CatchCon 2011: Part Two-It's About a Staircase!

 We were being filmed coming into the pier. I'm not sure they've done that before. I honestly don't recall from years past. Most of us were on the bow of the boat, taking pictures, thus ruining what would probably have been a dramatic shot. :)

 

I made him pose for this shot.  I'm awesome at interrupting serious work. Anyway, that's a monkey fist knot and it weighs down the line he's holding so that he can toss it to someone on the pier and drag the big lines through to tie up the boat. Hooray for not drifting! 

After we were secure, the NW slipped in beside us, being driven by none other than...

Edgar Hansen! Jake Anderson was of course, there to help out as well.

Edgar's not fond of taking direction from others when it comes to tying up the boat!

  Matt Bradley was around for the ride too! Good to see him back on the deck, even if he doesn't look happy to be there. (Oh, and Ryan, if you happen to read this, show up next time, k? How else can we get fake married and freak out our loved ones?)

 Here, Jake and Matt are setting buoys between the two boats along with Danny Maki! Danny is one of the new crewmen on the Wizard and a super guy! It was great to get to meet him, and I'm looking forward to the next time I see him. 

I also managed to snag a shot of the elusive Norman Hansen. I once spent an evening just talking to Norm about all kinds of stuff. He's actually a very nice guy with a great personality, just kind of quiet. I'm sure he doesn't remember me in the slightest. 

Monte and Keith directing the action on deck!

One of the camera guys was filming everything. I tried to stay out of his way.  I probably failed.

 Here you can see Soper running the crane... FROM BEHIND HIS BACK, just like he does during the season, so that he can keep his eyes on the deck. Great skills... he has them.

 At one point, the crane actually sprung a leak, and here's Lenny, well, his hands at least, taking care of it!

The sorting table has to be moved out of the way so that people can walk on the deck during the tours... outside of bagging bait, it's times like this when it's handy to have greenhorns.

I know this isn't the most interesting shot ever, but I like it, a lot. The crane was swinging over my head, and I managed to snag a shot as it buzzed past. I figure this is a "crab's eye view." 

After moving the table, it was time to bring the gangway down onto the deck so that people could travel onto the boats. That giant metal staircase is weird. The stairs aren't deep, and they're too long, but not quite long enough that you want to take two at a time, so you end up just kind of shuffling down it while the boat is rocking, praying you don't take a header down the sucker. It's like the stairway to heaven... by which I mean, it's surprising nobody had died on the thing yet. Deadliest Catch, deadliest staircase.  "On a staaaaaaircase I ride..."

Yeah, I'm ending this one here... with a staircase... because I'm lame awesome like that. Next up, the Mariners disappoint Lynn Guitard, and CatchCon 2011!

CatchCon 2011: Part One- Sailing, Sailing!

 CatchCon!

Well, I'm finally posting about Seattle where another round of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch convention, CatchCon took place. Like the previous CatchCons, it was full overrun with fans and fishermen alike! Of course, my experience is usually a bit deviated from the norm at these events, and this year was no exception.

The flight into Seattle was the standard cross country adventure, nothing to write home about... or blog about for that matter. The ride home however was a terror-filled, white-knuckled panic fest, but I'm getting ahead of myself. After landing, I met up with my fabulous friend, the wonderful Cindi, since she was landing only a half-hour after I did. Together, we grabbed our bags, headed outside and met up with our friend Lynn and two of his friends Brianna and Danielle, who were good enough to come pick us up from the airport. Lynn and Cindi are pretty much bff, and he's just a great guy all around.

 Me, Brianna, Cindi, Keith, Danielle, and Lynn at The Market Arms... good times!

We ended up in Ballard at a little establishment called the Market Arms, just outside of PacFish, where we met up with Keith, Monte, Lenny, Gary, and a few of other people. It was a fun night of swapping stories, playing a few darts, and  making new friends and catching up with old ones. However, it was getting late, heading towards the 2 A.M. mark, and we all had an early morning coming at us hard, so we turned it in for the night. The morning would bring us back to PacFish for our annual visit to the F/V Wizard!

Once the lines were untied, we started off pretty quickly. Unfortunately, Monte and the new greenhorn Danny were still standing on the deck of the Pinnacle! However, Keith maneuvered the boat close enough for them to hop aboard, no man left behind on the Wizard!

 Lynn! He's becoming a seasoned vet of the CatchCon shindiggery now.

 Craig Terrill was kind enough to pose for a pic with Jackie and me.

We had a huge crowd on the Wizard this year for the morning crossing. Craig Terrill from the Seattle Seahawks, several people from Discovery Channel, friends and family of the crew, Peter Moran from Rezin Marketing, who does a great job for the Wizard, and then there was us! It was a gorgeous morning for a boat ride.

Norwegians!

 Of course, the F/V Northwestern was gearing up for the ride over as well... 

...Complete with camera crew!

Captain Sig Hansen. Sig wasn't on the boat by the time we arrived at the Locks. I'm not sure if he hopped aboard or drove over to the pier actually. All I know is that he showed up at some point after the boats docked.

We make this same face and take this same picture at every single event we attend together. We're awesome. 

 Here's a shot of a lot of the folks with us for the day on the bow of the boat. Discovery, business partners, deckhands, and a Seahawk or two are all enjoying the ride. Still, I think Jax and I had the best seats in the house.

Riding high! Jackie and I get a great view from the top of the F/V Wizard's Wheelhouse.

We had a stowaway or two make their way to the deck as well! It seemed a few ravens wanted to take the ride from the terminal to the pier! 

Beautiful!

I thought this was a nice shot of Gary Soper. Soper's a cool guy, quiet, but with a great sense of humor. It's always nice to get to see him when I'm around for one of the functions. You'll probably recognize him from the cover of Season 6's DVD box! 

I always love sailing in and seeing the city appear in the distance. The grey, cloud-filled sky just screams "Seattle!"

And, what ride into Seattle would be complete without a picture of the Space Needle?

As we were sailing in, a Coast Guard chopper seemed to appear out of nowhere and fly directly over the boat! I've only seen them two other times, once at a previous CatchCon during a rescue demonstration, and again in Panama City, FL after a very tragic double red flag day when they were out searching for several bodies. The memories are chilling, one for what could happen, the other, for what did.

Thank you, US Coast Guard, for all you do!

 There it is, The Bell Harbor Conference Center, and the pier I've come to know so well. The next day will be a long one...

And, as always, I'm loving every minute of it! Next up, docking the boat, "hey, look, it's Edgar," and other shenanigans.

Alabama Tornado Outbreak April 2011

heycameraman@flickr

1.5 mile wide wedge Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado in downtown Tuscaloosa, AL.

On April 27th, my home state, Alabama, along with several other Southeastern states, was hit by a devastating outbreak of severe weather. It has now been estimated that roughly 362 tornadoes touched down over a three day span, the 25th-27th, 312 of which occurred on the 27th. The destruction and loss of life was staggering.  We had excellent warning, days of notice that severe weather was coming, and for many, up to half an hour of tracking coverage before an actual strike... still, the absolute power of the storms was too much, and despite the fact that these storms were taken very seriously by the majority of the populace, they were simply to strong, too big, too deadly, and many were killed in spite of their safety measures. So far, over 350 deaths have been recorded, and over 300 people are still unaccounted for.

 AGU Blogosphere Dan Satterfield

 Statistics courtesy of NOAA

 The clean up and relief efforts have started, but this isn't something that can be fixed in a week or even a month. The people affected by this storm will need long term support. The areas hit were highly populated, both urban and suburban. Communities I have known my whole life are gone, and people are left with nothing. These are my neighbors... these are your neighbors. Please offer whatever support you can, time, money, goods, blood, prayer... all of it is needed. Remember them when the next sensational story overshadows the coverage of their suffering. Below are some links where you can donate or sign up to volunteer your time. 

Samaritan's Purse

American Red Cross

Salvation Army

Feeding America

The Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham

 Local churches are also organizing aid distribution and drop off sites, so check in your community to help at these aid stations. Also, contact your city hall for more information.

If you have been affected by the storms, please contact FEMA to apply for federal aid. 

 American Nation.Info

Boston.com

This site has many pictures of the devastation and puts a human face on much of it, such as this photo of a grandmother comforting her granddaughter... this tragedy happened to real people. (Fair warning, some of the reader comments are atrociously ignorant.)

myfoxal(courtesy Beth Shelburn's fb page)

Cullman County's tornado, destroyed much of downtown Cullman, including homes and businesses.

 wxbrad
The damage path of the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado as seen from 41,000 feet.

A few, pictures from own community:

 These apartments have been condemned.

 Metal siding was ripped off like paper.

 Completely destroyed.

Total loss, owner has decided against rebuilding.

 The damage shown here is along the main stretch of highway and in no way shows the complete picture of what was affected. Other homes and businesses suffered greater damage. It is surreal, the extent of the destruction state wide, regionally wide. I have debris in my yard from 60 miles away, people's mail, parts of their homes...

Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Cullman, Pleasant Grove, Pratt City, Hackleburg, Cordova, Concord, Athens, Fultondale, Smithfield, Rosedale, and many, many other communities need our help.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me'." Matthew 25:40

Deadliest Catch, Seattle, and More! ...All Over Again!

 Me and my friends! (Photo courtesy of Discovery)

Yep! I'm heading off to Seattle tomorrow, as I've done pretty much every April for the past 3 years. It's time for Discovery's Deadliest Catch CatchCon again, and I'll be right in the middle of it! I'm hoping to see some old friends and make some new ones. For anyone who won't be going but wishes they were, be sure to check out the live webcam on Discovery which will be streaming from 12:30-6:00 PM PST on Saturday, April 9th! Who knows, you might even see me hanging out on the F/V Wizard!


LIVE WEB CAM! 

 Hope to see you there! (Photo courtesy of Discovery)

Somewhere Over The Rainbow...Cake!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Last night, my best friend and I got together to do a little baking. Of course, if you've met either of us, you know this wasn't a polite little get together to make dainty tea cookies. No, this was an exercise in creative insanity. Previously, I'd experimented with making a Psychedelic Rainbow Cake, and found that not only was it amazingly fun, it was magically delicious! Now Jenny, my best friend, happens to a Pampered Chef consultant, but not just any Pampered Chef consultant! No, she's the REAL Pampered Chef Consultant... and you should check out her blog: Real Kitchen. Real Life, which features this cake today. It'll be worth your time. Trust me.

Anyway, if you don't know us... this is Jenny:

And this is me:

And of course, you've met the cake already.

Jenny and I might have a slight flair for the dramatic, and honestly, we'll take any opportunity to make something more eventful than it would normally be. So, instead of just making the cake, we decided to add a St. Patrick's Day Flair by dressing up in as much green as I could wrestle out of my closet. What made it even better? The fact that nothing matches. None of those greens go together... at all.

 Here I am whipping some eggs together. I am, apparently, really, really happy about that, but why not? Those eggs make cake, and what's not to like about that?

Here's Jenny mixing the cake, and wearing my favorite pair of socks. Jenny's an unconventional kind of girl who sees a sink as more than just a place to wash dishes or fill stuff with water. She views it as a physical challenge. Balance, coordination, and the ability to mix a cake while teetering on the edge of a thin strip of counter are all skills Jenny aspires to perfect.

Of course, we all know the most important part of a rainbow cake is the color. Otherwise, it'd just be, er... cake. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) Still, you might think coloring a bowl of white batter would be child's play, like melting crayons in the toaster, but I assure you, it's an exact science. Just look at that concentration!

Each of these colors were mixed using a very complex systematic equation to obtain optimum colorization. This might be above some of your heads, but I'll go ahead and write an example for you. Because, as an artist, I know all about the maths.

There are two bottles of blue, one neon, one regular. Here is the ratio: A bunch of neon blue to Not as much regular blue. Thus, your equation would be:

(a bunch of)Nb+(not as much)Rb="yeah, that looks good."

Exact. Science.

Now, like all exact sciences, take chemistry for example, you don't really have to pay attention when you're pouring stuff from one thing into another. Just assume it's right. It'll be fine.

See? It's awesome! That's what science (magic!) does.

After you've baked the cake and let it cool as much as your greedy face will let it, spread on some icing. Now, don't go thinking this is some kind of canned crap. Oh no, this is the homemade stuff, with marshmallow fluff no less. You don't get much better than that!

Slap those layers together, ice the rest, and cut into that rainbow on a plate! (Two layers! Double rainbow on my plate! So beautiful... What does it mean!? ) All memes aside, I have to confess that we didn't actually eat any of the cake, we just cut it to show it off for Jenny's blog. She's going to take it to her brother's birthday party, so others can experience the wonder. However, I did have some (most of) the one I baked last time, and let me tell you... if that's not a frosted lucky charm, I don't know what is!

Happy St. Pat's!