bit longer as the boys and girls spontaneously sat in a large circle in the middle of the floor and began a spirited game of “duck, duck, goose” that went on for some time. At the end, Charlie was gone, but everyone was too busy having a good time to have noticed his departure. Wednesday’s forecast was not optimistic, but we took the chance that the worst rain would hold off until after the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary walk, and it did. In a slight and mild drizzle, Jenette and Emily were our guides. Through their expert descriptions, they helped the boys deepen their understanding and sense of place regarding the salt marsh habitat. Afterward, the boys moved inside the Sanctuary’s museum to do some marvelous work in their sketchbooks. Back home at the camp, we had a bag lunch and prepared for the centerpiece of this year’s trip: the Science Afternoon presented by Woods Hole scientists Heather Benway and Dave Gallo. The special afternoon was made possible by George and Joyce Moss, grandparents of George Moss ’13 and Oliver Moss ’15. Everyone was curious and excited to participate in the program, and we were not disappointed. In the first part of the program, dedicated to the subject of ocean acidification (OA), Dr. Benway introduced the boys to the concept of pH and how carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can be absorbed by water to make it slightly more acid. They performed experiments using their breath and yeast as sources of CO2, and took numerical data of both CO2 gas and acidity of the water with the aid of probes hooked up to special hand-held computers. They also examined treated vs. untreated scallop shells for the effects of soaking for 36 hours in a mild acidic solution, and used a home-made cabbage juice indicator to test the pH levels of some common household liquids. The degree to which the boys processed and synthesized all of this information was immediately apparent in their enthusiasm and in the sophistication of questions they had for Dr. Benway in her summary session at the end. Later, Dr. Gallo, an oceanographer at WHOI, took over the presentation. The boys were amazed at some of the motion photography of volcanic and life-form activities taking place on the floor of the deep ocean. He also brought with him some pictures, recently computer generated from data collected over a period of years, of the wreck and debris field of the Titanic. The boys were privileged to be among the first people on earth to see these oversized (over 2 feet wide by 4 feet in length) and dramatic prints, and they took a keen interest. It was a great afternoon, and Dr. Benway and Dr. Gallo deserve our praise and thanks for putting the program together and bringing it to us at our home base. By this time, the pouring rain precluded any thought of outdoor sports, so we used the time indoors to write in the journals about the experience and begin a movie before dinner. From lunch through dinner, movie, and pre-bedtime snack, we spent over eight hours confined to the dining hall, and nobody complained. It was a great day! Thursday began with writing some more after breakfast while rain showers continued outside. As we prepared to
George Moss ’13 and Tau Loving ’13 observe the effects of a mild acid solution on scallop shells.
leave for Provincetown for bike riding a