical documentation I can get my hands on, trying to figure out where things were and what some of the buildings still left standing once were used for. One of my favorite things to try and figure out is what was done in a building that used to stand down at the south end of the island. Double barbed wire fences and big steel doors. Rumor is that it was some kind of nuclear installation and I found one refence that indicates they were working on nuclear armed anti-submarine torpedoes. Still working to verify that one. Kinda freaky....

Took folks down to Bulky Dump and found the "albino" albatross chick everyone has been talking about. I think she's gorgeous! Not really a true albino, just very blonde. The true albinos don't ever come back and it's thought that they go blind at sea because they have no eye pigment to protect them from the harsh glare. "Blondie" should do OK, 'cause she has dark eyes. There's another chick nearly as light over by the harbor. Maybe they'll find each other one day....

Our visitors are kinda unique in another way. They like to work and help out with projects. Not the kind of visitors I'm used to. I rank these folks in the eco-tourist category rather than "general" visitors. This group helped us pull the "evil weed" Verbesina out in the Pan Am field. Pan Am field is where the Gooneyville Lodge was located before the termites decimated it. The Pan American Clipper Ships flew in the 30's and 40's, hopping people from island to island across the Pacific to Asia. Passengers would stay on each island for a couple of days, hanging out on the beach and eating 5-star food. Beautiful planes, from the pictures I've seen. Anyway, with another 14 or so helping hands, we were able to put a big dent in the weeds. Hopefully, the group next week will help us finish it off. Oh, yeah, I seem to be slightly allergic to Verbesina. Itchy eyes and runny nose....sigh....

We took everyone over to Eastern on Monday. I did part of the tour for the first time. Haven't been over there for a few weeks and the the Sooty Terns are back in force. Thousands is a weak way to describe it. And, if you think the Laysans are noisy, you ain't heard nothin'! Raucous and shrill as hell. And they don't put up with any crap from the Laysan chicks. This one wandered too close and the tern pecked him several times until he backed off . Poor little dudes, everyone pecks at them. They are getting ridiculously big now, some look like downy bowling balls. They will actually have to lose weight before they can fledge. Not that that will be a problem. The parents will soon be leaving and it will then be up to the chicks whether they live or die. Many won't make it. But, enough will figure out how to fly and in a few years they will come back and start dancing. Many of them have more feathers than down and are looking pretty comical.

Of course, it would look better if I had rotated it before I posted it, but, I didn't. And I'm too sleepy to figure it out. So, turn your head or pick up your laptop and rotate it. Goodnight and Peace to every one of you....

Murray

A Tale of Two Teeth

Hopefully this is the last post about my teeth. After going several days of walking around feeling like my crown was going to fall out, I got on the G1 and went to Hono last Monday night. Touched down about 4am and got to the bunkhouse where we stay while in town at around 5am. Thank goodness they changed my dentist appointment from 7am to 9:20 am. Hitched a ride in to the office with John, a guy who's going to volunteer out at Laysan Island for 4 months. Then had to hitch a ride to the appointment 'cause someone needed the truck. When the dentist pulls off the crown, he makes one of those noises any patient hates to hear, a sharp intake of breath. Turns out the tooth is shattered under the crown and there's only a stub left. Shit..... He builds it back up, does all the stuff you have to do to get a crown made and sends me on my way. Thursday afternoon I go in and they put it in. I'm grateful to him for getting me in and taking care of it so fast. I'm grateful to my Moab dentist for covering the cost. I'm pissed at myself for having a crown put on in the first place. How did this all come about? Back in second grade, just when my front tooth was coming in, I g0t it shoved back up into my gums by colliding with a kids head. I snuck up on him playing some kid game and just as I was about to grab him, he turned around and started running. Smack! When the tooth grew back out, it was crooked. In 5th grade, Bryan Freeman was rearing back to throw a rock just as I was bending down and rock and tooth collided. Now the tooth was crooked AND had a corner missing. Sigh....Over the years we kept trying to put a fake corner on it, but it would never stay because I always cracked sunflower seeds with it. Those of you who know me remember the "bag a day" seed habit I once had. Years of therapy and 4 stints in rehab and now I've been clean for a long time....ANYWAY, many years later, in my 40's I briefly had the money and the insurance to get a crown on the chipped tooth. The dentist screwed it up and I was in pain for almost a year. Then it chipped, so I go to a new dentist. He inspires a lot more confidence and he talks me into getting a veneer on the other front tooth so that they match better. I thought it over for quite a while 'cause I'd already taken a pretty good (just not pretty) tooth and messed it up. Vanity got the best of me and I went for it. And they looked great! But, then that veneered tooth shatters (still wonder why?) and now I have two weak-ass front teeth. But, they look good. Shit... So, from here on out, I have to be really careful with what I eat. No biting into apples and other stuff that puts a lot of stress on them. Sigh....

I'm not really impressed with Honolulu. Just another big city. Granted, I only saw a small portion of it, but the traffic was really bad. When I think of Hawaii, bad traffic is not what should come to mind. I'd get off work and stop at the Ala Moana Mall to have dinner at their food court. Remember, I had a temporary crown, so was eating a lot of rice. After dinner I'd walk around looking and doing a little shopping. (Coolie cups and a small soft-sided cooler). I looked at all the choices of stuff in that mall and was just amazed. We as a people in this country have a lot of options on most everything: cars, clothes, food, schools; it's kind of obscene in a way compared to what some folks in the world have to deal with. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather be here than there. It's just....a lot. Choice is good in so many ways. Choice of where to live, choice of what you want to do in life, choice in who our President is (well, not that much choice, I guess) It got me to thinking about the choices I've made in my life. Boy, I've made some doozies. Some, I really regret. I've done some really dumb things and I know I've hurt some people. I'm really glad I came out here, but, sometimes I wonder if I'm losing my son. Or is it just his hitting that age where he likes to be with friends more than the old man. I know it's a natural progression and it happens, but....it's hard.... He chose to not come visit out here. I think in years to come he will regret it, 'cause it probably is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but, I have to respect his decision. But, it's hard.... So, go hug your kid and tell them you love them, 'cause all too soon, they'll be spreading their wings and going their own way.
Love ya,
Murray