Soaking in the Sun and the Cleansing Warm Tropical Waters

We had a very wonderful weekend. It was actually the FIRST time we went into the warm ocean waters since we've been here. Hard to believe, but that is how busy we've been, mostly spending our hard earned money. We bought a 2002 white Toyota Echo and of course, it was more than we thought it would be.

We first started looking at older, cheaper cars and these turned out to definitely be “you get what you pay for”. One 2000 echo we looked at was great running except for noises in the air conditioning so I took it by the Toyota dealer and they verified the problem – a/c compressor and a/c clutch, $1650 to fix!! So we started looking at a little younger and found this one. The way to find used cars on the island is to drive down Beach Road (by the way there are only 3 main N-S roads on the island – beach road on the west, middle road and back road on the east) and scope out the cars sitting in the church parking lots, especially the one that sits across the street from the only KFC on the island. This is the type of directions you get here on the islands. No addresses, really no street names unless the main ones, just – “you know the Canton market, turn right there…”. We spent one entire afternoon trying to find a car we wanted to look at, "lost" on an island. Doesn’t matter right, we’re on island time now!

Then of course we had to hook up our electricity requiring another down payment and deposit. The same for our rental apartment – first months rent and a security deposit. Cha-ching! Next, we bought some outdoor furniture for our patio, so our visitors have something to sit on when visiting. And finally, but not least, was getting internet, a very important item for Cheri (and her boss!), and so we can stay in touch with all of you!

If only I could record what just happened outside our hotel – something which has been recurring the last few days. Tremendous amounts of fireworks! It is the Chinese New Years – the year of the Tiger! Nathan would have loved these fireworks, and with no restrictions, going off at all hours.

On Friday I got to go out in the field on a shorebird-waterbird survey and went to a tiny little pond in the middle of a Saipan neighborhood – Koblerville, and saw some great new birds. Non-Birders skip to next paragraph! Here is a list of birds seen at the pond and the rest of the day:

- Little Egret             - Black-winged Stilt                   - Yellow Bittern
- our usual but beautiful Northern Pintails                    - Eurasian Wigeon
- Garganey (female)  - Common Moorhens                - Lesser Golden Plover (lots)

- Common Sandpiper     - Black-headed Gull                - Common Snipe
- Common Greenshank (quick look)                              - Marsh Sandpiper
- Wood Sandpiper         - Island Collared Dove            - White-throated Ground Dove

– Collared Kingfisher

- Rufous Fantail               - Micronesian Starling               - Nightingale Reed Warbler
- Micronesian Honeyeater - Golden White-eye (Wow!)   - Bridled White-eye
- Orange-cheeked Waxbill (non-native)                           - Eurasian Tree Sparrow (non-native)

Quite a day!!



On Saturday, as I mentioned above, Cheri and I went to the beach for our FIRST SWIM – PauPau Beach. As you can tell from the pictures – it is just gorgeous!!

It is still shocking to us just how beautiful this place is. Everything here is soft – soft and warm air, the tropical waters feel so soft, the soft sand, and the soft people. Just what we need since we are off on our own. We slathered on our spf 50 sunblock and laid out, swam and walked the beach. It is the most refreshed I have seen Cheri – actually both of us, since December. Water, it is and always has been refreshing, cleansing, renewing!

Paupau Beach!

On Sunday, Valentines Day, we found some patio furniture on our local Saipan craigslist – garagesale.saipan.com , that we ended up buying – see Cheri with her new purchase.

Then we were close to an eastside beach called “Forbidden Island” so I took off to show Cheri. It is an isolated cove with a steep trail and of course, just gorgeous. You probably can’t tell in the photo but there was one couple down at the beach. A common occurrence and this was a Sunday.

After we drove back to our “new apartment” and dropped off the furniture, we headed off for “Wings” beach.

Another beautiful beach and this time we had our snorkeling gear. So in we went and got our first look underwater at the Saipan ocean. Ohhh, how nice just to watch these small reef fish, floating with the tidal action, the slower you go the more you see, so it just motivates one to slow down.

On Monday, President’s Day, we just lolled around in the morning and then around noon took off for another beach on the south side – Ladder Beach. We didn’t know what to expect, but knew there were going to be steps or who knows, even a ladder to get down the cliff. Well to our delight it was all in all, only about 20 steps down. And, NO people. We had our own little cove of a beach.

 

I haven’t spoken of Nathan, but on the way to this beach Cheri was having a very hard time, and then … so did I. I know it is because this is the first weekend we had to ourselves with not much to do! So idle time let’s the mind roam. We certainly don’t ever want to forget him, which of course we never could – he was such a big part of our lives -- we will always “keep the door open”. But that doesn’t make it easy. Like Saturday morning when I was getting us signed up for the internet, and there right in front of the guy who was helping me were some Ninja Turtle figures.

For those of you that don’t know, but Nathan grew up with (and therefore us as well) and never out grew the Ninja Turtles! He had all the movies and TV shows that had ever been produced. So those little things, those big reminders are all over because Nathan was so full of life! Intellectually we know this was wonderful, but we are still emotionally raw and at times get moved out of the present into either the past or future!! No, no, no, no not a good idea – that is why the philosophy “be here now” part of our hippie roots, is such a good anthem, but something that is hard to follow at times too.

Here are some good and relevant quotes from a book Karin gave us before we left, “Healing After Loss” by Martha Whitmore Hickman:

“And can it be that in a world so full and busy, the loss of one weak creature makes a void in any heart, so wide and deep that nothing but the width and depth of eternity can fill it up.”

- Charles Dickens

“The mind has a dumb sense of vast loss – that is all. It will take mind and memory months and possibly years to gather the details and thus learn and know the whole extent of the loss.”

- Mark Twain

“Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.”

- Corita Kent

Nathan – these thoughts and feelings are dedicated to you, our wonderful son!