"He must, so know the starfish and the student biologist who sits at the feet of living things, proliferate in all
directions. Having certain tendencies, he must move along their lines to the limit of their potentialities."

John Steinbeck - Log from the Sea of Cortez

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

OK, back at it...

...after a much-needed break with a very unique, very special family. Plan to crash tonight, and then start doing some catching up tomorrow.

I confess to complete confusion regarding the Deepwater Horizon mess. The Florida panhandle, as of today, has yet to see landfall. But there's a tremendous amount of oil out there, and it going to wind up on someone's marshes, beaches, reefs, etc. Right now, we're in that nasty mode of thinking - send it somewhere else. We see the same line of thought with hurricanes, at least since the devastation of the last decade reminded Gulf Coast residents that a hurricane is not a reason to party. This spill is different - there's a sense of dread all up and down the coast, and we'll no doubt all suffer. I'm currently thinking about my friends in the Keys who are dependent on healthy reefs. It appears likely that the Florida Loop Current will take a significant amount of oil their way. There are few ecological systems more fragile. I guess it's appropriate to say, "Hope for the best." I'm just not sure what the best is right now.

There were a few unusual aspects of beach life this week, but I want to do a little background work before getting into them.

See you tomorrow.

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