The past few days have been strangely out of rhythm with the rest of the summer. Most of the Hixon team (Hixon, Sean, Darren, Tim, Mark, and Mark's wife Kim) all left for the International Coral Reef Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida the other day. I was super jealous that they get to go hang out with all the coolest scientists in the field from all over the country. It's very exciting cause Mark was given a slot to give a talk on the findings of the lionfish project from last summer. I think it will be quite the popular talk since the lionfish story broke making national news only last week. Dr. Hixon, Sean, and Darren won't be coming back to the island for the rest of the summer so it was too bad to say bye to them. I think the long-term team (myself, Flower Moye, Tim Pusack, and Mark Albins) will have a great summer, and Darren's goofy humor and Hixon's enthusiasm will be missed. All accounts say that Florida is proving to be an awesome time, I guess I will just need to go to the next ICRS in four years as a totally awesome grad student and have a great time for myself. All jealousy aside, the team taking off has left Flower and I on the island without much of an agenda to keep ourselves busy. Work has been mostly half days and consists of things like "Go catch some feeder fish" so it's been a nice break. I am sure later in the summer I'll be begging for naptime but I do miss the structure of a normal workday. It has been really nice to get naps and lay around reading but has thrown we way off of the usual rhythm of long days of work. Flower keeps telling me I need to soak it in since this will be the last break of the entire summer- so I am working on savoring that mid afternoon nap in front of the air conditioner. :)
We did go out today to take care of the main task of the week- checking on every little fish at all the reefs. It was a lot of fun cause Flower and I live-boated the entire morning meaning we would drive up right next to the reef and dump off a snorkeler while the other person drifted away. In the water you would check to be sure our little coneys and lionfish had stayed where they were put before the boat would swoop back past and snag the diver out of the water. It was pretty incredible to be able to cover all of the reefs in a single morning. We were on a roll with the little fish until the last two reefs. One coney and one lion have jumped ship and that will be the task for tomorrow to round up new ones and replace them. Looks like a superhero is being called up! Also Flower and I committed the biggest party foul on the island today by leaving a couple nets standing up in a bucket in the boat. Usually they are laid down tucked under one of the runningboards. When we got back to the dock to offload- two of the biggest nets were gone! These nets are Hixon's babies and we completely obliviously lost two of the three on the island. So we have to bite the bullet tomorrow and send the dreaded email to Mark to try and find the same kinda ones made and sent down here. It was a pretty amazing way to feel totally like an amateur. The morning was only salvaged by being burrito day for lunch! ha ha You have to celebrate the little victories on this island. :)
It's the last night on island for a few people tonight and they are celebrating with a swim and a little party. I think I will go peak my head in before collapsing into my totally sweet bunk bed for the night. Side note- I did go for my first run since coming onto LSI this morning. I had promised my body three weeks to adjust to the schedule and work before adding earlier mornings for runs onto my plate. I was very slow this morning! But it did feel good to get out and stretch my legs a little. All the roads/paths here are littered with big rocks and cement chunks so I found myself staring at the ground rather than the sunrise but it's totally something that can be worked on.
Another sidenote- Hurricane Bertha is passing WAY too far East for us to be seeing any effect at all. We haven't seen big swell, extra wind, or even any giant clouds swirling around. Thanks for everyone who has sent a concerned note or thought of me!
Have a great day everyone! I'm thinking happy thoughts of you often from this tropical island.
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