Left on our doorstep
June 28, 2008 Posted by: ERIN

Dear Tom and Erin,

Will you take care of my darling Beach Baby? We've just been drifting and I know that you can provide the stable, climate-controlled environment she deserves.

She won't be any trouble -- mostly she just sits and stares. I think she is healthy, but her big leg is a little brittle and also as you can see, she does have a crab. I don't even think she will get too stinky.

I'm out to sea, but will try and send things to help out as I can -- check East Beach.

Tide out, Beach Baby Mama

Graham Cracker
June 24, 2008 Posted by: ERIN

This is Graham.

Aren't those ears just to die for? I'm so happy to tell you that Graham is our latest Potcake success story. He was a stray found living all by himself in a park up the road. Poor little thing was just skin and bones, but very friendly and comfortable around people. And so well behaved! During the one afternoon I puppysat him, he whined everytime single he needed to go outside to use the facilities. How does a tiny stray puppy with no formal training know to do that? Obvisouly, Potcakes are brilliant and that's all there is to it.

Some researchers here for the conference fell in love with him instantly, and with all our recent Potcake exporting experience we were able to guide them in the process of taking him back to the states. Tom and I even fashioned a puppy carrier out of an old duffle bag and a Guiness box. And now Graham is living the high life in Akron, Ohio!

As you can see, Graham and Zipper have similar coloring and markings. Considering the island's limited gene pool, it is very likely that they are related somewhere down the line. Perhaps the little guy is a nephew or cousin. Who knows, maybe even a brother!

Rum Cay Revisited
June 21, 2008 Posted by: ERIN

Last week we hosted our biannual geology conference here at the field station. The conference opened with a day-long excursion to Rum Cay. (Don't be fooled, "cay" is pronounced "key" in these parts.) You may remember Tom mentioning his scouting trip back in March. He returned raving about what an awesome place it is. Only 80 people live there! You get to ride around in all-terrain golf carts!! Oh yeah, and the rocks are pretty cool too. So naturally I was excited to check it out for myself.

Rum Cay is only a 15 minutes plane ride from here. We got to do some really neat flyovers of both San Salvador and our destination, but frustratingly I was on the "wrong" side of the plane so I wasn't able to get any aerial pictures. I also got a little air sick, which is something has never happened to me before. I'm attributing it to our low flying altitude. I mean, everyone knows the air is bumpier down there, right? But luckily since it was such a short flight, I was able to hold it together and not vomit.

Once we were on the ground, the island did have a lot to offer. Beautiful coastlines, friendly locals, and interesting geology (lots of fossil dunes and caves). There also used to be a major salt works on the island, so seeing the infrastructure related to that was neat. And I was kicking myself for not having brought along my swimsuit.

I must admit, however, that touring with 30 people and being on a bit of a time crunch is probably not the best way to see all Rum Cay has to offer. I feel like I missed a lot and I didn't come away with the undying love for the place that Tom has. I am by no means disappointed, it just means that we will have to go back again! We're thinking about maybe taking a week-long getaway sometime in the fall. And getting there might even involve passage on the mail boat, which is sure to be an adventure unto itself.

Mission Accomplished
June 14, 2008 Posted by: ERIN

Joba is stateside! He loves his new home and his new family loves him. Overall our journey went smoothly, starting with a flight from San Salvador to Fort Lauderdale. Since it was a charter, he was able to ride right next to me the whole way. He was nervous but well behaved for the whole flight, and he went through customs and immigration like a pro. Then we had to stay overnight in Fort Lauderdale, which was pretty much the most stressful part of the trip. He refused to go to the bathroom in the unfamiliar surroundings, and had a restless night due to the unfamiliar hotel noises (opening and closing doors, people being noisy in the parking lot, etc). But he was a model of good behavior on the shuttle to the airport the next morning, and everyone said what a cute boy he was.

Checking in at the airport wasn't nearly the hassle I was dreading it to be. The airline people were very helpful and once his crate had been checked by the security agents they told me everything was all set and they would take him from there. I can't describe how helpless I suddenly felt when they wheeled him away as he peered out from his crate at me. I almost cried. My poor little guy was going to be all by himself in cargo! But he was so brave and came through it really well. Both of my sisters were waiting for us at the airport and it was such a joyful moment when he was delivered to us at the baggage claim.

We spent the next couple days at my sister Meredith's home in Baltimore. Joba loved his cousins Emma (canine) and Louisa (human), and he got to go to his very frst dog park were he was terrified of all the gigantic dogs racing around him. Then we left with my sister Liz (Joba's new momma) to drive to his new home in Rochester. Since he was still a very worn out from all his travels, I let him lay across my lap for the six hour trip. He's lucky he is so darn cute.

In honor of the pup, I've posted two new photo sets below. The first is a collection of shots from Joba's last few weeks on the island, and the second documents our travels from San Sal all the to his new home in upstate New York. He can't believe how green and lush the grass is. (It's like rolling in a soft, fluffy cloud.) He does miss the beach, but much to his new momma's chagrin he's figured out that digging under her backyard pine trees is a lot of fun too. And he is loving his new kitty brothers, even if they aren't quite loving him yet.

Of course, I miss Jobbie desperately, but Zipper has been a real trooper about giving me extra doggie snuggles whenever I need them. And in the end, I couldn't be happier knowing how loved and happy Joba is in his new home. Thank you so much, Lizzy and Adam. I know he is going to have a wonderful life with you.