2008 Sabbatical Begins: Bora Bora, Boulder & Phoenix

We're in week three of our two-month sabbatical. I know, you may not have heard about the sabbatical. It kind of sneaked up on us this time.

Bora Bora
The first week we had a glorious time in Bora Bora. It is just as beautiful as you'd expect it to be. Hart took tons of photos (the link takes you to them on Flickr).

The first few days were all about decompression. We kicked back in our villa, read, slept and swam. Two snorkeling trips came later in the week. The first was a tour round the island, with stops to swim with sharks, snorkel with fish and meet stingrays. We also stopped at an undeveloped island, where our guide picked up coconuts.

The second trip happened to fall on Hart's birthday. There was a trip to a private island, which was the least expensive excursion offered and also the least hyped. We went for it because the snorkeling was supposed to be good.

The island was beautiful and had picninc tables, lounge chairs and a coral reef. Our only company was the guide who took us to the island and snorkeled with us. Most wildlife in Bora Bora's lagoon is basically domesticated. Not sure if the domestication came before the tourists or the other way around.

In any case, it meant that the fish swam around us, as if we were part of the school. My mask was leaking, so I didn't snorkel very long. Instead, I let fish swim over me (some even took nips at me) and hung out with a stingray! She was super interested in us. The sardines the guide had were probably part of the attraction. While I stood in the water and Hart snorkeled and took pictures, the ray swam all around me. They are such beautiful, graceful animals.

Contributing to the ecological disruption feels icky. I didn't realize the extent of it until on our first snorkeling trip. Even though we were going to swim with sharks, I didn't really get that they were compliant because they know people feed them. Nothing I can do about it now, except know to look out for it in the future.

It quickly became apparent that the food at the resort wasn't good. Breakfast, which we'd already paid for was good with a lot of variety. So we stuffed ourselves, snacked in the afternoon and ate good ol' American food at night. The cheeseburgers, cobb salad and club sandwich were the best menu options -- and only available through room service. Our food was set up on our deck, so we'd eat dinner in our pajamas while overlooking the water and mountain. Not a bad alternative, although it is strange to have eaten only American food on our trip.

Boulder
We flew from Bora Bora to Denver for Hart's uncle's memorial service in Boulder. He had been sick for 12 years, but that didn't soften the loss. The service was beautiful and it was nice to spend time with family.

Phoenix
Following that, we went to Phoenix, to help take care of my dad. Last week, he returned home from a 30-day hospital stay. He's been sick for about two years, but there's no diagnosis to be had. In the latest hospital visit, he had a stent put into one of his kidneys and a nephrostomy in the other, as they weren't working and caused symptoms of kidney failure. He also had a pacemaker put in.

We got to Phoenix on Sunday and noticed a marked improvement between then and when we left Thursday morning. He sounds and looks healthier than he has in a couple years, but has a long recovery ahead.

Seattle & Alaska
I'm writing this on a flight back to Seattle. We'll be home for a few days, relax a bit and preparing to leave for Alaska on Monday, June 9. We're using miles and haven't booked all our flights yet, but plan to be there a little more than two weeks. The first stop is Glacier Bay National Park, which I've wanted to visit for years.

Visitors
We'll have another couple days to relax at home before our friends Jon, Carey, Hamilton and Edwin arrive for 10 days. After they leave, we'll have another few days at home to relax before Hart's sister and brother-in-law (Megan & Shahv) arrive for a week. That's the week Hart goes back to work.

Home
You'll notice the recurring theme of relaxing at home between activities. "Home" means Washington. We may take some local trips or stay at a hotel in Seattle so it feels like we're on vacation, even though we're technically home. Or we'll lie in the hammock and make s'mores.