Babysitting on the moon

One son enrolled in daycare and another back in school...what's a mom to do with her mornings? Well, four are already booked with classes and appointments, but one morning is free. Strange as it sounds, I couldn't wait to do more babysitting. For a monk seal. Earlier this summer a female monk seal pup was born just down the beach from the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore. I couldn't volunteer during the summer, but without any children in tow this month, I decided to try a shift every week. So here I am, near a rocky cove other volunteers have dubbed "the moon" due to the jagged landscape, watching a seal in a very, very deep sleep. She's found the perfect hideaway in an area carved out of sharp lava rock. Last week during my first shift, she was tucked away so well I couldn't find her. Today she is a little more prominent, in a shallow pool of water between rocky areas. She's a beauty!