Have recently returned from a WONDERFUL vacation to the States. Spent just over 2 weeks visiting friends in San Diego and family in Carpinteria. I was so glad to arrive in daylight, as the view of the San Diego skyline, the harbor, and the Star of India in full sail was so beautiful and so welcoming. It felt great to be back. Being able to go shopping and eat good food and get out and do things and go diving and keep busy and visit friends, it was all fabulous. I really think that the best part of my life is the people that I’ve chosen to be in it. Everyone was just so happy to see me and so accommodating and, well, I just can’t thank everyone enough. I took a bunch of pictures and they’re posted online in my photo album.

I discovered something rather quickly after my return. I used to think that you never really appreciate what you have until you lose it. That’s not quite right. When you lose it, what you feel is lack and remorse for what you had. It isn’t until you return and regain those things, that’s when you really appreciate it. At least that was my experience. Just having something in mind that I wanted and being able to go to the store and buy it – I haven’t been able to do that in a year! Going out and getting a good meal to eat, walking down clean streets with even pavement, seeing the beauty in the pride that people take in their homes and yards, receiving good service – it just doesn’t exist here in Antigua and I have been missing it all. I could easily have stayed!

But I didn’t… as of tomorrow the last of the EC69 volunteers will have left, also another has ET’d (quit) and another has been medically separated, so that brings us down to 11. It’s getting lonely here! Not back at work yet – spent all of last week with nothing to do and the outlook for this week is about the same. Not really a good thing, I’m getting very bored. Tomorrow I’ll probably head into town to mail my absentee ballot request, just to get out of the house, that’s how bored I am. School starts Wednesday, but I haven’t heard from my “boss” at the College, so I don’t know my schedule there yet; I should have 1 or 2 classes probably starting next week. Teacher and staff training haven’t started up again yet either, we’ve only been told “September”. Spend most of my time just trying to beat the heat – it is sweltering. The act of sitting causes you to sweat. The air is so still, there’s no breeze. We had a tropical storm warning today as we’re on the edge of Frances, but I believe that has passed us now.

Still enjoying the weekends – the weekend before my vacation Joanne, George, and I sailed on a new boat (for us) called Free Rider with Captain Bob Low. It was a 3-day weekend trip to a small uninhabited island called Green Island just off the eastern coast of Antigua. Bernie (captain of the Huey Too) couldn’t spare the time away so that left us free to crew on Bob’s boat. It was a fun trip sailing, sleeping on the boat, barbequing on-shore, and exploring the island. Bob is not really interested in racing, unlike Bernie who is very competitive, so it was a low-pressure, relaxed weekend. Quite nice.

This past weekend George and I did a hike up to Signal Hill, one of the few remaining peaks on the island that we hadn’t climbed yet. This was a continuation of the Wallings Dam hike that we did previously where we turned back when we got to a trail junction and didn’t know where the different trails led. After some updated trail info from George’s landlord, we were now prepared to hike the rest of the way to the top. Normally in the US this is the sort of hike that would be relegated to spring time or Fall, but here in Antigua, there really is no time of the year that's much cooler than the rest, so you just go for it. Fortunately for us a good deal of the trail is undercover from the trees, so with several breaks in the shade for water and rest, the heat was almost bearable.