Spotlight Photo of the Week

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Quote of the Week

“Hope clouds observation.”

-Frank Herbert, Dune

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Mira’s Photo of the Week

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Word of the Day

Will you find it?

As a fun challenge each week, Rachel visits Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day when she sits down to write the weekly story. Whatever the word of the day might be, she must find a way to fit into her story. Will you find it?

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Alec & Zahra’s Adventures

South Mountains State Park, North Carolina

Alec and Zahra enjoyed a trip to the South Mountains State Park for a backpacking trip last week. South Mountains State Park is situated at the crossroads of the Appalachian Mountains and the Foothills.

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Jimmy’s Journeys

Lisbon, Portugal

As Jimmy concluded his visit in Tuscany, he was given the gift of a 21-hour layover in Lisbon. Jimmy didn’t squander this opportunity, he seized the day and explored. Below are some of the photos Jimmy shared from his day in Lisbon. The man in uniform was a special gift from Jimmy for the lady readers of the MMM. Best cousin ever.

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Story of the Week

U.S. Naval Undersea Museum

On Saturday, October 22, 2022, a hidden gem was discovered, the United States Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington. Keyport is located 33 miles from Rachel’s home in Tacoma. The museum was established in 1979 and is situated next to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, a Naval Base. It is run by the non-profit Naval Undersea Museum Foundation and admission is free to the public. For a virtual tour of this impressive facility, click the link.  

Upon arrival to the museum, Rachel was met by a deer that appeared to be trapped within the parking area, which is fenced off from the base. He was most definitely not there of his own volition. Rachel enjoyed observing him search the exterior of the property until he found his way to an opening and made his escape.

Rachel met two volunteers upon entry to the museum who gave her the ins and outs of the facility and sent her on her way. Each section of the museum had a focus; the first section was called Giving Voice To The Silent Service. In this section visitors had the opportunity to read about submariners from all walks of life, and the journey they took to become a submariner. The word submariner has its very own display to provide visitors with the preferred pronunciation of the word. Rachel learned that submariners are not referred to as ex-submariners once retired but with great pride continue to be referred to as a submariner for life.

The journey through the museum was fascinating. Rachel learned about the ocean environment, mines, and torpedo technology. She stepped into the control room of a submarine and had the chance to sit at the controls, she read about rescue and recovery, and the progress the Navy has made over the years regarding technology. Her favorite section of the museum was the marine mammal section. At first glance, she thought it odd that this museum would showcase these mammals. Once she began to read, she was enthralled.

One of the first signs she read was titled, Marine Mammals, The Navy’s Super Searchers. As she would learn, the Navy partnered with sea lions and dolphins for operations and considered them their allies. These mammals, being extremely intelligent, were trained to perform a variety of tasks for the Navy, including mine detection, intruder defense, and object recovery. The signage explained that both sea lions and dolphins have natural acoustic and sight abilities that outperform human-made technology, and unlike humans, they can make quick, deep repeated dives. Tuffy was a featured dolphin that had garnered a national audience in 1964 after he starred in a documentary about the Navy’s program. He even made newspaper headlines back in the day. To take a look at these amazing mammals in action performing object recovery and mine detection, click the links.

How did these operations work? According to the signage, “In a typical operation, an animal and 2-3 handlers travel to a search area in a small boat. At the handler’s command, the dolphin or sea lion dives into the water and searches using its detection senses. Animals signal their finds by touching two paddles placed on the boat’s side. They tap the front paddle to indicate a find or the back paddle to indicate no find. When an animal makes a discovery, it dives again to fasten a marker or recovery line to the object or intruder for retrieval by human divers or explosives experts.”  

At the conclusion of her tour, she visited with the volunteers, two retired naval men. Carl was one of the volunteers and was kind enough to share a bit of personal history with Rachel. Carl is a submariner that served for 20 years. He explained that part of his training prior to becoming a submariner included a 6-week intensive training. In his class of 47, only 43 would become submarines with the other four “washing out” due to claustrophobia or the inability to stay calm under pressure.  These four would go on to serve on land. Carl’s service kept him at sea for 72-day stints followed by three months at home, and then repeat. When Rachel inquired as to how submariners adjusted to lengthy time in such an enclosed space, he explained that it wouldn’t take long to adjust to a new depth perception. “The small quarters became the new reality,” he said. He explained that it would be the adjustment on land that would be difficult, as the wide-open space was tricky on re-entry. “There were a lot of accidents when we came home,” he explained.

It was a great way to spend a chilly fall day in this beautiful place Rachel calls home. Until next time, be well.