Stories — Blog — The Greenest Blue

A Lesson in Timing, Trust, & Intuition - Back to School After 7 Years of Marine Tourism Work

There have been some big life changes in the past month, and I am thrilled about them. I’m a little bit nervous to talk about them on here, because I’m worried there’s a part of me that still doesn’t believe it’s real, or that I can succeed. There’s even a bit of imposter syndrome sneaking in, which I HATE. But more on addressing that in another blog post.

Basically, here’s what’s happening: I’m going to be attending graduate school in the fall at UC Santa Cruz in the department of Ocean Sciences, studying humpback whale stress physiology. I was fortunate enough to receive an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship which will make this much more financially feasible. As I learn more about what being an NSF fellow entails, I will certainly share that here. But this is a big change in my journey, and I wanted to share this process with you!

Moving Mountains with Photography - A Chat with Landscape Photographer Luke Praschak

Luke is an amazing friend. We met thanks to our mutual use of Facebook marketplace and Sony camera systems, and immediately clicked with our passions for content creation and nature. I fondly remember our first meeting at the Salty Fox coffee shop across from the Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal, oat milk lattes and bright summer sun lighting up the conversation and the streets. I don’t want to give away too much of Luke’s story (he’s going to share it down below), but what I will do is warn you to prepare yourselves to be blown away by the beauty of his photographs. He specializes in landscape photography, mainly of the North Cascades. San Juan Island residents are blessed to have this national park essentially in their park yard, and in my opinion its one of the hidden gems of our national park system in the U.S. A bit removed and not as easily accessed as the others, I think it provides every bit of the magic and breathtaking alpine views of the more popular Glacier, Ranier, and Olympic National Parks without the gawking crowds.

A Chat with Whale Watch Captain & Naturalist Sarah McCullagh - Friday Harbor, WA

I had the privilege of chatting with the wonderful Sarah McCullagh, who has been in my life since the spring of 2016 when she chatted on the phone with me to interview me for my second naturalist position, up in the Pacific Northwest. Sarah is one of the most passionate, well-spoken, and understanding advocates for the Southern Resident Killer Whales and marine ecosystem in general that I have ever met, and I’ve been so appreciative of all the time I’ve had to learn from her. She’s one of those wildly intelligent gals who knows each of the Southern Residents by sight and can launch into detailed explanations of each of their life histories instantly. I admire that passion so much.

Healing Nature, Healing Ourselves - A Chat with Wildlife Photographer & Biologist Colinda Vergeer

That brings me to introduce the beautiful Colinda. I met this firecracker of a woman from the Netherlands through a mutual friend from Maui who just knew we’d get along, since we “both absolutely adore whales!” Never one to turn down a chance to connect with a similar spirit, I jumped at the chance to meet her. Now that we’ve been friends for a while, I can confirm that Colinda has some amazing stories to tell.

So without further ado, please read on to hear how a passionate nature lover from the Netherlands grew into her role as a project leader for the National State Forest and developed a love for marine life. She’s also an incredible photographer, as you’ll see! All the photos from this post are her own.

So without further ado, please read on to hear how a passionate nature lover from the Netherlands grew into her role as a project leader for the National State Forest and developed a love for marine life.

Marine mammals inspired me to seek a greener lifestyle. What inspires you?