Crash Course…I think I’m gonna collapse

Everyone who knows me will tell you that I am directionally challenged…today was no exception. Emily and I were supposed to meet Professor B at Dunkin’ Donuts to start work; we got there on time and were completely prepared. Except that we were at the wrong store. I can’t be blamed for this one though, there are so many freakin’ Dunkin’ Donuts in New England! So we toured a couple of the sites our Professor monitored and went to Professor B’s house to get our equipment.

            We finally got to see our site today and it was beautiful! We spent most of the time walking into the dunes, looking for tracks. So…much…walking! It just confirms how woefully out of shape I am. I de-sanded my shoes twice and still had a mountain of it left when we got back. We walked pretty far, maybe a couple of miles. The end of our site is this large sandy hill where one of our “infamous” terrapins likes to lay her eggs. Her name is Stumpy (side note, there was a great white shark named Stumpy on a Shark Week special in the early 90s…yeah I know I’m obsessed); she has no tail and 3 of her fins are nearly gone, but every year she paddled up this huge dune! That's dedication for something the size of a plate! We didn’t see any turtles today, though we did find the very fragrant carcass of a dead marine mammal, barf. We finished up early and had the rest of the day off. We didn’t do much today, but we’ll be doing a lot more when the turtles arrive. That has to be the most frustrating part of this kind of work; it all depends on the wildlife…and nature.

           

            Afterwards I jogged with Emily and Kristen in the reserve. Oh, I forgot to mention, I’m living in the National Seashore! And through Professor B I’m working for the National Park Service, and by extension the Department of the Interior. So…I work for the government! I’ve always wanted to say that. Any way I didn’t jog so much as jog for a few minutes, get winded, give up and plod along the trail. I lost the two and ended up wandering around, I found the beach though, so it wasn’t to bad. I also found a key…in the sand…that was kind of random. I think I’ll drop it off at the visitor’s center tomorrow. I also got some what lost on the way back, but I followed an itty-bitty bunny around the trials, which actually brought me back to the house. Thank you Mr. Rabbit!

Terrapin tally: 0 :(

Ps- There is a weird noise outside the house tonight. I think its bugs flying into the windows towards the light. It makes this small ‘thunk’ noise. Man are those little bugger persistent!