Lynn and Lobsters!

Hello friends of Save the Harbor!

 Lobsters and weekends are a pattern in my life right now, and I am very OK with that!

“Can you imagine if you chewed with your stomach?” asked Andy, kneeling in front of a little girl with a purple butterfly painted on her cheek. He was holding Larry the Lobster out in front of him, and she timidly patted Larry's back. I have been lucky this summer to spend my weekends learning about lobsters (or, as I did at the Seafood festival today, eating them!) Here are some highlights from the end of July!

Ivan and Mary the Pirate, telling stories and tying knots!

Our team in Lynn at our drawing station, examining crayons!

First off, lobsters! After brushing up on some lobster facts, our team headed to Lynn for their Red Rock Park Children’s Concert as a part of our Better Beaches program. Our team included myself, Ivan, Max, Andy, Richard, Larry the Lobster, and our incredible Mary the Pirate! We showed many eager kids how Larry’s legs were equipped with hairs for smelling, and told them that lobsters never stop growing! I wouldn’t have believed it, but I did see a lobster the size of my dog this week- it’s a small dog, but still! Everyone had a turn carrying the lobster or the lobster's container around and taking to kids about Larry. They kept up enthusiasm and curiosity, and we all ended up learning something about lobsters that we didn't know before! Nora Dooley, our incredible storyteller (as Mary the Pirate) taught knot-tying, and our team helped budding sailors and pirates figure out the "ropes!"

Promptly Larry the Lobster at Lynn, on Wednesday, we caught our first lobster at Courageous Sailing! The kids were really excited, and once we banded the lobster (thanks to our fearless Ruth!) I was happy to get to hold him! He was several pounds, and he definitely hit Luke with his tail, but we managed to keep him out of the water long enough for the kids to celebrate this catch with us!

Ian drawing our flounder!

Dex and Andy, inking up a flounder!

Finally, today held a special treat- fishprints and fish snacks! I learned more about our talented staff, including Ian (pictured below, drawing our flounder) and Richard and Dex writing a song about fish prints. We’ll have to get them to teach us at the next staff meeting, as many people are unfamiliar with fish printing! Our participants today at the annual Seafood Festival couldn’t believe that we had real flounder ready to go. “That looks so real!” one woman exclaimed. “That’s because it IS real, would you like to touch it?” Replied Richard, grinning and lifting up a dye-splattered flounder to reveal the scales and fins.

This summer is going by in a whirlwind, but this coming week will have so much to offer! I hope that I see you all out there on the sand and in the sea!

Carolyn House