This week was much the same as last week: lots of intertidal dredging. On Monday and Tuesday I wasn’t on the boat but I went to measure the samples when the boat team returned to the office. On Wednesday and Thursday I was out on the boat nearly all day. Its really tough to stay in a dry suit that on because after about 5 hours you start getting sweaty and the inside of the suit (which is made to not allow the transfer of moisture) gets really sticky and uncomfortable.

Last week we did dredging on Bridge flat, which is all sand. This week we dredged at Sally’s Bend, which is a huge mud flat, and boy did it make a difference. In case you weren’t aware, mud is much stickier than sand. And this made it much more difficult to get our samples. It generally took 25-35 minutes for each site on Sally’s Bend compared to 10-20 minutes for sites on Bridge Flat. It also took much longer to sort the mud out of the samples and we had to rinse the bag in the water every few minutes. Luckily it was pretty warm out on the days I was out sampling so sitting in the cold water that long wasn’t terrible.

On Friday we finished measuring clams and then prepped gear for our next (and my last) excursion to Tillamook. We will be there until Wednesday night, and beyond that I’m not sure what the week will bring. Hopefully some time off to relax!

This week I also met with Robert Allen, the Director of Student Development for the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at OSU. We chatted about what direction I have been moving with my degree and what my plans are for the next year and beyond. It was really great to hear I have been doing well and that I don’t need to rush off to graduate school if I am not ready. He also recommended taking some time off (if I want to) and do something really awesome. He mentioned Peace Corps and Teach for America, among other options. I feel much better now about how I am going to spend my final year of school preparing for the future.

This weekend I made a quick run up to Seattle with Kate, Hilary, and Diana. Kate and I left on Friday after work and met Hilary and Diana up there. We went to the Aquarium, Pike Place, and rode the ferry. We also briefly stopped in Portland on our way back. I wish I had more time to explore these places!

I’ve also been working hard trying to get my presentation into shape. Its rather frightening that I have a mere 2 weeks left before I have to make the trek home to California and prepare for my last fall quarter. And because I know that I’ll be doing lots of fieldwork in the meantime, I wanted to get started as soon as possible. Here’s a sneak preview of one of my slides as it is now. Hopefully next week I will have pictures of dredging and my last days in Tillamook.