I'm Back

Yep, I'm alive and well. Man, that was some nasty bug! It was some kind of fever. No nausea. Just this fever and never-ending fatigue. No idea what it was, but, glad it got gone right about the time Sara got here. We had a lot of fun, but, wish she could have stayed longer.

The major bummer about being sick was that I pretty much missed the 66th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway. I spent a lot of time helping plan it, went to Hono to meet the group and come out with them, and promptly went home and passed out after I got here. Seems to have gone pretty well. The whole thing is just kind of a surreal memory to me.

Did I tell you I have geckos in the house? One just ran across the wall and caught my eye. Pretty good trade; clean up a little poop once in a while in exchange for him eating bugs around the house...

It's actually quiet around here for the first time in a long time. No visitors, no dignitaries, no special events. Just us island folk, doing our thing. I'm still researching. Got a 1943 photo from one of our visitors showing his father and a bunch of other guys in front of a Quonset hut over on Eastern Island. Looking at two others I have, one from 1941 and one from 1942, I think I can pinpoint where the photo was taken. I'll try to remember to put two of the photos on here. Amazing how different the islands look now.

Weather has been rainy, but, the birds are loving it. Not many adults left now; just an occasional one coming in to feed a chick. They are really stretchig their wings when the wind blows. They know the time is near when they must learn to fly away and find food, or, they will die. They are really fun to watch. It's like watching a child learning to walk. They both toddle, they fall, they get up, they try again. Some are actually lifting off a few feet, then they crash and look startled. "Whoa, what just happened? It sorta feels right, but, I think there's more to it." Hilarious! I stop for a while every day to look, smile, laugh, and cheer them on.

This guy lives outside my back door. I left my flip flops outside and he decided to steal one. Good thing we came out or I might never have found it.

Brent, our volunteer who left a couple of weeks ago, came on one of my tours and took a few photos. So, here's one of me in my spiffy new Fish and Wildlife uniform. OK, the hat isn't quite uniform, but, I'm tired of getting skin cancer and it looks pretty good.

Peace,

Murray