I am finally doing another post after a long break! On February 9th, our family went on a whale watching boat trip, from Long Beach. It was amazing! The wait to get on the boat was about 10-15 minutes. On the boat, we sat next to a man from London, who told us everything, and anything we wanted to know about the sea. We also saw the Queen Mary, (which I believe is now a hotel), Spruce Goose hangar, and many cargo ships loaded with containers.
The Queen Mary. Photo by: me
The boat went all the way around the Palos Verdes peninsula, (peninsula: A strip of land surrounded by three sides of water, attached to a larger body of land.) into the ocean.
It was a two hour trip, but it was worth it! I strongly recommend going whale watching.
The Whale's first and best sighting. Photo by my Mom
We saw many sea creatures like, sea lions, dolphins, fish, and even some shy whales.
California Sea Lions tanning! Photo by my Dad
I hope you like the collage we made with some of the pictures from the trip.
Have you ever been on a boat? Have you ever seen any sea creatures?
Dear Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you are continuing to blog! Your writing has remained strong, and I certainly loved your photographs! One of my favorites in is the collage. It is the one of you with the big binoculars!
I noticed you had a definition sentence about a peninsula! A perfect place for one!
What kinds of whales are migrating? Also, I'm wondering which direction they are migrating, north or south? I have a lot to learn!
I have not done whale watching before, but would love to experience it one day!
Thanks for a great post!
Your proud former teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteThe picture of me with my big binoculars is also my favorite! I used them almost the whole two hours!
I believe that the grey whales are migrating south to warm waters, this is what the captain said.
I look forward to doing a lot more posts soon!
Your former student,
Alexandra
Dear Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteI like to look at Mrs. Yollis' blog every now and again and I was lucky enough to read your blog about whale watching. I was very interested because, even though I grew up at the beach and spent a lot of time sailing, for some reason, I don't remember ever seeing a whale.
I did like your picture and comment about the sea lions on the buoy, because I remember always seeing them there resting in the sun.
Did you have any trouble with your stomach while you were on the boat? I hope not as that can happen to me sometimes and it is not fun.
Thank you for reminding me how beautiful it is to be out on the ocean. I loved reading about your family's trip to see the whales.
Keep writing,
Mrs. Harding
(A former principal at Chaparral)
Dear Mrs. Harding,
DeleteI also liked the picture about the sea lions on the buoy. Some of the sea lions were in the water, waiting for a turn. I have to admit, they were adorable!
No, I did not have any trouble with my stomach on the boat because I don't really get sea sick.
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Hi Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing about your whale watching trip. Fascinating stuff! I liked your dad's photo of the sea lions on the buoy - how on Earth did they manage to struggle onto it? Were the whales impressive to see? I imagine you were very excited when you spotted them.
Great blog post - keep it up!
Clive (UK)
Dear Clive,
DeleteI think that the sea lions try to jump onto the buoy. It's really hard to imagine, though. Yes, the whales were impressive to see. Unfortunately, We only saw about two. Everyone got exited when the whales were spotted. When we saw them, all the people on the boat rushed from one side of the boat to another. I felt like I was going to tip over the boat!
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Hi Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to see you're blogging again!
Like Mrs Harding, I sometimes get a bit sea sick so I'm not really a fan of boats! It's a shame as I'd love to do a trip like your whale watching tour.
I like how you defined the word peninsula. I actually live on a peninsula. It is called the Bellarine Peninsula.
Would you like to do a longer trip sometime such as a cruise? Where would you like to go?
Your friend in Australia,
Mrs Morris
Dear Mrs. Morris,
DeleteI only get sea sick once in a while. A lot of people dislike boats because of getting sea sick, so when I don't get it, I can enjoy the trip a lot more! I have gone on a cruise before, numerous times. In fact, during spring break my family in going to Vancouver, Canada for a week. After that week, we will be going on a cruise to Alaska. I'm looking forward to writing a big post on that!
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Mrs Morris is right, I think that its great to have an explanation of some of the more difficult words that you included in your recount. Some of the photos were fantastic and I really think that they added something to the recount and I have to say that I did like your Dads photograph of the Sea Lions on the Buiy. Was there very big waves? Were you dissapointed with what you saw?
ReplyDeleteMr Webb and Room Five, Melville Intermediate, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand. melvilleroom8.blogspot.com
Dear Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic post! You are such a great writer, and I've enjoyed watching you push yourself and grow this year as a fourth grade writer.
I loved the part in your blog where you defined the word peninsula. That was the perfect place for you to define that term, ensuring that any of your young readers or foreign followers could fully understand your post. I also loved your picture collage, and had a similar thought as to how those portly seals made it up onto the buoy!
Yes, you are right, part of the Queen Mary is a hotel. I actually stayed there once when I was 8 years old because my cousin was married on the Queen Mary. I don't remember too much about the hotel room, other than the fact that it was really small, and I woke up several times in the middle of the night when the boat was swaying...it was kind of scary! I also remember staying up late at night, dancing on the bow of the ship with my family during the wedding reception. It was very cold, but the night view was incredible!
Thanks for sharing, I am very inspired by your entry!
Your 4th Grade Teacher,
Mrs. Slack :)
Dear Mrs. Slack,
DeleteThank you for posting an amazing comment on my blog! I assumed that the rooms in the Queen Mary hotel would be small, because they have to fit a lot of them in the hotel. I did not know that the boat swayed, but now that I do, if I ever stay in the Queen Mary I will not be scared if I wake up because of that.
Was your experience in the Queen Mary fun?
Your 4th Grade Student,
Alexandra
Dear:
ReplyDeleteAlexandra
I bet you had lots of fun, it must have been a trip you will never forget. Did you do anything do anything else on your vacation?
I can't wait to read more of the posts you wrote!
Dear Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteI think that you were really lucky to go whale watching. I have been on a boat because my dad has one and in the summer he will take me fishing. But I have never been in the ocean so I haven't seen any cool fish like you.
From Emma
Dear Emma,
DeleteThank you for posting a comment on my blog! I think I was very lucky to go whale watching, although anyone can go if they make reservations. I hope I get to go again. It seems like you are very lucky that your father has his own boat. I wish my parents had a boat. If they did, I would go on the boat every weekend.
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Mrs. Lauren. I am taking a college class this summer where I am learning new and exciting ways to use and incorporate technology in my future classroom. Right now, we are learning about blogging. My teacher enjoys reading Mrs. Yollis’ Classroom Blog, and she recommended that each member of our class visit Mrs. Yollis’ blog. From Mrs. Yollis’ blog, I found your blog. You have done a fantastic job! I enjoyed reading your various posts. Your post about whale watching was particularly interesting to me.
In 2011, my husband and I went to Maui, Hawaii. It has been said that Maui is one of the best places in the world to whale watch. One of the reasons for that is West and South Maui are protected by mountains and a national park. This creates calm, clear waters and high visibility. My husband and I visited Maui in the early to mid-part of October, and we did not get to see any whales. While in Maui, we learned that the winter whale watching season is typically from December to May, although some of the local people told us that they have spotted whales as early as late October.
One sea creature we did get to see up close and personal was the sea turtle. We went on a kayaking adventure one day, and the sea turtles swam right up to the surface beside our kayak. They were huge, and so much fun to watch!
It looks like you and your family had a wonderful time. The pictures from your whale watching trip are awesome. I really like the one of the California sea lions. They look like they were having fun too! I hope to return to Maui someday during their whale watching season.
Have you taken any fun trips this summer? Also, since I am new to blogging, do you have any suggestions or tips for me?
Mrs. Lauren