Back From the Holidays

February 15, 2015

We are back aboard Persephone on a cyclone mooring in Savusavu, Fiji, after two months in the States visiting friends and family. We very much enjoyed our respite from the boating life, but it feels good to be back “home”.

Our trip started in mid-November with a two hour taxi ride to Lambasa where we caught a small plane to Nadi. From there we flew overnight to Los Angeles and on to San Francisco where we were met by Justin, Joann, and Caeden. We were surprised by the mild weather which was a relief from the heat and humidity of Fiji.

The following evening our daughter Jennifer treated us all to an incredible dinner at a Brazilian bar-b-que. We were starved for good beef and we stuffed ourselves with a variety of delicious grilled meats until we could eat no more.

Much of our time was spent with our 3 year old grandson Caeden. We often walked or Caeden would bike ride to the park for hours of play time. We took him on the light rail “train” to downtown San Jose and Christmas in the Park. Afterward we walked over to the Children’s Discovery Museum where Caeden played to exhaustion.

We enjoyed Christmas morning at Justin & Joann’s. Caeden woke up early but patiently waited until we had breakfast before opening presents. Jennifer arrived with a huge stuffed bear that Caeden dubbed “Teddy”. He was thrilled with the “big boy” bike that Santa had left.

We had more time to relax and visit friends and family on this trip. We spent eight nights with our friends Mike & Jan and had Christmas Eve brunch at Julie & Shane’s. Brian’s mother graciously offered us the use of her car for two months which made it easy to get around.

We returned to Fiji in the middle of its summer; hot and humid! We had lost our tans and immediately sunburned. It was disappointing to find that our generator had been getting water into the exhaust manifold and a piece of the exhaust actually corroded and fell off. The mechanic thinks we may be up and running tomorrow, but much like Mexico these estimates are very soft and subject to change. Once it is fixed we plan to head out to some of the islands for scuba diving and fishing.

Each day ends with a cold shower and card games at the yacht club. It is now rugby season so there are large gatherings at the club’s bar to watch games. We always route for Fiji except when the US is playing. The sunsets are still amazing and the locals are friendly, but we have now been sitting in one place for a month and we are anxious to get moving.