Rachel Carson and the Weaving Waters Expedition

About a year ago I was contemplating my next venture upon my pending retirement from science research and academia.  I looked closely at a few ideas, but I was stumbling along unsure of what was next for me.  At that time, I was on a long, 3-day drive back home to Fredericton and I had a stayover just outside Providence, Rhode Island.  I realized I was close to the very famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, an iconic and storied research station for us aquatic science nerds and to which I had never been.

So, first thing the next morning, I headed out to the hallowed halls.  I drove down to the beautiful town of Woods Hole, bought an excellent coffee and pastry, and walked down to the waterfront to enjoy an early morning by the sea.  As I approached the park, I saw a single person sitting on a bench by the water and headed over.  I was surprised that it was Rachel Carson sitting there as a wonderful statuary.

As I sat and had coffee with Rachel, I chatted to her bronze self about nothing in particular. I said something about my uncertain future and unassumingly asked her what I should do next. Well, then…the voice of Rachel Carson proceeded to lay out what is now the Weaving Waters Expedition.  She spoke to the generalities of what I was to accomplish along the journey and how I was going to make the expedition a reality.  Then there was silence…from both of us.

I wasn’t sure what to say to a bronze being, but a few days later when I arrived home, the plans for the journey had a foundation and framework; the Weaving Waters Expedition was launched.

Thank you Rachel - I hope I got it right!