How different the seawall looked! I had only ever been out there at high tide. With a tidal swing of 15-18 feet, there is quite a difference!
And all of the mud! Oh my goodness!
Compare this view:
Against this one!
Or this one:
Against this one!
This wrecked boat is now gone! It washed away in a storm last winter!
Then we looked down toward the docks, and what did we see?
OTTERS!!!
There were four of them swimming around. After a while, three of them hauled up on docks to groom themselves and take naps. We noticed that several fishermen walked right by them, and they didn't budge, so I figured I could walk by too! All nonchalant-like. And notsqueal and notshriek and just casually take some photos!
They noticed that I stopped, and looked up at me:
Then they'd get comfy and go back to their naps:
Awwww!
We also saw this huge flock of gulls, feeding on fish guts that flow out from the waste line from the fish processing plant:
Like Homer and almost every fishing town, Cordova has a Fishermen's Memorial to those lost at sea:
If you have ever sat through a storm in a coastal Alaskan town, all warm and dry and sipping a warm beverage as you look out the window at the cold, blowing rain, you cannot help but imagine what it would be like to be out there on a small fishing boat, battling the elements and earning a living in the only way possible in this town. Dear loyal readers, we really ought not to be shocked at the price of seafood!
I bought souvenir cheese, haha:
Alaskan towns often have an ethnic bent that you would not guess--Ukrainians in Delta Junction, Samoans in Utqiagvik, Thai people in Fairbanks--so I like to look at their grocery stores, and I often find unique things to sample! The Cordova stores have a lot of mixed Asian food, due to the fish processing plants--Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. They also have this unique-sounding cheese! I can't wait to try it at home! It is described as "buttery-flavored, flat, and squeaky!" Oh my!
Here is Mr. Eagle:
I must confess that I struggle a bit to find this creature majestic. I guess I have seen too many of them dumpster diving and eating fish gut piles. Apparently, the apocryphal tale of Benjamin Franklin's preference for the turkey as the national symbol is not true (although he has been quoted as saying that he has a personal preference for the turkey over the bald eagle), but I like that idea! (Although I'm partial to corvids, and if I had my druthers, I'd ruther crown the raven!)
5 comments:
I love your pictures. I didn't realize otters were so big (round). :)
@gina, I never realize how big wild animals are until I either have a close encounter, or I see the taxidermied specimens at the Fish and Game office. A sandhill crane is as tall as my ribcage! A Canadian goose is as tall as my hips! A moose's back can be over my head! I think maybe sea otters are even more deceptive because when I think "otter" I think of a river otter. :)
The informational sign said that otters do not have a blubber layer like other marine mammals, and that is why they have such dense, thick coats, it being their only insulation.
That's interesting to know about the sizes of the animals in comparison to a person. With the seals on the boat walkway you realize how big they are. When I hear otter I think of River otter also. I hope your spring is nice and the ladies enjoy their walks :)
The otter at the end of the pier looks huge! From the back he could be mistaken for a large dog (or a small bear)he-he:) Liked the high/low tide comparisons - too bad the weather wasn't bright & sunny this time. I've seen the tides at the Bay of Fundy - also in a harbor with boats at the bottom & up again. Your photos brought back fond memories of that trip:)
Curious what "squeaky" cheese will be like on the palate- let us know please. Looks like their Scandinavian-style cheese came all the way from Wisconsin:)
@gina thank you! Our mornings are still cool and fresh!
@e.davis Wikipedia says that "Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg (31 and 99 lb)" so yes a large dog! I should just get a newfie. He'd be like an otter, only he'd let me hug him all I want! There was a "dry dock" in Cordova for working on boats. So easy! Just park the boat at high tide, and then at low tide it's dry docked! Then you can work on your boat for... what would you say, maybe 6 hours? Not bad!
I will report on the cheese, which will likely comprise part of Saturday breakfast!
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