Thursday, January 07, 2010

Something Wicked This Way Comes?

From For Ellipsis


"There is no such thing as an omen. Destiny does not send us heralds. She is to wise or too cruel for that."

-Oscar Wilde

Have you heard about the strange case of the missing sea lions? Pier 39 in San Francisco usually has hundreds of them along the wharf area, but since the end of last October they have been mysteriously disappearing... at an alarming rate! In fact it all occurred virtually overnight! I am so glad I got to go to Pier 39 in March of last year, and was able to capture this picture of them while they were still there. Who knew that in less then a year, they would be mostly gone. :( Local marine biologists have been investigating what might have happened, but so far the situation has them stumped. Earlier today I saw on my local news about a sudden influx on California sea lions found in Oregon, which is good news because at least they are safe, but still one has to wonder... why did they leave San Francisco, and at such a fast rate? :(

Personally, I find the whole thing rather spooky. I wonder if they had some sense of something bad coming our way? And the moderate earthquake we had this morning really isn't helping my mood or my nerves! The 4.1 quake was centered a few miles north of Milpitas, and it was a good jolt to us here in the East Bay. As always, the news reminds us not to be worried, but they also never fail to mention that someday we will be facing the BIG ONE. Fine. Thanks for reminding me. :(

Will 2010 be the year that all of California's woes were erased by the BIG ONE? That's one way to fix California's budget problems I guess... LOL... ROCKING AND ROLLING and SLIDING into the Pacific Ocean in a matter of moments! WEEE! Hey, living here means occasionally the earth will move under your feet. That's just the way it is, but as for the sea lions, well, until someone can give me a simple scientific explanation I think I will lean just the least little bit toward the superstitious side of my reasoning and do a little praying. I just hope it's not too late. I know one thing, a 4.1 quake isn't enough to drive the sea lions away.

:(

Read More About It Here...

San Francisco's Vanishing Sea Lions Baffles Experts

4.1 Preliminary Magnitude Quake Strikes Near Milpitas

USGS Earthquake Log for S.F. Bay Area

UPDATE: A major earthquake (6.5) hit at 4:27 PM near Ferndale Ca.
01/09/10
-Carly

3 comments:

sunflowerkat said...

I heard a fascinating story on NPR a couple of years ago about the impact of noise pollution on sea life. We know what a sound and vibration amplifier water is and certainly seals would be adapted to amny of the manmade sounds of the bay area. The point of the story was that new projects that generate new sounds can drive away indiginous sea life. I'm sure it's one of the many things they are looking into.

I remember seeing the large herds of seals when we lived there. They certainly were a sight to behold.

maryt/theteach said...

Came over from Round Robin Photo Challenge to check out the monday PhotoShoot. Love this post and the photo of the sea lions. Your writing is clever and funny! Thanks! :)

Carolyn Ford said...

I have seen these sea lions so many times and had no idea of this situation. Curious...it is, and sad for San Francisco's Pier 39.