s/v Field Trip

Of course, one suitcase was lost in transit! But was delivered the next day.  Phew.   It was getting dark in Fiji the night we arrived to the airport shlepping our carefully packed and weighed luggage.  I’d filled a few bags with finished schoolwork, acquired souvenirs, and the kids’ prized rock and shell collections to bring back with us and leave in the states.  Mark was happy to see the excess weight leave the boat, and I was glad to make space for whatever treasures we’d find in future travels.  We had decided to visit home in the summer months, so that we wouldn’t have to buy warm clothes or deal with cold temperatures and winter germs.  Visiting in the warm summer months also meant less bulky clothing items to pack, which would prove to be VERY important at the airport. At the check-in desk we had a run-in with the ‘baggage nazi’ who made sure we weighed each piece of luggage and even made each of us place our carryons in the tiny metal measu...

Sailing north to find the tropical weather again! How can it already be the beginning of JUNE??  Where has time gone?  In looking through the photos to compose this post, I realize that the amount of ground we've covered in the past few months could easily fill a tour book for the north and south islands of New Zealand and easily take you hours and hours to read.  SO, in the name of progress, I'm just going to take a deep breath and pull you into our present location.  (Incidentally, if you plan to visit NZ anytime, send me a note and I will inundate you with our experiences and highlights.)  But for now, hop on board for our most recent passage - from New Zealand up to Fiji.  A passage that proved just how much difference a few degrees of latitude can actually make. Opua, NZ on the morning we checked out Early morning on May 9th, we dinghied into the customs office in Opua, NZ to check out. We rode through a thick, foggy chill, bundled up in our...

“I miss Elizabeth, Mom.”   She’d only been gone for one day and one night, yet her little brother was feeling the immense void.  We all were.  But I think he was missing her the most, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.  I don’t like to see my kids sad, no parent does, but this sadness, this loneliness, this unrest told me a lot about my kids.  Just a few days ago, I wondered where I’d gone wrong as a parent as I found myself continuously wearing my police officer hat.  It was one of the many mornings when they couldn’t even walk past each other without poking or antagonizing the other.  As the annoyances escalated, the reactions escalated, and I was ready to throw them both overboard.  (Mom and Dad, I know, this is all payback for those never ending car trips during which my siblings and I drove you both absolutely bananas and caused Dad to pull the car over more than once.  I can’t apologize enough, really.  We were monste...

Who knew we'd become bird watchers?? From the graceful Bermuda Longtails to the clumsy Blue-footed Boobies of the Galapagos, we have been fascinated by the varied and unique bird life we’ve encountered.  I never thought I’d be a birdwatcher, but the moment I hear a clear, lilting call or see a shadow swooping across the sails, I scurry up on deck to get a better view and holler to one of the kids to grab the bird book and binoculars.  We’ve learned to look for certain characteristics that help to classify birds - tail shape, wing design, prominent coloring or marking, beak shape, and even the way that they fly through the air.  We’re not great at identifying a bird from it’s call yet, although some are hard to miss - like the Tui’s long melodic song here in New Zealand or the loud squawk of the greedy seagulls fighting over a crust of bread outside our galley window. Dive-Bombers  Striking markings on head, lining wings, and around the eyes an...