Failing to balance field work and vacation

I realized that this marks the 10th year I've been coming to St. Croix to do field work with Buzz. We came the first time in 2004 and fell in love with the place. I haven't been able to come back every year, but I've come back when I could.

I also realized that, while the first time I came, it seemed exotic and foreign, that now, although it doesn't feel like home, I feel very much at home here. I hardly notice when I have to drive on the left or remark on the palm and flamboyant trees.

We've generally fallen into a relaxed routine: a leisurely early morning, running the traps around 10, a quick swim, then lunch, then process the animals (collect observations and insert RFID tags under the skin), then release the mongoose, and come back for a relaxing afternoon and evening.

This year, a couple of opportunities presented themselves that Buzz couldn't pass up. As a result, we've been going out to refuge at 6 and then driving out to the east end and generally spending the entire day and more doing science.

Yesterday was additionally exciting with the passage of Tropical Storm Bertha just to the west of the island. This created even more work, as we needed to close all the traps. We got a lot of rain and strong winds, but nothing damaging. Power was out briefly and we couldn't go onto the refuge until late in the day.

Don't get me wrong: I love science and I love field work. But all things in moderation. This afternoon, I've bowed out of the trip to the east end to relax, catch up on various things, and cook up some chili.