December 25, 2013

Greetings from cold but festive State College Pennsylvania!

I am sitting on a couch looking out over a grey and still world. It is not a white Christmas here but it is certainly wintery. One year ago I wrote to you from this same couch as 2012 came to a close. It is amazing to think how much has occurred since then. 2013 has treated me well. Over the past 12 months I have visited several corners of the planet, successfully navigated the process of teaching new classes and mentoring my students, and made progress with various research and home improvement projects. Looking back, I am impressed (and somewhat exhausted). Looking forward, 2014 promises to be equally exciting. Spring will be filled with teaching, conferences and guest lectures but summer will hopefully be more relaxed.

What have I been up to since last I wrote? Well, to begin, I made it through the fall term unscathed. Part of me was actually sad to see it end. I truly enjoyed teaching my Zooarchaeology course. Somewhat unfortunately the last day of school was cancelled in Cincinnati thanks to excessive snow, so I did not have the opportunity to tell my students in person. So it goes.

Fall went quickly but productively. We had a brief but fun trip to Toronto in November. Despite rainy conditions, Halloween was a success. Friend and colleague Yurena joined us at our house and we had a steady stream of damp trick-or-treaters appear at our door throughout the evening. This was followed by a raucous costume party at the bed and breakfast down the street. Thanksgiving was also a success. The Weirauchs and my mother joined us in Cincinnati. We feasted, watched Shakespeare, and gathered some Ordovician fossils at Caesar Creek State Park. And just like that it was December and time for me and my colleagues to head off to the Canary Islands for a research expedition.

The point of this trip was to “get a lay of the land” and start several long-term projects. My main activity was collecting leaf samples with my student, Stella, for her Masters project. The plan is to use stable isotopes to characterize the main biomes on the island of Tenerife, the largest and most populated of the 7 islands in the archipelago. What an excellent place to conduct fieldwork! We spent 8 full days exploring all biological, geological, and gastronomic aspects of Tenerife. I am truly astounded by the diversity of landscapes that this island has to offer. In a single day we were able to visit beaches, recent lava fields, laurel forests that reminded me California, pine forests, and alpine scrub guarded by an active volcano. The culture is also quite impressive. Despite its rather diminutive size, Tenerife has several major cities complete with skyscrapers and historic districts, including some 400-year-old Spanish colonial buildings. They also make some terrific wine (which we were able to enjoy at lunch as well as dinner). Yurena, who is from Tenerife, organized our visit. Her careful planning made our trip proceed seamlessly. First we stayed on the northwest corner of the island in a little community called Buena Vista del Norte. For the second half of our trip we moved our home base to El Médano, which is on the southern tip of the island. This coastal town reminded me of a small California beach resort. The bay was filled with Kite surfers and sunbathers. Our apartments faced the ocean and capitalized on the terrific sea breeze. I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to appreciate this place. We were out more or less from sunset to sundown every day collecting leaves from as many biomes as possible on the island. ‘Guess I’ll have to go back.

Torrential and historically rare rains prevented us from fully exploring all parts of the island, but what I saw definitely made me want to return. One special treat - we had the opportunity to visit a number of local lava caves that preserve a wealth of fossil material. Thinking about the ecological information locked inside of these bones makes the paleoecologist in me drool. Yurena and I have some very exciting plans to work with this material over the next few years. We’re going to attempt to quantify some of the ecological change that has occurred on the island over the past few thousand years. I can’t wait.

Research certainly has its benefits. In addition to getting to visit some incredibly beautiful and unique locations, I got to eat some excellent food. Although limited in diversity, there are some very tasty vegetarian options in the Canary Islands, particularly for someone who likes salad, potatoes, fresh goat cheese and wine. We ate at numerous local restaurants, including several guachinches, which make their own wine. And Yurena’s wonderful parents took us out for a lunch that was fit for kings. Mmmm such harsh fieldwork conditions! So all in all, this was an excellent and very productive trip. Stella proved to be a very solid and intrepid team member and we managed to get far more done than I had imagined possible. Now we just have to hope that the samples make it back to Cincinnati safe and sound. Fingers will remain crossed until they show up.

Upon my own return to Cincinnati, I promptly got sick. But I have been recovering for the past few days and I have also managed to get a few annoying tasks taken care of, which puts my mind at ease. I wish most dearly that the spring term didn’t start in a week and a half, but these things are beyond my control. I will attempt to make the most of the remainder of my winter break. I hope that the remainder of 2013 treats you exceptionally well.