Day 14 - June 20: Leaving on a jet plane

.....don't know when we'll be back again.

Our last day in paradise started out with a breakfast of eggs and grits. This was followed up with a short interval, okay – a cram session, in preparation for our morning exam. Groan…

A few hours later with the exam done and over, and a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch in our stomach to get us through the afternoon it was off to the “blue beast with wheels” (but no shock absorbers). Once we were all loaded up it was time to hit the road for the beach. The group picked Grotto Bay and Lindsay Reef. The day was full of sun and we all gorged ourselves one last time on the beautiful vista as we passed – the changing colors of the water, from dark blue to turquoise, on our way to Grotto Bay one of the most beautiful places on earth.

As soon as “the beast” stopped the group charged full speed to the water fully decked out in snorkeling gear and our lovely neon yellow snorkel vest; the height of summer fashion. A few stayed on shore determined to catch that last fish. Of course with all the epikarst (really jagged sharp rocks) and the excitement of trying to save a caught fish Murphy ’s Law struck again and we had a minor casualty. Fortunately we were prepared with a first aid kit and plenty of knowledgeable hands to help doctor the wound.

Since we stayed longer than planned and it was hot enough to need shade, we stopped at the Columbus Monument instead of Lindsay Reef for 45 minutes of playing in the water and collecting shells. Of course Matt and Bo boogied out to the reef for some last minute snorkeling. Matt brought back a giant sea biscuit (Heart Urchin, about the size of the human brain) with plans to bleach it and take it home.

On our way back to GRC we stopped at the Riding Rock Inn for t-shirts. Dinner was followed by our final class gathering to prepare for our Rocky Intertidal Survey presentations and individual 5-minute mini presentations (each a different species of interest). But of course we had to pack up all the FGCU course materials in boxes first to be stored for next years group. All the presentations were excellent but one in particular stood out. She took the initiative and did an extended presentation that included the spoof species identification of our professor Dr. Erdman aka “Mamma bearus” and his natural habitat and foraging preferences (of course all in fun).

Then it was off to say goodbye to the locals at our favorite hot spot, The Short Stop restaurant and bar. We took a FGCU t-shirt and wrote our favorite quotes from our stay on the island and all signed it and we hung it on the ceiling among other colleges that have come to before us.

So now it is time to say “So long, and thanks for all the fish”

- Deb and Matt