The land of ducks and beavers
How many times have I retrieved my car from an airport parking lot and driven back to Coos Bay? Far too many to count. How often have I been pinned between the coastal mountains and the Cascades as I head south on highway 5? How often have I passed the exit for highway 58, leading to central Oregon, and chosen instead 38 toward the coast? How many times have I prayed for no elk to appear on the road as I raced forward into the darkness? Far too many to count.
I'm back in Oregon now, and everything seems to be right where I left it. My apartment is still in disarray with half-boxed belongings strewn about. The town is still quiet; the sea is still calm. The air is as hazy and humid as ever.
I actually went in to the lab yesterday because we had a visitor. A student from the University of Washington drove down to chat with me about image analysis. She had a photo mosaic from a series of cold seeps off the Oregon coast and needed tips on how to approach the data. It was pretty neat for me to see what she was working on - though I use image analysis techniques a lot, I don't typically work on chemosynthetic systems. We charted a good course for her analysis, so I look forward to seeing what the data reveal.
The trip served a dual purpose as a delivery run, because the student brought high-definition video and an exciting artifact for a new display at the Charleston Marine Life Center. It's a chimney from a hydrothermal vent in the Pacific, chain-sawed off by an ROV earlier this summer. Whole chimneys are rarely collected, so the piece will make an informative and unique display for the public in Oregon. We even talked about cutting it length-wise to reveal the fluid channels inside.
It's great to collaborate with scientists from adjacent universities, because both sides benefit and learn new things. I had a great time hosting the UW student!
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| The chimney is only about a foot and a half long, but it is HEAVY. |
I'm back in Oregon now, and everything seems to be right where I left it. My apartment is still in disarray with half-boxed belongings strewn about. The town is still quiet; the sea is still calm. The air is as hazy and humid as ever.
I actually went in to the lab yesterday because we had a visitor. A student from the University of Washington drove down to chat with me about image analysis. She had a photo mosaic from a series of cold seeps off the Oregon coast and needed tips on how to approach the data. It was pretty neat for me to see what she was working on - though I use image analysis techniques a lot, I don't typically work on chemosynthetic systems. We charted a good course for her analysis, so I look forward to seeing what the data reveal.
The trip served a dual purpose as a delivery run, because the student brought high-definition video and an exciting artifact for a new display at the Charleston Marine Life Center. It's a chimney from a hydrothermal vent in the Pacific, chain-sawed off by an ROV earlier this summer. Whole chimneys are rarely collected, so the piece will make an informative and unique display for the public in Oregon. We even talked about cutting it length-wise to reveal the fluid channels inside.
It's great to collaborate with scientists from adjacent universities, because both sides benefit and learn new things. I had a great time hosting the UW student!
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