House Updates, But Not Yet :-)

We're finally to the "countdown" for Leo coming home, and, as ever, I am starting to get excited. There is a lot going on in my life, which is not unusual, but it is split across a wide range of area. I suppose I should cut to the chase here...I think I'm taking the long way around apologizing for no postings for many weeks.

Next week, after Leo gets home and things settle in a bit, you can expect some photos here on progress at the house. You see, we've found it's a lot more fun if Leo waits until he gets home to find out what I've been up to with the house, so I'm careful to avoid posting photos and dropping too many hints while he's gone. It may seem a bit childish of us to play it this way, but there are actually good reasons for it.

First, it keeps Leo from being too distracted at work. When he's home, Leo spends a lot of time on the computer, watching tv, relaxing with Jess, and kicking back. This is because when he is at work, he works 28 days in a row with no break, 12+ hours each day. Leo's work is crazy, hectic, fast-paced, and he has to keep his mind geared up just to keep up with the goings-on...he doesn't have time for distractions. So, my emails to him are generally light duty, and I try not to give him anything to worry about.

Second, when it comes to decisions about the house we both have a tendency to check, double-check, and re-check with the other before making a selection of any kind. While this ensures we both agree on things, it also slows us down A LOT. So, more recently our strategy as been this; when Leo is home we do a lot of research on finishes, styles, colors, and more. We shop and shop for things that are coming up on the house, but generally don't actually make any purchases. By the time he rotates back to Nigeria, I am at a point where I am a LOT more confident about making selections of all kinds without him being here because at this point, I know what he likes. I can make purchases as needed a lot more quickly than when he's here, but I am also confident that he is going to like those selections.

Finally, although it's not like Leo needs any more excitement in his life, the truth is, that first day home is always a great deal of fun for us both. I watch him go through the house discovering all the changes and we both really enjoy the experience. It's like Christmas every other month. It is also a HUGE confirmation for us both that this two years of frequent and long separations has some payoff value. Then he can relax for a month, enjoy the new parts of the house, and prepare for the next rotation knowing that it is his work in Nigeria that is making it all possible.

Tuesday in Cairns

We got in late and finally got to sleep around 1:30am. I was up by 6am, and Rebecca wasn't far behind. After breakfast downstairs, we took a little walk along the Esplanade enjoying the morning. The view from our room is really nice. (Remember to click on each photo for a larger view, then use your "back" button to come back here.)

After the walk, I had to get back to the room in order to attend my Monday night class. (Time zones can be so very strange.) Surprisingly, I had no trouble at all with the connection and enjoyed another interesting class meeting. I really have interesting class mates, but I guess that's another story.

After class, we decided to walk about town. We ate at an open air restaurant, the standard in this town, then started toward the mall in the center of town, which is all the rage in the area. On the way, we stopped to look at the trees surrounding the city library. They are the same kind we found in Cuba (can't remember their name) and we thought they were quite beautiful, so we took several pictures of ourselves standing under them.

We noticed some signs under the trees telling how they are the breeding place for an animal called a "flying fox". "Interesting," we thought, "wonder if we can see any of these creatures." It was about this time that we noticed we were standing in a very large area of berry poo (some of it still falling). We were very excited when we spotted our first fox, but within about 10 minutes of our oohing and aahing, the situation had really changed. The trees are FULL of these creatures, hanging upside down (and pooing!), but unlike the bats in our neck of the woods, we noticed these guys have an extremely large wing span. As I said, 10 minutes into the adventure and we found ourselves hurrying away from these scary hordes! It was really crazy!

Note: A google search reveal that these are "the largest bats in the world", do not possess the typical bat hearing (echolocation), and have a wingspan of up to 6 feet. Yikes!

While the city is nice, the prices are a little on the high side, and once you move away from the Esplanade, it really does look just like a number of other cities in the world. All the really exciting things are a bit outside of the city. So, when I get up in the morning and head to PNG for business, Rebecca will be the one trying out all those "exciting things". And me? Well, I'm looking forward to more adventure, of course, but am really trying to work out how to talk Leo into coming back here for a real vacation someday soon!

Finally - PACKING!

Although I'm still too tired and have too many things left to do to get very excited, I know it's coming. We'll be boarding the airplane this time tomorrow. Our tickets are cheap and our seats won't be good, but it won't matter so much to us. We'll survive the trip, I'm sure.

So, here's the way the trip goes down:

• Sun, Oct 04 - Houston to Cairns, 22 hr 35 min
  • 1 hr 15 min in Honolulu
  • 45 min and plane change in Guam
• Wed, Oct 07 - Cairns to Port Moresby, 2 hr 10 min
• Sun, Oct 11 - Port Moresby to Cairns, 2 hr 10 min
• Tue, Oct 13 - Cairns to Houston, 24 hr 20 min
  • 1 hr 55 min and plane change in Guam

In all fairness, there are lots of things that could go wrong on this trip. My contact in PNG, for example, has recently been "unreachable". Still, I've never been one to worry much over details like that and am expecting, no matter what, to have an adventure. The other good thing about the trip is that by the time I get back, it will be less than 3 weeks until Leo comes home again. What could be better?

I am hoping for, actually expecting, to have internet access in Australia. However, I have no clue how "good" it will be. I'll do what I can to provide updates, if at all possible. While I'm in PNG I am expecting to not have internet access. If for some strange reason I do, you can bet I'll be utilizing it.

Well, I really do have places to go and people to see, so I'll have to check in later. Wish us well on our adventure!