Tuesday, November 29, 2011

T IS FOR....

T   is for.....
                    ......TUG BOAT


Isn't she beautiful?  Sturdy, strong, seaworthy, (whoops,  maybe I should have used this for 's' day).  On a previous blog I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Well I answered  "a pilot" meaning a pilot of an airplane, but I also thought I would like to have been a TUG BOAT skipper.  This photo is actually of a pilot boat, which are sometimes used as a tug boat.  This was taken at one of our stops in Peru last year. Here are a couple of photos of tug boats in action.




I think it is fascinating to watch how these little workhorses maneuver massive ships through narrow passages into harbors and into their docking place. I could watch them at work for hours.  It seems to me that it takes great skill and excellent communication with the big ship to do all this without any calamities. The massive, giant ship is so dependent upon the skill of the little tug boats.  Whoever hears of these heroes of the harbor?

Now for a change of pace...here is a different kind of TUG.

T is also for a TUG at the heart strings.
Yesterday we drove up to the north of the island to see the Na Paali coast.  We parked  in front of a wide stretch of grass that bordered a scenic beach.  Of course there were chickens  pecking and scratching away at the grass and also begging food from the tourists parked there. (There are chickens running loose all over Kauai.  The reason why is a story for another day.)  But there in the midst of all these chickens was this:


...another Kauai Cat -- actually not much more than a kitten.  As I watched the chickens and the cat I thought how strange it was to see a cat among the chickens.  In fact the cat seemed to be playing with the chickens , or at least trying to play.  But they mostly ignored her.


She was following them around, batting at their tails and even rolling onto her back, exposing her tummy -- a sure sign of submission.  I called her over to me and she came running across the grass on her short stumpy legs.  She looked like a mixed munchkin breed.  She was meowing all her way over the grass coming to me and of course several chickens also came with her looking for a handout. She meowed and meowed but wouldn't come near enough to let me pet her.  She hung around close to me and the chickens, but I had no food.  Then one of the more persistent hens pecked at her to chase her away.




                            


Then it dawned on me.  All the 'playfulness' between the chicken and the kitten was actually the kitten trying to persuade the chicken to let her have a share of the goodies coming from the tourists.  No wonder she never stopped meowing.  She was hungry -- and I didn't have anything for her!  Her plight tugged at my heart strings all the way home.  Poor little thing.  If I'd been on my own, I would have driven back to a store (about half an hour away) to buy some food and bring it back to her.  Not very practical I know, but that's me when it comes to cats!

*********
For more takes on the letter T, visit ABC WEDNESDAY by clicking on the link to see what everyone else has chosen to highlight.

The letter 'T is brought to you by Mrs. Nesbitt and her TRUSTY TEAM  


21 comments:

Rinkly Rimes said...

Yes, it's fascinating to watch tugboats when on a cruise. I used to think they actually used brute strength, but evidently they just nudge gently.

Roger Owen Green said...

maybe you still can be a tugboat captain. it's never to late...
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Chubskulit Rose said...

It's amazing how animals communicate doesn't it?
Tooth Fairy please come and see it when you get a chance. Thanks!

claude said...

Hello Chris !
Your posts about every letter are really very complete.
May be I shall be able to write a stoiry about the hen and the cat.

photowannabe said...

Poor little kitty. He was quite resourceful to hang with the chickens though.
I think the tugs are facinating. Great post Chris.

MorningAJ said...

I used to live by the river at Kings Lynn (which is actually a massive container port but nobody notices unless they get close to the water)

I used to watch the pilot boats guiding the huge ships into dock. It was great.

Gattina said...

These boats are very efficient ! Poor little cat, I hope that some other tourists will feed it !

Anonymous said...

I hate hearing stories like this one about the kitty. I too would have driven to the store to get her food. Poor little thing. I sure hope someone was able to rescue her. She is adorable! Tugboats are amazing aren't they? I too have often thought it would be cool to pilot one of them...or even a barge! Love your T day, Chris!

Jane and Chris said...

The cat story is a heartbreaker. An all too familiar one, sadly.
Jane x

Unknown said...

Both sets of "tug" are terrific contributions to T-day!
HelenMac
ABC Team

Carver said...

Great shots of the tugboat. The story about the chicken and kitten is heartbreaking.

Jose said...

I should write a story of "The Little Tug Boat That Could" oh wait I think that has already been written but for a train engine. *sigh*

Joy said...

I was listening to our little tug boats sounding their horns this week, must take great skill to manoeuvre. Hope the kitty got something to eat, no doubt it cuteness will help.

kaybee said...

A Great T Topic, Chris! That poor little kitten breaks my heart, and it's true, she would be great to write a story about!

Wanda said...

Like you T's. Our daughter that lives in Brookings OR would love your pictures. Her husband's step father has a tug boat...for his own entertainment.

Jill's husband just got the job he's dreamed of. He is now a crewman on a Crab Fishing Boat. The season starts Dec. 15 and he's so excited.

Love the pictures of the chickens and kitten. How sweet.

snafu said...

Tug boats are all engine but do a suprisingly delicate job and are great to watch. With all that power they should be a real boys toy, but they seem to appeal to girls too:)
Poor cat, we encountered some stray dogs like that in Italy, real cute but living off the tourists.
I had an inadvenrtant ride in a pilot cutter once when the ship I was working on left port without my knowledge and I had to be taken ashore from the harbour entrance.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

your chickens want to be friends with cats???

Werna Gail said...

I to am a push over for any cat in distress, those chickens better be nice, or she may have one of them for lunch when she grows up.

jabblog said...

I love tug boats - busy, bustling, strong and sturdy.
So sad about the kitten - feral cats have a hard life.

Anonymous said...

It's enormous that you are getting thoughts from this piece of writing as well as from our dialogue made at this time.

Also visit my webpage - 888 Poker Offer ()

Anonymous said...

Hеу aгe uѕing Wordpгess fοr уour blog plаtform?
I'm new to the blog world but I'm tгyіng tο get ѕtarteԁ and set up mу own.
Do you геquire any codіng expeгtіse tο make youг own blog?

Any helρ wοuld be gгeatly аpрrеcіated!


Feel free to vіsit my web sіte; RPMPoker Offer -
-