During the first part of the month, Jim was out as a deckhand on a shrimp boat. You can call him Bubba from now on. He was excited to experience the fast paced shrimping business. Shrimping is way different from crabbing. With my limited knowledge of both fisheries, I do know that shrimping requires more networking and understanding of markets (live markets, tails, spots, stripes, etc.). With shrimping, you are also limited on what hours of the day you can actively pull and set your gear, whereas with crabbing you could work at 2 in the morning if your little heart desired. Shrimping also usually requires that you stay out on the boat overnight occasionally depending on which district is open and where you are shrimping. Jim stayed overnight on the boat a few nights at the beginning of the season. I was happy for him to come home, and then to shower!
We finished up the youth basketball season with a playoff game and practically all the members on our team were picked to go on to the all star league for Wrangell. Wrangell Parks and Recreation schedules games against the neighboring island town of Petersburg during the month of November. The first weekend involves youth basketball players from Petersburg traveling by boat to Wrangell for games and the next weekend, roles are reversed and Wrangell players travel to Petersburg. I just love the fun activities and opportunities for kids in this town.
I have recently gotten involved with an awesome group of people who are starting up a Les Mills facility in Wrangell in February/March, 2017. We have been working out together 4 times a week at 5:30 am... killer! But I am thankful for the opportunity to become a certified Les Mills instructor and be part of the opening of a new fitness venue in Wrangell! Go, team!
Otherwise, we have been watching Toby grow. He is quickly catching up with Beatrice and more than keeps up with her when they play. He weighs about 15 pounds now! He can now jump onto the couch independently, so Beatrice has no "puppy safe zone" anymore. They are getting along very well!
My monthly "God thing":
You can't tell me that prayers do not work! Every morning and every evening I prayed for Jim's safety, the crew's safety, and for plenty of shrimp to fill the pots while they were out on the boat. I prayed for good weather, calm waters, and good experience. Jim was out on the boat for almost 2 full weeks, with only 2 days of light rain, calm waters every day, and no health issues. For southeast Alaska, in October, 2 weeks of fair weather is EXTREMELY rare. Two days after Jim finished shrimping district 7 with the crew, he returned home and to work for good and the crew and boat moved on to shrimp in district 8. Less than 48 hours after Jim got off the boat, he got word that the boat he was on had damage to the hull and was going down. The captain was able to call in for help with Jim's satellite phone that he left on board, beach the boat, and were found by search and rescue with no major injuries very quickly. All three on board returned safely to Wrangell and the boat was brought in a few days later. What a wake up call for both of us! I am so thankful that Jim was on that boat earlier in the season, that he left his satellite phone on the boat, and that all the crew members were returned home safely. Prayers work, people!
