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?
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