Back on Land, Back into the Library

So last night (or was it the night before) we were sent an e-mail asking (begging?) us to write some blogs. Well, I can’t claim to be super savvy when it comes to technology, but I can write a blog- especially when I have 30 minutes until class time, and I’m distracted enough to not be productive.

I’m currently sitting in the Friday Harbor Labs library. The window to my left overlooks Friday Harbor. Boats and ferries come and go in the flat, misty gray light of the morning. I have been searching for articles for my research project. I’m currently exploring fish, echolocation, killer whales, bathymetry, foraging… and the list continues. Most of my classmates are settled on a topic to investigate, though they may not have methods nailed down. I am struggling a bit to comfortably settle with a single topic. I have so many questions.

Team VaTo (for Val, our intstructor and Todd, our captain) finished our first week at sea, and we’re now back on land taking advantage of the library, fast intenet connection, and showers. I still have a slight case of “dock rock,” so now and again I find myself swaying and wondering why my world seems like it is rocking.

Yesterday, we went to Lacrover Farm to harvest strawberries, raspberries, potatoes, and carrots. Going to the farm and learning about local, organic farming is part of the sustainability component of the Beam Reach program. The berries were amazing, and playing in the dirt was fun. I have a picture of Ash and myself with some of the fruits of our labor which I will post in the BR gallery. Take note of the dirt on my forehead- I seem to have a hard time staying clean.

I will also try to get some photos of our first week at sea into the gallery. It was a truly amazing week. At this very moment (10:13am, PDT) you can go to the gallery and see two of my favorite photos- a breaching killer whale with Mt Baker in the background and a picture I took of two Harbor Seals in an intimate moment.

It’s now time to head to class. I hope that team JaMi (instructor Jason and captain Mike) is having a good time on the water. I wonder where the whales are right now…

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.