by Katrina Lohan
When Kristy and I go on these sampling excursions, we generally pack in a lot of sampling and processing into a short amount of time. We work every day, including weekends, and average 11-12 hour workdays for the two-week timeframe. So you can imagine our surprise when we finished processing all of the oysters from the second sampling location and realized that we had time in this trip for a day off!
What do two marine biologists do on their day off in Florida? Go to the beach! We inquired with the local staff as to the best place to go and were told that the Florida Inlet State Park beach was preferred as they had bathrooms and showers. We took the advice and headed to the beach for a day of R&R. I realized while sitting on the beach, mesmerized by the pounding of the waves, that it doesn’t take much for me to remember why I wanted to be a marine biologist. I am still awed by the power of water, watching the waves roll into the shore, crest, then fall, pounding into the sand and churning the shell fragments, turning them into smaller and smaller bits. I still stare at the ocean with wonder, imagining the vast and curious creatures that live in a world so completely different from the one that is familiar to me. Having these moments helps me to rejuvenate, so I can get back in the lab, continue processing my samples, and, hopefully, add to the body of knowledge about the ecology and evolution of marine creatures.
