It has been three years since I last wrote on my blog. Sure enough, It was the last time I was in Guam. I'd just skip it, but if I don't write, I won't remember in the future what happened. When I was a kid, I could remember everything, and thought I always would. How wrong I was. I love looking back at the details, and I will let you come along and enjoy the journey with me.
This will be the third time my husband has been able to take a sabbatical (time off from teaching projects or research) and come to Guam to do some special engineering projects for Adventist World Radio. We have come in 2013 and 1017 also. The first time we brought our kids for an epic homeschooling opportunity. Last time and this time, they have stayed back in school. This time they are both in university.
We flew out from the Pasco, Washington airport at 6:30 AM on December 30, 2019 after getting up at 2:45 AM. There was a tail wind pushing us faster than normal to San Francisco, which turned out really helpful, because we only had a 30 minute layover scheduled there and were really unsure if we could pull it off. That tail wind made it so we arrived at our next gate while there was still a line of passengers loading.
Back at home we had made up some instant oatmeal from quick oats, dried blueberries, walnuts and coconut milk powder. I divided it into some plastic containers with lids, than after going through security at the Pasco airport we added cold fountain water and stirred. This is a through hiker backpacking trick. No hot water is needed to soak up many foods. Just give it enough time to soak.
On the plane to Honolulu when they started passing out the cookies and drinks, we got out our oatmeal and had a delicious, filling breakfast. After that I was able to sleep some. The flight is about 5 hours and 45 minutes long. After the nap I got out my sketch book and drew two of the photos stored on my phone. One was of Rosario just at sunset with beach grasses in the foreground. The other was of a golden autumn tree and sheep in the field below our Walla Walla house. The drawing practice is important practice for my art skills. Drawing is a skill I am weak in and have been improving with practice. I always wish I had color in that pencil though, because a pencil is so limited in what is displays, There is no way to show the sunset glow with just a graphite pencil. So sometimes I add some quick watercolor even if my sketchbook doesn't contain watercolor paper. It works as long as I limit the water. A wet on wet wash can cause problems with the thin paper.
We had 2.5 hours to walk around and relax in Hawaii before we got on the endurance flight to Guam, and just under 8 hours, that flight stretches my patience. In the Hawaiian airport we found a lovely cultural garden that was outside, but still in security. We ate our lunch of carrot sticks, celery sticks, snow peas, apple slices, and nuts. A man came and fed the ducks and the Koi in a pond. A Black Crowned Night Heron flew in to get his share of the treats. He fluffed his feathers and showed off a bit.
We walked around and looked that the tropical foilage growing lush outside, the kind of plants that people grow inside in Washington state. Golden pothos was the most notable plant, growing as a ground cover all over the garden.
We found a bathroom and water fountain nearby, so we washed and refilled our oatmeal containers so we could enjoy a meal on our next flight.
I was hoping I could sleep while we flew between Honolulu and Guam. I listened to an audio book. The first chapter was good, but the second chapter turned the book into a detailed romance novel. I don't recommend it. So I switched pod casts, but kept getting interrupted by the man beside me who thought of all kinds of questions to ask me or Rob. Then I switched to an ebook. This book had better quality content. Finally I thought I should try sleep. I dozed some, but became more and more aware of how airplane seats are not made for people my size. Then I learned that the seats were not designed for people my husband's size also. He too complained about the funny curve in the seat back. Rob, the man beside me and I kept taking turns getting up and walking around. One time I had a great conversation with a woman standing back by the restrooms. We started sharing stories about our life, and then a flight attendant told us we had to go back to our seats because the fasten seatbelt sign had just come on. Disappointed we returned to our seats. Later after we got off the plane in Guam, she found me and gave me a warm Chammoro hug and said thank you for the friendly conversation.
Somehow I survived that long flight. Brook Powers from Adventist World Radio came and picked us up and took us to our new home on the AWR property. This house used to be where Sammy Gregory and Darling and their children lived. They have done some refurbishing here, even installing new kitchen cupboards and appliances. Brook and Patty used to live in the apartment underneath. Now they live in a brand new house across the road from the one that we are living in.
We went to bed around 9:00 PM Guam time.
This will be the third time my husband has been able to take a sabbatical (time off from teaching projects or research) and come to Guam to do some special engineering projects for Adventist World Radio. We have come in 2013 and 1017 also. The first time we brought our kids for an epic homeschooling opportunity. Last time and this time, they have stayed back in school. This time they are both in university.
We flew out from the Pasco, Washington airport at 6:30 AM on December 30, 2019 after getting up at 2:45 AM. There was a tail wind pushing us faster than normal to San Francisco, which turned out really helpful, because we only had a 30 minute layover scheduled there and were really unsure if we could pull it off. That tail wind made it so we arrived at our next gate while there was still a line of passengers loading.
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| Is this Mt. Shasta? |
Back at home we had made up some instant oatmeal from quick oats, dried blueberries, walnuts and coconut milk powder. I divided it into some plastic containers with lids, than after going through security at the Pasco airport we added cold fountain water and stirred. This is a through hiker backpacking trick. No hot water is needed to soak up many foods. Just give it enough time to soak.
On the plane to Honolulu when they started passing out the cookies and drinks, we got out our oatmeal and had a delicious, filling breakfast. After that I was able to sleep some. The flight is about 5 hours and 45 minutes long. After the nap I got out my sketch book and drew two of the photos stored on my phone. One was of Rosario just at sunset with beach grasses in the foreground. The other was of a golden autumn tree and sheep in the field below our Walla Walla house. The drawing practice is important practice for my art skills. Drawing is a skill I am weak in and have been improving with practice. I always wish I had color in that pencil though, because a pencil is so limited in what is displays, There is no way to show the sunset glow with just a graphite pencil. So sometimes I add some quick watercolor even if my sketchbook doesn't contain watercolor paper. It works as long as I limit the water. A wet on wet wash can cause problems with the thin paper.
We had 2.5 hours to walk around and relax in Hawaii before we got on the endurance flight to Guam, and just under 8 hours, that flight stretches my patience. In the Hawaiian airport we found a lovely cultural garden that was outside, but still in security. We ate our lunch of carrot sticks, celery sticks, snow peas, apple slices, and nuts. A man came and fed the ducks and the Koi in a pond. A Black Crowned Night Heron flew in to get his share of the treats. He fluffed his feathers and showed off a bit.
We walked around and looked that the tropical foilage growing lush outside, the kind of plants that people grow inside in Washington state. Golden pothos was the most notable plant, growing as a ground cover all over the garden.
We found a bathroom and water fountain nearby, so we washed and refilled our oatmeal containers so we could enjoy a meal on our next flight.
I was hoping I could sleep while we flew between Honolulu and Guam. I listened to an audio book. The first chapter was good, but the second chapter turned the book into a detailed romance novel. I don't recommend it. So I switched pod casts, but kept getting interrupted by the man beside me who thought of all kinds of questions to ask me or Rob. Then I switched to an ebook. This book had better quality content. Finally I thought I should try sleep. I dozed some, but became more and more aware of how airplane seats are not made for people my size. Then I learned that the seats were not designed for people my husband's size also. He too complained about the funny curve in the seat back. Rob, the man beside me and I kept taking turns getting up and walking around. One time I had a great conversation with a woman standing back by the restrooms. We started sharing stories about our life, and then a flight attendant told us we had to go back to our seats because the fasten seatbelt sign had just come on. Disappointed we returned to our seats. Later after we got off the plane in Guam, she found me and gave me a warm Chammoro hug and said thank you for the friendly conversation.
Somehow I survived that long flight. Brook Powers from Adventist World Radio came and picked us up and took us to our new home on the AWR property. This house used to be where Sammy Gregory and Darling and their children lived. They have done some refurbishing here, even installing new kitchen cupboards and appliances. Brook and Patty used to live in the apartment underneath. Now they live in a brand new house across the road from the one that we are living in.
We went to bed around 9:00 PM Guam time.
I love that there was a garden to eat your lunch in at the airport in Hawaii, that's so cool!
ReplyDeleteI get really tired flying transatlantic since I've flown three 16 hour flights so far. The seats bother me too. They're not super ergonomic... I usually take the pillow they give me or a jacket and stuff it behind my back for the whole flight and that usually helps a lot.
They didn't give us a pillow this time, just a blanket, and we did need the blanket for warmth high up over the Pacific ocean.
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