It is time to go home. I am ready. I don't think I can adequately describe the gift I have been given. A gift of time, exploration and renewal. The last few weeks have been pure vacation. Spending time with with K and L and seeing more of Australia. We went to Heron Island, two flights and a ferry ride to get to this Island at the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. The island is a national marine park, a research station and an amazing dive site. We toured the research facility, walked the 1.6 mile island many times, snorkeled off the beach and K and L did some SCUBA dives. L completed 5 dives.
I was sick the week before L arrived and although I kept up with the touring of Sydney, Port Douglas and the Daintree when I finally visited a doctor she reported I had torn my ear drum (I had done this earlier when learning how to SCUBA) so diving was out of the question for me on this trip. Heron Island is listed as in the book of 1,000 Places to visit before you die and it deserves the notation. The GBR is several hours off the mainland so the glory of being on an island 2 hours off the main land is we can snorkel from the beach and dive sites are a 5 minute boat ride away. We saw several kinds of sharks, lemon and reef (it has been 20 years since the last shark attack at Heron but I still got out of the ocean when the sharks circled). Lots of rays; cow tail, man o ray and eagle ray. And lots and lots of big and small turtles. If my trip to Africa brought back memories of Lion King, this trip was all about Finding Nemo. Is it pathetic or quaint that my travel experiences are linked to our daughter's early movie watching?
I don't think it would be possible to have a better birthday than I had. Watching the sun rise over the Coral Sea, K drawing HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANICE on the sand, a walk out on the reef during low tide, watching a turtle hatching and then sunset and dinner with the two people I love most in the world.
The turtle hatching was amazing. The odds of a baby turtle surviving from hatching on the beach to reaching maturity and reproducing are about 1 in 1,000 but the small group of guests on the island were determined to improve these odds so we spent several hours chasing away the predatory seagulls who would snatch the baby turtles as they struggled to the ocean. It was one of the most amazing things to watch. Just minutes from the egg, making their way across the sand, over some rocks and trying to get to the sea. We screamed, threw rocks and chased seagulls. Were we very PC or very unPC? We were as aggressive as these nasty baby killing seagulls and looked 1,000 times more ridiculous. Little kids and senior citizens and everyone in between, about 12 of us, committed to breaking the cycle of life and helping these baby turtles make it. The naturalists on the island warn everyone not to touch the turtles as it may interfere with their mapping to return to the site and lay eggs in the future, but in the spirit of true confessions, I did see several people (not me) pick up some and help them over the rocks. But as soon as the turtles made it to the sea, a seagull would snatch it from the ocean and gobble it down. If by some chance a gull didn't get it, there were 3 circling sharks, looking for a nibble. That damn circle of life thing was terribly depressing. Check out facebook and see some great pictures L took of the turtles. She took some videos and if I can figure out how to post them, I will.
After returning from the beach, we felt compelled after nearly 4 months in Australia to visit Melbourne. There is an intense rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney. Both claim they are the best city and since we have dear friends who hail from Melbourne, we wanted to visit it before we returned home. Spent three days in Melbourne, sightseeing, a little shopping and eating. I will not weigh in on the Melbourne vs. Sydney debate. Very different cities, Sydney is the glamour girl, all harbor and beauty. Melbourne has interesting laneways with cafes and shops, great restaurants and beautiful buildings built during the gold rush of the late 19th century.
Weather has turned cool but this last day in Sydney is sunny and feels great. We packed, showed L some of downtown Sydney, had brunch at the QVB, caught up on some things around the apartment and watched the harbor and sailboats. We all took a sailing lesson last Sunday, all three of us, which was great fun. The same school that I used earlier. Experiencing the harbor from on the water, in a sail boat must be part of any extended visit to Sydney.
I really am ready to get back to work, see our dogs and start (albeit a bit late) the summer garden. Will be wonderful to move from a nice long summer to another summer in DC. My sincere thanks to the great UE staff, especially RJ who kept the company running so smoothly, the UE Board who supported me and the entire company with this wonderful sabbatical policy and to the LeapFrog team that is breaking new ground every day and allowed me to join in the great journey, if only for a little while.
Cheers and no worries mate.
