Whoops Watch Out America

Well, while I've been "driving" every day, I haven't driven off island since April. Who knew how much had changed in mainland driving! In my previous 8 years of driving I feel like the rules haven't really changed, but all the sudden blinkers aren't in use anymore? I don't know how many blinkers I've actually seen used in my 48 hours off island- there remain only a handful of people who haven't gotten the memo that blinkers are 'out'. 

You see, on the Vineyard there aren't multiple lanes to change between.

But back up. 

Before I even got to the mainland I almost lost Helen.
Helen, my car you know.

Poor Helen and I were waiting in line for the ferry. I was immersed in a book, totally oblivious to the world after spending 45 minutes in line waiting in my parked car (if you've ever seen me caught in a book you'd realize how my whole head is out of the real world). All the sudden I looked up and my line was all gone, so I booted Helen up and drove up to the ferry. Well, I'm not sure if the ferry workers were impressed with Helen's smooth arrival, admiring of my great driving skills, or rather punishing me for not paying attention- but we got "special treatment" if you will. While the (small, compact) cars in front of me were directed to the usual spots on the side of the ferry, I was motioned up a ramp. A ramp that I have never seen before. A ramp so new that I had to roll down my window and ask "you want me to drive up THAT ramp right there?" to which the man in the yellow vest replied "yes" with increased hand waving speed. So I did. I swear the ramp was a 45 degree angle, but Helen is a beast. She drove up the steep ramp and down the very narrow elevated platform (yes, I'm pretty sure SHE was driving at this point because I was freaking out). I park. I still don't understand how this contraption works. "Be sure to put your emergency brake on". Yeah, thanks dude I realize I'm about 2 feet from the edge of this platform with only netting between Helen and the 1 story drop to the floor of the ferry. I had planned on just staying in my car and reading for this 45 minute trek, but being a little scared of heights and a lot scared of losing my car I headed up to the passenger area. I attempted to relax, but every louder than normal sound I heard I thought "welp, that's Helen. I wonder how the Steamship Authority insurance works". 



Surprisingly it seems like the ferry workers knew what they were doing. Phew, I returned to my car and it was still up on this magic ramp- not on the fancy cars directly below. All's well.

Hold up- I hadn't thought this through. There's no ramp in front of me, just the aforementioned flimsy netting. So am I going to have to back off the 5 car long narrow platform?

The beads of sweat return and my stomach feels like it's wrapped up in my esophagus. But wait, am I moving? 

Yes, the sudden lurch is the entire platform moving down - it's kind of like a freight elevator that I'm on! We "land" on the ferry floor, the netting is taken down, and I'm motioned off. 

I'm going to tell myself those ferry workers thought I looked like I knew what I was doing and that's why they chose me and Helen to be the FRONT car on the really scary elevated platform.

Tones on Island

It was surreal to host the biologist who made me into the field biologist that I am today. It seemed like a "full circle" moment when I was able to take my dad out to my birding spots and be the tour guide. There are few places that I am more familiar with than my birding guide, professor, tour coordinator, and dad.

(if you look closely he's up on the deck in a black tshirt! I was just taking a picture of the boat in general and didn't realize until later that he was in the picture)

 
My dad made the long trek from Oklahoma to spend a few days with me on the island that I've called home for 4 months now. His requests were "go birding and eat seafood" and I think we covered those bases pretty well.

After picking my dad up from the Vineyard Haven ferry we stopped by my local fish market for some fresh lobster. 1 1/4 lb of bright red, freshly caught lobster was a nice "welcome to the Vineyard" as you can get in my opinion.

 

The next morning I didn't offer him anytime to relax- we had an appointment with one of the coolest birders/wildlife photographers I've ever met! He took us out for a private birding tour in his jeep on the beach. We saw some new species for me including black tern, whimbrel, and lesser black backed gull. It was a wonderful morning of birding and adding some birds to my life list was just the icing on the cake. 

I guess you never really take a vacation from being a teacher! My dad assisted on an otter dissection while on island.

We checked out a lot of good restaurants and enjoyed a smorgasbord of seafood including lobster rolls, swordfish burgers, crab cake eggs benedict, clam chowder, lobster mac and cheese, and lobster chunk salad. We also sampled Bad Martha's (pictured above) and Offshore Ale.

 

The talk of the (birding) town was that Angelina's dad was a pretty good birder himself! Imagine that - a group knowing me first and then my dad being a branch off of me!

It was also a strange, new, humbling experience to be asked for MY opinion on bird identification amongst a group of what I would consider 'professional' and 'seasoned' birders. Granted my "expertise" is very specific, but it was cool to know a species so well (after 4 months of close, daily observation) that I could be of assistance on ID.

Food as of Late

Wow, I've really been slacking on food pics! You all probably thought I haven't eaten in weeks, but don't worry, I'm eating well still.

My affair with gazpacho. I think this one was watermelon with balsamic.

Fajitas!

Brussel sprout and pancetta

Brie and fig jam

Veggie grain bowl

Strawberry gazpacho

Chicken schnitzel with German red cabbage and hot potato salad. Sehr lecker! This was a throwback to my time in Austria and was so yummy.

Vermicilli bowl!

Nearing the End

My last day is only a few weeks away with only 11 full days of work left when my days off are factored in. I'm excited for what's next (some of which I know, much of which I don't know) and am now pretty excited about my roadtrip home as well! 

This gem's name is Heather. We worked together at Blue Seven and I'm pretty sure we were inseparable after I braided her hair and she helped me fix multiple broken items of clothing mid-shift. 
On Saturday I woke up to a text from this little lady. Within about an hour I had replied to Heather that she should come on this epic roadtrip and she had responded with a screenshot of her plane ticket to Boston. That's right, Heather is coming to roadtrip Boston, DC, Asheville, Nashville and OKC with me. Not only am I excited for her company and the adventures we'll get to experience together, but also to have someone run the GPS and help dig through my purse for toll money. This being said, don't worry that the blog will end August 28 on my last day of work- Mike, Jolyne, and Esther will be here and then the epic roadtrip home!

Eventful Week

The organization I work for had a memorable few days! We started with a donor event where we showed off the research everyone has been working on all summer (and some projects that have been going on for several years).  



These girls (pictured above and below) have been really inspiring to me! Above are two of the interns my group is lucky enough to count amongst our staff. They are both from the island and currently in college. They are smart, fun girls who will be doing big things. Below are Natalie and Sharon, two of my housemates. They are embarking on careers in the biology realm with great work ethics, commitment to the field, and a desire to do good.



After our donor event I had a day off before setting to the mainland for a big shorebird conference! This took place at the Cape Cod Community College and brought together organizations from all over Massachusetts as well as neighboring states. Everyone presented their numbers, talked about individual efforts, and swapped interesting tales about the birds. This was informative in learning about the slew of predators, the different problems faced, and the interesting things that bird behavior can present.



Emily and Sharon attended the conference as well. Here we are on the ferry - all three in our work shirts (ours are new!)

We continued the off island adventures with a day of "field trips" to some really cool places including Cape Cod National Seashore, a big bird banding lab, and a research center with global projects.



Least tern chick


dozens upon dozens of seals were occupied by a school of (apparently quite tasty) fish

least tern fledgling



Coast Guard Beach at Cape Cod National Seashore

James Taylor at Fenway

Alternate title for this blog post:
The Coolest Day of My Life to Date

James Taylor, the OG JT, played last night at Fenway Park in Boston. James was born in Boston and is a diehard Red Sox fan, so it was really cool to get to see him at this particular venue (even thought it's a stadium I loved the whole experience and special meanings). He realeased a new album in 2015 and started this tour in April. Boston was the last stop of this tour and he doesn't have a future tour planned yet. 

Here's the complete set list:

Something in the Way She Moves

Blossom

Everyday
(Buddy Holly cover)

Walking Man

Handy Man
(Jimmy Jones cover)

Country Road

Shower the People

Carolina in My Mind

Fire and Rain

Angels of Fenway

(I've Got To) Stop Thinkin' 'Bout That

Sweet Baby James

Up on the Roof
(Carole King cover)

You've Got a Friend
(Carole King cover)

Mexico

Steamroller

Your Smiling Face

America The Beautiful

Shed a Little Light

Encore
Sun on the Moon

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
(Marvin Gaye cover)

Doctor My Eyes
(Jackson Browne cover) (with Jackson Browne)

You Can Close Your Eyes

So, as you can see, this was a pretty badass show. Stephen and I had cool seats on the lawn at Fenway (we were sitting in the equivalent of what would be right field for a Sox game). One of James' newer songs is called "Angels of Fenway" about the 2004 Red Sox season. Don't worry Grandpa Joe, I didn't cheer for any of the Red Sox stuff! I'll always have the longstanding ties to the Yankees, but it was cool to see this particular song performed AT Fenway. 

I saw JT in September of 2014 with Bubba and Jennifer- a 21st birthday present from me to them. It was a great show inside the Chesapeake Arena in OKC. He played for basically 3 hours straight and didn't stop playing until the lights came on. Last night he showed just as much energy - no intermission and about two and a half hours of music. My favorite song is a lesser known tune by James called "Shed a Little Light". It's such a niche song I didn't think he'd play it, but that didn't stop me from hoping. Alas, after the quintessential Taylor songs like "Sweet Baby James", "Carolina on My Mind", and "Fire and Rain" he played my unique little favorite!











Oh, and he came out for an encore where he played a few more songs including a duet of "Doctor My Eyes" with Jackson Browne! 

And did I mention that I saw his motorcade leaving? Oh yeah, that happened too. Stephen and I were taking a less populated street out of Fenway when some motorcycle cops turned on their lights and waved us out of the street. We were standing on the sidewalk with a few dozen other people on the street when James came riding out of the venue, window down, waving at us. Yep. Paperboy cap still on, James Taylor was smiling broadly and waving at us as he rode away with JT cranking in the background.