Thursday, April 28, 2005
Children's Eyes
Sometimes I cannot believe that for ten years of my adulthood I was convinced that I did not want to have children. When they were little, I saw the world anew through their eyes--my own had been nowhere but buried in law books and libraries for years. My babies may be almost grown up but they still help me to participate in grand events I normally wouldn't have even known about.
Last weekend, I flew to Missoula for one day. Of course, I wanted to visit my son because he did not come home for his spring break but also, I went to a concert. Lucas not only plays in the University orchestra but he also plays the viola in the community orchestra, the Missoula Symphony. It just so happens that the best trumpet player in the world hails from Missoula and his mentor was Doc Severinsen. The Missoula Symphony played back up for both "Doc" and his protege, Allen Vizzutti. Each of them performed solos and for the finale, they played together and it was all fabulous.
"Doc" must be at least 80 because his bio said he had served in WW2. (My Dad was young for WW2 and if still alive, he'd be 81.) He sure didn't look 80 though he did have white hair which glowed because of his tan skin. And man, oh, man can he still play the trumpet!! Doc changed from one outlandish costume to another and the crowd roared. He joked and he told stories and the audience laughed and loved him. To be honest, Allen Vizzutti, was the better musician and Doc acted like a proud parent. It was just so much fun. Lucas's Grandma, my Mom, was with me and she had the time of her life. But our fun was quadrupled because as we enjoyed these two trumpet players, we watched Lucas in the second row of musicians play his viola along with them.
My baby--right there behind Doc Severinsen!! Lucas, when he first told me about the concert, had never heard of "Doc". When I responded, "You mean you get to play with Doc Severinsen??!!" he thought I knew the man personally. "No, no, he was one of Johnny's superstar sidekicks for thirty years!"
Lucas still didn't quite get it when the crowd went nuts over the three wild costume changes. Sigh! I think I'll rent some Johnny Carson tapes so my baby understands the magnitude of his participation in the final Missoula Symphony concert of the year---so he can see through my old eyes.
Sometimes I cannot believe that for ten years of my adulthood I was convinced that I did not want to have children. When they were little, I saw the world anew through their eyes--my own had been nowhere but buried in law books and libraries for years. My babies may be almost grown up but they still help me to participate in grand events I normally wouldn't have even known about.
Last weekend, I flew to Missoula for one day. Of course, I wanted to visit my son because he did not come home for his spring break but also, I went to a concert. Lucas not only plays in the University orchestra but he also plays the viola in the community orchestra, the Missoula Symphony. It just so happens that the best trumpet player in the world hails from Missoula and his mentor was Doc Severinsen. The Missoula Symphony played back up for both "Doc" and his protege, Allen Vizzutti. Each of them performed solos and for the finale, they played together and it was all fabulous.
"Doc" must be at least 80 because his bio said he had served in WW2. (My Dad was young for WW2 and if still alive, he'd be 81.) He sure didn't look 80 though he did have white hair which glowed because of his tan skin. And man, oh, man can he still play the trumpet!! Doc changed from one outlandish costume to another and the crowd roared. He joked and he told stories and the audience laughed and loved him. To be honest, Allen Vizzutti, was the better musician and Doc acted like a proud parent. It was just so much fun. Lucas's Grandma, my Mom, was with me and she had the time of her life. But our fun was quadrupled because as we enjoyed these two trumpet players, we watched Lucas in the second row of musicians play his viola along with them.
My baby--right there behind Doc Severinsen!! Lucas, when he first told me about the concert, had never heard of "Doc". When I responded, "You mean you get to play with Doc Severinsen??!!" he thought I knew the man personally. "No, no, he was one of Johnny's superstar sidekicks for thirty years!"
Lucas still didn't quite get it when the crowd went nuts over the three wild costume changes. Sigh! I think I'll rent some Johnny Carson tapes so my baby understands the magnitude of his participation in the final Missoula Symphony concert of the year---so he can see through my old eyes.
// posted by Janet @ 8:11 AM
0 comments
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Seattle Spirit
Last Wednesday night, it hit me. I spend a lot of time thinking about our Seattle culture and trying to figure out what makes us tick. We went to a gala, of sorts, Wednesday evening. But little me, a Seattle suburban housewife, yep, me--I was kinda important. The major event was held at the Olympic Four Seasons; 500 people attended; and it was a dinner to honor and benefit Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI).
http://www.sbri.org/Home/
SBRI had its birth in 1976 in a little strip mall in Issaquah outside of Seattle. See, this is what is so interesting to me. Boeing tanked in the mid-1970's and not much was left of Seattle but that did not stop those of us with dreams for a new, better life--dreams to change the world for the better--to help people--to help the environment--to help children---to pursue justice--to do what we believed in to the bottom of our souls from moving here. And we did; we came in large numbers after the Vietnam war and we are all about the same age--late forties and early fifties. And we have changed the world. But it also occurred to me last night that we did not come to Seattle to make money or even to be successful.
The fledgling dreams of Microsoft, Genentech or SBRI for example were based upon pursuance of passion by terribly bright people and the passion has turned into monumental success. The same can be said about Rick Steve's "Europe Through the Back Door". Rick Steves of Edmonds is an unintended multi-millionaire now. The current mayor of Edmonds started Zumiez, a clothing store aimed at those under 24 and they are about to go public. And of course, we all know about Howard Schulz and Starbucks. The feeling in Seattle is a belief in and determined pursuance of an admirable goal and the goal is not material wealth or fame. But fame and wealth have happened as an accidental side effect. This is what hit me--the spirit of Seattle.
SBRI is a quintessential example of the Seattle spirit. In the beginning, a couple of scientists started this private research institute devoted to studying global infectious diseases such as malaria and African sleeping sickness. Children were and still are dying of these illnesses in large numbers. Seattle was small in those days and we were all kind of connected. My husband worked at the University. I worked in a downtown Seattle law firm. One of the scientists who started SBRI met my husband at UW; they wanted some lawyers on their Board of Directors so I volunteered. The other scientist at SBRI, Ken Stuart, was married to someone who worked at Microsoft so another board member was from Bill Gates' Dad's law firm. We were off and running.
At the present time, SBRI is a multi-million dollar private scientific research institute that has caught Bill and Melinda Gates attention and money as well as Paul Allen's. They have grown from the dumpy little strip mall outside of Seattle to beautiful new digs in the heart of downtown Seattle. Bill Gates' father has made SBRI one of his pet projects. Wonderful scientists are now working on AIDS/HIV and malaria killing children mostly in Africa. I was on the Board of Directors for 10 years from nearly the beginning and I have watched them grow and become more important to Seattle and the world ever since. This was Ken Stuart's baby and it has grown into a beautiful adult.
At the gala, I was listed in the program as an Emeritus Board Member and my name tag was marked with a big purple label to that effect. Little me--just a kid from Montana--played a significant role in the nurturing of this worthwhile dream. When we walked into the Olympic Four Seasons with the crowds of people, I shook Ken Stuart's hand and he said, "We've come a long way from Issaquah!" I laughed and he welcomed my husband. Things have come full circle because Dave is now a new member of the Board of Directors.
While standing in line to get a glass of wine, I turned around and noticed Bill Gates' dad was standing right behind me. He is very tall; he noticed my name tag and nodded. The spirit of Seattle is alive and well and it has been fun to watch.......and to be a part of.
Last Wednesday night, it hit me. I spend a lot of time thinking about our Seattle culture and trying to figure out what makes us tick. We went to a gala, of sorts, Wednesday evening. But little me, a Seattle suburban housewife, yep, me--I was kinda important. The major event was held at the Olympic Four Seasons; 500 people attended; and it was a dinner to honor and benefit Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI).
http://www.sbri.org/Home/
SBRI had its birth in 1976 in a little strip mall in Issaquah outside of Seattle. See, this is what is so interesting to me. Boeing tanked in the mid-1970's and not much was left of Seattle but that did not stop those of us with dreams for a new, better life--dreams to change the world for the better--to help people--to help the environment--to help children---to pursue justice--to do what we believed in to the bottom of our souls from moving here. And we did; we came in large numbers after the Vietnam war and we are all about the same age--late forties and early fifties. And we have changed the world. But it also occurred to me last night that we did not come to Seattle to make money or even to be successful.
The fledgling dreams of Microsoft, Genentech or SBRI for example were based upon pursuance of passion by terribly bright people and the passion has turned into monumental success. The same can be said about Rick Steve's "Europe Through the Back Door". Rick Steves of Edmonds is an unintended multi-millionaire now. The current mayor of Edmonds started Zumiez, a clothing store aimed at those under 24 and they are about to go public. And of course, we all know about Howard Schulz and Starbucks. The feeling in Seattle is a belief in and determined pursuance of an admirable goal and the goal is not material wealth or fame. But fame and wealth have happened as an accidental side effect. This is what hit me--the spirit of Seattle.
SBRI is a quintessential example of the Seattle spirit. In the beginning, a couple of scientists started this private research institute devoted to studying global infectious diseases such as malaria and African sleeping sickness. Children were and still are dying of these illnesses in large numbers. Seattle was small in those days and we were all kind of connected. My husband worked at the University. I worked in a downtown Seattle law firm. One of the scientists who started SBRI met my husband at UW; they wanted some lawyers on their Board of Directors so I volunteered. The other scientist at SBRI, Ken Stuart, was married to someone who worked at Microsoft so another board member was from Bill Gates' Dad's law firm. We were off and running.
At the present time, SBRI is a multi-million dollar private scientific research institute that has caught Bill and Melinda Gates attention and money as well as Paul Allen's. They have grown from the dumpy little strip mall outside of Seattle to beautiful new digs in the heart of downtown Seattle. Bill Gates' father has made SBRI one of his pet projects. Wonderful scientists are now working on AIDS/HIV and malaria killing children mostly in Africa. I was on the Board of Directors for 10 years from nearly the beginning and I have watched them grow and become more important to Seattle and the world ever since. This was Ken Stuart's baby and it has grown into a beautiful adult.
At the gala, I was listed in the program as an Emeritus Board Member and my name tag was marked with a big purple label to that effect. Little me--just a kid from Montana--played a significant role in the nurturing of this worthwhile dream. When we walked into the Olympic Four Seasons with the crowds of people, I shook Ken Stuart's hand and he said, "We've come a long way from Issaquah!" I laughed and he welcomed my husband. Things have come full circle because Dave is now a new member of the Board of Directors.
While standing in line to get a glass of wine, I turned around and noticed Bill Gates' dad was standing right behind me. He is very tall; he noticed my name tag and nodded. The spirit of Seattle is alive and well and it has been fun to watch.......and to be a part of.
// posted by Janet @ 1:40 PM
0 comments
Monday, April 18, 2005
My Favorite Things
(photos by Kaley)
The chocolate torte is prepared for dessert; the artichokes are steaming; the wine is breathing; and we wait for our dinner guests. But our guests are family so we are comfortable.
Chocolate being prepared by Kaley; coffee consumed by Mom.
The Mom watching the waves.
(photos by Kaley)
The chocolate torte is prepared for dessert; the artichokes are steaming; the wine is breathing; and we wait for our dinner guests. But our guests are family so we are comfortable.
Chocolate being prepared by Kaley; coffee consumed by Mom.
The Mom watching the waves.
// posted by Janet @ 3:43 PM
0 comments
Friday, April 15, 2005
Lucas Stories
They have become known as "Lucas Stories"! My son is a remarkable young man and I am proud of the kind of person he has turned out to be but....and yes, there is a but. He is quite brilliant but he has this endearing disconnected aspect to his personality that results in what has become known between his grandmother and me as a "Lucas Story".
Going off to college has accentuated his endearing disconnect because his Mom--that being me--is not around to offer little pieces of advice. I should have anticipated this issue years ago when he went to school one morning still in his pajama tops. Or perhaps I should have recognized the potential problem when he wore white socks with his black tuxedo at his first formal orchestra concert when he was in the front row.
His safety became an issue when he described to me how he had gone hiking in the snow and he noticed an interesting sled trail with blood. He had come upon hunters during hunting season who had killed a deer. I asked him what he was wearing if he was hiking in the midst of deer hunters. "Lucas, listen to me, do not hike during hunting season in Montana unless you are wearing florescent orange!" Off he went to the nearest sporting goods store and he bought his orange sweatshirt--after the fact.
His disconnect spreads beyond clothing. I loved how he explained to me he was having a little trouble in his Anthropology class doing some of his reports. As a child, he often would interpret a teacher's instructions in quite an odd way. For example, he did poorly on a Social Studies test in the third grade because he failed to mark pictures that belonged during Lincoln's time. The little pictures appeared to be aerial views and Lucas knew there were no airplanes at that time and no mountains in Illinois from which to get an aerial view. But he eventually compensated and graduated from high school with a 3.8. His college GPA is a 4.0 so he finally figured out, he hoped, what his Anthropology professor wanted. After he turned in his latest paper, he was sitting in class when the professor was reading an example of an excellent paper. Lucas, as he listened, thought the paper was really good but he was completely confused because it sounded familiar. "Oh, WOW, that's mine!" he finally realized after several minutes.
Lately, he explained to me he had been getting this "stuff" in the campus mail assuming maybe it was junk mail. Evidently, he has been receiving prestigious invitations for various honor societies. After throwing away who knows what, he finally asked me about one of the invitations. He was invited to join Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and I was thrilled because I had received the same honor in college. The Montana schools do not have Phi Beta Kappa but Phi Kappa Phi is their equivalent.
Last night my son was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi. My husband was talking to him on the phone and I heard Dave say, "You wore what??"
"Oh, geez, give me the phone!" I pleaded.
"Hey, Mom. Yea, I was inducted into that Honor Society. It was really cool. There was a banquet and I received a certificate and a pin."
"And were you dressed up a little??" I hoped.
"Ah, no. I wore my sweatshirt and jeans and my hiking boots. My new hiking boots."
"Were people dressed up for this?" I inquired.
"Ah, yea.....pretty much everybody but me. But my friends thought it was great I came dressed like me. This is how I dress. I had my Seattle sweatshirt on. Mom, it was cool. The president of the university was only a couple of chairs away from me. And my Davidson Honors College professors were all there and they know me. Mom, this is Missoula--nobody cares."
Thinking he may have come right off the mountainside to this banquet, I asked my beloved son if he was clean, at least.
"......[silence].......Yes, that's right, I did--I took a shower only a couple of hours before. I thought that would be a good idea. My hair was clean and I did not wear my beanie."
I explained to Lucas that I was inducted into this Honor Society in the height of hippiedom in 1973 and I still managed to find a skirt to wear to my banquet. But you know, I am so darn proud of my son, that I really do not care that he wore a sweatshirt to that banquet. He managed to get himself there and the thought never connected to his brain that he should dress up a little.
Besides, I love to tell "Lucas stories"! And his Grandma loves to hear them.
They have become known as "Lucas Stories"! My son is a remarkable young man and I am proud of the kind of person he has turned out to be but....and yes, there is a but. He is quite brilliant but he has this endearing disconnected aspect to his personality that results in what has become known between his grandmother and me as a "Lucas Story".
Going off to college has accentuated his endearing disconnect because his Mom--that being me--is not around to offer little pieces of advice. I should have anticipated this issue years ago when he went to school one morning still in his pajama tops. Or perhaps I should have recognized the potential problem when he wore white socks with his black tuxedo at his first formal orchestra concert when he was in the front row.
His safety became an issue when he described to me how he had gone hiking in the snow and he noticed an interesting sled trail with blood. He had come upon hunters during hunting season who had killed a deer. I asked him what he was wearing if he was hiking in the midst of deer hunters. "Lucas, listen to me, do not hike during hunting season in Montana unless you are wearing florescent orange!" Off he went to the nearest sporting goods store and he bought his orange sweatshirt--after the fact.
His disconnect spreads beyond clothing. I loved how he explained to me he was having a little trouble in his Anthropology class doing some of his reports. As a child, he often would interpret a teacher's instructions in quite an odd way. For example, he did poorly on a Social Studies test in the third grade because he failed to mark pictures that belonged during Lincoln's time. The little pictures appeared to be aerial views and Lucas knew there were no airplanes at that time and no mountains in Illinois from which to get an aerial view. But he eventually compensated and graduated from high school with a 3.8. His college GPA is a 4.0 so he finally figured out, he hoped, what his Anthropology professor wanted. After he turned in his latest paper, he was sitting in class when the professor was reading an example of an excellent paper. Lucas, as he listened, thought the paper was really good but he was completely confused because it sounded familiar. "Oh, WOW, that's mine!" he finally realized after several minutes.
Lately, he explained to me he had been getting this "stuff" in the campus mail assuming maybe it was junk mail. Evidently, he has been receiving prestigious invitations for various honor societies. After throwing away who knows what, he finally asked me about one of the invitations. He was invited to join Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and I was thrilled because I had received the same honor in college. The Montana schools do not have Phi Beta Kappa but Phi Kappa Phi is their equivalent.
Last night my son was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi. My husband was talking to him on the phone and I heard Dave say, "You wore what??"
"Oh, geez, give me the phone!" I pleaded.
"Hey, Mom. Yea, I was inducted into that Honor Society. It was really cool. There was a banquet and I received a certificate and a pin."
"And were you dressed up a little??" I hoped.
"Ah, no. I wore my sweatshirt and jeans and my hiking boots. My new hiking boots."
"Were people dressed up for this?" I inquired.
"Ah, yea.....pretty much everybody but me. But my friends thought it was great I came dressed like me. This is how I dress. I had my Seattle sweatshirt on. Mom, it was cool. The president of the university was only a couple of chairs away from me. And my Davidson Honors College professors were all there and they know me. Mom, this is Missoula--nobody cares."
Thinking he may have come right off the mountainside to this banquet, I asked my beloved son if he was clean, at least.
"......[silence].......Yes, that's right, I did--I took a shower only a couple of hours before. I thought that would be a good idea. My hair was clean and I did not wear my beanie."
I explained to Lucas that I was inducted into this Honor Society in the height of hippiedom in 1973 and I still managed to find a skirt to wear to my banquet. But you know, I am so darn proud of my son, that I really do not care that he wore a sweatshirt to that banquet. He managed to get himself there and the thought never connected to his brain that he should dress up a little.
Besides, I love to tell "Lucas stories"! And his Grandma loves to hear them.
// posted by Janet @ 10:04 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Tip Toe Through the Tulips
Tulip festival time is here. The tulip fields are 60 miles north of Seattle or 70 miles south of Vancouver, BC--or if you like, 35 miles from my front door in the Skagit Valley. Every parent in the Seattle area has photos of their children standing in the tulips. Sure enough yesterday parents were forcing their little kids to stand in the mud, hail, and rain amongst the big fat blooms to get that perfect shot. No way was my daughter going to mess up her shoes to do it for me yesterday--in fact, she refused to have her picture taken at all. She complained that it was warmer the day we cut our Christmas Tree. My Seattle-born child did learn how to use an umbrella, however. What a wonderful afternoon we had!
After the Hail
Purple Tulips in the Mud
I love flowers!
Kaley at Roozengaarde Gardens--it wasn't even hailing at this point!
Tulip festival time is here. The tulip fields are 60 miles north of Seattle or 70 miles south of Vancouver, BC--or if you like, 35 miles from my front door in the Skagit Valley. Every parent in the Seattle area has photos of their children standing in the tulips. Sure enough yesterday parents were forcing their little kids to stand in the mud, hail, and rain amongst the big fat blooms to get that perfect shot. No way was my daughter going to mess up her shoes to do it for me yesterday--in fact, she refused to have her picture taken at all. She complained that it was warmer the day we cut our Christmas Tree. My Seattle-born child did learn how to use an umbrella, however. What a wonderful afternoon we had!
After the Hail
Purple Tulips in the Mud
I love flowers!
Kaley at Roozengaarde Gardens--it wasn't even hailing at this point!
// posted by Janet @ 7:52 AM
0 comments
More Tulip Fields--on the way to La Conner
Red, pink and purple in the mist
Mountains trying so hard to show themselves!
Kaley's Art Photo--Out of Place School Bus
Red, pink and purple in the mist
Mountains trying so hard to show themselves!
Kaley's Art Photo--Out of Place School Bus
// posted by Janet @ 7:44 AM
0 comments
The End--coming home through Deception Pass
Not a spectacular field full but my favorite wildflower
Indian Paintbrush on a hillside above Deception Pass
Top end of Whidbey Island--what makes it an Island: Deception Pass
(with a Tour Boat)
Not a spectacular field full but my favorite wildflower
Indian Paintbrush on a hillside above Deception Pass
Top end of Whidbey Island--what makes it an Island: Deception Pass
(with a Tour Boat)
// posted by Janet @ 7:36 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Exciting News on the Orca
It is official. The Orca is now the state of Washington's official Marine Mammal. When children are required to memorize the state tree or flower, the orca will be included and I could not be happier about it.
Furthermore, in the April issue of National Geographic, orcas were profiled.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0504/feature6/index.html
The magazine even includes a map with a little rectangle inset. I LIVE inside that little rectangle which shows the range of Puget Sound's resident orcas.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0504/feature6/map.html
The problem is the arrows are incorrect because I have seen our orcas with my own eyes on the mainline side of Whidbey Island. The National Geographic map is wrong!! Their arrows show the range on the other side of Whidbey--that is the usual route of the orcas but now and then they do come on the inside. This is why I am a member of the Orca Sighting Network so that with reports of citizens like me, we can learn more about the habits of these mysterious but brilliant animals.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0504/feature6/gallery2.html
I have two favorite quotes from the article:
"Adult whales have swum over to show [a diver] sharks or rays, much as they would display food to juveniles in the pod. She says she knows of several lobster divers [in New Zealand] who were poking in crannies on the bottom when they felt a nudge and turned to find a huge, black and white creature looking on as if to say, 'Whatcha got there, little fella?'"
And this about their matriarchal society:
"The adult males in resident pods, once assumed to be harem bulls, are more like big momma's boys that never leave their family.....They're like humans. Different tribes. different dialects--different cultures. if you like."
I learned something I did not know from this article. I had always thought there were two types--practically different species--of orcas, residents and transients. The resident whales eat exculsively fish and the J, K, L, pods of residents are the whales who hang out in Puget Sound. We still do not know where they go in the winter. Transients are more predatory and they eat seals and will take down a gray whale. Sometimes, these folks come into Puget Sound but usually they stay out at sea. When they do pay us a visit in one of our coves or bays, I would not take along little Fido to the beach. These guys will beach themselves to munch down a seal. Fat little Fido would be a tasty morsel. Scientists have now identified a third type of orca they call "offshores". These guys are a little smaller than the other two types and are thought to eat sharks but not other mammals.
I know I have a problem with anthropomorphizing animals but I'm telling you, orcas are beyond human. They think now that their sonar is so sophisticated that they basically do ultrasounds of their pod members to see if they are hungry or pregnant. I mean this is way better than Superman's X-ray vision! They communicate with highly developed sounds which humans have not been able to figure out and yet orcas can understand English. They remain mysterious; we really know so little about them.
It is official. The Orca is now the state of Washington's official Marine Mammal. When children are required to memorize the state tree or flower, the orca will be included and I could not be happier about it.
Furthermore, in the April issue of National Geographic, orcas were profiled.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0504/feature6/index.html
The magazine even includes a map with a little rectangle inset. I LIVE inside that little rectangle which shows the range of Puget Sound's resident orcas.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0504/feature6/map.html
The problem is the arrows are incorrect because I have seen our orcas with my own eyes on the mainline side of Whidbey Island. The National Geographic map is wrong!! Their arrows show the range on the other side of Whidbey--that is the usual route of the orcas but now and then they do come on the inside. This is why I am a member of the Orca Sighting Network so that with reports of citizens like me, we can learn more about the habits of these mysterious but brilliant animals.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0504/feature6/gallery2.html
I have two favorite quotes from the article:
"Adult whales have swum over to show [a diver] sharks or rays, much as they would display food to juveniles in the pod. She says she knows of several lobster divers [in New Zealand] who were poking in crannies on the bottom when they felt a nudge and turned to find a huge, black and white creature looking on as if to say, 'Whatcha got there, little fella?'"
And this about their matriarchal society:
"The adult males in resident pods, once assumed to be harem bulls, are more like big momma's boys that never leave their family.....They're like humans. Different tribes. different dialects--different cultures. if you like."
I learned something I did not know from this article. I had always thought there were two types--practically different species--of orcas, residents and transients. The resident whales eat exculsively fish and the J, K, L, pods of residents are the whales who hang out in Puget Sound. We still do not know where they go in the winter. Transients are more predatory and they eat seals and will take down a gray whale. Sometimes, these folks come into Puget Sound but usually they stay out at sea. When they do pay us a visit in one of our coves or bays, I would not take along little Fido to the beach. These guys will beach themselves to munch down a seal. Fat little Fido would be a tasty morsel. Scientists have now identified a third type of orca they call "offshores". These guys are a little smaller than the other two types and are thought to eat sharks but not other mammals.
I know I have a problem with anthropomorphizing animals but I'm telling you, orcas are beyond human. They think now that their sonar is so sophisticated that they basically do ultrasounds of their pod members to see if they are hungry or pregnant. I mean this is way better than Superman's X-ray vision! They communicate with highly developed sounds which humans have not been able to figure out and yet orcas can understand English. They remain mysterious; we really know so little about them.
// posted by Janet @ 2:26 PM
0 comments
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