Whew, it’s been a LONG time! I am going to do a sum up of the highlights (with a couple random things thrown in) of the last bit of time with pictures…
Chris brought this sweet, tiny kitty home from the hangar with him one Saturday. He said that, unlike most stray animals here that are scared of people, she ran up to him and followed him like she was begging to be adopted. We tried to keep her, but she was so little that she was still looking to nurse, so all she wanted to do was snuggle up against me and try to suck on my shirt. When she ate she started to have stomach troubles, and Chris and I started having allergies, and it all got to be too much, so we gave our little Rocket (that was her name) to one of Chris’s friends who loves cats. I guess she is doing great and has a fun personality. Hopefully we will get to see her again sometime.
Chris had his first solo flight in the Caravan-the airplane he recently learned how to fly. Here are a few fun pictures of Chris getting doused with water and ice as is the tradition here in Tarakan after the first solo flight day. Chris has a fun video of the shenanigans too-you can look at it on our
Desjardine's Destinations Facebook Page.
 |
| The triumphant pilot - notice he isn't wearing shoes...he had a clue he might be getting wet! |
 |
| A bucket of water at close range from one of the kids |
 |
| All of Chris' colleagues took turns shaking his hand and congratulating him - such a nice tradition |
A few weeks after Chris’s solo flight I was able to fly with him for the afternoon. We had a smooth ride out to a village where we delivered lots of cargo. It was fun to see Chris in action! I am always amazed at how hard Chris and the other pilots have to work everyday-keeping on top of rugged terrain, unpredictable weather, and an ever-changing schedule, it’s not an easy job, that’s for sure. Good thing Chris has so much fun doing it!
 |
| The control panel...I always want to press all the buttons and flip the switches, but Chris says I can't, what a bummer! |
 |
Yes, I actually wore real shoes and socks for I think the first time outside the house since we have lived in Tarakan. I figured it would be a safer option than flip flops...I had to commemorate the moment
|
 |
Captain Desjardine-pretty handsome if I do say so myself!
If you want a peek into a typical flight day with Chris, check out the awesome video he posted on ourDesjardine's Destinations Facebook Page and/or on YouTube. Chris actually set his phone to take a photo every few seconds throughout one flight day and put all the images together to create this video. |
To COMPLETELY change the subject, a store in town recently got a new kind of cheese, and I think the name is so funny that I have to share it…
It's like sharp cheddar, but isn't "Strong & Bitey" such a better name (and description) than "Sharp"?!
At the end of February my Mom came to visit for three weeks! It was so much fun to have her here and to be able to show her around instead of just telling her about it. A lot of her trip was spent just hanging out and talking together as well as showing her some of the sights, sounds, and smells of Tarakan, but Chris and I and my Mom did take a trip with several other MAF families to Derawan, an island about 3 hours away by boat that has a nice beach and amazing snorkeling. Sadly, it wasn’t the best trip mainly because we had atypically (for this part of Indonesia) cool and rainy weather much of the time we were there. We still did a little bit of snorkeling though and got to have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of setting some baby sea turtles free into the ocean. The sea turtle eggs are protected by a group of people on Derawan to ensure the eggs aren’t used for turtle soup or sold for profit. One of the families we travelled to Derawan with knows the people who protect the turtles, and when the protectors found out a group of us was there, they let us be part of introducing the little turtles to the big ocean-it was really neat.
 |
| A view of the bay from the porch of our cabin |
 |
| Nearby cabins and an eating pavilion |
 |
| In my snorkeling outfit - I brought a rash guard to protect me from the sun...too bad I didn't really need it since the sun barely made an appearance all weekend : ( |
 |
| Beautiful shells, coral, and sand dollars Mom and I collected on the beach |
 |
| Walking to a restaurant out on one of the docks - notice the storm clouds rolling in |
 |
A couple of cute kids in the village on Derawan-they insisted on having their picture taken. The little boy was especially proud of his chicken.
|
 |
| First ocean swim for the baby turtles! They had to be released after dark, so it was hard to get good pictures. |
 |
| The nice, smooth boat ride home...notice there aren't any pictures of the rough, wavy ride there...that's not an accident, there were definitely some green faces-yuck |
 |
| My Mom and me on the front porch of the house in Tarakan - It was so wonderful to have her here! |
Since my Mom left (sniff, sniff) life has been pretty uneventful. Chris has been flying a lot, which is a blessing, but leaves him pretty tired at the end of the week. I have been plugging along with the same ol’ routine, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc., etc.…quiet and uneventful is good, it means nothing bad is happening and I will take that over drama any day!
I feel like this is quite a boring post after not checking in for so long, no crazy stories or anything…sorry…not sure how to spice it up…more later if I come up with something fun!
Have a reflective Holy Week and a Happy Easter!
 |
| I had to include this picture I found on Pinterest...I want to eat this right now-hooray for Peeps! |
