2018 Life Logs, Day 223—Woods Hole Science Stroll
Date: Saturday, August 11, 2018
Weather: Overcast; High 78, Low 68 F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a delightful surprise. Jed called just before 11 am asking if I would like to go to Woods Hole with him and the boys to check out the Woods Hole Science Stroll. I know this ‘stroll’ has been happening for the past three years, but not sure if it was in existence prior to August of 2015. But none of us has ever attended. I think we all thought that we spend enough time in Woods Hole and wouldn’t’ learn anything new. So wrong. The ‘stroll’ is free and open to the public to give people a chance to learn about the science and engineering that takes place in Woods Hole and every booth we visited was better than the last. Woods Hole Oceanographic, the Marine Biological Lab, the Coast Guard, and NOAA’s Fisheries Division all had fantastic learning opportunities for kids and adults, as well as booths sponsored by other science-related organizations in Falmouth. The WCAI public radio booth was manned by Heather.
The boys hung out there for a bit, but then we got a tip from a friend of mine that the Fisheries displays were great, so we headed in that direction. We learned new things about turtles,
new things about seals, new things about fish,
and new things about the gear that marine scientists wear when they get in the water.
The boys loved the Coast Guard displays and boat tours.
It was well after 2 pm when we realized that we hadn’t had lunch. We didn’t bring food because the boys were adamant that they would only stay for half an hour. But we stayed until the ‘stroll’ ended at 3 pm and then the boys still wanted to stop at the WHOI Discovery Center to play in the Alvin display.
We did take a quick break to get food at the Woods Hole Market where we fed ourselves and the ducks,
and then we headed out on the WHOI dock to learn even more. I was fascinated by the displays showing how science monitoring equipment is moored in the middle of the ocean where the bottom is almost three miles down. And the science vessel, the Atlantis, home of Alvin, was on the dock. Alvin was one of the first HOV’s (Human Occupied Vehicles) that started exploring the ocean floor back in the 1960’s. It was been updated at least three times and is still a state-of-the-art research vehicle that travels aboard WHOI’s Atlantis. We didn’t get to tour the Atlantis today, but just being on the dock beside it is exciting.
We were some of the last people to leave the dock and we got to see Alvin being tucked away in it’s storage compartment on the deck of the ship. We all definitely plan on attending the Science Stroll next year, arriving early and leaving late. What a great learning opportunity right here in our own backyard.
Tonight, Heather and Jed are attending the Woods Hole Research Center’s Gala while Ollie and Jonah are spending the night next door at the Keefe’s. Tomorrow morning I have been invited over for Sunday Brunch. After that, the Goldstones will meet friends in Hyannis for a Boston Pop’s Concert and then on Monday morning they will head to Maine. So our ‘vacations’ begin on Monday morning. We are all looking forward to just doing nothing, a perfectly fine goal for summer vacation!
