Last day on the island. No diving. There's a 24 hour rule (used to be 12) that one should not dive 24 hours before flying. Since there are old divers and bold divers but no old, bold divers and I'm an old diver, I follow the rules. We did two dives off Klein Bonaire, a small island about a mile off the city here. (Bonaire is shaped like a boomerang. Klein Bonaire is at the center of the curve.) We spent some time with an eagle ray on the first dive and squid on the second. No green morays this trip. The coral was in better shape--there is no development on the island. This seems to imply that development is what is causing the decline in the health of the reef here.

I will do a parishioner's memorial service a week from Sunday. She had a note in her Bible that said that she wanted to beat her cancer (which she did) to give other women hope. I like that sentiment. When I visit an ovarian cancer forum, I see women with stage four cancer seeking hope, that other women have made it. Does hope make a difference? I know it is supposed to, but does it?

I ran today. Second day of second week of couch to 5K. It's still relatively easy: jog 90 seconds, walk 2 minutes, repeat for 20 minutes. I'm still hoping to be on target for a mini sprint triathlon in September. It will take hard work, though. The pain from the hernia repair seems to be mostly gone.

Every Day in Bonaire is a Great Day!

Today we dived Windsock named because there once was a windsock nearby. I'm not sure whether it's still there, but the airport is. It's a great snorkling location at high tide, but there is (was?) a lot of elkhorn coral and fire coral to navigate in and out and around. My son took me through a fairly sandy entry and helped me on with my fins. From thence we went, except we didn't. I forgot to turn on my air. Fortunately I have a habit of sucking on my regulator before I actually get in the water, so my son could turn on the air while I was still standing up. From thence we headed out to the drop off, except we didn't because I forgot to turn on my dive computer. Actually I thought it was turned on, but I guess it needed to be turned on again. And so, I had to go up to the surface because it won't turn on underwater (a design flaw if there ever was one). From thence we started along the reef toward the south end of the island. Except we didn't. I misread the current and thought I was headed against the current. My son turned me around and we headed toward town. I get the ditz of the day diving award.

The coral seemed battered, but this area does get battered in the storms. I'm not sure how much is due to run off from construction. There has been an enormous amount of construction since I was here last about four years ago. The building we are staying in is new this year. A couple of lots away, they are tearing down a perfectly nice house for a McMansion (I suppose). Across from the airport, several new developments have gone in. And now, with the global recession, I would imagine unfinished buildings will be left here to languish. There is one that has been here for at least eight years at the southern end of the island. It's a shell and an unsightly one at that. When we first started coming here in the mid 80s across from the airport were shell of buildings. They stayed unfinished for probably 10 years until they were either finished (I think) or torn down for a new resort. I am hoping with the Dutch taking over the governing of the island, there will be more oversight of developers and more requirements that they have financing before they start. It seems that most of the buildings are build with the idea that apts will be presold to finance construction.

It isn't a particularly beautiful island (above water). It is a desert. The island is basically poor. They are dependent on imports for all their food. (Yesterday the restaurant owner apologized for not having salads. There is no lettuce on the island right now.) I'm hopeful that the new government relationships will focus on economic development especially for the locals who have heretofore been pretty much overlooked. On the other hand, the Dutch are notorious (here) for their racism, so who knows. There are few jobs for young local men.

Gotta go diving.

Vacation

On Monday, my octopus (the regulator for a buddy should he run out of air--my buddies have always been male, so no s/he) was free flowing. That means that rather than delivering air on demand, air was swooshing of the regulator. My son and I decided to dive anyway, but go off the beach in front of our apartment. And off we went. It was OK, but the exit was a bit tough. The water near shore was so silty that I couldn't see where I was going. My son warned me away from one rock and I hit my knee on another. It was bleeding, looked worse than it was. I think it must have been fire coral, because I had welts on my knee around the scrape. But it didn't hurt or itch. I'm just not strong enough to manage an exit through surf if the bottom isn't firm. And those rock-free, coral rubble-free places are few and far between here. (In fact, I'm not sure I know of any) So, yesterday, we went to Oil Slick. It's a great entry--just jump in (of course getting to the jump in place is over eroded ironstone which is sharp). And someone has put in a ladder, so one just pulls out of the water on the ladder. I checked the ladder and the bottom step (which at low tide was at the surface level of the water) was broken. So, there was no way I could get out of the water there. We then went to the place in town where we had done our check out dive to sign up for boat dives. I said, so why don't we just go in here. I knew I could get in and out fairly easily. The dive is not a great one. There are tons of tires that I guess have fallen off boats or have just been dropped in the water. But we saw the octopus we had seen before. It is amazing to watch it change colors, shape and texture. Lots of queen angel fish. All in all fish were fairly sparse.

I have been walking or running every morning. I am amazed that when I exercise hard I don't have pain from my hernia surgery. If I don't, then it seems I do. I don't understand the connection, but it's an easy fix.

We took some pictures yesterday. I decided not to buy underwater camera equipment, so no octopus pictures, but a pelican and flamingo may be posted later.

Did my check out dive yesterday. While we were still in the shallows, my son spotted an octopus. We watched him for a fairly long time. He went hither and thither, changing colors and shapes. At one point he swam onto the top of a huge concrete block which holds a mooring line. The octopus molded itself into a perfect tent shape, mimicing the mooring line tie down. At the top of his head, he made a little knob with his eyes looking out. Later we saw a small hawksbill turtle demolishing a coral head. He seemed unperturbed by our presence. We watched him for several minutes. I have no idea what he was eating.

I walked this morning and thought about the dive. Diving for me is a spiritual act, a time of being totally present. I don't think about the past or worry about tomorrow. I just am there amid the fishies and the coral and the sponges and all the other wonderful things beneath the waves. I'm wondering if I can convince the congregation that a dive trip is a spiritual retreat for me and I can take study leave for it.

Friday Five

From Sally at RevGalBlogPals

First list 5 memories from 2008.

Then list 5 hopes or prayers for 2009

Memories from 2008
1. A silverback gorilla, the first I'd seen, came bounding out of the forest and stopped in front of me, not more than six feet away.

2. A total eclipse in Mongolia. Total eclipses are the most awesome, spiritual experience I have had.

3. Obama winning the election. Watching the returns with a friend.

4. Taking photographs of a beautiful blue heron fishing in a lake.

5. Seeing a brown bear at the glacier outside of Juneau; eating halibut with friends in Juneau; meeting and talking with an Inuit Presbyterian and hearing his stories.

Hopes for 2009
1. An end to violence, especially in Palestine

2. Good health for me and for everyone. Being able to finish a sprint triathlon in September.

3. Spending more time with friends

4. Getting serious about photography

5. Approval of ordination of GLBTs in the PCUSA

I went for my walk today. My hernia repair was hurting (when it hurts, it really hurts, about an 8 on a 1-10 scale) and walking seems to help it. While I was walking I was listening to a Speaking of Faith podcast on AA. One of the participants was a Buddhist who was comparing Buddhism and AA. He talked in terms of addiction being the extreme form of attachment. It is our desires that make us unhappy.

Psalm 23 says the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. I remember reading somewhere that the I shall not want is that I will not desire that which God has not given me. A secret for happiness. I keep thinking if I were back in San Anselmo (my idea of heaven), then I'd be happy. But there would be something else that I'd want. So, I'm going to be happy with what I have been given. And I have been given so much. Way more than I deserve.

Blessings on this first day of the year. I have to eat my blackeyed peas which I haven't yet.

Everyone's Doing It

Blogging about last year and this year.

The best laid plans of mice and (wo)men aft gang aglay. (Assuming I've spelt the Scots correctly.)

Plans for 2009: scuba diving in Bonaire. In two days woohoo! I'll be with the fishes (God willing) swimming around in the coral reefs.

Western China (really western China), Tibet, a total solar eclipse, northern Japan (or southern Japan)

Somewhere at Thanksgiving: Guatemala and Mayan ruins? Scuba in Oman? Lazing around Penang? Or what I did this year--recover from surgery?

Church: Just doing what needs to be done. They don't want to reach out, to change, to do anything that will help them be more inviting to others. I had lunch with clergywomen yesterday and they began a discussion of Presbyemergents what ever that is. I realized how totally post-modern I am. I would love to be in a church willing to experiment with liturgy, with space, that was interested in studying scripture, in growing in faith. But that is not where I am and I don't have the energy to move. It is a good place for me to wait my time until I can retire. Or until the church decides it's time to die.

Personal life: A friend, a retired clergywoman, and I have decided that we are both "grass is greener" people and that we want to make the most of where we are. We swim twice a week (or will when the pool gets repaired). We are going to try to cook together once a week (we both need to eat better and to exercise more). We are going to do little trips together maybe every other month. Nashville, the Natchez trace, Arkansas, all await our explorations. I want to be disciplined about photography. I would like to either shoot the equivalent of a roll a week or a picture a day. I haven't decided which.

I am trying to eat better. I've been doing this for about 10 days and am finding it realitively easy, though I need to find some more easy entrees that are low calories and full of nuitrients. I'm trying to lose weight, too. Losing weight is a long, slow slog. I still have my goal of competing in a sprint triathlon in September. But I will need to start running seriously. (I could probably finish a sprint right now, were it not for the pain I still have from the hernia repair. It wouldn't be pretty (walking the 5K for example) but I think I could do it.)

What I learned this year. I love nature and need to be outside. I love to hike and be near the ocean. And the big one which I am in semi-denial about: I am mortal.