a leaky move

My room sprung a leak while i was at work today, i came home to see some of my stuff drying outside on lawn chairs and my door wide open. Thankfully it wasn't me that left the water running, Something under the sink decided to burst. I guess the cleaning lady stopped by to empty my waste basket and noticed A couple of inches of water on the floor. Luckily i didn't have too much of my stuff lying on the floor, my sleeping bag, a hammock and my shoes. No harm done. They moved me into #1 which is way better than room #2. I no have a full sized refrigerator, a closet (number 2 has the hot water heater in it) A microwave and i am a few feet closer to my free internet that i am getting from the coffee shop down the way. I now have no neighbors to keep me awake with their TV either.
Work is still going well, a little slow still. Not next week but the week after we will move into working nights, here we will have more chance for overtime too. I worked this weekend, just for a couple hours each day but it counts as one day of comp time, AKA a day off. I am going to shoot for next friday and drive back over to Seattle, I hear nights are extremely cold and i left my warm boots at Karens house.
I have been making clay Yedis, one burned in my oven, but i think i was able to salvage it.

WDFW (washington Dept. fish and Wildlife)

Fish and Game agencies must be the same the world over. I have a pretty laid back job. Start work at 7am, drink coffee till 8am drive slowly to two different river traps and watch someone else work up the baby fish as there are too many people and not enough fish. Then slowly drive back to the office and dink around until quitting time at 3:30pm. I know as soon as more snow melts and the rivers fill up we will become much busier. I really like the crew i am working with and they are teaching me that there are different species of fish in different youthful stages, i can not keep referring to the small fish as 'Baby fish' and the biger fish as 'Baby big fish" and what i was calling 'Baby snake fish' are actually known as Pacific Lamp Ray. I am getting it though.
We are trapping fish with a Screw Trap, which is like a big cone, kind of looks like what you would crush up apples in if you were making apple sauce, but way bigger. The flow of the river turns it and the baby fish swim in and can't get out and end up in a trap like tank, we net them out, weigh and measure them. Depending on which species they may get a pit tag that goes in their belly via syringe
Because they know i am from California i got volunteered to work this weekend, "His family is too far away to go home for Easter" That is ok i would rather work as much as i can, plus my car is in the shop. The neutral safety switch is shot?
I have been spending my off time working on clay projects.

Settled in

So i am all settled in again here in Twisp I live at the Sportsman Motel, it is kind of a dump, but at $425 a month it is the best i could do. It is furnished and i don't pay utilities so i blast the AC and the heater to keep it a comfortable 75 at all times. I have worked three days now with the Washington Fish and Wildlife. We don't really do much, and i hardly do anything as i just watch. Once the fish begin to flow a little more we will split up into day shift and night shift and i guess then i will be working instead of watching. I like the people i work with and i am learning that not all the small fish are called 'Baby fish' there are actually different stages of baby, 'Fry' 'Transitional' 'Smolt' and then there are all these different codes they use for the different species. I am learning them as the days go on.
I brought some clay with me so my time off i spend making clay figures. I made a Yedi holding a bunny that i am giving to my friend/ex boss Kraig for his birthday and now i am working on a Monkey man of some sort as a birthday present for my friend Jason.
Tonight we are meeting down at the Branding Iron bar for some Guiness' to celebrate St. Patties Day.

Home

Vacation is over, i have made it back to USA soil. The situation in Ecuador/Columbia wasn't as bad as the news would have you believe. They Ecuador and Colombians were not worried too much about a threat of war between them, but they are both worried about Chavez and Venezuela, cause that guy is crazy. Getting back into the States was bit of an experience. I flew from Quito, Ecuador to Bogota, Colombia. As i waited to board the flight to LAX i was approached by a gentleman who asked me a few questions about how i liked his country then asked to see my passport and then as everyone else started to board i was lead into the back room with a few scary looking policia. There my passport was smelled? and then my stomach was X-rayed. Good thing i did not swallow that balloon of Heroin or shove a canister of Cocaine in my rear, cause i think that is what they were looking for. I was cleared and had to run back to just barely make the flight. Then in once in the States i got sort of the same questions as my bag was completely emptied and thoroughly searched. They even cut into the coffee i brought back. Was it my shaggy hair, dirty clothes or the fact that i had stamps from two major drug producing countries, probably all three.
I had a great time and would love to one day return down south, I would prefer to be able to speak a little more than pequeno Espania for next time. My job has started a few days ago so i am only in Modesto till Sunday, sorry if i didn't get to see you. I will be back around the middle of Sept. I am pretty keen on hooking up with either of my new sailing buddies or i will be flying back to Borneo/Malaysia/Indonesia for a fall of more Scuba Diving, as i am now fully addicted. Hopefully my new job will be exciting enough to continue this blog thing.

Quitting Quito

I don´t know who´s dumb idea it was to build Quito on the coldest part of the Equator. I wear a sweater everyday and it rains every night. I never did get to eat the Guinni Pig, maybe next time. I met my friend Ann here in Quito. I met her in the Galapagos. We took an over night trip up to a town called Mindo. It was nice and peaceful there, you could tell it is a happening spot in the dry season on the weekends. Pretty dead on a Wed. We spent one night there. The first day for some reason i was sick so i slept on the bus ride up there and slept all day while we were there. I had risked drinking the water here in Quito, since you can in Medellin and Bogota. At one point i found it ironic as i was taking alchaseltzer since my stomach ached from possibly the water, yet i was using tap water for my alchaseltzer??? The next day Ann and i hiked up to near the top of a nearby hill and did some zip lines, this was pretty fun, eight lines in all with a little nature in between. The zip guide showed us some 10 of the 4100 types Orchids of here in Ecuador. Last night we went down to an English bar and joined in on a team for Trivia night. We came in 3rd place scoring us a free picture of beer. I am on my way back to the States in a few hours. I will be overly rushed in my return visit as my new job has started five days ago.

sad day in the G´s

All my new buddies sailed away today. We had a really nice dinner last night with the crew of WMD ( yes it stands for that) that was Kim, Javier, and Mick. The crew off the Tiger was going to meet us, but we did have drinks before hand with them. That is the nice couple with the two little kids. Dinner was great i had a baked fish in a champagne mushroom sauce, a beer, a pina colada, Guanabana and vodka, octopus with olive sauce starter and some fancy brandy infused pancake dessert for $45. It was sort of Christians farewell dinner, for he has set sail on the 41´ Jackal. we met the Capt and first mate two days before and they were in need of a third member for the long haul to the Marquasis. They offered Christian the spot all the way to Australia, Expected arrival of Sept. I was offered a spot on the WMD from here to the Marquesas and onwards to Tahiti if i wanted, i really really wanted but feel committed to count the Salmons. Plus i am broke. I have contact info for both the WMD and Jackle and both Capts. have said that i could come to Australia to join them on their way to S.E. Asia, so hopefully i can maybe do that.
Headed back to Quito, Ecuador in the morning, If it does not cost too much i will head back to the States earlier and if it costs i have another friend in Quito to hang out with.

ciao