Monday, September 22, 2008

How I spent today

Well, I spent it playing in the mud. Actually, it was more like running mud through my fingers, sieving the mud, and then looking for critters that aren't supposed to be in this area of the coast. It was a good day on the water handling all types of gear like trawls, plankton nets, and dredges (shown below).

There's really nothing like being out on the water working. I stay in my office a lot more than I like most of the time, so it's a real treat to be able to get paid to do something that I love to do, be on a boat.

We found four invasive invertebrate species today. The neatest find of the day came from an abandoned crab pot that was encrusted with a number of species. There were hundreds of an invasive isopod (a member of the crustacean group). And inside the trap were several large stone crabs that had legal sized claws. We had stone crab claws tonight as an appetizer for dinner cooked at the field station.

That's what drew me to this work: the thrill of finding the unexpected. And tomorrow is another day of unexpected things, just like in life in general.

15 comments:

  1. Haha...I was going to say did you eat them? And then you wrote that you did! Yumm!

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  2. Sounds great! Isn't it wonderful when we can get paid for doing what we love?

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  3. Unexpected forms of life, in whatever ways they appear they are a gift. It must be fascinating doing what you do. God is weird but wonderful.

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  4. boys like playing in the mud, no matter their age, heee heee heee. sounds like you are having fun. keep at it!

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  5. How great that you are able to get out and do what you love! Sounds like a wonderful day!

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  6. Hi Syd,

    I've been out of the loop a few days and I've missed reading your posts. Pure and simple stuff to be grateful for. I love that.

    Good to read you again!

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  7. It sounds like a great job you got there syd, maybe I might aim a bit higher than sainsburies (our local supermarket)

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  8. Are the invasive isopod hazardous to the native species there?
    I think you have one of the most important jobs on this planet Syd.
    Keep up the good work:)

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  9. FYI-I'm HIGHLY allergic to shell fish. But they look so delicious when other people eat them! I love to see people eat lobster, the way the butter runs down their forearm..yummmy....well I think it's yummy, I've never tasted one.

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  10. How wonderful when you get paid to work a day full of suprises!

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  11. I really like your site, it's a very interesting angle on this issue and it's opened my eyes to how my children might have seen me before I entered into recovery. Keep the great posts coming I read them everyday.

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  12. Sure beats a desk job! Getting paid to be near the sea. How cool is that?

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  13. I like it when you get all educational on us! with pictures too! thanks :)

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  14. Ah, field work. Sounds like we would both like a little more of it. Those pictures remind me of a class I took as an undergrad.

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