I am now in the Sydney airport, waiting for my flight to LA via Fiji. We arrived in Darwin just a few days ago, and it feels like I have been woken up from a 10 week dream, a period of suspended animation that now seems world apart from packed bags, final boarding calls and security checks.
The trip from the Solomons to Australia took us through the Coral Sea, the Arafura Sea and Torres Strait. We weathered several gales, encountered sea snakes swimming in the open water, and dodged New Guinean fishing nets through one very long night. Pictures of the adventure will be posted shortly, as I will be sorting and cropping and organizing on the flight from Sydney to Baltimore via Fiji, LA and NYC. Sadly, my father succumbed to his cancer just a few days ago - I was able to talk with him several times by satellite phone from the boat, and his support for this adventure meant a lot to us both. I'll be attending services for him before returning to Olympia on Sunday.
