In my many nights of Turtle Nest sitting – I came to the conclusion that it is about much more than protecting Sea Turtles!
One week in particular – a young boy – 12 years old – would always seek me out when he came to the nest!
His name was Henry – and even though I might be on the opposite side of the nest – he made it a point of walking to the shoreline and then coming back up the rope to where I stood!
He would talk to me – ask me questions and ask if he could be an intern next year.
I gave him the information – and answered all that I could to his questions.
He reminded me so much of our grandson Bode –
he had that inquisitive nature.
He was polite – and after a while would say I have to go now – but I will be back again
and so he did – each day – searching until he found me.
I met his cousins and siblings – he would go into the water as I watched and body ride the waves.
Each day checking in to see if anything was happening to the baby turtle.
On his last night of vacation – he came up to me and said he would be leaving in the morning –
I said to him it was a pleasure meeting you and if I do not see him again – good luck and follow your dream of being an intern here at OIB.
He looked at me and said, “You won’t be here next year”?
I said I would be here and he said then “I WILL SEE YOU”!
Yes HENRY – I will look for you for this made my day – a young person looking up to me –
This is a bonus in NEST SITTING for me – A YOUNG BOY NAMED HENRY!
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PAPA’S WORLD – A BOY NAMED HENRY! livinglifedoingitmyway.blog
DISCLAIMER: The work for protected Sea Turles is authorized by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission – PERMIT ST020232
We now go to the beach at dusk – joining other teams in helping where ever we can!
So goes our Senior living years!
Below is a beach sunset at Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Warm – water is warm – crowds have gathered –
and we are assigned the edge of the water – keeping people informed and back from the trench!
The beachgoers line the ropes and peer up the trench – which was made for the baby turtles to make their way to the ocean – LOGERHEADS!
The nest was being opened after 75 days!
It was colder than usual in Spring and early Summer with lots of rain.
This formed a crust at the entrance to the nest making it hard for the little turtles to break through.
Being not hot also made the hatching go up to day number 75 which at that time the OIBSTPO is given permission by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to “OPEN” the nest!
When this happens the team goes into training mode – each with duty and as in our case –
lend a hand and foot to help out!
They emerge from the nest and head for the Ocean – sound and sight guide them – the ocean WHITE CAPS – their instinct is to go toward the light!
The White Caps represent that.
Heading toward the ocean along the trench made just for the reason to get them to and into the surf!
Team members are there to guide them by placing a gloved hand down on the sand to direct them if they try to climb the edge and go in another direction.
If they flip over – do not help them – they are ingrained to right themselves.
Bright lights from outdoor lights can draw them to that direction so we ask that vacationers turn out the lights outside.
Most accommodate – as foxes wait in that direction.
Getting them to the water and into the surf is what volunteering is all about –
being educated along the way – three to four nights of information from the training leader.
Going down the trench – heading for the water – the crowd is now in the hundreds – lining the trench and
spread out along the beach –
we now have eight volunteers lateral along the dry sand spaced out to keep the people back and to keep everyone calm as the surf washes the babies back among their feet!
“FREEZE – DON’T MOVE we calmly say together!
We keep our eyes glued to the babies – and they make it into the water and ZOOM out to sea!
One more baby SEA TURTLE makes it thanks to volunteers – the satisfaction of being a help in the protection of an endangered species!
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PAPA’S WORLD – WE HELP ANOTHER SEA TURTLE NEST TEAM ON OIB!
I have known Bob since grade school – all these years and still friends!
PJ is his second wife and Sherry is my second wife – we have been married for over 41 years!
Here was last fall when they visited in their RV and we went on a Kayak tour of the marsh along the ICW!
Best buddies since middle school and Senior H.S.
What can I say – for 35 to over 40 years we have been friends thick and thin – from family vacations on the beach to travel over the world – to golfing and to parties –
Friends the entire time – and get-togethers a couple times a year –
to now living 35 minutes away from one couple to soon one other couple 3 hours away.
FRIENDS FOR ALWAYS!
Three very good friends – always laughing – singing – sipping wine and beer – doing shots –
but just being friends!
Watching BILLS games together – we are all from the WNY and NWPA area – BILLS COUNTRY!
Time and time again – the three ladies – smiling – laughing – FRIENDS!
PAPA’S WORLD – my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog
We are living our dream – living on the N.C -S.C. border – close to so many really fine golf courses!
Our close friends live 35 minutes away and we get together often – golf and dinner.
We are so close to a couple beaches – 15 minutes and we are on the sand at either one.
We get to watch the change over every weekend – much as we did in our younger years when we vacationed at the beach – now we live it every day.
The footprints disappear only to be made over and over again each day.
No more snow and ice – yes it does get cold – but by midday, it is bearable to be out and about.
Living life one day at a time!
We have now watched our oldest granddaughter graduate from college – sad that soccer has ended with her – but happy that it continues with her sister in her junior year at college.
We have volunteered at the memory care unit and now the SEA TURTLE PROTECTION program for N.C.
Ocean Isle Beach – walking the beach and sitting at nesting sites.
WE ARE LOVING LIFE IN OUR NEAR TO BE MID SEVENTY!
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The sun sets for this day – one of many – many we have enjoyed in our new life in retirement!
Disclaimer: The work for protected Sea Turtles by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission –
PERMIT – ST020232
The storm was building while we were there at the beginning of 7PM.
The clouds drifted in and you could see the front coming from the West.
Because of how the coastline curves – OIB almost faces South!
The sky to the North West was getting dark.
The clouds are moving in and behind them in the distance is lightning!
View down the beach toward the West end – the wind picked up and radar showed lightning strikes some 13 to 15 miles away!
Sherry still talking to folks but we were watching the weather on our phones!
Around 9PM. the team leader said it was time to go – so we picked up – packed everything up and got the trench smooth in case they hatched when no one was there!
Safety first – be off the beach if lightning strikes are within 10 miles!
Thanks for reading – we were off the beach and had reached home by 9:20 PM. and it opened up with a downpour – wind and lightning!
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PAPA’S WORLD – STORM MOVES IN WHILE SEA TURTLE NESTING WATCH!!!!!
Ocean Isle Beach – Disclaimer: The work for protected Sea Turtles by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Oermit ST020232.
We have joined not only the WALKING GROUP – but also the NEST PARENTS group starting on day 55 after the Sea Turtle has laid her eggs – of “Watching the nest ” until they have hatched.
This requires a team of 10 individuals to go through hands-on training while at the place nest for four hours in the early evening – each night until the Sea Turtles have hatched.
Hatching usually occurs between Day # 70 to Day # 75.
The team gathers as the Team Leader explains a phase of Sea Turtle Nesting – always reminding them that this is a public beach and part of the training is to educate people on just why we do this.
Everything you see in this picture has been installed by the Sea Turtle of OIB Protection volunteer organization.
At the beginning and end of each watch session – the volunteer team cleans and smoothes the trench from the nest to the water line.
Installing a rope barrier for crowd control and to make sure the baby turtles have a clear path to the water.
Team members place their chairs between the rope barrier and the trench to have easy access when the hatching begins.
Past history has been the babies will hatch after it cools down for the day and the sand is not so hot.
Those hours are generally 7Pm. to 11PM.
Team members interact with the spectators and encourage them to watch and ask questions.
There can be upwards of 200 to 300 people who stop by or bring their chairs to wait for the hatching!
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PAPA’S WORLD – NEST SITTING FOR SEA TURTLES ON OIB, N.C.
Disclaimer: The work for protected Sea Turtles is authorized by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission – PERMIT: ST200232
The Sea Turtles Protection on Ocean Isle Beach is a volunteer organization.
Many – many volunteers dedicated to the Sea Turtles hatching and as many as possible reaching the waters of the Ocean.
Also – to protect TURTLE NESTS along the beach from predators and educate the public on the survival of the Sea Turtles who come to the beach to lay their eggs.
Nesting is usually done overnight – leaving huge TURTLE CRAWL TRACTS on the beach – digging a hole and laying the eggs.
The SEA TURTLE ten covers the nest, slowly crawls back to the ocean – the mother never sees the little turtles – and can lay eggs several more times.
The beach is patrolled by an ATV every morning before 5:30 am. and Beach walkers at 6am.
Nests are called in and a response team comes and verify the nest and sets up protection and takes GPS coordinates.
Female Sea Turtles only start producing eggs at the age of 25 years old –
Through DNA testing of eggs – they can be tracked all up and down the coast of N.C. – S.C. – Ga. –
and the Northern part of Florida.
They have the DNA of a daughter Turtle – its mother and its grandmother which would be at least 75 years old!
The Sea Turtles return to lay eggs all up and down the coast and sometimes come back to the same beach.
Thanks for reading and here are some pictures of the preparation to protect the nests.
Here the nest has been prepped for protection – the mesh rolled back to bury a microphone to listen to the babies moving around in the nest.
The sounds they make are then compared to several recorded sounds on an app on the leader’s phone.
You then compare the sounds to the app to try and pinpoint how many days are left before they hatch.
The team comes each night at 7PM. and sits for four hours – they will do this each night until the nest hatches.
Past data collected shows that the nest will hatch within this time frame but it can occur outside of this,
these are dedicated volunteers – it could stretch into weeks of watching and waiting!
Installing the microphone by burying it next to the nest at the same depth – it records people 50 to 75 feet away talking and moving about.
This is put down to keep foxes out of the nest – when they hatch this will be moved out of the way.
Team members listening to the sounds from the nest Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD –
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PAPA’S WORLD – SEA TURTLE NEST PROTECTION – ON OCEAN ISLE BEACH
Our SENIOR years are here – we are close to the middle 70s. Yet we are still active – always exploring!
Here we are on the marshes of the ICW – near OIB N.C.
We moved here for the weather ( we both hate snow-ice and cold) close to beaches and golf
and our dear friends are only 40 minutes away!
Have a sense of humor – be kind and share a smile!
When family visits – the sunsets but rises to begin a new day with them!
One of our walks on the beach brings us a Turtle Nest – so we became involved – walking early mornings on Turtle Beach Patrol – looking for signs of turtles – protected by the state of N.C.
Disclaimer: The work for protected SEA TURTLES is authorized by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission – PERMIT ST020232
We now walk and nest sits – all volunteers – dedicated people – to help Sea Turtles survive.
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PAPA’S WORLD – LIVING LIFE IN OUR SENIOR YEARS! THANKS FOR READING AND HGD!
Friends for all these years – Sherry – Cindy and Dottie – from WNY and NWPA!
Years and years have gone by – yet they stay in touch – meetups a couple times a year.
Now golfing friends and we live 40 minutes away from Cindy.
Debby – Tammy and Sherry – daughters and mother.
When we were married – Debby was nine and Tammy was four –
We combined two families with my two sons –
Vacations – sports – activities in and out of school.
I am blessed to have these two as stepdaughters!
Our oldest granddaughter – Maddy – graduated from the University of Lynchburg – Environmental Science.
Playing four years of soccer – 3rd. team all-conference as a Sophomore – 2nd team all-conference as a Junior and team Captain as a Senior – Two out of four years in the NCAA tournament.
Three “WHY’S’ we moved to Cameron Woods Community.
Warm weather – no snow or ice! Generally true!
Beaches – sand, and surf – water and surf – just 15 minutes away!
Golf – over 25 courses within thirty minutes!
Being active in our senior years – with friends and family – all family has visited and many friends!
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PAPA’S WORLD – REFLECTIONS – FRIENDS and FAMILY – living in N.C.
Funny how that remains in my mind after all these years – that home has been in our family since around 1944!
I grew up there and my mother was almost 98 years old when she passed away.
My mother Mary – everyone knew her – everyone honked their horn to her as she sat on the front porch.
Many – many people would stop just to sit down and talk to her,
That old front porch with the family I grew up with – sister Donna and her husband Bill – my mother and my brother Roger to the right.
When he left to go to college – I moved into his front bedroom when I was eight years old.
There were railroad tracks behind the house and the trains at night with their clack-clack sound would make me sleepy.
Out front was the main street and I could hear the traffic at night.
And to this day I still know the phone number and the post office box number.
Somewhere in the deep recess of my mind is the combination of that P.O. Box!
I left that house in 1967 and in 1982 married Sherry – now here we are 41 years later.
My memories of NWPA and WNY where we spent the first 50 years of our lives – remains in my memories to this day – just like that house and phone number!
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Not us! We explore – we look for things to do and things to see!
Our view from our chairs at OIB park – just a short block from the beach – every Friday night during the Summer season – a free concert for the public – this one featured BLACKWATER –
A local ( Sunset Beach) eight-member band playing classic rock and BEACH MUSIC!
The concert starts at 6:30 pm. but people start putting their chairs down long before that – here we are at 5:30 pm. it is already more than half full with empty chairs.
We managed to squeeze in this spot and saved two more spaces for our neighbors Diane and Steve.
Papa – Steve – Diane and Sherry – and behind us is the crowd – and just as significant to the right and left of us!
We can attend an open-air concert like this almost every night of the work week as most towns around us have them on different nights.
Diane and Steve danced the night away to classical rock music. Carolina Beach Music is also performed.
On Wednesday night, open-air music is at Sunset Beach Park, where we often go.
At the end – we just sit and talk letting the crowd disperse and usually only a few dozen people are left sitting!
The nights are warm and you can watch the setting sun in the western sky.
Or take a walk to the beach and sit and talk.
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SHERRY – OPEN-AIR CONCERT NEAR THE BEACH IN OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C.
Good day – we are close to this beach – a short 12-minute drive and then the walkway over the dunes to the beach.
The walkway is long and goes over the sand and dunes – shrubs – small trees and a habitat for all kinds of native species.
Along the way – you can see the sun beginning to dip below the horizon – many bushes line the walkway.
Looking back along the walkway to the beach houses – this is the far end of Sunset Beach – from here on it is BIRD ISLAND –
no beach houses – just sand and dunes and ocean surf!
You may find it hard to park here as it is limited and no blocked driveways and no parking allowed signs.
When you can find parking – tires are not allowed on bike paths or sidewalks.
But – when you do find one it is worth it to be able to walk this out to the beach.
Sherry and Papa at the end of the walkway and the ramp down to the beach – the sunset is fantastic, behind us is BIRD ISLAND – nothing but sand – dunes, and surf – a mile plus from here is the KINDRED SPIRIT MAILBOX which has existed for more than forty years. Google it and read the history of this historic place.
Sherry walking down the ramp to the beach in the sunset – they sky always change here depending on the clouds!
After walking on the beach – time to head back and the final rays of sun through the foliage on the walk back.
Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD – livinglifedoingitmyway.blog SUNSET AT SUNSET BEACH – NATURES WONDER!
Sherry and I signed up to walk the East end of OIB during the TURTLE SEASON and report and nests we should find.
On this section of OIB – there are no houses – only sand and surf for about one mile!
A great place to walk – hearing only the surf and some birds.
We walk all the way to the point and a little around it toward the ICW side.
Just before the point, we came upon this sight – a chair with a pair of pants draped over the back – a waterproof shoe in the surf – tackle boxes all open – a battery with jumper cable hooked up –
fishing poles and a pole holder for the poles.
STRANGE – no one around!
And then around the corner out of sight – two fishing poles in their holders – bait on but laying in the sand and no one around except a boat with a man standing on it!
It was a deputy with a badge and he ask me if this was my stuff!
I told him no and around the corner was the chair and tackle boxes and more poles and I held up the shoe and said we found this also.
He told me to just place the shoe by the pole which I did and he got on his walkie-talkie to the police department.
He thanked us and said he would take care of it.
The chair and all the equipment just sitting on the beach and no one was around!
We continued our TURTLE WALK – not seeing any signs and went back to our car!
On the way back two police trucks and an ATV passed us going toward the chair and poles.
Also – our walk time is spent picking up trash off the beach and then report in what we see as far as signs of turtles!
Sherry is about to throw our trash collection away from our TURTLE BEACH PATROL!
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Our daughter – Debby and husband Mike – Sherry – papa – Ella – Maddy and Sarah – from NVA!
They came and spent nearly a week with us in Cameron Woods Community- N.C.
We had planned this for a couple months – and as always – tears when they left!
Mike – Steve – Sherry and Diane – both neighbors and friends – came along with us on the ICW!
Sherry had attended a fundraiser for the food pantry put on by our church.
She purchased $20.00 in tickets and her name was drawn twice –
once for breakfast at a dinner and the second time as the winner of a 9-hour day on the ICW
with a PONTOON BOAT!
Mike – Steve and myself piloted us down and back up the ICW stopping at the new place to eat on the ICW-
THE BLUE DRUM! We had a great lunch and fun time boating.
On the way back – we stopped on the back side of Bird Island – where boats pull up to the beach and you hang out on the beach!
Papa – Mike and Steve stand on the ICW beach and watch a very large boat that had just come up the channel from the ocean and passed where we had beached the pontoon boat!
Maddy looked out over the cove on the backside of OIB at OIB FISH COMPANY where stopped for drinks and appetizers.
We spent two days on the beach – one day on the boat and two days at the pool.
We took them on our Turtle Patrol walk at sunrise on the East end of OIB.
Papa and Sherry at our last beach day with family. Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD-
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PAPA’S WORLD – FROM LAKE HOLIDAY TO CAMERON WOODS COMMUNITY – FAMILY VACATION.
Our wedding day – June 25th. 1982 – starting out together after dating for 1 1/2 years!
It seems like only yesterday yet it is over 41 years ago and longer since we first started dating.
Both divorced – both had two children – her two daughters – my two sons –
We planned vacations on a budget – packing food to stop and have lunch on our way to a destination.
We had an old 12-passenger van – but fun trip.
We lived in the country – our driveway was 1/10 of a mile long – ice in winter –
It took me days to push and mow the lawn.
The early years – Sherry and her sisters. We were close to her family – often spending weekends with her parents!
Camping – tents and fifth-wheel and tag-along camper.
Our dream back then was warm weather – beach – surf and sand – vacations – wanting to stay!
We explored our states and country – sometimes by ourselves – mostly with kids –
providing what we could – money was tight.
But – we were happy – and we both worked for AOTC and DAL-TILE.
Along the way was National Gypsum, Private, Armstrong, and Mohawk.
The early years – Sherry and her sisters. In the mountains of the Kinzua Valley – Mount Jewett – Pa.
Our family was aging – the kids were gone to college and work.
We were thinking of transferring to within the company.
Several openings came up – but not what we wanted.
Then in 1999 – we applied for transfers and moved to NVA – still with Dal-Tile –
along the way we remained close to our friends for many years – one couple left for Wilmington, N.C. a few years before we went to NVA, and later the other couple transferred to Va.Beach.
We stayed in touch and in June of this year they all came to our new home to play golf –
FRIENDS FOREVER!
Our early years have now transformed into our senior years – now retired – and our dream came true!
We found our beach – sand – surf and warm weather – now our families come to visit.
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PAPA’S WORLD – livinglifedoingitmyway.blog OUR EARLY YEARS 6-25-82!
LIVING OUR DREAM TO THE PLUS ONE DAY AT A TIME – 2023 – OUR SENIOR YEARS BEGIN!
An early picture of me holding my niece and my little brother – both have passed away – in fact – all my close family except two nieces and two great nieces are gone that I grew up with.
A early picture in the ’50’s of my older brother Roger on the basketball team. He also has passed on.
My early childhood was spent in a little town in NWPA called Eldred.
Near the NYS border and just across the mountain from Bradford-
home of Kendall – Penns oil – Quaker State and the South Penn oil fields.
My older brother Roger and myself in The Villages shortly before he passed away.
Growing up here was like the movie “STAND BY ME”
I had friends like that – and road my bike everywhere!
Curfew for me was BE HOME BEFORE THE STREET LIGHTS COME ON”!
My brother in law Bill and my sister Donna – both gone but not forgotten. Bill was once interviewed by Larry King – he was a truck driver but also the Chief of Police and later Mayor – Mr. King found that to be a interesting story!
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WHERE FRIENDS MEET THE FAMILY
FAMILY MEETS FRIENDS!
SHERRY AND PAPA!
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