Photo from a recent airshow in Sacramento where Steven and Richard got together for part of a day.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Steven and Richard: The Priest and the Pilot
Photo from a recent airshow in Sacramento where Steven and Richard got together for part of a day.
Dolphins and Snorkels
Gosh! It's been 10 days since I last posted. Time really passes fast when you're trying to move. work and recreate within the confines of an island. Anyway, last Sunday our friend Jorge took us out on his boat "Mac" after services in Agat, a lovely part of Guam that's not so developed. Ben got to go snorkeling and we both enjoyed the dolphins. See the attached pics for a taste of what it was like.
This week has been a transition to the town home. We're not there yet because we have until July 8th at the Condo and we want to get things ready before we sleep over. Our landord, Chuck, is a big guy who lifts weights and manages properties while his wife runs a funeral home. Chuck has had to battle ants and we want them out before we move in, but we know they're going to come back. Anyway, we have the keys to 202 Woodland Townhomes in Dededo, and once we get a table and chairs we have all that we need until our stuff comes from the mainland.
Oh, after 5 weeks my Bose stereo system finally arrived, so we're enjoying that nice luxury which beats the cable TV choices at the Hotel.
More soon.
Ben and Jane
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Happy first day of summer, everyone! On Guam the temperatures vary little, so it’s always “summer” here with a wet season and a dry season being the only differences. we’re semi-dry now but have regular showers that keep things green. Daytime temps are around 88 degrees and a 10-degree drop at night. Humidity is high but the northeast trades blow a steady cooling breeze across the island during the day.
Other points I’ve been asked about are: Does Guam have earthquakes? Yes. And that’s because we’re located near the Mariana Trench (see below), the deepest known location of the world’s oceans.
The Mariana Trench (or Marianas Trench) is the deepest known submarine trench (maximum depth of 10.9 km, 6.77 mi), and the deepest location in the Earth's crust itself. It is located in the floor of the western North Pacific Ocean, to the east and south of the Mariana Islands at 11°21′N, 142°12′E, near Guam. The trench is the boundary where two tectonic plates meet, where the Pacific Plate is being subducted under the Philippine Plate. The bottom of the trench is farther below sea level than Mount Everest is above it. The trench has a maximum depth of 10,924 meters below sea level. The Arctic Ocean, on the other hand, is only about 4,500 meters deep, but 6,353,000 meters from the Earth's center, some 13 kilometers closer. This is due to the equatorial bulge. In an unprecedented dive, the United States Navy bathyscaphe Trieste reached the bottom at 1:06 p.m. on January 23, 1960, with U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard on board. Iron shot was used for ballast, with gasoline for buoyancy.[4] The onboard systems indicated a depth of 11,521 meters (37,799 ft), but this was later revised to 10,916 meters (35,813 ft). At the bottom, Walsh and Piccard were surprised to discover soles or flounder about 30 cm (1 ft) long, as well as shrimp. According to Piccard, "The bottom appeared light and clear, a waste of firm diatomaceous ooze".
And, Have you seen the green flash at sunset? Yes, Jane and I witnessed it one night last week. We have an unobstructed view from our hotel condo balcony. It is not an “urban legend”, nor is it only seen in the tropics. But because of optics and the curve of the earth you need a pretty flat horizon to see it. It occurs just as the sun dips below the visual horizon, and it’s very fast, like the flash of an airport beacon. Here’s how Jules Verne described it: "a green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette, a green of which neither the varied tints of vegetation nor the shades of the most limpid sea could ever produce the like! If there is a green in Paradise, it cannot be but of this shade, which most surely is the true green of Hope"
Last weekend we had a great 4-hour workshop with the 3 Guam churches and Padi Irene from Saipan and her family. We worked on plans for a service rotation for Sundays, what we might do when the Presiding Bishop comes for Thanksgiving, some targets for a joint youth ministry, and our common mission with St. John’s school. On Sunday Padi (“Padi” means priest in Tagalog and can refer to either a man or a woman) Irene and I gave the sermon and jointly presided at the Communion service at St. John the Divine. Hank Parker, the Bishop’s Deputy here, also installed me as vicar of the 3 churches on Guam.
More about Guam and Us
Happy first day of summer, everyone! On Guam the temperatures vary little, so it’s always “summer” here with a wet season and a dry season being the only differences. we’re semi-dry now but have regular showers that keep things green. Daytime temps are around 88 degrees and a 10-degree drop at night. Humidity is high but the northeast trades blow a steady cooling breeze across the island during the day.
Other points I’ve been asked about are: Does Guam have earthquakes? Yes. And that’s because we’re located near the Mariana Trench (see below), the deepest known location of the world’s oceans.
The Mariana Trench (or Marianas Trench) is the deepest known submarine trench (maximum depth of 10.9 km, 6.77 mi), and the deepest location in the Earth's crust itself. It is located in the floor of the western North Pacific Ocean, to the east and south of the Mariana Islands at 11°21′N, 142°12′E, near Guam. The trench is the boundary where two tectonic plates meet, where the Pacific Plate is being subducted under the Philippine Plate. The bottom of the trench is farther below sea level than Mount Everest is above it. The trench has a maximum depth of 10,924 meters below sea level. The Arctic Ocean, on the other hand, is only about 4,500 meters deep, but 6,353,000 meters from the Earth's center, some 13 kilometers closer. This is due to the equatorial bulge. In an unprecedented dive, the United States Navy bathyscaphe Trieste reached the bottom at 1:06 p.m. on January 23, 1960, with U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard on board. Iron shot was used for ballast, with gasoline for buoyancy.[4] The onboard systems indicated a depth of 11,521 meters (37,799 ft), but this was later revised to 10,916 meters (35,813 ft). At the bottom, Walsh and Piccard were surprised to discover soles or flounder about 30 cm (1 ft) long, as well as shrimp. According to Piccard, "The bottom appeared light and clear, a waste of firm diatomaceous ooze".
And, Have you seen the green flash at sunset? Yes, Jane and I witnessed it one night last week. We have an unobstructed view from our hotel condo balcony. It is not an “urban legend”, nor is it only seen in the tropics. But because of optics and the curve of the earth you need a pretty flat horizon to see it. It occurs just as the sun dips below the visual horizon, and it’s very fast, like the flash of an airport beacon. Here’s how Jules Verne described it: "a green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette, a green of which neither the varied tints of vegetation nor the shades of the most limpid sea could ever produce the like! If there is a green in Paradise, it cannot be but of this shade, which most surely is the true green of Hope"
Last weekend we had a great 4-hour workshop with the 3 Guam churches and Padi Irene from Saipan and her family. We worked on plans for a service rotation for Sundays, what we might do when the Presiding Bishop comes for Thanksgiving, some targets for a joint youth ministry, and our common mission with St. John’s school. On Sunday Padi (“Padi” means priest in Tagalog and can refer to either a man or a woman) Irene and I gave the sermon and jointly presided at the Communion service at St. John the Divine. Hank Parker, the Bishop’s Deputy here, also installed me as vicar of the 3 churches on Guam.
Other points I’ve been asked about are: Does Guam have earthquakes? Yes. And that’s because we’re located near the Mariana Trench (see below), the deepest known location of the world’s oceans.
The Mariana Trench (or Marianas Trench) is the deepest known submarine trench (maximum depth of 10.9 km, 6.77 mi), and the deepest location in the Earth's crust itself. It is located in the floor of the western North Pacific Ocean, to the east and south of the Mariana Islands at 11°21′N, 142°12′E, near Guam. The trench is the boundary where two tectonic plates meet, where the Pacific Plate is being subducted under the Philippine Plate. The bottom of the trench is farther below sea level than Mount Everest is above it. The trench has a maximum depth of 10,924 meters below sea level. The Arctic Ocean, on the other hand, is only about 4,500 meters deep, but 6,353,000 meters from the Earth's center, some 13 kilometers closer. This is due to the equatorial bulge. In an unprecedented dive, the United States Navy bathyscaphe Trieste reached the bottom at 1:06 p.m. on January 23, 1960, with U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard on board. Iron shot was used for ballast, with gasoline for buoyancy.[4] The onboard systems indicated a depth of 11,521 meters (37,799 ft), but this was later revised to 10,916 meters (35,813 ft). At the bottom, Walsh and Piccard were surprised to discover soles or flounder about 30 cm (1 ft) long, as well as shrimp. According to Piccard, "The bottom appeared light and clear, a waste of firm diatomaceous ooze".
And, Have you seen the green flash at sunset? Yes, Jane and I witnessed it one night last week. We have an unobstructed view from our hotel condo balcony. It is not an “urban legend”, nor is it only seen in the tropics. But because of optics and the curve of the earth you need a pretty flat horizon to see it. It occurs just as the sun dips below the visual horizon, and it’s very fast, like the flash of an airport beacon. Here’s how Jules Verne described it: "a green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette, a green of which neither the varied tints of vegetation nor the shades of the most limpid sea could ever produce the like! If there is a green in Paradise, it cannot be but of this shade, which most surely is the true green of Hope"
Last weekend we had a great 4-hour workshop with the 3 Guam churches and Padi Irene from Saipan and her family. We worked on plans for a service rotation for Sundays, what we might do when the Presiding Bishop comes for Thanksgiving, some targets for a joint youth ministry, and our common mission with St. John’s school. On Sunday Padi (“Padi” means priest in Tagalog and can refer to either a man or a woman) Irene and I gave the sermon and jointly presided at the Communion service at St. John the Divine. Hank Parker, the Bishop’s Deputy here, also installed me as vicar of the 3 churches on Guam.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Update from Guam
I promised myself I'd update our blog at least once a week. There's a lot going on, so this will be short, with pics from the weekend to follow.
First, if you want to know more about the church on Guam, check out Bp. Packard's web site which is www.tec-chaplain.org. You can view some of the history there and maybe figure out a little more how we fit into the ECIM story. (Ooops - ECIM- Episcopal Church in Micronesia).
Yesterday we found a place to live, a nice 2 br townhouse with a washer and dryer in a nice suburban area with places to bike and a pool in the complex. We'll move in July 1 and hope our beds, etc. arrive by then. If not, we have a Coleman air bed we can use and we'll just camp out until stuff arrives. Anyway, we will have room for guests, so don't let that stop you.
We're still getting plugged in, caught up and we're always in bed by 9pm for a full 8 hours sleep. Our bodies are still adjusting to climate and the 15-hour time change. We notice it's better every day. I walk in the early am and we try to get some time in the pool each day for exercise. We cook simple meals and there's a rice cooker in the condo, so we're eating a lot of that.
This is the hottest time of year on Guam. It's in the high 80's every day and afternoons are really hot, but there's also a breeze until sundown. I'm writing this from my office and can see the Philippine sea in the distance, plus lots of palms and mimosa bushes. More after the weekend joint service and workshop with the three churches.
First, if you want to know more about the church on Guam, check out Bp. Packard's web site which is www.tec-chaplain.org. You can view some of the history there and maybe figure out a little more how we fit into the ECIM story. (Ooops - ECIM- Episcopal Church in Micronesia).
Yesterday we found a place to live, a nice 2 br townhouse with a washer and dryer in a nice suburban area with places to bike and a pool in the complex. We'll move in July 1 and hope our beds, etc. arrive by then. If not, we have a Coleman air bed we can use and we'll just camp out until stuff arrives. Anyway, we will have room for guests, so don't let that stop you.
We're still getting plugged in, caught up and we're always in bed by 9pm for a full 8 hours sleep. Our bodies are still adjusting to climate and the 15-hour time change. We notice it's better every day. I walk in the early am and we try to get some time in the pool each day for exercise. We cook simple meals and there's a rice cooker in the condo, so we're eating a lot of that.
This is the hottest time of year on Guam. It's in the high 80's every day and afternoons are really hot, but there's also a breeze until sundown. I'm writing this from my office and can see the Philippine sea in the distance, plus lots of palms and mimosa bushes. More after the weekend joint service and workshop with the three churches.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Hawai'i and Guam
Hi, Everybody
Guam! It feels so far away. We are living in a Condo for the month at a hotel that overlooks the Philippine Sea. You can see a view from our balcony at the blogspot, http://benjaneourlog@blogspot.com
Friday we were welcomed by a small committee at the airport, then to the car rental and a champagne and finger food reception by one of the faculty and a church member, Lois, at her apartment (pictures on blog).
Saturday Ben had a morning long School Trustees meeting which he can’t write about but it was a firework-filled morning. The school has a strong board, and it’s a good thing. As John Ashby used to say, people make messes, but only God can redeem them!
Jane went shopping. Discovered what’s billed as the largest K-Mart in the world isn’t! We found a nice supermarket later and got the basics.
Today was spent with services at St. Michael and All Angels, Dededo, and then St. John’s Tumon Bay. We’re now getting ready to go car shopping tomorrow, and will be getting Guam cell service. Once we get a hard line you’ll be able to call us with no international charges. Meanwhile, you can reach us at: Ohana Ocean View, tel. 671-646-2400, room 502 for the rest of the month. Check to see what rate plan you have on your phone. Some plans result in no charges. The fax # is 671-649-0562. Just remember the little 15 hour time difference from CDT!
One other correction. The mailing address is technically 911 Marine Corps Dr, Tamuning, GU 96913. Simply using Marine Dr will still get it, but not for long.
Much love,
Ben and Jane
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
On to Guam
We're not there yet. First was a stop in Tulsa to see Mary Ashby, widow of our former bishop in Western Kansas, then on to Seguin, TX where we met up with Steven and his fiancee Diane (picture). After leaving home with frenzied preparations, turning the house over to our friends Joan and Ted, driving 856 miles, we were ready for a break. We spent a great weekend with South Texas hospitality.
Tuesday it was on to Hawai'i for two nights. The picture shows Jane in front of the sculptures outside the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki, crafted by our friend Kim Duffet who has a gallery there.
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