I’m leaving tomorrow for the Salish Sea Conference up in Vancouver, BC. I’ve been scheduled to present a poster and to do a short presentation on my plastic bottle boat journey through Puget Sound. Other than that, I’ll be attending a variety of other sessions, judging a few of them, and hopefully coming away a bit smarter than I am now.

It’s funny. Just four years ago, Steve and Kiwi and I were deep into the planning for that first trip, the roadless coast expedition, the one that would literally change my life. I can’t speak for what effect it had on them, if any, but it was the catalyst for me to go back to school, to get my Master’s, and to start working toward a plastic-free ocean. It was a trip that allowed me to see what I needed to be doing and I haven’t looked back. And now I’m heading for Vancouver to talk about it.

Life turns on a dime.