We had our last day of class on Tuesday.
That was fun.
It doesn't sound like we've had that much class since we've been here in the past 4 weeks but we've actually had the same amount of class as we would've in a normal semester. It's just been quite crammed. Kind of crazy to think about.
So we've mostly just been doing research and writing and such in our "spare" time. Just living the dream.
As I write this right now, I can see little rain drizzle outside. It's kind of a cozy little day.
But. I need to get some things done so, until next time!
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thursday, April 30, 2015
A Day at the Docks.
Yesterday, Wednesday, April 29th, our little field trip was to head over the the Charleston marina. Because you never know what you'll find underneath those docks.
(Actually, you kind of do, because it's a pretty specific habitat).
BUT. Here's a crazy interesting thing about it. The floating docks, are well, floating. So what happens is larvae is laid there and the young hatch there and they live their entire lives on these floating docks. And one wrong step, and then fall off to their impending doom. (Not really, but they do fall down to the sea floor where, in some cases, they do die. But in other instances, they just have to figure out how to live in a new habitat. Isn't that crazy to think about? They can never return back to the docks.) Which meant we had to be kind of careful when we picked creatures up and placed them back because we didn't want to be the reason for their demise.
He was also kind of a little model. He knew that we were all taking his picture so he swam over to us and just kind of sat there and showed off for a bit. Here he is in his model pose:
One of the coolest things that happened was one of the harbor seals who was also pretty playful would dive deep and then pop up underneath someone's face. (Remember how we were all laying down on the dock with our faces inches above the surface?) A few people got quite the scare but the best one was Dr. Holyoak. He had his waterproof camera with him and he was taking all sorts of pictures and he heard a splash above his head, but he was wearing baseball hat so he couldn't see what it was. Well, when he did see what it was, he was practically nose-to-nose with a harbor seal so he quickly snapped a picture as best he could with his camera. And this is what he got:
(Actually, you kind of do, because it's a pretty specific habitat).
BUT. Here's a crazy interesting thing about it. The floating docks, are well, floating. So what happens is larvae is laid there and the young hatch there and they live their entire lives on these floating docks. And one wrong step, and then fall off to their impending doom. (Not really, but they do fall down to the sea floor where, in some cases, they do die. But in other instances, they just have to figure out how to live in a new habitat. Isn't that crazy to think about? They can never return back to the docks.) Which meant we had to be kind of careful when we picked creatures up and placed them back because we didn't want to be the reason for their demise.
So this is what we basically did for like two hours. It kind of made me sick so.. I kind of stopped doing it but it was a relaxing little day.
Rachel, me & Courtney.
We also made a friend. And he & his friends were quite the pranksters. This guy knew that we were collecting stuff and he would wait around for us to feed it to him (which we never did). And when we weren't feeding him, he would try and scare us. Kind of a playful thing but it was kind of funny/scary, depending on how close you were to him when he decided to pop out of the water. This is a fur seal and he was cute.
Pretty cool, huh? You can read his full account here.
This is the post office I wrote about here. I figured it should be documented. Kind of small & sketch, right?
Escape to an Estuary.
On Tuesday, another rainy-misty day in Oregon, our planned adventure was to go to the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, which is located about 5 miles south of where we are in Charleston.
It was a pretty drive getting there and it was a cool place to go on a little hike and explore, and the weather made it so some creatures were outside that normally wouldn't be if it was dry. Like newts and snakes.
I didn't take that many pictures because.... I didn't think it was too exciting but, here are a few.
Part of the reason we came to the estuary was to see, not only the creatures that live there and the habitat, but also to see the restoration that is taking place within estuaries. If you notice in this picture above, they've dymamited the dyke in an effort to allow these closer mudflats to enjoy the flow of the ocean tides.
So. That about covers it. It was quite an exciting day.
I think I've come to the conclusion that I've been on too many "study abroads" because I get kind of bored when we go out on adventures. Whoops. I think that's because I've done it SO many times, and although it's different every time, it's kind of the same. So, that's a think.
Luckily, today (Thursday 4/30) is the last field trip day and today we're going on a boat. So, that should be good. :)
It was a pretty drive getting there and it was a cool place to go on a little hike and explore, and the weather made it so some creatures were outside that normally wouldn't be if it was dry. Like newts and snakes.
I didn't take that many pictures because.... I didn't think it was too exciting but, here are a few.
On the bridge with Jessica.
Mud flats. Taken from an exciting bridge.
I think I've come to the conclusion that I've been on too many "study abroads" because I get kind of bored when we go out on adventures. Whoops. I think that's because I've done it SO many times, and although it's different every time, it's kind of the same. So, that's a think.
Luckily, today (Thursday 4/30) is the last field trip day and today we're going on a boat. So, that should be good. :)
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
The Beautiful Beach.
This week, because of the tides, we're doing things a bit differently.
We had class in the mornings and then we went out on a field trip in the afternoon.
Dr. Holyoak decided last minute to have yesterday be the day that we learn about sandy shores (aka the beach) day since it was such a beautiful day. Sunshine, warm temperatures and just a gentle breeze. It was lovely.
Except, the field trip that we went on today involved going to the beach. Followed by 3 more beaches. It was a rough day.
I mean, look at these pictures.
Bastendorf Beach
Lighthouse Beach
Sunset Bay
Just a little selfie.
Chaco day! Happy day!
Cool flowers at Simpson Bay.
Simpson Bay.
We were looking for whales, With our binoculars.
We didn't spot any.
So. I guess that basically sums up our adventure.
We took sand samples at each beach and we're going to compare them and sift them to see how the wave action effects the sand size. Cool, huh?
Want to read more? You can find more here: byui-mbfe.blogspot.com
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Post Offices & Small Towns.
I decided the other day that it would be nice of me to send poor little Kep some postcards while I was away. Which meant that I needed to buy some stamps and postcards.
Today we had some free time so I figured it would be a good time to get those two things.
I googled Post Office in Charleston and it told me that there was one literally 5 minutes, away. If you walk. Perfect.
So I recruited Courtney to come with me on an adventure and we headed through the seafood packing plant and across the pier and down the marina and found a weird shed turned post office. We walked in and the entire walk was PO boxes, except for a little window where you could see the office behind it. We walked up and waited for the post guy to come and help us.
He came up and asked if he could help us with something. I told him I wanted to buy some postcard stamps.
He then asked me if I had any money. Which, typically, when I want to buy something, I make sure I bring money with me so I kind of thought that was a silly question.
I said that I did. He then explained to me that they only take the kind of money that has president's face on it. Not the plastic kind. I told him that I only had the plastic kind. He said plastic money wasn't money, it was just the illusion of money.
He then asked if we were from OIMB, to which we said yes. He then looked at me and said "you look trustworthy". He then confirmed that I was a biologist and said that because his son was a biologist, he could trust us. He asked how many stamps I wanted and I told him 3. He then gave me 3 postcard stamps and said "Just come back next week and give me $1."
So I now have an IOU with the guy at the Charleston Post Office.
We then went shopping at some of the little shops down the road, which are kind of interesting. It's an interesting little town we live in. The guy at the antique store told us that a second casino is opening on May 8th but that we probably weren't old enough for that anyway.
The woman at the gift store at the end of the road (which also wanted cash) told me that she rode her first escalator when she was 5 at a mall in San Jose, California. ha so that was presh.
And another woman at a little boutique on our way back gave us quite the look when we told her that we weren't going to the Oyster fest happening at OIMB today. {Technically, we were a part of it because it was in our backyard and the band was right below us.}
Today was the day that we got to see the real side of a typical Oregon small town.
And it was just as weird as I suspected.
Today we had some free time so I figured it would be a good time to get those two things.
I googled Post Office in Charleston and it told me that there was one literally 5 minutes, away. If you walk. Perfect.
So I recruited Courtney to come with me on an adventure and we headed through the seafood packing plant and across the pier and down the marina and found a weird shed turned post office. We walked in and the entire walk was PO boxes, except for a little window where you could see the office behind it. We walked up and waited for the post guy to come and help us.
He came up and asked if he could help us with something. I told him I wanted to buy some postcard stamps.
He then asked me if I had any money. Which, typically, when I want to buy something, I make sure I bring money with me so I kind of thought that was a silly question.
I said that I did. He then explained to me that they only take the kind of money that has president's face on it. Not the plastic kind. I told him that I only had the plastic kind. He said plastic money wasn't money, it was just the illusion of money.
He then asked if we were from OIMB, to which we said yes. He then looked at me and said "you look trustworthy". He then confirmed that I was a biologist and said that because his son was a biologist, he could trust us. He asked how many stamps I wanted and I told him 3. He then gave me 3 postcard stamps and said "Just come back next week and give me $1."
So I now have an IOU with the guy at the Charleston Post Office.
We then went shopping at some of the little shops down the road, which are kind of interesting. It's an interesting little town we live in. The guy at the antique store told us that a second casino is opening on May 8th but that we probably weren't old enough for that anyway.
The woman at the gift store at the end of the road (which also wanted cash) told me that she rode her first escalator when she was 5 at a mall in San Jose, California. ha so that was presh.
And another woman at a little boutique on our way back gave us quite the look when we told her that we weren't going to the Oyster fest happening at OIMB today. {Technically, we were a part of it because it was in our backyard and the band was right below us.}
Today was the day that we got to see the real side of a typical Oregon small town.
And it was just as weird as I suspected.
Quick Recap.
We've been here for a week. And I think it'll be hard for me to catch you up on everything that has happened so I'll just summarize things for you and give you some pictures. Perf.
Tuesday and Thursday we went to South Cove to look at the tide pools.
Did I mention we do science? These are very scientific tools that we use to make elevation measurements. They're PVC pipes that are labeled every centimeter. It's great. And this is my friend, Rachel. We're also wearing matching waders. It's great.
Both days it was a little rainy and overcast cloudy. But sometimes a little mist makes things look prettier. Although it also makes it colder, which isn't very fun. It's fun though, because we can see lots of cool things and we even saw a sea! Aw, they're cute.
There's a bit of a funny story with the following picture. We were getting ready to leave so we were all making out way back to the beach and then up to our cars but we were all going at our own pace. My friend Jessica & I happened to be a little ahead of the rest of the class so we were having a jolly time checking out some sealife. We happened upon a pool where there was an anemone (green with what looks like are fangs) and an empty urchin shell (spiky purple). So wanting to see what would happen, we put the empty urchin on the anemone. And like it should, it thought it was food and the anemone started to eat the empty urchin.
We just left it there, after we took some pictures. Little did we know, our professor, Dr. Holyoak was not too far behind it so he walked past it and saw the same thing and called us back to see the cool thing that was happening. We didn't have the heart to tell him what had really happened so... now most our class thinks this is a real thing when in reality, we just falsified nature. We're bad people, aren't we?
Tuesday and Thursday we went to South Cove to look at the tide pools.
Did I mention we do science? These are very scientific tools that we use to make elevation measurements. They're PVC pipes that are labeled every centimeter. It's great. And this is my friend, Rachel. We're also wearing matching waders. It's great.
{ignore the fact that my eyes are closed...}
Both days it was a little rainy and overcast cloudy. But sometimes a little mist makes things look prettier. Although it also makes it colder, which isn't very fun. It's fun though, because we can see lots of cool things and we even saw a sea! Aw, they're cute.
There's a bit of a funny story with the following picture. We were getting ready to leave so we were all making out way back to the beach and then up to our cars but we were all going at our own pace. My friend Jessica & I happened to be a little ahead of the rest of the class so we were having a jolly time checking out some sealife. We happened upon a pool where there was an anemone (green with what looks like are fangs) and an empty urchin shell (spiky purple). So wanting to see what would happen, we put the empty urchin on the anemone. And like it should, it thought it was food and the anemone started to eat the empty urchin.
We just left it there, after we took some pictures. Little did we know, our professor, Dr. Holyoak was not too far behind it so he walked past it and saw the same thing and called us back to see the cool thing that was happening. We didn't have the heart to tell him what had really happened so... now most our class thinks this is a real thing when in reality, we just falsified nature. We're bad people, aren't we?
Wednesday & Friday though, we went other places. Wednesday we went to Charleston Point which is just north of us. And the picture of that is the picture I posted in this post. It was a beautiful day. Sunshine and blue skies and cute creatures. It was lovely.
Yesterday, however, was our mud day. So we went to the mud flats, just south of us. It was pouring rain in the morning and then right as were were about to leave, it got really nice. And then during our walk down the street, Dr. Holyoak must've been praying for rain because by the time we walked the 1/2 mile, it was starting to drizzle and it was cold & windy. So we worked in the cold and as we were coming home, it all cleared up and it was perfectly sunny the rest of the day, rude.
We found some little clams and worms and stuff. Exciting, huh? But! I did get some good pictures.
Typical Oregon Selfie.
{Muddy boots}
So typically we go out on an early adventure in the mornings and then we come back and have lunch and then have class for a few hours and then have dinner and then we have homework or research time. It's a pretty nice schedule.
Although the RM in me has a really hard time without knowing my schedule and having a super productive day all planned out. But it's getting better. We're getting into a better groove.
There you go.
A Picture.
They say a picture is worth 1000 words.
Welp. Here it is.
This is where I live, people.
Beautiful, eh?
Friday, April 24, 2015
Spring Break. Part 2.
Thursday morning, I woke up in Corvallis where we had a busy few days.
Headed to Institute at 9.
{I can't remember what we did after that...}
Had Burgerville for lunch (YUM) with Karryn & Katie.
Nicole did some stuff at school while I did homework.
We had Cafe Yumm! for dinner which was also yum.
And we probably did other things. haha
Friday we played raquetball which was super fun.
And then we perused the Beaver Store (aka OSU's bookstore).
Following that, we went to Friday Forum which is basically lunch at the Institute. That was fun.
Friday afternoon, Hyrum & I went around Corvallis with Ezzie to get some estimates to get her fixed. It's going to be pricey.
And then we went to the temple that night with the Anderson's. It was nice but also really hard to be there without Kep.
Saturday morning, we woke up and went to breakfast with Raven. And then went to Woodburn to the outlets. Where we bought lots of important things that we needed. Like new tennis shoes and a rain jacket. It was good times.
And then we went to the Tulip Festival at the Wooden Shoe Farm! So presh.
There's a little patch of flowers there where you can pick your own. These are the ones that Nicole picked and we also picked a few for Karryn. Tender.
Saturday night, Nicole went to a dance for a little bit while I skyped Kep and then we had some friends over (Elyse and Scott & Raven) which was quite fun to see all these people. So many Jerusalem people in one week!
Sunday I was in a lot of pain but Erin was in town which was so so fun! Love her. And love the 9 years of friendship that we've had. And it's so fun that she & Nicole are friends too.
It was a jolly good week. And it was especially nice not having school.
But Monday, after doing laundry and getting organized, I packed up my little car and drove to Charleston, Oregon, 3 windy hours away from Corvallis and where the adventure continues.
Stay tuned!
Headed to Institute at 9.
{I can't remember what we did after that...}
Had Burgerville for lunch (YUM) with Karryn & Katie.
Nicole did some stuff at school while I did homework.
We had Cafe Yumm! for dinner which was also yum.
And we probably did other things. haha
Friday we played raquetball which was super fun.
And then we perused the Beaver Store (aka OSU's bookstore).
Following that, we went to Friday Forum which is basically lunch at the Institute. That was fun.
Friday afternoon, Hyrum & I went around Corvallis with Ezzie to get some estimates to get her fixed. It's going to be pricey.
And then we went to the temple that night with the Anderson's. It was nice but also really hard to be there without Kep.
Saturday morning, we woke up and went to breakfast with Raven. And then went to Woodburn to the outlets. Where we bought lots of important things that we needed. Like new tennis shoes and a rain jacket. It was good times.
And then we went to the Tulip Festival at the Wooden Shoe Farm! So presh.
There's a little patch of flowers there where you can pick your own. These are the ones that Nicole picked and we also picked a few for Karryn. Tender.
Saturday night, Nicole went to a dance for a little bit while I skyped Kep and then we had some friends over (Elyse and Scott & Raven) which was quite fun to see all these people. So many Jerusalem people in one week!
Sunday I was in a lot of pain but Erin was in town which was so so fun! Love her. And love the 9 years of friendship that we've had. And it's so fun that she & Nicole are friends too.
It was a jolly good week. And it was especially nice not having school.
But Monday, after doing laundry and getting organized, I packed up my little car and drove to Charleston, Oregon, 3 windy hours away from Corvallis and where the adventure continues.
Stay tuned!
Spring Break. Part 1.
First things first.
Before I can tell you about the stuff that I'm doing for "school" (kidding, it really is school, it just doesn't always feel like it), I should tell you about my adventures before school started.
My last day of school (April 10th) was a busy one. I had a final at 7am and then one due at midnight (a take-home one) in in the time in between those two tests, I had to pack, move and clean my apartment. And drive to Utah.
I submitted my test at about 8:40pm, just in time to get in the car and start driving.
We got to Utah in fairly good time. Except for the 20 minutes that we spent sitting in McDonald's drive thru, in Midvale. Whoops. But we were hungry.
Saturday, I spent the day doing all sorts of wedding activities. First I headed to the Draper temple for Brianna and Casey's wedding. They were cute. I don't have a picture of them but... here's a pretty picture of the Draper Temple.
Before I can tell you about the stuff that I'm doing for "school" (kidding, it really is school, it just doesn't always feel like it), I should tell you about my adventures before school started.
My last day of school (April 10th) was a busy one. I had a final at 7am and then one due at midnight (a take-home one) in in the time in between those two tests, I had to pack, move and clean my apartment. And drive to Utah.
I submitted my test at about 8:40pm, just in time to get in the car and start driving.
We got to Utah in fairly good time. Except for the 20 minutes that we spent sitting in McDonald's drive thru, in Midvale. Whoops. But we were hungry.
Saturday, I spent the day doing all sorts of wedding activities. First I headed to the Draper temple for Brianna and Casey's wedding. They were cute. I don't have a picture of them but... here's a pretty picture of the Draper Temple.
We then went to their luncheon (after I got a little hangry at Kep, whoops, sorry!) and then visited briefly with Grandma & Gramps, although Grandma wasn't home. And then we went to Brianna & Casey's reception for like approximately 20 minutes before driving down to Springville for Kelcey & David's reception. And then we left after 20 minutes (ha) so we could go to dinner with Moom, Doom, Nallie and Brady & Alyssa. Yum.
It was a whirlwind of a day.
Sunday, we went to the Bement's ward, even though they weren't there (because it was at a good time, don't judge) and then we changed our clothes and drove to Red Lobster (don't judge again) in Murray so that we could see Matthew and Jenna. We had a super fun time at lunch (apparently Matthew & Kep are twins, which is good). We then went and saw Alf & Carolyn and then back to Grandma & Gramp's house and then to Cafe Rio before Moom, Doom & Nallie left for the airport and we went back down to Provo for the night.
Monday was a day of reunions.
We first had breakfast at Kneader's with Amy Cope! Boy, was that an exciting breakfast (and yummy!).
It'd been 13 months since we'd seen each other! Exciting times!
Her first time meeting Kep (or as she calls him, Dad. haha)
Just because pictures of us are good too.
Kep then went to work at the Provo office and I then showered and put on make up (see above pictures to notice it lacking) and then I headed to BYU to see my favorite Jerusalem friends!
Charlotte & I got Jamba and then we chatted with Suzy for a while. Then I went to class with Suzy while Lottie went to work and then we met back up and had another good little chat. And then Charlotte & I went to dinner and then I went back to Brady & Alyssa's to get all our stuff.
I picked Kep up from work at 6 and we headed to Midvale. Not without giving Ezzie a bit of an owie though. Although I'd been feeling all weekend like Ezzie was going to get hurt so.... I wasn't that surprised and I was almost a little relieved it wasn't something worse.
After I dropped him off at Kara & Gavin's, which was heartbreaking, and I drove to Boise. A long and empty road, all by myself.
After staying the night at Suzanne's in Boise, I drove to Portland on Tuesday which was,,, also boring and long. But it got prettier as I got closer to the coast. And the snow, hail and rain was a fun adventure.
Emma & I hung out on Tuesday night, and then I had ice cream sundaes with Erin and then I about died when I got in my bed. I. was. exhausted.
Wednesday, Nicole & Katie came up from Corvallis/Albany so we could have a birthday lunch for Emma. It was yum.
We then visited the Portland Temple and hung out with the Sister missionaries at the Visitor's Center. It was good. And quite pretty.
We then hung out at the Young's house and after Emma & Katie went to a dancing thing, we did a surprise birthday decoration for Emma. Good times.
21 bottles of Martinelli's for Emma's 21st birthday.
Party decorations.
And an apple-solutely heartfelt note outside her door.
And then, I drove to Corvallis for Spring Break pt. 2.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Daily Schedule.
Since I know you're probably wondering what we do all day long, I figured I'd tell you.
I've been waking up between 6:30-6:50 in order to get to breakfast by 7.
The tide predicts our whereabouts so if low tide is late, we get a little more time in the morning. But breakfast is from 7-7:30 so, if we want to eat, we have to be down there then.
We then go out and do science!
Tuesday and today, we went to South Cove, Cape Arago, Charleston, Oregon. A place we like to refer to as.... South Cove.
Yesterday however, we went to Charleston Point, which is just down the road from us.
After we go out and do some sciencey thing, we come back and we sometimes have a little time before lunch but other times we come back right in time for lunch.
We then have been having class from about 2:00-4:00 (sometimes even as late as 4:30) and we have dinner at 5:30.
After dinner, we sometimes have group meetings/class at 7 or sometimes we just have the rest of the night to work on our lab notebooks or review data and stuff.
Or blog. That's also a thing that I've added to my 'to do' list.
And typically, I'm getting ready for bed by 10 so that I can be asleep by 10:30.
Just like the mission. Except there's a lot more ocean and school involved here.
So. There you have it.
The days are long but I think that the weeks will fly by.
All 4 of them.
I've been waking up between 6:30-6:50 in order to get to breakfast by 7.
The tide predicts our whereabouts so if low tide is late, we get a little more time in the morning. But breakfast is from 7-7:30 so, if we want to eat, we have to be down there then.
We then go out and do science!
Tuesday and today, we went to South Cove, Cape Arago, Charleston, Oregon. A place we like to refer to as.... South Cove.
Yesterday however, we went to Charleston Point, which is just down the road from us.
After we go out and do some sciencey thing, we come back and we sometimes have a little time before lunch but other times we come back right in time for lunch.
We then have been having class from about 2:00-4:00 (sometimes even as late as 4:30) and we have dinner at 5:30.
After dinner, we sometimes have group meetings/class at 7 or sometimes we just have the rest of the night to work on our lab notebooks or review data and stuff.
Or blog. That's also a thing that I've added to my 'to do' list.
And typically, I'm getting ready for bed by 10 so that I can be asleep by 10:30.
Just like the mission. Except there's a lot more ocean and school involved here.
So. There you have it.
The days are long but I think that the weeks will fly by.
All 4 of them.
Oregon.
After a long haitus, I'm back travelling and pretending to be in school while I do it.
After 3 consecutive semesters in Rexburg (bleh), I'm doing have a semester here on the Oregon Coast to complete my undergraduate research and also take marine biology, which is a class I really want to take before I graduate but isn't offered again until I'm gone.
So this is my new home for the next month, as I go on field trips, study little sea creatures and continue working towards a degree by spending as many semesters away as possible.
After 3 consecutive semesters in Rexburg (bleh), I'm doing have a semester here on the Oregon Coast to complete my undergraduate research and also take marine biology, which is a class I really want to take before I graduate but isn't offered again until I'm gone.
So this is my new home for the next month, as I go on field trips, study little sea creatures and continue working towards a degree by spending as many semesters away as possible.
(photo cred: Rachel Merenda)
And don't worry, I'll try to post frequently so that you can be nice & updated on my life.
Until then, I need to go wear my waders and find some sea friends.
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