Day 62: She handed me a box, "...because you do so much for science and the Park." Inside I discovered the newly-released two-volume set of Bruce McCune's "Microlichens of the Pacific Northwest," which pretty much rendered me speechless. The Park hired a term "veg person" a few months ago, and Arnie insisted that I needed to meet her. We hit it off immediately and fell to making plans regarding sites of interest in the pursuit of a particularly rare little fungus next summer. On common ground, we talked about plants and maps and adventures, past and projected, and some time later, Sue wrote to me and asked if I'd seen McCune's new books. I had not, and after pricing them, I wasn't quite sure I could afford to give myself a second Christmas present. Then I received a follow-up email from Sue, saying she'd ordered them for me as a gift. Yesterday, she delivered them to me with those words, "...because you do so much for science and the Park," echoing something Arnie had told her when he was arranging our meet-up. I said, "I hope he didn't put me up as an expert, because I'm not. I'm learning right alongside you, Sue," and then I added, "and these books are fantastic! They're really going to be helpful with the vocabulary because they're so visual!" It's hard to picture something accurately in your mind when you only have a verbal description. What exactly does "granular" mean when it's held up against "farinaceous?" McCune's photos make the distinction clear. Suffice to say, I have my reading cut out for me, and Sue's wonderful gift will help me do more "for science and the Park."
