One of the important distinctions that my marine biology students learn about is the difference between organisms that are benthic and those that are pelagic. Organisms described as benthic live attached to or associated with a surface, often but not always the sea floor. In addition to the stationary sea floor itself, benthic organisms can…
Six months, and a big return
Next week I will be six months beyond a total replacement of my right knee. The rehab has been long and tough, and I’m nowhere near the end yet. I’ve been told by my surgeon to expect a 12- to 18-month recovery to get back to whatever my new normal will be. By that estimate…
Five weeks
On Tuesday 8 July 2025 I had a total joint replacement of my right knee. Over the past year and a half or so the osteoarthritis had gotten really bad, to the point that I couldn’t walk without pain. Much less actually do anything active, like hiking or tidepooling or even carrying a camera around…
Afternoon mystery
For the past week and a half or so, every afternoon between about 14:00 and 14:30 there has been an outbreak of coyote noise in the canyon behind my house. It starts up, goes furiously for about 5 minutes, and then abruptly stops. I’m rehabbing a new knee joint and am not really mobile now,…
What to do in Vegas when you don’t “do” Vegas
Twice now in the past six months I’ve gone to Las Vegas for a concert. Trust me, I’m just about the last person you’d expect to spend any time in Vegas—I have zero interest in gambling or shopping, and the nonstop lights and noise of the Strip really get on my nerves. So since we…
Spying on the hunter
This afternoon I was hanging some laundry to dry on the back deck, when something reddish caught my eye. I grabbed the binoculars, peered down into the bushes, and saw a pair of ears emerging from behind a bush. Soon a very handsome coyote came out to bask in the sun. Just in case it…
Collateral damage
My home town of Santa Cruz made national news the other day, 23 December 2024, when a series of massive swells caused part of the Municipal Wharf to collapse into the ocean. People in the restaurants and other businesses had to evacuate immediately, and three people were dropped into the water of Monterey Bay (they…
(not so?) Big Day
Yesterday, 12 October 2024, was October Big Day, an annual community science event hosted by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and their eBird app. Each Big Day is a snapshot of bird diversity, and the October date is timed to catch migratory birds. The goal is to record how many of each species you observe, either…
I saw the light!
Last month I spent four days in the town of Egmont, BC. My husband and I had joined a friend on his annual excursion to the stomping grounds of his youth. We trailered the friend’s boat, Scherzo, up through Oregon and Washington and into British Columbia. We took a ferry and then ditched the car…
Appreciating the tinies
Earlier this week I collected a plankton sample and settled down for a day of microscopy. For a variety of reasons it was my first foray into actual biology for the month of June, and I just wanted to feel like a marine biologist for a while. As far as plankton samples go, there wasn’t…