“Otis Redding”, a laid-back adult male seal with big soulful eyes, has been a regular visitor of late to the boat dock on Elliott Bay – watching the ships roll in, and watch ‘em roll away again. He had a nice rest today until the launching of Coast Guard pontoons and other research vessels finally hustled him back into the water.

Netsilik Eskimos believed that while a seal’s body would perish, the seal’s soul was immortal. And, if treated with respect, the same seal would return in earthly form to be caught over and over again. (The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea lions, and Walruses, Marianne Reidman. University of California Press)

Tags: Otis Redding