Memories of Squid

One of the most glorious experiences of my life was swimming up to a school of tiny squid in Bermuda. For some reason, when I saw these earrings for sale at the Bermuda glassblowing shop I thought of squid. These were the only earrings that I bought that summer in Bermuda some 11 years ago. I bought them on my last day, a souvenir to remind me of watching squid in the aqua water.

I was in Bermuda learning about how to conduct in-depth field work. I got to snorkel through coral reefs, freshwater ponds, caves, and coves. I made transects and graphs and learned to identify hundreds of species of endemic, native, introduced, and invasive species. I even got to swim with dolphins. But squid captured my affection.

Why squid? They move in a graceful, coordinated dance. As a team. As if they are playing follow the leader. I hovered next to schools of squid as long as they would allow, trying to determine who they were following as they tilted left, scooted right, zipped off in search of food.

On reflection, these earrings look nothing like squid. But to me, they still capture the wonder I felt that summer in Bermuda. And they're indelibly linked in my memory to squid.