Stuck in London

We are spending the night here in London due to a missed flight. Should see you tomorrow!

Leaving tomorrow

We should be calling all our family by 8:00 on Wednesday. See you all soon!

In Athens

We made it to Athens with no problems. We are going on a tour to Delphi today and will leave Greece for Houston tomorrow morning.

Dolphin Identification

These photos are taken to identify the dolphins from one another. The main identifiers are the chunks of fin missing from their dorsal fin. The scratches help temporarily, but fade with time.

Taking Photos

Joan, the Project Investigator, taking pics with a large lens to get the dolphins from a distance for identifying marks.

SanJuana asks, "What information do you get for the observation?"

We take pictures of all the dolphins to identify them from any of their individual marks. The multiple parallel lines are from other dolphins teeth.They bite each other when playing and mating like dogs often do. The chunks of missing fins are usually from man made objects such as nets or garbage. It usually wraps around the fin and cuts through it as the dolphin grows. You cannot approach a dolphin to cut it off, so you have to hope it works it's way off sooner than later. One dolphin in Kalmos, Greece was observed by Tethys with no dorsal fin. It was cut off by a fishing line. The dolphin bled profusely, but survived. He is still swimming normally without a dorsal fin.

Lizabeth asks , "Do dolphins sleep?"

Dolphins do not sleep like you or I do. They enter a sleeplike state or a mediation state. They switch off half of their brains and close one eye. They float on the top of the water with their blowhole exposed. Dolphins will do this for 1 to 2 hours at different times of the day or night.

June 13 Day 3

I missed writing yesterday and today the internet is down. Fortunately, I have the Italian computer to use today. There are 3 computers here at the Tethys research facility. There is the main computer that is reserved for principal research investigators who head the team. There are 2 other computers designated for photo downloading and cropping one with Italian XP and the other with Spanish XP. Both are much easier to use than Greek XP.

We do not use any photo editor for improving image quality, because it effects the original color of the photos, which plays a key role in identifying individual dolphins from the database.

Yesterday, we spent the day learning the methods for collecting data, the characteristics and behaviors of dolphins and photo cropping.Photo cropping is normally a basic and easy procedure, however you need to take time to be more precise so the photo shows the dorsal fin with all markings.

Day 1, Dolphins of the Ionian Sea research Project

It is my first night here at the research facility. Joan and Stefania are the prinipal investigators of our Earthwatch expedition. They are both very friendly people with a good sense of humor. We met Inara is a public relations writer for HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghi Bank Coorporation) of Brazil. Eva also works for HSBC but in Hong Kong in the law department. Everyone enjoys learning about other cultures and traditions, but has the same goal of conservation.

Joan and Stefania cooked dinner tonight, we had Greek salad made of mostly tomatoes (not lettuce), olives, feta cheese and dressing. We had pasta with a light tomato sauce and tomatoes. As usual we had bread which seems very common at Greek meals. It is a hearty bread with a tough crust that tastes good with or without butter, honey or a spread that was made from olives.

Castle in Vonitsa, Greece

Here I am looking over one of the amazing views in Vonitsa. We are surounded by little mountains and bays. The sights are breathtaking.

It's Greek to me!

This computer is (surprise!) all in Greek. We are in Vonitsa taking our time to connect with our Earthwatch group. We deserve an easy day after a 2 hour flight and a 6 hour bus ride. Fortunately, the town is very small and there isn't much to do. The people do not even take the keys from their scooter when the go into a cafe! Bicycles are sitting outside with no lock or chain. It is a very safe place. Things are changing in the United States. In the small town where my grandma lived people no longer leave their keys in their car or their door unlocked and there isn't a stoplight in that town.

The weather here is a little chilly. I have never worn shorts, which is bad, because I do not have enough clothes. We will have to go to a dry cleaner because there are no laundry mats. We are running out of cash, because the hotel or restaurants don't even except credit cards.

I keep for getting to mention the time it's 9:55 pm here and 1:55 pm here. I should remember to post that for my students. I read one of my old posts and I know I have a couple of grammar and spelling problems. Since it costs a minimum of $1.55 per hour (2 Euro) I will not edit from here. If you spot my errors let me know and you will win a prize. We will see who is actually reading.

A photo from Florence

I tried to post this picture on June 7 and I am going to try it again.

(From L-R) Lugi, Mia, Libertad, and myself (Scott).

Mia and Lugi invited us to take a detour to Italy. They decided to show Libertad and me around Florence. The view was amazing

Rome, Italy

I wish I could add some pictures, but this internet cafe is limited. We are in Rome and exploring the old city and spending time at the Vatican. The food is really good and we have a much nicer hotel than we did in Florence. We have a constant supply of hot water. When we were in Florence, the shower would get hot and then cold. You would have to shut the water off and then turn it back on. It would slowly get scaulding hot and then cool again so you would have to repeat the process it took forever to get a shower taken. We love the accomidations here.

We are still experiencing jet lag. It is 5:30 pm here and and just 10:30 am in Houston. We are exhausted with the time change and all the walking day in and day out. Our backpacks wear us out when we have to wear them.

Repost from June 7

(From L-R) Lugi, Mia, Libertad, and myself (Scott).
Mia and Lugi invited us to take a detour to Italy. They decided to show Libertad and I around Florence. The view was amazing.

Repost from June 7

I'm sitting here in an Internet Cafe in Florence, Italy. I should have written more before I left however I did not have the time. My wife and I got a grant throughFund for Teachers to go to Greece to observe and study dolphins. We hope this research will help lead to more conservation of their habitat. The grant paid for our tickets and the study with the dolphins. We decided to spend some of our own money to see some ofEurope. Another teacher (Mia) worked with my wife. Mia lived inFlorence for 2 years and met her husband here. They were comming and invited us to visit them here. We accepted. Our feet are killling usfrom all of the uneven sidewalks and streets in Europe. We are still jet lagged and making it through the day. Tomorrow we are off to Rome and the Vatican. From there we will fly to Athens, Greece to take a bus to Vonitsa, where we will observe the dolphins. I will try to write tomorrow.

Arrived in London

It is 1:28 AM Houston time. We have sucessfully arrived in London Gatwick and making our connecting flight. It is 7:28AM here. See you in Italy!

Alfredo B asks, "How does a dolphin feel?"

I do not know a how a dolphin feels, because these are wild dolphins. Often when I tell people that I'm going to Greece to observe dolphins and they immediately think that I'm and going to ride them and play with them like on TV. That is not a typical dolphin behavior for a wild dolphins. Captive dolphins can be trained to be with humans.