Seize the (Week)Day #3. #Wordless Wednesday #Nature interrupted. #Pull, Push, Park … Wow!

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Linda Schaub

#Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

About Linda Schaub

This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and in 2013 I decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things seen on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, so my blog is peppered with folks I meet or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post. I respect and appreciate nature and my interactions with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. I retired in March 2024 after a career in the legal field. I was a legal secretary for almost 45 years, primarily working in downtown Detroit, then working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Mass Communications (print journalism) in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I would like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met, shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy. I hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub
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38 Responses to Seize the (Week)Day #3. #Wordless Wednesday #Nature interrupted. #Pull, Push, Park … Wow!

  1. Thattamma C.G Menon says:
    August 25, 2021 at 7:03 am

    So awesome photos , ships and beautiful ocean , so gorgeous place 👌🙏🌷😊

    Liked by 1 person

  2. J P says:
    August 25, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    Loved these! I can hear the churn of propellers and smell the diesel fumes!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 25, 2021 at 8:39 pm

      Glad you liked it JP – I was fascinated to watch this operation, then I walked back to the beginning of the boardwalk to get pictures of the crane swinging the massive concrete pillar; they were setting it in place to shore up an area near the marina. It caught the attention of the other walkers too. I figured I didn’t need a narrative as the photos showed all the diesel fumes puffing out of the tug as it chugged along doing its part. They must have had the before-during-and-post operation choreographed as it went so smoothly.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. singlikewildflowers says:
    August 25, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    A productive work day! Your series of pictures was like looking through at a comic strip. Each pic had something different going on.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 25, 2021 at 8:41 pm

      Yes, it was amazing to watch Esther. I watched it from start to finish and I was amazed how quickly and seemingly effortlessly, the tug pulled, then pushed the barge out without missing a beat. Amazing. I had more pictures but grudgingly left them out. 🙂

      Like

      • singlikewildflowers says:
        August 28, 2021 at 1:36 am

        The skill is incredible and must’ve taken years to hone. Must be muscle memory and quick maneuvering.
        Your post read like wordless frames in a comic book. Nice!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        August 28, 2021 at 8:37 pm

        Thank you Esther – I am glad you liked it. I hope to see this set-up again as I was fascinated by what was like a choreographed event. A few weeks ago I was at the River again and there were two freighters passing, at the exact same time. It was very sunny and I had the point-and-shoot camera and was shooting blindly into the sun and the problem is all that I see is my reflection on the back. The photos are not good, but I will use them anyway. It was amazing to see them pass that close to one another.

        Like

  4. ruthsoaper says:
    August 25, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    Nice photos as always. Do you know what the project is that they are working on?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 25, 2021 at 8:48 pm

      Ruth – actually I had seen the set-up going down the Detroit River the week before at BASF Park, but no one was close enough to ask. I recognized the tugboat name. The engineers and all the workers were very nice and answered questions and cordoned off the area where they working, but said we could watch just beyond once they began – they were shoring up areas along the shoreline at Elizabeth Park near the marina. There are cement pillars there and they replaced them and added to them. It was fascinating to watch. I thought of your husband today. I heard this story and went looking for the video. A freighter and a sailboat got a little too close. I see the freighters come really close to small boats, but have never seen them have to honk at them. That sailboat was having a difficult time moving over. The video is really long but the story is in the beginning. It was on the St. Clair River.
      https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/08/24/watch-canadian-freighter-misses-sailboat-st-clair-river/5579570001/

      Liked by 1 person

      • ruthsoaper says:
        August 26, 2021 at 12:47 pm

        Wow! That was a close call. I know the area well. Port Huron just below the Blue Water Bridge. In the video it looks like the freighter turns intentionally toward the sail boat but there is a sharp bend in the river there and he is just following the course. There is also a heavy current there which makes it more difficult for him to stop or change course. A dangerous situation for sure.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        August 26, 2021 at 8:25 pm

        That’s interesting Ruth. I heard the story several times yesterday and thought I’d Google it. Usually you have to pay to read stories on “The Detroit News” site, but this was okay. I wondered why all of a sudden that freighter made the sharp turn like that – now I know. That freighter sure was plowing through the water wasn’t it? I wonder if the sailboat had a difficult time turning due to the heavy current too? I see lots of fishing boats get fairly close up to those freighters and wonder how safe it is doing so?

        Liked by 1 person

      • ruthsoaper says:
        August 26, 2021 at 8:40 pm

        It’s very dangerous for small boats to get that close to the freighters and when they get real close the guy at the wheel can’t even see them.

        Like

      • Linda Schaub says:
        August 26, 2021 at 8:41 pm

        I wondered if the sailboat drifted, but still. I see them get too close at the Detroit River shoreline all the time … and cringe.

        Liked by 1 person

      • ruthsoaper says:
        August 26, 2021 at 8:45 pm

        Since the sail boat was relying on their sails they may have had a hard time changing course. My husband says that to some boaters it seems to be a game. Stupid!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        August 26, 2021 at 8:47 pm

        That could be too … the sailboat was not counting on the freighter turning. I agree with your husband Ruth. Playing chicken with a freighter is really stupid!!

        Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 26, 2021 at 9:34 pm

      I was pretty close to it – no wonder! The engineers really weren’t persnickety about everyone watching up close and they only cordoned off a small area. It was amazing to watch them maneuver around and that huge cement pylon dangling in air. I went down the boardwalk to get those shots so people could see how large it was. 🙂

      Like

  6. Rebecca says:
    August 25, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    Isn’t it fun to watch the hurry and scurry of the boats as they go about their work? A wonderful set of photos!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 26, 2021 at 9:50 pm

      Glad you liked the photos Rebecca. I knew when I saw your post with the boats a few weeks ago, you’d enjoy these. I had more photos but left them out as I thought it might be too long. They were mostly the “scouts” going ahead to check the water was clear of pleasure boats, so that the tug and barge had nothing in their way. I found it fascinating … the entire operation and that’s why I ran to the other end of the boardwalk to take photos from afar of the big cement pillars or pylons that shore up boardwalk area.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. indianeskitchen says:
    August 25, 2021 at 11:23 pm

    I love watching the tugboats and the big freighters unloading at the coal docks. Beautiful pictures Linda!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 26, 2021 at 9:53 pm

      This was fascinating to watch Diane … I even said to one of the engineers that the Captain has done a great job parking the barge so close to the shoreline. He said “he’s a great Captain!” All the diesel smoke puffing out – you could tell how hard that tug was working! They used to load cement at the cement silos near where I worked and it was a client of ours so we could go watch and go aboard. My boss usually did and took me once or twice. They’ve taken the silos away as they built the River Walk. Glad you enjoyed it Diane.

      Like

  8. Eilene Lyon says:
    August 25, 2021 at 11:33 pm

    Oooo. Working boats. I love the tug! It’s fun to watch working vessels. When we visited Lake Superior a few years back, we waited around to watch them pour ore into a big cargo ship hold. It’s so amazing.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 26, 2021 at 9:44 pm

      I really enjoyed watching this operation too Eilene. It was so effortless … that little tug maneuvering the barge with its crane and cement pylons down the River. When I still worked on site, we were near the cement silos (which have since been torn down as part of finalizing the Detroit River Walk). Our client had freighters loading up cement at the silos. They’d dock to load the cement and my boss would go aboard and visit. He took me with him a few times. Those freighters are huge but inside, the accommodations were not all that rustic. My boss used to go on a little freighter trip every Summer … catch it downtown and ride to Wisconsin sometimes, then fly back. No trips the last two years due to COVID though.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Eilene Lyon says:
        August 26, 2021 at 11:20 pm

        That sounds like a fun thing to do – travel with a “deluxe” freighter!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        August 27, 2021 at 6:22 am

        I took a tour of the accommodations and was amazed. That particular client’s freighter, like many other Great Lakes freighters, take on paying passengers, so it resembles a cruise ship that travels on the Great Lakes, but more exciting as it is a working freighter and lots of hustle and bustle. The only drawback was when they are in port loading/unloading, there is no A/C and no cell signal. My boss was on a freighter trip ten years ago and they went to Cleveland on a cement run. There had been a storm and several freighters ahead of them were stacked up in a queue awaiting loads. Their ship got into port and had weather issues. He ended up being in Cleveland twelve or so hours (usually a couple of hours only) and it was a heat wave like we are having right now. I remember this as it was the weekend I started my walking regimen, 10 years ago next week.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. AnnMarie R stevens says:
    August 26, 2021 at 9:37 pm

    Miss Linda…………………………..Now you are into boats??……………………….you are so interesting……………………..to listen to……………………………on ………………………Wordless Wednesday!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 26, 2021 at 9:55 pm

      Ann Marie – I was there at Elizabeth Park walking (from the post I just did on Monday) and right after I saw the groundhog, I was near the Marina and saw the tugboat so went for a closer look. I was there at least an hour watching the tugboat and barge maneuvering around the Detroit River.

      Like

  10. Pam Lazos says:
    August 30, 2021 at 6:05 pm

    Love these, Linda!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Dave says:
    August 31, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    As Pam L. says, there’s something endearing about tugboats (including their name). Maybe it’s because they’re small but mighty (like Popeye back in the day). Or maybe it’s the toy versions that used to bob around our bathtubs when we were kids. Whatever the reason, they’re fascinating to watch (as in the Suez Canal debacle a few months back). Tugboats seem to defy physics as they maneuver much bigger ships around.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 31, 2021 at 8:52 pm

      Dave – I agree with you and Pam and the tugboats remind me of the story we learned about “The Little Engine That Could”. Just like the little engine, this little boat is pulling, pushing and moving this massive barge. The barge was big, but the crane and cement pylons on top of it! I was glad to have captured some of the smoke coming from the smokestack so you could see just how hard that tugboat was working. I was amazed watching the tugboat in the Suez Canal debacle too … it was small so it could get in there and be of benefit.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com says:
    August 31, 2021 at 7:30 pm

    That must have been fun to watch! We are currently in an area with a ton of ferry traffic from island to island… so interesting!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      August 31, 2021 at 8:56 pm

      Yes Janis, I was fascinated (along with everyone on the boardwalk) to watch the whole operation which the tugboat and those engineers made such a large operation go so effortlessly. They seemed to enjoy they had an audience that was interested and explained what they were doing. That tugboat captain steered that barge to the shoreline better than I parallel park (almost never if I can help it). 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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