We began looking for one another upon arrival at the airport in Houston, trying to match the faces around us with the tiny pictures from the moodle site. My group of five linked up aboard the puddle jumper to College Station while passengers watched amused as we asked who was “a rocker.” Our first bonding experience occurred as we braved the turbulence of the flight. What were we doing in the air? There aren’t any rocks up here!
At the hotel we learned that we had an immediate assignment, a filmed interview with a script. Some of us hadn’t even checked in yet! During a brief respite, we took in the local sites. The amount of restoration work done and being done in this small community is very impressive. We could sense that we were among people who cared about their surroundings, their neighbors and the future. But where are the rocks?
Dinner finally brought all of us together for the first time. The food was excellent, especially since many of us had not had lunch since virtually everything in town was closed! The company was excellent. The presentations let us know why we are here. There is a lot to learn! Our evening ended with a coring exercise. Straws became drills and the Earth’s surface was a cake. As we each analyzed our stratified cake cores, it was obvious – the room was filled with science geeks! But wait, where are the rocks? Perhaps tomorrow – something else to look forward to.
- Reported by Pat Donahue
SOR Instructor Mark Leckie chills out at the hotel before the onslaught:
