Worlds collide

"I feel like I'm visiting family!" Beverly exclaimed as she hugged me. I returned her embrace whole-heartedly, because I felt the same. 

After a second, I pulled back and met her eyes, hands still on her shoulders. "Right?!" 

I had never met Beverly in person, but we felt like old, close friends. We were introduced a few years ago by a mutual collaborator, archaeologist Calvin Mires. We hit it off instantly over Zoom and developed a research proposal to submit together. Alas, the funding gods would not see us collaborate, because the proposal was declined. But we stayed in touch nonetheless. 

Beverly lives in Israel. Her research uses geological methods - mostly sediment cores - to answer archaeological questions. Beverly is also obsessed with tsunamis. Any time she takes a sediment core, she can tell instantly if there was a tsunami in the study site's geological history. "Tsunami deposits," which consist of large rocks and shells, jump out of the cores almost instantly. 

Breakfast at Das Kaiser Haus: Calvin, Beverly, Carl, Kirstin, 
and Evan. International collaborators and friends. 

We brought Beverly's things inside my house, then retired to the back deck with a bottle of rosé wine. We caught up on our research, our families, the state of war in the Middle East. We stayed up late, talking each other's ears off, long after the rosé disappeared. The next morning, my husband was cooking shakshuka for breakfast when the doorbell rang. 

Calvin stepped inside the house, hugged Beverly, then me. "My worlds are colliding!" he declared. "Here's how my career started," he stated, gesturing to Beverly, "and this is where my career is now," gesturing to me. Beverly and I agreed that we were proud to book-end Calvin's career. 

One more collaborator, videographer Evan Kovacs, was able to join us. The breakfast table was warm and lively and uplifting. Beverly even endorsed my husband's shakshuka - a badge that he will wear with pride for a long time. I am so grateful to be part of an international community of scientists and explorers. Beverly's visit was a warm, world-colliding event that I will cherish.