| Ride the Ducks!!!! |
| Last Friday, my car was in the shop getting a new alternator. It's impossible for me to get home without a car, since public transit stops 5 miles from my house. So my grade partner, Jonathan, dropped me off along the waterfront where Vic works. We'd go home together after his shift was over. Vic is a Ramp Captain with "Ride the Ducks" an amphibious boat operations company. Someone with a Commercial Driver's License drives the boat thru the historic area and pulls up to the ramp along the Delaware River, where Vic or another Ramp Captain takes over for the water portion of the trip. As I got out of the car and walked down the street to the ramp, I saw Vic hop onto a DUKW (Duck). So I hung out at the van for a bit and enjoyed listening to the various drivers entertaining their patrons by telling tall tales, singing and cracking jokes. It's a great job for wannabe stand-up comedians! |
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| The flora was sparse, but there was interesting fauna. The little birds are so tame they hop right up to you, expecting a handout. The swimmers are almost that tame. |
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| Vic's co-workers welcomed me graciously while he was gone and I had a nice converstion with Vic's collegue about teaching and music. Turns out he is a former music teacher from the area. When he came back, I saw the boat approach and took a photo before he 'landed.' Right now, his nametag says, "Captain Vic" but they may be making one up that says' "Captain Santa." Whaddya think? |
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| After Vic got off the Duck, we hung out and took photos till his next ride arrived. We certainly saw some interesting sights. The ducks seemed to have a sense of humor as this one decided to change the meaning of the DUCK RAMP sign. It was a gorgeous day and people were starting their weekend boating early. Some Skidooers ran circles around the sailboats. That's the Ben Franklin Bridge above us. It's a most gorgeous sight at night when it's all lit up. There are trains that run across to Camden and the lights do the 'wave' as the train speeds by. They also change the colors of the lights for various holidays. It's red, white and blue right now for the July 4th holiday. Philadelphia does it up big during the time between Flag Day and July 4th. There are free concerts, fireworks, parades, street performances, and any manner of entertainment. It's a great place to spend the beginning of Summer! Especially down at the waterfront where so much is going on. Right now they are filming a Trading Spaces episode or two along Penn's Landing at the Seaport Museum. Come on down! |
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