Last day of coring! Last core has to be on deck tonight by 10:30pm then the drill crew is bringing up all the pipe and securing the drill floor equipment for transit back to port. We start our transit at 10:30 tomorrow morning.
In between cores on deck, I've been busy tying up loose ends - little things that I haven't finished yet. I'm writing these little stories about microbes for the illustrator to paint pictures for and we hope they go into a children's book someday. I'm also writing up a summary of my interactions with you for our cruise report. Believe it or not, you are a very important part of our work here on the JR and everyone wants to hear about how much you've enjoyed reading the blog and checking out the pictures. Didn't know you all would become celebrities just by reading my blog and posting questions, did you? Well, you did! :)
Yay for the last day of science! It's been a long 2 months but we got A LOT accomplished! Tomorrow, we head back to land. :)
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteIt's been very cool to be able to write to you and to read your blogs. M said it's like having pen pals! We feel a little sad that it will soon end for now, but, at the same time, can't wait to see you in person. We looked back at many of your posts and had a good time remembering those days. LE says he's still jealous of your bbq at sea. C thinks he'd like to have a job on a ship like the JR someday. LD's favorite person is Bubba. He has many questions he'd like to ask him in person. M is VERY interested in all of the sea creatures you saw and loves to look at the pictures. (bring lots!) LE wants to learn more about what Bubba does with the drill and ask him lots of questions. All of us want to know what happens if the ships' motor or propellers break down...do you have a mechanic on board? We hope it doesn't happen, by the way. Q is curious to know if you have a model of the drill...a small scale example?
We would like to tell EVERYONE on the JR that we have enjoyed reading about them and checking out the website. We played the games and looked at every page. One thing we weren't able to do, though, was watch the videos. BOO! Our school IT department blocks YOUTUBE and most "risky" video content. Disappointing, but we hope you will be able to bring some video when you visit. We wish you all well and safe travels home to SO many places! It will be fun to know how you felt the first time you stepped on dry land after two months. Better hang on to something at first!
We know that you will be able to respond to this post and that we won't be able to read it until Tuesday...that's okay, though, it will be something to look forward to. Ms. Lucy says to eat some juicy lemons for her! She loves LEMONS!
Bon Voyage!
Pen pals! I love it! I can't wait to visit and show you pictures and bring you surprises.
ReplyDeleteOne very important thing I have learned on this ship is that anyone from any background can sail on a ship like the JR. Whether you are an artist or a marine biologist studying the wildlife or a captain like Alex or an engineer like Kevin or a driller like Bubba, if you want to sail on a ship like the JR, you can!
I have lots of pictures and video to show you and I can't wait! And I will definitely blog about being on land after 2 months at sea. I'm curious about it myself. :)
Gotta go! Core on deck! I hope you had a wonderful 3-day weekend and that you're enjoying your tuesday. :) See you soon!
I just realized that I forgot to answer some of your questions.
ReplyDeleteLE - Yes, we do have a mechanic on board as well as several oilers who are responsible for making sure that all of the moving mechanical parts have plenty of oil and lubricant. If something serious did happen, we could have another boat come out and rescue us. Kinda like the AAA of the sea! :)
Q - I don't have a model as of yet but I don't see a problem with building one. ;)
I e-mailed everyone on the boat to give them your "Thank You". They all smiled. It's always great to get good feedback like that. So, thank all of you for participating and making us all smile!