A Change of Pace

We caught a fork and some sea creatures on our line.

My first day working at Children's Museum was amazing! Everyone has tons of fun and we were all able to enjoy the beautiful summer weather. I arrived at Children's at 1:45 which is when we typically get the most visitors. For about an hour straight all our fishing rods were in use and there was at least one kid looking at the crab in the fish tank. During this time two visitors were able to catch a crab using their fishing rods! Sadly the crabs let go of the line both of these instances, and we weren't able to reel them in. The kids didn't seem to mind, they were just excited they got something on their lines.

The View from Children's Museum.

Later in the afternoon Rusenny, Vince and I started playing a very competitive  game of four square. Soon enough we were able to get some of the kids that were just fishing to join our game. They spoke limited English so it was somewhat difficult to explain the rules, but they caught on quickly and then all four of us were able to enjoy a nice game of four square. Everyone was laughing and competing, which was great to see.

Until Next Time, Abel Yohannes

So Long, Farewell

Hello again fellow adventurers!

Well it's unfortunately that time again, the summer is coming to an end. Since the first day of work three years ago, I knew this was going to be a special place to work. I thought I came into this job with a decent amount of knowledge of the harbor, but I could not have imagined how much I have learned in the past three years. From simple things like how to correctly tie a fishing line, to life lessons like how to handle a bullying situation between two kids, I have experienced a multitude of situations that have made me the person I am today.

Fishing With the Mayor!

By far my favorite site this summer was Camp Harbor View. Aside from soaking up the sun and playing frisbee on our down time, the personalities of the kids and counsellors at Camp Harbor View were unmatched. Everyone arrived to the boat in the morning with bright smiles on their faces, ready for whatever exciting events were to unfold over the course of the day. For the first time in three years, I was regularly a part of catching stripers and skates on site. I was just as excited as the kids when we would reel up one of these fascinating creatures, and for some of the kids it was their first time seeing an animal come out of the ocean!

Out of all of the Better Beaches events I attended this summer, my favorite was Aquapalooza. This event truly showed me that music can be the common denominator in bringing a bunch of strangers together in a room (or in this case, on a boat). Bridget, Emily and I were by far the youngest ones on the boat, but age was truly just a number on this cruise. I was amazed to see some of these people in there 50's, 60's, and 70's grooving to the rhythm of the music the entire cruise! while we were regularly taking breaks to catch our breath. That was one of the funnest days I experienced all summer, from the music to the personalities, all around just an amazing day. I would highly suggest this event to all of our 21+ readers, because it is an awesome experience. 

The Dirty Dotties!

When I return to school in the fall, I will be returning with new friends, and tons of new memories. Every single summer my friend group grows, as well as my life experiences. I'm constantly learning new things from the people I meet through Save the Harbor, and I wouldn't want to have it any other way. I will be graduating in the spring with a degree in Marine Biology, and I truly believe that my time here at Save the Harbor has helped me make it this far. I'm excited for what the rest of the year has in store for me, and hopefully I will be back to make more memories in the summer.

Until next time, keep on exploring!

-Luke C. 

There's nothing like working in this city

Rain Rain Go Away

Hello again fellow adventurers!

This week we had our first real run-in with mother nature in the form of a rain storm. When the clouds open up, not too many kids are motivated to stand out in the rain and fish. Therefore, we have to turn to some other methods to keep ourselves, as well as the kids, busy and entertained. One of my favorite pastimes is drawing, and any chance we have to break out the sidewalk chalk, I take full advantage.

Drawing Marty the Marlin

I think everyone of all ages likes to relive the days of filling the driveway with drawings and bringing their imagination to life through chalk drawings. With the help of a few eager kids and even some of the Children's Museum staff, we filled the tent with dozens of nautical drawings, from local fish species to some more tropical ones, such as the marlin that I drew! 

Look at that view!

In the early afternoon the sun finally broke through the clouds and we could once again resume fishing. Although the fish weren't biting, I still had a good time getting to know some of the families that came to test their luck at fishing. One family that was visiting from Great Britain came over to fish for the first time ever! Having grown up near the ocean, I had learned at a young age to fish. Therefore it was almost funny to think that I was teaching a father and son at the same time how to fish, but I was honored to be able to be a part of it. The son was a natural, and was casting as far as me in no time! The father on the other hand, may need a few more practice casts. The best part of the experience was seeing the look of excitement on the son's face when his father told him the first thing they were doing when the got home was buying a fishing rod! Just being able to make an impact on even one family's life means so much to me, and it's a huge part of why I love working here. 

Until next time, keep on exploring!

-Luke C.

Mondays

Everyone hates Mondays but today was probably the funnest Monday I've ever had. I got to play games at work, like how cool is that? I got to build a mini tower with a door with blocks and shaving cream. Emily got a little messy and grew white eyebrows, mustache, and a beard. I enjoyed hula hooping and drawing to attract attention to our touch tank and fishing area. I drew all types crustaceans, cnidarians, echinoderms on the board. Bella and I drew the Save the Harbor Save the Bay logo in chalk in front of our touch tank which was later noticed by Patty.

In our touch tank we caught lots of green crabs and one baby black sea bass. It was small and shy and didn't move much. We caught plenty of male crabs who were all crazy aggressive. As soon as you picked them up they'd open up they're pinches ready to snap at any second. You know how they say, "curiosity killed the cat?" I was interested in knowing if crabs can pinch really hard. So I held out my finger and it did pinch me kinda hard so I dropped it in the water immediately. Then I stayed away from all the male crabs and only picked up the nicer female ones.

On Tuesday we traveled to Spectacle Island with roughly 300 people and we had a great time swimming. The water was extremely cold and deep. There were lots of huge rocks that hurt to walk on and I forgot my swimming shoes so it hurt trying to walk back to my towel. Dave enjoyed "accidentally" splashing us and throwing seaweed. When I got out the water to change into dry clothes my face had so much salt on it. It was my favorite part of the day to finally get to cool off and then go home.

-Kharliyah O.

Until next time!

The first thing I remember Bruce saying to all of us is to try something new everyday. After spending this summer with Save the Harbor Save the Bay that's exactly what I did.

It started off with little firsts like taking a fairy to dealing with bait, going fishing and teaching kids how to fish. It later became more things I wouldn't have thought I'd even have to possibility to do things this summer like catching jellyfish, tie-dye, kayaking, sailing and sand raking.

By the end it was things that we did to make the day more adventurous like mega kayaking as firsts. The staff and children we work with made the summer worth wild and I'm going to miss everyone like crazy.

 Save the Harbor Save the Bay gave me a summer filled with exploring new things and meeting so many new people and I just want to say thank you for giving me all these opportunities and hopefully more to come!