Three months of tough work on Christmas Island
Our son Johnny recently completed an assignment stripping
steel sheeting and asbestos insulation from abandoned "vessels," ominous looking
structures that had been used in phosphate mining. It was tough, dangerous work.
As compensation, he received triple his usual pay and
all this expenses, travel and living, were covered. He wiped out all this
family's debts and got a new motor for his boat. The island, an Australian
holding, is in the Indian Ocean, about 1,600 miles from his home in Perth.
"It was also a chance to visit a tropical paradise on somebody else's dime," he
says. He encountered some exotic creatures such as the big land crab shown
circled on his shoulder. Click here for a further look Johnny's work and
some catches on
Christmas Island.
John has a long-standing interest in coin collecting. A recent addition is the
10-rouble piece shown here, from the bad old USSR. Click on the image to see John's
numismatic Web site.
His wife Kay does wonders with machine embroidery/knitting. See
some of her work by
clicking here.
While you're here, check out Kay's Christmas
village, which she created in our living rooms in Chula Vista and
Portland.
The
Europe page features highlights
of John's trip a while ago to Italy, Austria, Britain and Germany.
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Shelties an enduring part of our
household
Our dear Sheltie, Reina (left photo), died last year, as the result of a tumorous growth in her chest.
Reina had only been gone for five days before we brought home a new Sheltie,
Indie (right photo). The new addition to our family, who has similar coloration
to Reina, was still a pup -- 5 1/2 months old -- when we found her. The photo
was taken on Indie's 1st birthday.
Reina was 11, but as the above photo shows, she was still a "beautiful
girl" until shortly before she passed away. She was well loved. Indie, whose
name reflects her highly independent nature, has helped alleviate the
pain of her departure.
Our first Sheltie, Bonnie, was 15 when she died of
old age a couple of years ago. We wish dogs lived longer.
See pix of our youngest
granddaughter, Harriet Levi, and some friends taken by some really good photographers.
Grandson
Alexander helping adorn one of his first Christmas trees can be
found here. On the same page, check out the photos of our
then new house
before and after it was touched by snow. And here's a travel bargain for the ages: Seven days at
sea for only $21. Frequent stops at exotic ports to entice even the most jaded
traveler. It's definitely economy class. but with all the money you save, you
can do plenty of shopping ashore. Click
here for the lurid details, along with a
pic of John and his fellow travelers. |
