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I first learned of Doc Ricketts when I read the John Steinbeck book, "Cannery Row". When I read it I fell in love with the character of Ed Ricketts. This morning as I headed for my walk, I spotted a window with "Doc" in the Cannery Row Antique Mall. That set the theme of the day for me.
There is a statue of him at Drake and Wave St., he usually has flowers in his hand.
Ed Ricketts was a scientist who collected and studied the animals and plant life in and around the tide pools. A romantic hero in my eyes. He was friends with John Steinbeck and was in several of Steinbeck's books.
Right before Phil and I moved to the area we watched the movie, "Cannery Row" with Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. The movie caught the spirit and feel of the row. Phil and I loved it and when we got here we fell in love with Cannery Row. I'm smiling thinking of some of our adventures.
I often spend time at Doc's Biological Lab, it sits between the Aquarium and the Intercontinental Hotel. Behind the hotel there is a great area for viewing the ocean.
Behind the lab, sits the ocean and there are large cubes where he stored his larger animals.
Ricketts was killed in a car, hit by a train on March 8, 1948.
There are still a few remains of the old canneries on the row.
I walked around Cannery Row, just trying to imagine what it would have been like when Ed Ricketts and John Steinbeck walked the streets.
The aquarium has a great exhibit showing the canneries and the history of Ed Ricketts.
Then to one of my favorite places, the Great Tidal Pools in Pacific Grove. The tide was coming in but there were still some pools to check out.
As I walked from one pool to the next I spotted a couple of black tail deer.
As I was looking around, I spotted this decorated rock, I left it there for the next person. I took in the message and remembered all the times Phil found these rocks. After he found them, we often re hid them in the gardens at the hospital.
For Phil
I miss you! I know you would have loved this blog.
