Nothing is better than this!
Well, except maybe a visit from my lovely Tali! After 8 months of living in Portland after she and her family relocated to the States, my girl came home to the surprise of many.
Amy and TaliI missed my girl so much. She is the closest person comparable to a daughter that I have here on Saipan. I've known her for almost 8 years now. When people asked if we were father and daughter, Tali was quick to say (albeit long), "He is my non-biological father...figure." What is not to love about that?
Hayden, Laurina, my non-biological daughter-figure & AmyWe got to spend 10 days with her: going to church, watching her act a skit, eating, going to parties, eating, hiking, swimming, eating and just getting and giving updates on life. I did however missed a Managaha Island day trip. Darn work! Did I say that I miss my girl yet?
We ate at Coffee Care overlooking the Saipan Lagoon and Managaha Island one evening.
Although I didn't catch it in picture, I got to show Tali her first green flash! She said, "It wasn't much of a flash." But she was happy to see one non the less.
We got to do one of our Sabbath afternoon rituals with my other church "daughters"- Eat! Here are my girls. We often played a game with the waitstaff asking them, "Which of the three is my real daughter?"
Joy (got 2 votes), Jirene (got 1 vote) & Tali (got 2)NOAH & THE MAYCOCKS
Of course Tali's younger brother Noah was there. They had a "vacation from each other" vacation since Noah stayed with one of his classmate's family for most of the 10 days. Here he is (don't the two look so light complected? Not a whole lot of sun in Portland I guess) with the
Pierson family. This was also the first time I met Shyla!
The
Maycocks! Sean, Babs and Elijah got invited by the school for Week of Prayer. Sean did a fantastic job firing up and inspiring the students, staff and the church family for our Lord. Our life with the Lord is not just a sprint, he says, "It's a marathon."
Babs chatting with Amy in the foreground. Sean with Frank at the back.Joy said something pretty descriptive of the quartets' visit. She said, "It's weird, but it's not." She was saying that it was strange to see them again after being gone for so long, yet they simply still fit in, like they never left at all.
I suppose that is the way with most of our friends and church family after they leave and then return. Saipan will always be "home" for a lot of us and if it was for you once, maybe it is time to come back. I hope you know that you are missed. Sorely.
Until we meet again...
Ti napu.The Beachcomber
One day
All you need is collect, prepare them and figure out how you want to design them. Voila!
Actually, to do this right you've got do your research as to the materials and tools that you should use. Not all seeds can be used and not all plants used are easily accessed. Can you believe I grabbed a pod that I didn't know and got a handful of stinging hairs? That was a painful and itchy lesson! 
Collecting and prepping can be difficult. Some seed pods are not for the faint-hearted (insert Deece name HERE) since they can be full of bugs and worms. 
Well, Laurina and I put these together to see how they'd work out. I wanted the project to be sustainable and green, avoiding the use of chemicals like varnish or polyurethanes. I need to research natural varnish and oils that will coat and protect the seeds (maybe linseed or tung oil). We reused a discarded nylon fishing line I picked up at San Antonio Beach and made at least 4 seed leis. 
More updates later as I research, discover and try to get creative.
Well, except maybe a visit from my lovely Tali! After 8 months of living in Portland after she and her family relocated to the States, my girl came home to the surprise of many.
Amy and Tali
Hayden, Laurina, my non-biological daughter-figure & Amy
We ate at Coffee Care overlooking the Saipan Lagoon and Managaha Island one evening.
Although I didn't catch it in picture, I got to show Tali her first green flash! She said, "It wasn't much of a flash." But she was happy to see one non the less.
We got to do one of our Sabbath afternoon rituals with my other church "daughters"- Eat! Here are my girls. We often played a game with the waitstaff asking them, "Which of the three is my real daughter?"
Joy (got 2 votes), Jirene (got 1 vote) & Tali (got 2)
Of course Tali's younger brother Noah was there. They had a "vacation from each other" vacation since Noah stayed with one of his classmate's family for most of the 10 days. Here he is (don't the two look so light complected? Not a whole lot of sun in Portland I guess) with the Pierson family. This was also the first time I met Shyla!
Babs chatting with Amy in the foreground. Sean with Frank at the back.
I suppose that is the way with most of our friends and church family after they leave and then return. Saipan will always be "home" for a lot of us and if it was for you once, maybe it is time to come back. I hope you know that you are missed. Sorely.
I forgot that I stuck a mature Telosma seed pod in a bag a few weeks ago. I found it opened to reveal the feathered seeds inside.
You can really tell at this stage that they really are from the milkweed family. The silky hairs or pappus are soft and silvery.
It is quite a gorgeous seed pod really. I think we're going to have to collect some more seed pods and have fun releasing the seeds.
What a fun discovery! 
So I got a call from one of the airlines saying that I needed to come down to their office. Good, I thought. I still had a postcard that was mistakenly mailed to my address and the guy it was intended for worked at the airport. After dropping off the postcard, I made my way up to the offices. I didn't know they had stairs behind the check in counter.
Between sunset and dusk, I set off to look for the phantom of twilight. You can barely see it in these pictures, but I managed to finally find it!
It tried to elude me behind a slow moving cloud. But I knew I had to be patient to finally catch the fleeting phenomenon named after the swift messenger of the Roman gods. Because it was so mysterious and only visible at either sunrise or sunset, the Greeks even thought it was two different objects. They named it Apollo and Hermes respective to when it could be seen. We know it more commonly now as the Roman equivalent of the later, Mercury.
Join me at sunset and find Venus following the setting sun. It is easy to find since it is the 3rd brightest celestial object in our sky. Venus will be brilliant. Look for a smaller star close by. Marianas' skies offer a great view. If you have binoculars or a telescope use them, but it is clear enough to see without.
I really need a memory card to afford better resolutions. Maybe you can share with us your own pictures. You have another week till Mercury disappears from our view again. Mercury follows the Sun and hides in its light so, this is the best time to see it.
I played a bit with the pictures to help you see elusive world more easily.
It was still visible up to 8:00PM so try to catch the two planets together when you can. When you scratch those two off your list, you can still see Mars in the evening and now Jupiter close to dawn.
Including Saturn, this brings my list to 6 planets in total that I have seen so far.
Yes, I am counting Earth as one of them. One day, I will have a chance at viewing the others that cannot be seen with the unaided eye. Come out and enjoy the ones we can see tonight.
