Saturday, January 18, 2020

A SUNNY DAY AT THE BEACH AND VISITING GANNET NESTING GROUNDS


Wednesday evening I was invited to speak to Elder and Sister Simmons’ Self Reliance business course, about the twists and turns of my business career.  The premise was that despite good planning on a career course to pursue, unexpected circumstances arise which require flexibility and course corrections.  I enjoyed speaking about my legal career, real estate career, and finally about my political career, and the class students (mainly working adults returning to get an education) seemed to appreciate it.  
Saturday was a free day.  It was a typical warm and sunny summer day.  So Alisa and I drove over to Muriwai beach to visit the gannet (albatross) colony there.  We last visited that location several months ago, when the gannets were just arriving and building their nests.  I’ve been wanting to return to check out the progress.  Since our last visit the eggs have been laid and hatched, and now there are fluffy gannet chicks everywhere.  Per the visitor’s signs, both the father and mother help to hatch the eggs and take care of the young.  The young are covered with white fluff instead of feathers.  When they get a little older, they will experience their first flight, which will be to Australia, 1200 miles away!  After viewing the gannets on the cliff tops, we hiked down to the beach and walked barefoot in the tide along the shore line.  The water was surprisingly warm, and many of the locals were frolicking in the ocean. I also dug up and saved a little of the black magnetized sand there to send to grandson Dodge.  Spent the rest of the day cleaning the apartment, jogging, watching an old John Wayne movie, and reading my historical book about Captain Cook and the Pacific. 
At work, I continue to work on real property and operations and maintenance issues.  I even got a project working on some lease issues with the newly announced Neiafu Tongo temple.

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