Oil Spill

Many of you know that I took a trip to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL in June. I've been wanting to write this blog post since before I went on this "vacation". However, when I came back home, I wasn't sure how to write it. I'm still not sure, but I'll do my best. Please take the time to soak this all in and watch the slideshow at the end of the post. It's long, I know, but worth it!

At the time of our vacation, the infamous oil spill was on day 51. News headlines included titles such as "The Ocean Is The Key To Our Survival" and "Top 10 Questions Still Unanswered". My husband, family, and I all went into this vacation with a positive attitude; after all, nothing can waiver our love for the Gulf Coast!!

My first day spent on the Gulf was awesome. This isn't any different from any other vacation we've taken, I thought. We were staying in the bay, which was a different experience for us (we usually stay directly on the beach), but it was gorgeous. We had a beautiful view of the bay bridge and couldn't smell or see oil anywhere. There was definitely a feeling hanging in the air that something wasn't right, but it wasn't enough to even muffle the sounds of laughter and splashing coming from our condo's lazy river and pool area. Ahhh, beach. Do you smell the salty air?? No scent of oil at all! Such a relief.

Day 2... a little different. I noticed once the excitement of being "at the beach" wore down from Day 1 and the little feeling crept in when I heard and saw more helicopters and planes flying over that were "patrolling", so to speak, rather than carrying those awesome banners that we all love so much. "DOC'S SEAFOOD LUNCH SPECIAL!" wasn't as prominent these days. Still, seeing those banners occasionally made me smile. I was on a more heightened alert for anything out of the norm. This day, I saw Black Hawk helicopters, volunteer buses, and boom in the bay. For lack of better wording, it felt like Orange Beach was getting ready to fight a war.

Day 3... same as Day 2. Preparation, waiting. Enjoying the pool and lazy river at the condo. Still have not seen oil (but also have not been to any beaches). At this point, I was thoroughly impressed with all of the locals that we had come in contact with, whether through the condo, restaurants, or grocery shopping at Publix. They were all extremely nice, chipper... normal for the coast. There was a general feeling of "you can't get me down" resonating through every friendly smile, every coastal resident who was still working and still enjoying what they do.

On Day 3, my sister and niece decided to parasail. I personally would probably pee my pants being that high in the air, and although that's partially acceptable over a large body of water, I'd like to keep my dignity slightly in-tact. :) I did, however, volunteer to let my sister take my new "toy" camera (powershot d10 -- waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, awesome camera!) into the air (1200ft... gulp) and I would happily keep my tush in the boat, nearer to the ground as God intended, with my "real" camera. ;) This parasailing trip was the first event of the trip that made my heart stop and my stomach churn. I'd like to blame some of it on motion sickness, but I don't think it was that at all.

As we left the bay going out into the ocean for the trip, we passed another parasailing boat. We were traveling slowly, and our captain looked at the other boat, waved, and said "See any of the red stuff out there?" The other captain waved and said "Not today!!" Our captain smiled and said "Good! That's really good." We ventured on, passing a marine police boat. He smiled and waved to everyone, just as if it were another gorgeous day on the Gulf. It was, wasn't it?

As the bay opened into the Gulf, I felt overwhelmed. Boom was everywhere, clean-up boats were everywhere... There was no oil in sight and the beaches were almost entirely bare. Viewing the beach from the ocean was incredible. Some of my sister's parasailing shots from the "toy" camera are in the slideshow. You'll recognize them, being as they are taken from 1200ft in the air and I get no more than 4ft above ground. ;)

Day 4... I decide I'll go to the beach by myself. I grabbed up my toy camera and went to "investigate" the situation for myself. I stuck my toes in the sand and came out with tar ball covered feet. I put my camera in the water for a few shots and ended up with tar all over it. I spoke with a couple of older gentlemen who were enjoying the beach as I was. I watched two women setting up for a wedding, while a third sat on the boardwalk and cried. I want you to understand from this description that the beach was NOT covered in oil. There were tiny tar balls all in the water washing ashore, but no oil sheen. The largest tar ball I saw this morning was approximately 3in in diameter. The rest were smaller than a dime, but they were most definitely sticky and everywhere.

When I decided that I couldn't take it anymore, I walked past the woman sobbing on the boardwalk and approached the showering area. I turned on the water -- a very futile attempt to wash myself off -- and a local florist (presumably for the wedding taking place that day) came up behind me to use the shower as well. She said "Oh hon, you have oil all over your dress!" I replied "I know, but my dress is replaceable." Then the waterworks started. I began crying as this woman just said "I know... I know..." teared up a little, and walked off.

Day 5... My days began to run together. I couldn't remember how long I had been there, or how long I had left in my trip. We enjoyed our normal "beach" activities -- the outlet center, the great food. Will & I decided to embark on a new tradition -- Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. We took a mile-long hike there and really enjoyed the scenery!!

Day 6... Last day. The day went as others had and as they usually do at the beach... laze around, get sunburned (I mean "tan" for those of you who aren't pale Irish like myself!), and eat at some great seafood joints. That evening, my husband and I decided to go for a stroll on the Gulf State Pier. We had neglected to go despite the fact that it was on our "to-do" list long before we packed our bags to head down to the Gulf. This was probably the most sobering event of our trip. The weather was absolutely perfect that night -- the type of weather that you dream about when you close your eyes and try to whisk yourself away to the ocean. Warm with a cool breeze, waves crashing melodically against the shore. It was beautiful.

When we got to the pier and paid our way in, the two men at the desk appeared to be having a heated discussion. One man saw my camera and said "Are you taking pictures out here?" I was unsure whether or not to tell him yes, but I did. He said "Thank God... Can you take pictures of the BP workers sitting on their butts and send them to the news stations??" Sure, of course I can!! We walked down the pier and I took shots as promised (truth is, I had already taken some of the "workers" before we spoke with the guy). We watched the wildlife for a bit and saw a school of manta rays, some amberjack, and a 6ft long bull shark! They all seemed to be swarming the pier. Boom was stretched around the pier and tied off. Most of it was pitch black from being supersaturated with oil.

Walking back to our car, we stopped to talk to the gentleman who had asked me to take pictures of the workers. I assured him that I did have pictures and that I would send them wherever I could possibly send them. We began talking, as Southerners do, and found out that he grew up less than an hour away from where we live. He talked about life up there, life in the Gulf, and how that night was his last night working for the Gulf State Park because of this oil spill. He didn't know what to do, where to go, or who to turn to. This man began to cry. He was infuriated at those workers who were employed by BP, making $18/hr to sit on their butts while a select few scraped the surface of history's worst oil spill. BP said that their workers were told to rest due to heat exhaustion and other such illnesses. What I witnessed that night was pure laziness. During the two+ hours that we spent at the pier, the same five people were scooping tar balls off of the beach. The other fifteen or so (!!!!) were sitting in lawn chairs drinking sodas and laughing it up. This was only one station, yet we could see 6 others from the pier. All appeared to have the same problem.

When we left the next day, I had a new-found love for the Gulf, its people, and its wildlife. The time I spent there that week will stay with me forever, and I am so grateful that we didn't do as many did and cancel our trip. Seeing this tragedy on the news and seeing it on person evoked two totally different viewpoints from me, and I'm thankful for both. This world of ours is breakable. She's going to die one day. We need to treat her and her children with a little more respect.

I hope you enjoy the slideshow. Please take the time to pay attention to the stories told with each image -- the locals helping each other out, the wildlife, the beauty. This is what we need to save.