Of space, sea, and sound

It's strange to be somewhere for an extended period of time like a month. The first week you get settled, the second week you are realize it is a longer trip than your usual 10 days and get excited, the third week you feel natural, and then comes the last week. That week is a sad week because it means that the stay on this beautiful island and with wonderful people is coming to a quick and sad close.

Fun things that have happened since last post: 

Stars and space. I was fortunate to join some of our faculty for a behind-the-scenes tour by an employee who is one of HPAF's wonderful volunteers. She works at the Canada-French-Hawaii Telescope which is a part of the Mauna Kea Observatory. I got excited about the instruments and gear of the telescope - we got to see the inside of the dome and see it turn also. Through a secret door and we were on the outside walkway which ran all the way around the dome. The sun was setting as we walked out and the view was marvelous. 

The altitude got to a few of us (13,796") so we ate some food and drove back down the mountain. What's even crazier than a near 14er in Hawaii is that if based on the entire height of the mountain, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world at 32,000 ft. (they extend wwwaaaaay far down) So.. using that logic, I have been on top of the tallest mountain in the world. I'm pretty dang cool. ha!

A few facts about this cluster of telescopes (see website): There are 13 working telescopes at the top including 9 that are for optical and infrared astronomy, 3 are for submillimeter wavelength astronomy and one for radio astronomy. They include the largest optical/infrared  telescopes in the world (the Keck telescopes), the largest dedicated infrared telescope (UKIRT) and the largest submillimeter telescope in the world (the JCMT). Mauna Kea has a few key components that make it a unique astronomical observing site - the atmosphere is dry which is good for infrared and submillimeter radiation, and also has one of the highest number of cloud-free nights in the world. Mauna Kea is also very far from city lights (island-wide lighting ordinance ensures dark skies).

Sunset through the opening of the dome.

There she is! 

Above and below the clouds

Whatever you do, don't press this button...

Scuba! On our second day off, I was also able to go on my second day of diving and complete #3 and 4 of the required open water dives to be an open-water certified scuba diver! Woo hoo! I don't have as many pictures of this dive because I didn't have a buddy with a camera. But I did see some beautiful fish and eels and sea slugs. Had to buy a book so I could keep track of all the fish I had seen. It's fun to flip through a book of beautiful creatures and most pages say, "Oh! I've seen that fish!!" 

Another cool thing we got to see were green turtles being cleaned in a 'cleaning station'! It really is an area that turtles will swim into just to have their shells cleaned by these little yellow fishes. It was beautiful to watch. 

First dive was 40 ft depth for about 50 min, one hour surface interval and then a 60ft dive for 45 min. 

My dive instructor, Scotty

Turtle Cleaning Point

Phil Mickelson. Ok, so nothing really having to do with Phil himself, but I did decide a new life goal. I think it would be really neat, when age 40 ish, to be able to go golfing with future husband and another couple or two every month or so. Therefore, for me to be able to do that at that point of my life, I have to start learning how to golf sometime. 

So on my day off, after scuba, I went to one of the golf resorts and got a short lesson to help get me started in posture etc etc. It was great and I feel like I could practice for many hours and continue to improve. My instructor told me he saw potential so that's encouraging :) It's fun to start this quest in one of the most beautiful places and courses in the US. (not that I know personally, but I can only imagine that it is)

Chilax. After scuba and golf, I took the afternoon off and just read my book on the beach. I still can't get over how beautiful it is here. God did a really nice job on this one.

Beautiful Mauna Kea beach

Sunsets are a weakness of mine

Robbery. One sad thing did happen - one night while enjoying the waves and full moon with a group of colleagues, two of us realized both our cars were broken into and items stolen. :( I didn't have anything that was of monetary importance but rather sentimental - was sad to lose a necklace for which I had picked out the specific pearl at a pearl market in Beijing, China. I also lost a card holder from my trip to Colombia. They also took a pair of flipflops, makeup, and my blood sugar tester and insulin. Frustrating. My colleague's instruments were stolen which makes my losses comparatively mere pieces of sand on the beach. Things like this are a good reminder of how objects should not rule our lives. They can help us express ourselves but they are not who we are.

HPAF. Last but not least includes the wonderful performances at this festival. The voices are beautiful and inspiring. I had the misconception that more opera singers were divas but I have found that not to be the case with the wonderful people here. In part, it is the environment and the mana of the island (or the creator of, at least). I have definitely developed a more relaxed side of my leadership style. Here in Hawai'i, there is no other way to get things done while maintaining relationships unless you are more relaxed and kind. Being all 'business' is not going to work - it's good for me to learn that.

That's it for now! Tropical Storm Flossie will make an appearance tonight. And then I have two more days left on the Big Island until it's off to Kauai for a few days. 

"The crashing of waves are like deep sighs of our soul."

~Elizabeth