MBFE - Saturday and Sunday 5/11-12 - WHALES!

The main event that happened this weekend was when some of the MBFE students discovered a gray whale had swum into the mouth of Coos Bay, just across from the OIMB campus.  That whale spent several hours circling in the bay before it found its way out.

Here's a picture showing a gray whale blowing, and just how close to shore this whale was.  That is the Charleston Harbor Breakwater Beach in the background.  The photograph was taken from the OIMB Boathouse pier.

This photograph shows the back of a gray whale as it's going under.

Whales were also spotted the next day farther out, toward the mouth of the bay.  Here is a pic showing a couple of whales up at the same time.

It's always a joy to see whales.  There were another 3-5 out there at the same time, but too far out to see much more than the mist from their blows.

In the meantime, students visited research sites, collected specimens for studies they plan to carry out, and gathered equipment and gear they would need for their research.

On Sunday, we attended the North Bend Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  That evening we invited a couple of members of that ward to participate in our weekly Sunday evening group "home evening" gathering.  The couple that joined us were the local congregation's advisors to their young single adult group.  We had a good meeting and a great discussion, about mothers and other women who have had a significant impact on our lives.

Day 22 - Sunday 5/26 - creating a counter-culture splash in the dining hall

Here we are, our fourth Sunday in Oregon.  We figured out after the first week that we would have enough time to attend the full 3-hour block of Church (9-noon) and still get back in time for lunch if we left the chapel as soon as Church is over.

Lunch is served in the Dining Hall for only 30 mins, so we pull into the lab, park, and go straight to lunch.  The counter-culture effect is that the Dining Hall is not a place where you normally see formal dining.  In fact, most of the time we see people wearing t-shirts, jeans, knee-high rubber boots, etc.  So seeing a group of a dozen students wheel in there wearing dresses, shirts, ties, etc., well, it raises a few eyebrows.  It's fun actually.

Last week some of the OU students even started asking questions.

And so today is a lot more calm than yesterday - it would have to be.

There are a few students who have to collect time sensitive data in the lab or field this afternoon, but aside from that, everyone is taking it easy.

There will be another game of "Settlers of Catan" around 3p, then FHE after dinner.  The planned FHE movie is "Finding Nemo,"  That's appropriate for our last Sunday.

That's the scoop for Day 22.  Stay tuned for updates on our last week of MBFE at OIMB.