I forgot to bring my camera to this Internet cafe where Shelly Callender and I have stumbled into just a short 200 Meter walk from our bungalow on the beach in Rarotonga.
We just spent seven nights on the little island paradise just north of Rarotonga (the capital of the Cook Islands) and have been at our new place for only a few short hours. We hated leaving Aitutaki and wished we would have booked our entire trip there. That is, until we came to our booking in Rarotonga.
The owner of the place, Paul, welcomed us to his property by saying, "You've struck gold in Rarotonga." And what an understatement this has turned out to be. The above photo doesn't do justice for how beautiful our cottage is, sitting right on the beach, waves crashing, coconuts falling and even a white horse galloping along the shore (That Shelly got to ride).
If I Winter Over in Antarctica again (all dependent on government cutbacks) then I can guarantee I'll return to this exact same spot on Rarotonga.
Oh, and for those keeping track at home, I only have second degree sunburns all over 90% of my body. Apparently--even after lathering up in over one bottle of SPF 60--the sun is more than kissing my body. I think it got at least to third base and possibly even a homerun.
And for Dick in Darlington, I could not find a single store (out of the three in Aitutaki) who sold Duct tape, so I'll keep an eye out for it on Rarotonga. But I did find some sand for Turtle Haste on the Island where the current Survivor was filmed.
Well, there are about 3,668,329,232,143 things I'd rather be doing than typing on the Internet.
May the waves rock you gently and the wind set you free. And if that doesn't happen to you, then know that that will be my lullaby when I go to sleep tonight.
Posted by phil at October 29, 2006 04:41 PMSOO excited! A former student showed up with sand from the Azors and we have started imaging it. Nothing living in the MacMurdo dust.
Can't wait to see the size of the forams from Rarotonga. Along the Great Barier Reef they are big enough to see with your eye.
We start with the ISS camera next week. We're hoping to get an image of the island you are on, or at least nearby. It all depends on the resolution from the various lenses.
Enjoy the sun. Remember to flip over every 30 minutes for even basting.
Posted by: Desert Turtle on October 30, 2006 02:13 PMJust chatted with the orbital progression, Phil you are in the path of several orbits (providing no cocking ships knock it off trajectory). We'll send along the images as soon as they are downloaded. Expect some images of your island paradise from space by Friday next. You'll be able to post them as well.
Posted by: Desert Turtle on October 30, 2006 02:23 PMSheesh! Where is my mind? DOCKING ships. DOCKING..... ah man!
Posted by: Desert Turtle on October 30, 2006 02:24 PMHey maybe the Desert Turtle would like to get a picture of the full sized layout, 390' by 265' of the ISS our students layed out in the field next to the school from the ISS? Maybe it's flying over Darlington, Wisconsin someday.
Posted by: Dick in Darlington on October 31, 2006 07:27 AMOk! Looking at the orbits, I see several paths that cross Wisconsin. I'll pull out the ol' NGS atlas and see how close we can get.
I have a roll from Trinity Site, NM for you.
Posted by: Desert Turtle on October 31, 2006 11:27 AMDesert Turtle, (or is it really Tortoise?) we all know where your mind is. A little freudian slip of the fingers there...
I only know about your work from your posts to Phil, looking at 'dirt' and space images? What the heck do you do for a living? And for fun?
Sorry, Phil, I know this IS all about you, and I am sick with envy... and still waiting for some lucky lottery numbers... but I've 'met' so many interesting folks posting to your site. The world is getting smaller every day. peace
efjalzu amqiotiafd
Posted by: Hamond on November 8, 2006 07:33 AM