Ocean Blue Love.

Busy - one of my non-goals in life.  And what I happen to be now.  In fact, stupid busy is a better way to put it.  Ugh, I dislike it to the max. Actually max as in capital letters, like this - MAX.

But guess what?!  Come Tuesday, I will be unemployed yet again and jobless for a couple weeks.  After my race, I intend to do nada (as they say in spanish) for a few days.  Well, not entirely nothing, of course, cause that's just not my style.  But spending my days on the traffic-light-free island of Moloka'i with my one and only Mama sounds quite like a lovely way to unwind.

My first day off in well over three weeks was totally worth not booking myself for housework in the lands of Russell - a post on my three kiwi jobs is soon to come...

But get this - I shot water!  Thrilling, right?!  ok, maybe not.  But the guy who's spear gun I shot water with actually used it to shoot..........fish - yeah, what it's purpose is for.  Check out what he caught for dinner apparently a not sooo successful venture.

Boy or Girl?

He ended up taking it (the dead fish) to a local fish and chips restaurant, where they deep fried it into divinely smelling goodness with a side of delicious looking fries - all of which I was able to enjoy by looking...and smelling.  But that's about as far as it got for me.  It got devoured by everyone else in a nanosecond, though.  And I did enjoy some crayfish he caught...which was entirely satifisfying seeing that one of them attacked me (well, it snapped its tail while I was holding it and it scared the living schnitzel out of me and I actually dropped it on myself.  way to go.) 

I also got to 'enjoy' this via eating: . 

Mmmmm, tasty (if you heard me via noise and ears, you'd totally hear sarcasm in that Mmmmmm, tasty, btw).  Perhaps it's an acquired taste this kina (as it is named here).  I still think these are some of the most photogenic creatures out there.  Especially their skeletons.  At least they've got that going for them.  And now I know what to hunt down in the event I get stranded in a coral-filled sea.  Somewhere.  out there...

  

So we went freediving in one of the most gorgeous coastlines I've yet experienced in the country.  Well, maybe not entiiiiire country, but at least my time in the small radius of land I've visited in the Northland.  I could have easily spent hours snapping pics - but we were on a mission.  Food!   And ocean.  More specifically, getting inside the ocean.  I donned my only-once-worn-prior wetsuit that I had intended to sell.  It kept me warm.  It's purpose is finally served.  Mr Spearfisher had a spare mask/snorkel, head warmer (more like alien maker) and gloves for me to use.  I rented some fins, booties and weight-belt down the way and we were off to Mahinepua Bay with Mr Rodfisher and Miss I'm-French-I-Don't-Care.

Beautiful Coastline/Mahinepuna

I swim in the ocean  4-5 times a week, so I'm comfortable in the water.  But being COMPLETELY covered head to toe in neoprene and plastic has a little claustrophobic inducing qualities to it.  I survived...especially once the cold water started dribbling through my zippers.  As was mentioned prior, I shot water.  But holding a speargun is a good first step.  One day I will kill my own food.  But in the end, it was my first time properly freediving again in nearly two years so focusing on killing animals was probably not the best idea.  I needed to focus on keeping air in my mask to keep my eyeballs from turning bloodred, and I also needed to focus on making it back to the surface. breathing.  I love the ocean. Especially being immersed in it.

The amount of snot in my nose is worth noting.  by the way.  Too bad I don't have a picture of it.  next time...next time.

My apologies.

Can you tell I like trees?

A trickle of a tear, yes.  Or maybe a few.  Oh my holy schnockers - the less than a month countdown has begun.   I will miss this place, for sure...and the town characters I've met along the way...baby small towns are in a class of their own.  That's for certain.  But you know what?  It'll always be here.  And I'll be back.  And I bet if I came back in twenty years, a lot of these very same characters who are here now will still be here.

Methinks I'll return for a visit next southern hemisphere summer in route to Australia for yet another working holiday stint - my time is running out, so why not?!  I'm aging so fast - well, aging so fast in terms of numbers.  I think in spirit, I'm actually de-aging.  I'm pretty sure of it.  How are you aging - up or down?

Bittersweet is the right word.  But to be honest, content is an even better word.  I'm so happy to be here and so happy to go back to my one true love.  Actually, my one true love is mountain biking.  But I can do that anywhere.  There just happens to be no place on planet Earth like Hawai'i - well, no place that I've yet discovered.  So I'll keep going back.  And leaving to play and work and live and adventure somewhere new.     One day I will settle long-term, but that day just ain't gonna happen yet y'all.  I've finally come to terms with this.

So guess what?!  Look what happened to my bike - rather the rim of my wheel.  No good.  I'm mostly sad that I just can't hop on my bike and go for a ride at the moment.  Or tomorrow.

When life "seems" to suck sometimes, I always think of people forced into a life of prostitution completely out of there will.  Then stuff like this becomes so minor.  Which it really is, in the scheme of the universe.

That being said, I still have to deal with it.  It wouldn't be such a dilemma if I didn't have a race I'm getting ready for in less than a month.  Otherwise, I'd just stick it in a box and not think about it til I get back.  Then go kayaking.  Or sailing.  Or swim around my little kiwi island.  But my race is, in fact, less than a month away.  Maui Xterra I'm so excited!! (and even more excited to see mi familia!) And with my new way of eating - essentially paleo, or my preferred words 'species specific' (check out Mark's Daily Apple - most informative website regarding 'primal' living, and the success stories are super fun), I feel superhuman at times.  Training has been going incredibly well.

Then BAM!, the bike kerplops.  Better the wheel than the frame, right?  And better now than the day of the race.  And that wheel is 5+ years old - plenty of crashes, bob trailer pulling 3500+ kms, several planes traveled, etc.  It's been well-loved, at least.

And life goes on.  The one pleasant thing about this whole situation is that my work hours have increased significantly and I picked up a side job on my day-off (no more), so I should be able to afford a replacement.


On to happier news... Happy thru-hike AT Anniversary for me!  Just over three years ago I summited Katahdin after losing my sanity and consciously choosing to walk 2178 miles from GA to ME.  Crazy people we are.  But what a lifestyle - one I'd go for again in a heartbeat...especially now that I know what the heck is going on with my body.  But that's another story entirely.  Worthy of 26 blog posts.  Maybe 25...let me just say, thank you antibiotics (NOT!).


Countdown to Hawaii, 24 days!

I realized I haven't posted in over two months - which means more pics of Bay of Islands adventures to come!  The pics in this post, aside from the Katahdin pic and cracked rim, are from a recent little ride from Paihia to Kerikeri and along some of the backroads - beautiful, eh.  I say, take the side roads when you can - even if it'll make you're journey a tad bit longer (or maybe a lot longer than a tad bit longer...even better).  That's my 2 cents.
.