Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Change Isn’t Easy

February 6, 2010 by Jen

It’s been a whirlwind last ten days. George made a couple of local Dungeness crab deliveries, so we traveled to meet him at one local port for the night, and then a few days later, he came home for two nights.

The night we traveled to met him was incredibly fun. We had a big crew dinner followed by entertainment you just couldn’t put a price on, and the kids loved the hotel. They had so much fun running down the carpeted hallway in their socks to the vending and ice machines and sitting at the little table in our room to eat their special treats.

George needed a couple of days to regroup at home, so I am glad he was able to get here. He’s been burning the midnight oil without any sleep and working harder than anyone could imagine. We also had a rather unexpected and disappointing shuffle on the boat, so it was nice to get some time together to sort through it and make some sense of it.

Everyone knows that I really can’t stand change, especially when things seem to be moving along well. What could be better than a great crab season that’s about to end and a great longline season coming up shortly? Everyone also knows that we love George’s crew like our own family. That’s my favorite part about the smaller fishing family business as opposed to the huge factory boat business; everyone does become like family. You spend a ton of time together, have things in common, have lots of laughs, and create memories season after season and year after year.

When there’s a shuffle, it hurts everyone in the “family.”

Speaking of crew, I just read today in the news that one of George’s old Bering Sea friends and crewmates from his Alaskan Leader/Bristol Leader/Shemya years was airlifted off the Alaskan Leader fishing vessel while at sea due to chest pains. I met that  guy around the same time I met George, and even flew to Dutch Harbor with him a couple of times to meet George and the boat.

And for your information…this year’s commercial Alaska halibut season begins on March 6. That is about 15 days earlier than last year. I think that will give George about one week at home in between the crab and longline seasons. Ah, well. ‘Tis the life we love, right?

Love you all and thank you.

Posted in Commercial Fishing Captain, Commercial Fishing Crew, Commercial Fishing Family, Dungeness Crab Season, Halibut and Blackcod Longlining Season | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Commercial Fishing Groups on Facebook

January 27, 2010 by Jen

I received a comment recently on Highliners and Homecomings that was so well-written and captured the essence of this blog (and the commercial fishing lifestyle) that I wanted to share it with everyone. Here’s what Trish had to write:

“This is so refreshing to read… I am a fisherman’s girlfriend and having him gone for months at a time is not easy. But when he’s home I cherish every moment and appreciate the hard work that he does. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must be out there for them, even when I see video footage he brings home to show me. Seeing the weather conditions when when they are really bad is something I cringe at watching. And I can’t even begin to explain how much I worry about him being out there, not knowing if he’s safe or not. But I do have to say, he’s the hardest working man I know, and I feel so blessed to have him in my life. So yes good luck and many prayers to all the fisherman out there, I know there are many loved ones praying every night and looking forward to their homecoming!!”

Trish, thanks again. Reading a comment like this helps us all keep pressing toward the goal.

This might be a good time to mention to everyone that if you are on Facebook and interested in commercial fishing, there are a few great commercial fishing groups you’ll want to join. You’ll find discussions, comments, pictures, and notices of events and happenings going on in national and local fishing communities in all of these groups.

Here are a few to start with:

  • Commercial Fishing Families & Friends
  • Commercial Fishermen Help You Live Better
  • National Fisherman
  • Newport Fishermen’s Wives

Feel free to “friend” me on Facebook or “follow” me on Twitter and let me know of other groups that may be of interest to us all!

Posted in Commercial Fishing, Commercial Fishing Family | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

One Word: Beautiful.

January 20, 2010 by Jen

Dungeness crab ready to be sold in the live market.

Bryan and Brett with Dungeness crab ready to go.

Posted in Commercial Fishing, Commercial Fishing Crew, Dungeness Crab Season | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Go, Toby!

January 16, 2010 by Jen

This morning, the pet hospital called with the biopsy results from our beloved dog Toby’s eight-pound spleen tumor. We were shocked to hear that the tumor was benign, and in addition, the liver biopsy showed no signs of cancer.

I’m starting to wonder if Toby even still has the orginal lymphoma, which claimed his eye. I’ll find that all out when he sees his regular veterinarian to remove the stiches that run the length of his entire body.

I’ve written before that Toby is a miracle dog, and it seems that he’s proved it once again!  Unbelievable.

Go, Toby!

 

Posted in Commercial Fishing Family | Tagged | 1 Comment »

Dungeness Crab Photographs

January 12, 2010 by Jen

Here are a couple of fun Dungeness crab photographs. I’m publishing them with permission from Captain G himself.

Bryan, Brandon, and Brett

Posted in Commercial Fishing, Commercial Fishing Crew, Dungeness Crab Season | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

Welcome Home, Toby

January 11, 2010 by Jen

Yesterday morning, I received a call that Toby was ready to begin the rest of his recovery in the comfort of his own home.

My brother-in-law, Ryan, took me to get Toby yesterday afternoon. Although fragile, it is clear that Toby loves being home, and he has stopped the lonely wail he’d adopted while at the hospital. He was greeted with stuffed toys, treats, homemade meals, and all of his favorite visitors.

We are incredibly grateful Toby is here with us again and expect the results of his latest biopsy by the middle of next week.

Here’s a picture of Toby, taken by Ryan shortly after our arrival home.

Posted in Commercial Fishing Family | 3 Comments »

Our Canine Soldier, Toby.

January 9, 2010 by Jen

Everyone who knows us, or has read this blog, knows about our awesome dog, Toby. Of course, Toby is our 6-year old purebred pitbull, whom we fostered at six-weeks old and then loved so much we adopted him ourselves. Toby and Mandy (his border collie-mix sister) have been steadfast members of our family since the day George and I got married.

Toby is a man’s dog; he loves to ride in the front seat of the flatbed with George, help George and the crew with crab gear work, and do anything he can to be around a workin’ man. He is also a family dog; he is wonderful with the kids and an incredibly patient, loving, strong, and big dog. Our Toby defines the word stoic. He’s our brave and uncomplaining soldier.

Toby is also a miracle dog. When he was shockingly diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in March 2007, the conventional vets gave him thirty days to live. After we had his eye removed and started him on homeopathic remedies, he went into remission for an unheard-of two years.

This fall, innocent Toby was punched in the head by a bum while on one of his walks. Nothing could have infuriated us more.

In the two years since he’s been in remission from cancer, Toby has flourished. He’s eaten homemade meals with supplements and vitamins every night, gained a lot weight, and grown strong and confident. He has never been healthier. In the meantime, we added 1000 square feet to the house, created a backyard, and did everything we could to make life as ideal as possible for every member of the family, including the pups.

I’ll cut to the chase: After two years in remission, it recently became apparent that Toby was out of whack. He looked odd; his spine protruded, his belly hung low, and he moved slowly. He seemed depressed, and he even turned home from one of his walks.

We got him into his vet; an x-ray showed a tumor. The next day, we got him into an ultrasound; it showed a massive spleen tumor.

I called George on the fishing grounds, something I never do. He said, “Do whatever it takes. Get it out if you can.” I’d delayed calling George until I absolutely had to. I didn’t want to be an alarmist, especially when it concerned one of his best buddies. We had hardly any phone coverage, and I couldn’t even fully explain the situation. His command was clear, however: Get It Out.

That made my decsion much easier. Toby underwent emergency surgery yesterday, and an eight-pound, football-sized tumor was removed, along with his spleen. The tumor was so big that the surgeon said Toby wouldn’t have survived another day at home, or even a surgery scheduled for later, because the mass was ready to burst at any moment.

The tumor actually ruptured during surgery, and Toby lost a lot of blood. His bone marrow is not regenerating blood very quickly, but his heart is holding steady. Currently, he is in stable condition and being monitored by board-certified physicians.

I am so grateful for my parents, sisters, babysitters, and friend/miracle pet lover, Lisa. All of these people have altered their schedules, sacrificed money, and been on standby for Toby and all the rest of us. I am now, and will forever be, grateful beyond all comprehension!

Lisa and Toby

Toby Waiting for Surgery

Posted in Commercial Fishing Family, Dungeness Crab Season | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

First Post from iPhone

January 6, 2010 by Jen

This is my first attempt at writing a post using the iPhone application I just uploaded. I thought it would be fun to try.

Speaking of phones; I received a text message from George this morning, and it sounds like everything is going fine out on the wild ocean. I think he’s happy to be back on the boat even though he misses us, and that’s a good thing. I love that he has a passion for his work, strenuous and stressful as it might be at times!

I’m adding a photo to this post just to try out the feature from the phone.

Posted in Commercial Fishing Family | 1 Comment »

Cheerful and Optimistic

January 3, 2010 by Jen

I heard from George this morning; he sounded exceptionally cheerful, awake, and optimistic. That must be the perfect attitude with which to go pick up the first round of gear!

Things are looking up here as well. That didn’t take too long. As George told me a couple of nights ago, “Remember, the first few days are always the hardest, Hon.”

Of course, I hadn’t remembered that in the midst of fevers, coughing, and broken-down dressers, but hearing the words did help. And it’s true; the kids are feeling a bit better and are well-adjusted to his departure. Eva might have the seasons a bit confused (she asked George to bring her some salmon to eat—and make her a milkshake for dessert—when he was “done on the boat”) but she understands the essence of it all.

One additional note: If you like this blog and want to be alerted when new posts are published, you can enter your e-mail address in the form on the right. This is just convenient way to keep you more regularly updated with Highliners and Homecomings, if you so choose.

The little ones and I had a wonderful day yesterday; we put a year’s worth of photos in albums and then snuggled together in a chair and looked through all of them last night. Eva loves to look at pictures of herself as a baby, and Vincent gets excited when he recognizes people and things: “Mommy! Dada. Dada’s boat!”

Have a great last day of vacation before the regular routines kick back in.

Posted in Commercial Fishing Family, Commercial Fishing Wives, Dungeness Crab Season | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Little Victories

December 31, 2009 by Jen

It occurred to me that I should acknowledge the first official day of George’s Dungeness crab season. They call it “Dump Day” because the crab boats have the green light to set all of their pots. They aren’t allowed to bring the pots back on board, though, for one or two more days. I can’t remember all of  the rules or reason to it all, but as of 3:00 a.m. yesterday, the Vis was heading out to set the first Dungeness crab pots of the season.

I hope George’s return to fishing has gone smoother than my return to solo parenting. Admittedly, this has not been the most seamless transition. Both little ones are sick with terrible coughs, so we have been staying at home and taking a break from participating in our regular activities, like teaching Jazzercise. Add their sickness to the over-the-top excitement and sleeplessness from Christmas and the confusion over George’s departure, and I have a rather trying situation on my hands.

Thank goodness for my friends, who help me out with the dogs and kids by showing up offering assistance and sending e-mails of encouragement.

Most commercial fishing wives and mothers will tell you one of the things they’re most proud of when their husbands are gone is how self-sufficient they become. Along those lines, I have to share the two things I’ve managed to accomplish in the two days George has been away.

First, I discovered what a “cross dowel bolt” and a “cross dowel nut” were (not to mention an allen wrench) when I set about the adventure of setting up Eva’s new artist’s easel. Setting up her easel was a big deal, for I am a girl who cannot follow a map and possesses no spacial reasoning skills. Surprisingly, when I discovered I’d asssembled half of her new easel backwards, I was able to undo all of my work, start again, and complete the job correctly.

The other accomplishment revolved around Eva’s dresser. I was not happy when I looked into her room and discovered that Eva (or was it Vincent?) had removed all of the dresser drawers and took the whole thing apart. After experiencing a moment of panic and locating the phone to call my dad to come help me, I halted. I took a deep breath, re-assessed the situation, and finally managed to put it all back together.

The dresser, that is.

Whew. Two days down, months and months to go…

Posted in Commercial Fishing Boat, Commercial Fishing Family, Commercial Fishing Wives, Dungeness Crab Season | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Older Posts »