Nemo

Long delay in posting since I got back from Alaska - nothing major but I did get norovirus while I was in Boston, followed by a chest cold....and time just flew away. I've also been moving offices at work, which is taking up a fair amount of time - just across the hall to a 'suite' with a second office that will be my graduate student Steve's, so it's a good move, but the timing has been not what I would have chosen.

So - at the moment, we are at home awaiting a massive blizzard! The University is shut and Brandon decided to work at home today (with an hour commute and it already having snowed 2 inches this morning, i'm glad at that decision), so we're sitting in what feels like a snowglobe as it comes down outside. I love the snow, so i'm excited by this storm, the thought of power outs in front of the fire with board games appeals to my inner need to get away from it all. Right at this moment there's a cat on each windowsill looking out to the snow, Brody is curled up in front of the fire and Barkley is curled up at my feet on the couch. All is well.

Hope everyone is well out there, and stays safe in the storm if you're in the Northeast!

Curling up with the Barkley....on our pink carpet.....!

The old lady gets some special time each day with Brandon and me as we head for bed. She's the only critter allowed upstairs and sleeps at the end of our bed, usually keeping us up with her snoring! 

Miss Barkley!

Movie

Short highlight movie of our research cruise to Alaska!

Nat Geo Post

Still in Alaska, headed home tomorrow after a weekend in Boston with Brandon (it's his birthday, so we're hitting the museum's for the weekend!). All has been going well here, packing samples and equipment and analyzing data. This week has been amazingly productive - AND we even managed to get a day of skiing in too!

Here's the link to a National Geographic blog post about the expedition -

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/17/alaska-coral-expedition-days-1-3-setting-sights-on-and-in-tracy-arm-fjord/


And some photos of x-country skiing to the Herbert Glacier - a 14 miles ski - not bad for my second time ever on x-country skis!

Bob and Julia take the lead, while I firmly hold position at the rear! It's fun, but hard work, especially "back country' style with no track to guide you. And there was A LOT of snow on the ground! 

When we reached the glacier, we stopped for lunch - bagels, alaskan smoked salmon, tea and chocolate - a fantastic lunch! 

We also decided to build a snowman....:)

The return was hard on the ankles (well, falling over every bend is hard on the ankles), apparently 14 miles might be a little much as a first go! Icing my foot in the snow, while enjoying an Alaskan brew.  

Alaska Research Cruise

Tracy Arm Fjord - where we've been monitoring a coral site for two years. This was the last funded cruise, so a little sad about that. 

Our sample site. 4000ft up, and 1000ft down. There be corals there! 

Julia driving the dive skiff. 

Our 'larger' research vessel. Luckily only 3 of us and two crew. 

Sailing into Tracy Arm Fjord. Just beautiful! 

See my fins?

Taking a break by the wall. There's 1000ft of water below me! 

Tracy Arm Fjord. 

Bob and I, the only two divers, getting ready to go! We did 14 dives in 5 days - not bad and slightly exhausting! Water temp was just above freezing, at 36F. 

The scale of the mountain is out of this world! 

A 7.5 earthquake came through while we were in the field. Being on water, we didn't feel it, but the glacier did, and sent down lots of ice that morning. 

Looking out over our sample site. 

The ice edge - just a few miles up from where we were working. 

My student Julia and myself. 

Serious science!

This large glacier floated into our sample site one day.  

So we decided to board it! 

And then throw snowballs at the skiff. 

Beautiful crisp alaskan day! 

There are divers in this photo! 

Sunset on the way out of Tracy Arm. 

Back from the field!

....and we had a GREAT time! The diving went well, we kicked ass and got twice as much done, despite being a diver short, so it was only Bob and myself. We had an earthquake come through - which we didn't feel, but the glacier did, so we woke up to ice and icebergs covering our sample site one morning. We got great samples, and not so much sleep, so this is a quick check in and i'll be back with more photos in the next few days!

National Geographic Blog about the Alaska work!

In Alaska - heading out tomorrow!

Sunset over the Gastineaux Channel in Juneau. Crisp, clean air. 

Juneau from the NOAA dock. 

Blue skys, snow, ice. Perfect conditions for diving! 

The Mendenhall glacier. 

Today has been loading the boat, so we're all ready to go tomorrow. Once we're out we'll have no internet or phone, so no updates until we return after the 10th. So far so good. On the back deck there is a tent. That is the lab we'll be working in. I sure hope they have some good heaters! 

Snow storms!

We have had some wicked snow storms pass through in the last few days. At the moment we probably have a good 6-8 inches on the ground - so much, we created a toboggan run this morning to sled down! Some of us were better than others.

It was a fun day, and a good day to have before heading out on fieldwork. At 3am on New Years day (ergh) I'll be headed to Alaska, ready for our last field season in Tracy Arm fjord. It'll be a little sad to have this be the last trip out there, but i'm excited to go and see the fjord and the corals once again. I'll be sad to leave Miss Barkley here though, she's been having a tough time this Christmas, slowing down through old age and struggling a little with new medication for her seizures. But she'll be in good hands, she goes to our friends Amy and Peter (who she loves) for the weekdays, then Brandon will have her for weekends. She's such a loved dog by all, even the vet the other day said she'd take her home. Such personality wrapped up in a 70lb package....:)

Hope all had a good Christmas, and have a Happy New Year!

Miss Barkley, tucked up for some cuddle couch time after a hard day at the vets. 

Snow storm #1 - we got about 4-6 inches in this storm alone. 

The Christmas tree and the start of the storm. 

Brody wanting so desperately to go outside! 

Looking down Robinson Lane, taking Barkley for a walk to the main road to get our mail. We're the 4th house up this lane - though you can't see it back there for the snow falling.  

The house in the snow - so pretty! 

Brandon and Barkley enjoying the fireplace! 

Snow storm #2 hit last night - we got another 6 inches or so on top of what we'd had! 

Creating paths for Barkley, as the snow is up past her belly. Brody decided to 'help' with the path digging and got lost in the snow pile! 

Miss Barkley, appreciating her paths! 

Deciding we should have a second path, and create a toboggan run! 

The run is open! 

I had a hard time with steering.....

You can guess how this ended......