Life is good

I have been a happy person as of late. I feel more focused, more healthy, more energetic. Without the daily emotional ups and downs brought on by unwanted factors being introduced into my life, I find that life is much less stressful. Being back in the field, having time to exercise daily, spending time cooking great food for myself, and even getting out and socializing on my own have all contributed to my cheerful demeanor. I've developed an overwhelming optimism about this year: experiencing new places, my brother's upcoming marriage, the possibility of interesting jobs, and the prospect of graduate school, all have me giddy for the upcoming months.

Work on Fort Gordon has been going well. Some days we come up empty, but others are fraught with the thrill of finding tortoises. It can be challenging, depending on the burrow's structure. A few tortoises seem to feel the need to fortify themselves in their underground domains, creating little dunes and blockades along their sandy paths. Whether they do this on purpose, who's to say. But for the camera-wielder, it presents an obstacle to be overcome. Imagine, if you will, shoving a 3/4 inch tube with a baseball-sized camera at the end along the length of a sometimes, 10-12 foot tunnel. Fixed to your head is a set of what looks like virtual reality goggles, giving you that coveted view of the secret underground world. Suddenly, you feel like James Bond, possibly even humming the familiar theme song as you snake the camera further down, anticipating what your high-tech spy equipment might reveal. Though, this process isn't always so smooth. There is often a push and tug battle, a flipping, shoving, twisting of the camera as you come to a pile of sand, or a shrinking of the cave's opening. Your hands feel raw as you fight for just an inch or two more. You refuse to stop until you've reach the burrow's definitive end! And then you see in the shadows, what looks like a large, smooth bolder...except, this bolder seems to have thick, elephantine legs sprouting from it. You slowly creep the camera closer, and there is an ancient-looking face, whose cracked surface is caked with damp sand. The eyelids are often shut tight, peaceful in the knowledge that this subterranean chamber is safe from the cruel dangers of the outside world. Safe from everything except humans that is. Much to our dismay, we've encountered burrows smashed beyond recognition by the tank-like machines used to thin the pine stands on Fort Gordon. Ironically, this thinning is performed for the benefit of the tortoise, maintaining suitable habitat for the future. Unfortunately, suitable habitat isn't going to be of much use if they crush or trap all of the tortoises in the process! So goes the plight of the tortoise.