Day 27: Thursday, 6/16

So you'd think that jet lag would hit me more at the beginning of our trip or after we returned home... well, it's going on 4:00 am here and I've been up since 2:00. What's up with that?

I originally got up because Grace needed a change and a bottle but she's been more congested lately and wakes up sputtering and coughing a bit. She was like this when we first arrived, was fine for a couple weeks, and now has that crud again. The A/C and resulting lower humidity in our room seems to make it somewhat worse so we sometimes take her our on the balcony for a bit and it gets better. After the 2:00 bottle, she fell asleep but started sputtering again around 3:15. No matter – I hadn't fallen asleep yet.

One thing about staying at the MIR – make sure you ask for the king-size bed. You still may not get it but at least ask. The woman checking us in even made a comment that she was trying to make sure we got a king-size bed but it didn't happen. I'm not even sure it's a queen – might be a full. And if you know Jeff and me you'll understand why that's a bit of a problem. I guess we're used to the comforts of our king-size sleep number bed at home. You can pretty much jump on one side without the other person being disturbed. Not so much on the bed we have here.

So, let's use the time productively and recap our 27^th day, shall we?

It was, by far, our latest start yet. I was up at 7:30 with Grace but Jeff slept in a bit longer and didn't get up until just after 10:00. He had some work to do so I went to see if Stacy wanted to go look for some shells on the beach. She was game so we headed out with kids in tow... actually, kids in carriers. For the first time I was able to really use the baby carrier I brought with me for Grace! She didn't care for it when we first arrived – tolerated it but didn't like it for long. But now that she's holding her head better, I felt like I could turn her outward facing and she liked that much better. Maybe she knew what we were headed out to do and figured this was the best way for her to be carried – last time we went hunting for shells, I carried her in my arms (regular baby-style) but gave her a good squish every time I bent down to pick up a new shell. She didn't love that either. Anyway, she promptly fell asleep as soon as we were outside and the carrier made it much easier on my arms...

It was getting close to noon and we each headed back to our rooms with a plan to meet at 3:00 to go visit the museum. We'd tried to get in before but they close at 4:00. We thought we also might get together with Lauren, a woman we met through the Wilsons (not sure if I've mentioned her before) who has done some paintings while living here for the past 3 years. Her work was included in the art show that was held the weekend before we arrived and we were looking forward to seeing and possibly buying some of her prints. I called her and left a message and then texted a follow up. She was working but could meet us for drinks at the Tide Table after dinner.

We headed off to the museum and were momentarily disappointed to see the “Closed” sign on the door but I noticed it wasn't dark inside and tried the handle anyway. Good thing as it was still open. As museums go, this one needs a bit of work. Don't get me wrong, the items on display were very interesting and we enjoyed looking and reading about the various things there. Most of the collection was donated by the family of an (American, I think) Air Force officer who'd been stationed here in the 50s. He'd received many of the items as gifts and sent them home to family. There are samples of the handicrafts, fishing/navigating tools, shells found in the RMI, a number of declassified photos that were taken by the military during WWII and, of course, a display about the nuclear testing and after effects. What needed work was how these items were kept – pinned up with thumb tacks and out in the open (did I mention, humid) air. If anyone has a penchant for preserving cultural artifacts, please donate some funds to help fix up this museum! Maybe there's a grant out there or something that could be applied to the cause? We only had ½ hour before closing so we pushed through the displays in the room pretty fast. I hope to get back there to spend more time reading each display and taking some photos if that is allowed.

It was only 5:00 but we've been finding the kids do better if we eat earlier so we headed over to Monica's for Chinese food. Determining where to park can be a bit of a trial here. Mostly, anywhere off the street works but there was just a big, concrete slab in front of Monica's and we weren't sure if that was intended for parking or a resting spot for the stray dogs. There were 4 of them lounging where we figured we should be parking and they didn't seem very inclined to move. We advanced slowly and 3 of them moved out of the way. The one remaining couldn't seemed to be bothered and was busy scratching to beat the band - probably fleas. Even if you're not a dog lover like we are, it would break your heart to see the strays here. I won't even post any photos – it's just too sad. If there is such a thing as Vets Without Borders, please come here.

Again, I'm off track. What do you expect for 4:30 in the morning? So we headed inside and the nice man assures us they are open. It's hot – and I mean hot – in there but he quickly turns on the A/C and it starts to cool down. We each order something different but Jeff and Stacy ask for fried rice with their dishes – mine was noodles. The food was delicious and with the exception of getting white rice (not fried), the service was very good as well. Very reasonably priced – I think we were still on the lunch menu so it was $6 a piece.

Lauren has suggested that anytime after 7:00 would work for her but we didn't want to be out with the kids on that end of town so late so I texted her back asking to reschedule. We got our signals crossed a bit and just as we got home (at 6:00) she called to see if she should meet us at Monica's. I explained we'd just gotten home and she offered to come to the MIR instead. I thought it was really nice of her to do so and we ended up having a really nice conversation while we looked through her prints. We each ended up buying a handful of prints and I'm really excited to get them back and frame them. I'll be sure to post some pictures when they're done as I can imagine some of the other families might be interested in her work. We exchanged more contact information and even started talking about how Jeff could help her create a website to show/sell her work – he doing the technical part and she doing the design and art... I guess that didn't need to be explained, did it?

I drove Lauren back to her apartment near the Tide Table and headed back to tuck in for the night... or at least part of it... I can't wait to sleep soundly in my own bed again.

And, for a little dose of Grace - here she is on Oliver's play mat... she seems to like it and I can't wait to get her home to her's: