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Published: March 19th 2014
It was a really hot and muggy night and sleep was unsettled. My alarm was set for 6:30 because I was scheduled to go fishing on a party boat and I had to be there by 8 am. Since morning is not my most productive time extra time was needed to wake up, walk Oscar, make my lunch, get the cameras ready etc.
I was at the dock at the stroke of 8 but the parking lot was almost empty, bad sign. The weather was stormy but forecasters said it would clear by 9:30, and don't fish bite better in the rain? Too many had cancelled and they didn't have enough to meet the quota so the morning run was cancelled. I rescheduled for Thursday morning and went on to plan B. I got back home, put my stuff away and called for a reservation to tour the Sea Turtle hospital. They had openings at 11.
This is a private hospital where most doctors donate their time to help these critters when accident or illness affects them. Some have hooks removed, some have been hit by boats, some tangled in fishing nets, a whole list of things that happen
to the turtle. There is a picture of one being operated on to have tumors removed. The turtle has to wait a whole year in the hospital to see if more tumors grow before they can be released back to the ocean. They don't know what causes the tumors but they think it might be some bacteria.
Others have lost flippers from being tangled and have a good chance of being released and doing very well back in the ocean. When they are released they are outfitted with a chip that can be tracked and everybody can follow along on their web site.
It was a very interesting tour and I learned just how much of a friend the sea turtle is to us. They eat jelly fish. Their jaws are so strong they can break a large conch shell to eat the critter inside. Some species can grow to be 500 lbs and measure 5 or 6 ft long.
Once home again Oscar was very happy to see me and the skies had cleared somewhat. The wind has died down for the first time in over a week and it is eerie, it's so quiet.
someone has to be there to monitor the breathing during the operationI spent some time talking to my neighbor later in the afternoon. Bill is the man that is responsible for me being here now. I met him in Rhode Island in Sept and one of his friends was going to cancel his 2 weeks here in Marathon and Bill called me when he cancelled and I was able to snap it up. The reservations here go like hot cakes.
I sat and read my book down by the ocean with Oscar for about an hour before I was ready to come up here and make dinner. The little bugs were particularly bad tonight so they forced me inside. No sunset, too cloudy.
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