Thursday, June 14, 2012

My Favorite Question.....

When people hear of Butcher's work schedule, most ask 'How do you do it? I could never be away from my spouse that long!"

The answer is simple. We do it, because we can.

Not every family is cut out for this lifestyle. There are ups and downs to it. Things always seem to break when Butch is on the boat. Band concerts, performances and special church activities always seem to fall on his "on" week. And Christmas? Yeah....see my post entitled "Schedules" for more on that.

The "ups" include things like more family time, a predictable schedule even YEARS in advance, and the fact that Butch loves his job. It pays well and he loves the water and the unpredictability daily activities of tug boat life. He has a great crew of people to work with.

But in all reality, it's relatively easy to live like we do. I was a US Navy wife for 10 years, with numerous deployments and West Pacs under my belt. Those were some hard days! I think about our military friends who live apart from their spouse for a year or long, when on unaccompanied tours or serving in Afghanistan. I think of the families of Longshoremen who go off for months into the dangerous waters of Alaska to fish. Quite simply, a week apart isn't that long in perspective.

The other thing is, WE GET ALONG GREAT! We usually joke that we never fight because we aren't together enough to do it! The truth is, we are together just long enough to start getting on each others nerves, and then it's time for him to leave. Then he's gone long enough that we start to miss each other, and then he comes home. We joke that the secret to a happy marriage is to only spend 6 months out of the year together. Truth be told, I think we appreciate each other more and spend more quality time together by living this life.

Being a tugboat family isn't always easy, but it's our life and we are happy with it! :)

Monday, June 11, 2012

From The Princess's View

Note: Excuse any randomness or bouncing around, it's just how my brain works.

My view of my Dad's job may be different from others. There are negatives to his job and schedule. The weeks he works we don't talk much, if any. I worry about him because his job is very dangerous, but I know he knows this and takes every precaution to protect himself and others. I miss him a lot. When he's working, sometimes I go on sort of an auto-pilot, then something small such as not being able to open a bottle of soda makes me think of him and miss him. He misses a lot of events, like my first high school band concert, Christmas and some birthdays.

I also see positives in his job. I know that he loves his job. I also know that it is a blessing that my Dad has a job right know when many others don't. He's home for a lot, like Thanksgiving and some birthdays. It's also pretty cool that we can go on vacation for a week and he doesn't have to take off work. I also believe that the time we are apart makes us closer when we're together. When he's home, we do a lot as a family and it makes up for the time he works.

-Marissa


Saturday, June 2, 2012

Tug Florida

The tug Butcher has worked on for the past few years is Tug Florida. I thought I would share some pictures of the outside of the tug with you! Perhaps if I asks really sweetly I can get some "inside pics" for you next hitch!


 This is Tug Florida, from the starboard side. This picture was taken on Friday morning at crew change. That is Tug Georgia forward of Tug Florida.



 This is the wheelhouse, where the Captain runs the boat. Usually the Captain is alone but sometimes the wheelman may be there too.


This is Tug Florida returning to the dock after assisting the Maersk Sealander, a huge cargo ship, you see in the background. That ship is heading back out to sea to go to it's next port.



Here is a picture of Butch doing one of his jobs on board, tying up the boat at the dock after finishing with the Maersk Sealander in the picture above. The line he is handling is called a Handy Line or Tie-Up Line.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour!