Of Point Reyes, Seals, and Armstrong Redwoods

The year 2017 has been a busy one so far. I've just returned from about a month away from Tucson, most of which was spent playing (okay, well technically doing behavioral experiments) with puppies. On my few days off, though, I had the chance to visit Point Reyes and the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.

We were lucky enough to see elephant seals, which blended in with the driftwood surprisingly well, especially given how large they are!

One part of the beach was lined for at least 100 yards with tiny bright blue jellyfish!

Close up of said jellyfish.

We also saw tule elk in the park, but as I was driving, I have no pictures of them. The next weekend we made it out to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. The the tallest trees here are over 300 feet tall; the oldest are approximately 1400 years old. Photographs do not do them justice.

The Duke Chapel

Also while at Duke, I visited the Duke Chapel, which is simultaneously very similar to the Princeton Chapel and completely different. I've heard for years that the Duke Chapel was modeled on Princeton's. Although I've seen evidence that many parts of Duke's campus were modeled on various examples of collegiate Gothic architecture, including Princeton, I haven't found any specific connection regarding the chapels.

The most obvious difference, of course, is the bell tower.
The Princeton Chapel has no bell tower, although the graduate college does.

Just a few days before the "supermoon." 

The exterior stone is much darker and variegated than that of the Princeton Chapel.

The Duke chapel is connected via two sets of arches to buildings on either side.

This view is very similar, although it felt longer and narrower than the Princeton Chapel.

There are three organs in the Duke Chapel. This is the Benjamin N. Duke Memorial Organ,
built in 1976 and modeled after 18th century Dutch-French organs.

So when I saw this nearby, I almost wasn't surprised. This Princeton shield is nestled in with the Harvard and Yale shields on the student union building! 

And now for just a few pictures of the Princeton Chapel for comparison. And because I miss it.

Coping with Puppies: A Visit to Duke

I visited Duke last week, and while the travel and election meant that my sleep schedule alternated between 5 and 10 hours of sleep per night, the work itself--piloting behavioral tests to use with young puppies--was a perfect distraction. So I thought I'd share some pictures. 

(The photos are mine; the watermark is from the organization that raises these dogs, paws4people.)