170 ^ 100 Y'EARS EXPLORING LIFE, 1888-1988 



bountiful growth, however, people with land generally have to cope vvdth the 

 plant population to some extent. Pulling weeds, trimming trees, trying to 

 keep back the poison ivy and scratchy wild Cape Cod roses: all this takes 

 time. Those MBL kids, who pleaded to spend the summer in Woods Hole 

 in order to see their friends again and to take courses again at the Science 

 School, may find themselves on enforced garden duty. Many yards reflect 

 the attention given, however grudgingly, and reward the casual walker out 

 for an evening stroll in the balmy air. Sometimes a scientist has embarked 

 on botanical experiments at home. Morgan, for example, bred various 

 plants (such as verbena) as well as mice and occasional birds during his 

 Woods Hole summers. 



On a more formal and scientific note, the herb garden next to the bell 

 tower offers a quiet place for sitting and thinking. Designed by landscape 

 architect Dorothea Harrison (one of Ross Harrison's daughters) and kept in 

 shape for a while by her and her friends, the garden receives less attention 

 from visitors these days, but has been well tended by someone. Another 

 Harrison offspring, Richard Harrison, became an artist of a difi'erent sort, 

 doing architectural work and drawing for the New Yorker, for example. The 

 scientific interest in order and drawing rubs off on the talented children in 

 various ways. 



SaUing 



After a busy day of walking, singing, visiting gardens and neighbors, and 

 swimming, many people would love to take a sail. If only they could get to 

 know someone important or generous, they could. The Eel Pond is beau- 

 tiful with its complement of sailboats. Perhaps all that opulence bothers 

 some of the more politically egalitarian scientists, but the recent invasion of 

 those sailboats is not likely to stop for that reason. Of course, smaller boats 

 have been around for a long time. More than one MBL worker has 

 purchased a boat to get around the choice collecting sites well before 

 investing in land or even a car. Each winter some of those small boats find 

 their way to the bottom of the Eel Pond, alongside old-fashioned discai'ded 

 microtomes that some people used as anchors and other odds and ends. 

 Occasionally the ice and storms sink larger and more expensive boats as 

 well. Spring cleaning has its own meaning at the seashore. 



Meais, Movies^ and Diversions 



After all that activity and a possible sail, anyone would surely be hungry. 

 Outdoor grills give evidence of the swordfish dinners or the occasional 

 clambakes out of doors. Lots of good, relaxed scientific discussions take 



