Nathan and Cheri's Family

Noodle place

2012-02-29T09:30:00.000+09:00

We tried out a spicy Thai noodle place yesterday. It was instantly added to the approved restaurants list.

I’ve submitted a couple of pirate designs to this week’s shirt contest. The second one looks to be gaining traction.

“That scared the crap out of me”

2012-02-26T11:35:00.000+09:00

That was how Cheri described driving home the other day when a coconut did this to our car.

I’ve been working on my fiverr gigs lately. These ninjas were a custom order.

Someone else wanted a cooking video with the kids. I did my best, but Gryphon kept talking about all the ants in our kitchen.

This morning Gryphon was happy to get a gryphon pancake.

We built up a cool tower with the marble track blocks the Schofields sent.

Shots

2012-02-23T18:55:00.000+09:00

Yesterday we did a little sidewalk chalk and watched the moth that sat on our porch all day.

Gryphon’s reward for good bedtimes was an ice cream cone coupon, which he redeemed on the way to frisbee. I should have restrained myself, but managed to run around for an hour with a belly full of ice cream.

Afterward we paid a visit to Thai House!

I submitted a shirt design for the “weird” category on Threadless.

It needs LOTS of help getting voted up or it won’t be printed!

This morning Alice had a belated 1-year check-up from Cheri’s colleague and fellow Brilliant Star parent, Dr. Sullivan. She earned an A+, even though she’s in the 10th percentile for weight (19 lbs). She did some stairs to ready her thighs for the immunizations.

She got five of those, and didn’t seem to approve.

We’ve gotten a lot of rain lately, so Gryphon and I went for a puddle-stomping adventure, ending at the pool.

This evening Cheri and I did some more paddling for a swim outside the reef. Gryphon and Alice had a nice time with Feli.

We couldn’t leave the grocery store without a couple packages of dark chocolate Tim Tams.

Tricks

2012-02-21T14:37:00.000+09:00

Cheri was ready for the playground after a stressful delivery last night. Gryphon can almost get to the second monkey bar – especially with the help of the Mardi Gras mask Teacher Rita gave him. I’ve been working on my hula hoop spinning.

Alice rode the swings almost the whole time – her trick is not falling off.

Cheri studied up for her continuing education.

The interview

2012-02-20T15:58:00.000+09:00

Alice is using a spoon pretty well. We think she’ll be left-handed but it’s still ambiguous.

Yesterday we went to a birthday party for Gryphon’s preschool friend, Sophie. It was at the Lao Lao Bay resort, which almost made me want to take up golf.

We had a good time but had to split before the piñata did – I guess it didn’t have to worry about nap time.

Today Cheri had a promising video interview with a midwifery practice in Port Angeles, WA.

We celebrated with a swim before she left to catch more babies.

Our neighbor Jim was there with his family.

Bugs

2012-02-18T15:53:00.000+09:00

Cheri had to work Thursday, but I left the children with Feli and went to Kilili Beach to do some paddling. Our captains were Jim (left) and Richard (principal at Gryphon’s school).


We paddled outside the reef and did some swimming. Cheri’s friend “Doctor Linden” and her husband Tom (middle) were there, along with Gryphon’s teacher Rita and her friend Ingrid.

Yesterday we had play dough time. Then it was off to the park for frisbee.

This morning we ate some bugs and went to the market. (Some real ants did end up in the pancakes via our water spigot. That’s what happens.)

Valentine dumplings

2012-02-15T15:01:00.000+09:00

Cheri’s been working to perfect her pancit recipe.


On Valentine’s Day we brought Cheri some dumplings at work.

Happy “Valenstine” Day

2012-02-14T13:45:00.000+09:00

A little video we put together–Cheri built Cupid.

Gryphon’s class got surprise Valentine’s Day cards from their parents.

This week’s pancake theme was DINOSAURS!

We had family hammock time the other day before dinner. Gryphon spilled out as usual, but that’s why we have skulls.

Paddling

2012-02-10T08:22:00.000+09:00

Alice chose to wear Gryphon’s shorts around her neck during morning playtime on Wednesday.


I was planning to play ultimate that afternoon, but clinic ran late for Cheri. To make up for it, she made this face.

And then we went out to Thai House.


When we returned home we found my flatbread dough trying to escape from the refrigerator. We cooked it up for lunch yesterday with hummus and Greek salad.

After naptime Feli watched the children so Cheri and I could go paddling around the lagoon with the Saipan Outrigger Canoe Club. There was one experience guy there, but the rest of us newbies did okay. We went by two partially submerged WWII tanks during the hour we were out, taking a swim break in the middle. It looked like this:

No school for you

2012-02-08T09:31:00.000+09:00

Yesterday poor Gryphon started the day sick. He threw up about 10 times by lunch, and then was instantly cured. That’s how we like to do it.


Occasionally we’re reminded that Saipan gets twice as much rain as Portland. But it helps grow super long beans.

After dinner we stocked up at the market.

Playing outside

2012-02-08T09:19:00.000+09:00

The hospital took out a 6-month loan to pay its employees – problem solved! Now we can go play outside.

Gryphon hasn’t mastered the art of the handshake at preschool, but he’s searching for ways to improve.


Alice has begun taking long walks around the grounds, so we’ve been visiting the play equipment more. She even rode a swing by herself the other day!



The closet activity table has been approved by Gryphon. He’s been coloring dinosaurs with paint and blow-pens lately.

Big blue ball

2012-02-05T10:06:00.000+09:00

We hit up the Saturday market yesterday, then sat on the beach to have our banana bread and coconut water. The empty cup made good sand towers for the “huge baby monster” to crush.

Alice climbed right up onto the playground equipment, just like a real person. Gryphon transformed into a troll.

The “star apple” is sweet, sort of vanilla-coconutty, and the white juice sticks to one’s lips. We found that if it dries there you can’t get it off.
After lunch we made a video to sell shamelessly on fiverr.

Papaya picnic

2012-02-02T15:53:00.001+09:00

We celebrated Cheri’s day off with a papaya picnic in the yard.

Gryphon brought the sucker he got for being a good boy at the grocery store. He still has residue on his lips from yesterday’s star apple (more on this later).

We see these beautiful white birds with long tails everyday. Gotta figure out what they are…

Back online

2012-01-31T19:45:00.000+09:00

Well, it was good to catch up on some reading during the month without my computer (The Secret Life of Houdini, Superfreakonomics, Tattoo Machine, Habibi, Fun Home, The Last Lecture, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Better), but it’s also nice to have protracted debates with my brother-in-law on Facebook. Today the kids watched a little Thomas while eating some fresh-baked cookies from their awesome dad.

Alice has started to try out the fork method of eating.

We stopped at the market yesterday, on our way to Indian food!

Gryphon would eat this whole thing if we let him, but we don’t want any papayarrhea.

Loading Alice into the car afterward, I found that her overloaded diaper had spurted poo out the leg hole, which I then unknowingly smeared up her back, under her arms, on my shirt, and all over the car seat (it was dark out). We did some late night bathing and laundry.

Bacteria

2012-01-30T14:21:00.000+09:00

Yesterday we took a field trip to the hospital after lunch. We found the L&D unit to be empty except for Cheri and nurse Jin.

Cheri gave a tour of the delivery rooms, teaching Gryphon to locate the blood splatters that the cleaners miss.

Today I was excited to find my laptop in the mail, complete with a new hard drive after the old one fried in December. Gryphon and Alice were equally excited to find seed pods outside that they could crack open.

Cheri decided to take a nap with Gryphon in preparation for the night shift tonight.

Animal pancakes

2012-01-28T14:46:00.000+09:00

Having filled up on endangered species, Gryphon and I ventured out to the library and Saturday market. Gryphon noticed that someone had built sand castles all down the beach. That “someone” was the coconut crabs.

I bought a couple of computer monitors from Midwife Nikki’s husband, Lee. They were still in a crate from when he moved here. Gryphon and Alice thought the packing paper was the best part.

And then there were three

2012-01-27T20:06:00.000+09:00

Alice has been showing more interest in the board books lately.

The other day Gryphon made a kite and the three of us headed up to the top of the hill by the pool to try it out. I brought my kite too, but there wasn’t enough wind to keep it in the air. We had two short runs.

Cheri’s been fighting the powers-that-be at work because they want her to work all night shifts yet they claim to have no money to pay her. Here’s how she relaxes.

On Tuesday Gryphon had his teeth cleaned. He did an excellent job and was rewarded with a pinwheel.

I took the kids to the street market on Thursday. It ended up being another excuse to eat Thai House food from our buddy Felix.

Yesterday we made a quick stop at the clinic to pick up an inhaler for me (about once a month my lungs decide to close up as I’m going to sleep, making the task more difficult). Alice was shown to all the nurses.

Midwife Nikki is fed up with Saipan and moving to Gallup, NM to take a job with the Indian Health Service. The midwives had breakfast at the ritzy Hyatt hotel yesterday morning to bid her farewell. Then Midwife Jewel (in the blue) convinced Cheri to get a massage. Ninety minutes for $25 – Saipan does have its perks!

As Alice finished her nap, Gryphon and I deliberated on whether to visit American Memorial Park for some Ultimate Frisbee.

We eventually decided to go for it. He and Alice played in the beach shelter.

Back in the real world…

2012-01-23T08:49:00.000+09:00

Occasionally we get a reminder that we’re not living in the real world. Normally we have stuff like this to deal with:

We hope the insurance company will take care of this for us. Meanwhile Alice drew her first picture the other day.

On Friday we cooked up some salmon burgers for dinner before leaving the kids with Feli and heading out for our first movie date here. It was much appreciated.

Monday is Chinese New Year and Gryphon’s school is on holiday. He appreciates relaxing in his train world and watching Thomas while Alice naps in the morning.

New favorite sunset

2012-01-19T13:34:00.000+09:00

We figured we were about due for a flat tire, but we’re getting pretty good at dealing with them.

After nap time we drove up to Wing Beach.

We had the beach to ourselves. Cheri and Alice took care of the beach combing while Gryphon and I took to the water. Gryphon rode on my back as I snorkeled around the reef, finding all sorts of fish out and about. I was even fortunate enough to see a blacktip reef shark! He was about four feet long, and maybe 50 feet away. I couldn’t get any closer because shallow coral was in the way. Now’s a good time to recommend the great documentary Sharkwater – let me know what you think.

Soon we were treated to a spectacular sunset.

Papayas are back

2012-01-18T14:58:00.000+09:00

On Tuesday I watched our neighbor cat try to catch a lizard to no avail.

Gryphon’s been getting into painting lately.

At the market we found papayas are back in season.

And we tried out this restaurant and gave it the stamp of approval. Alice didn’t like waiting for dumplings, and Gryphon decided not to eat dinner, but what can you do?

Green tea ice cream

2012-01-17T09:05:00.000+09:00

In lieu of birthday cake this year, we had the waffle cone of the week. The green tea flavor was pretty good.

I stir-fried up the market vegetables and tofu for dinner. Alice eats about twice as much as Gryphon every dinner.

Then Cheri headed off to a night shift and baby number 31.

Lazy Sunday

2012-01-16T06:35:00.000+09:00

Saturday evening I lounged in the hammock and watched Gryphon play with Seohee.

Seohee’s brother Jun was down with the hammock too. His cousin Harry practiced frisbee.

Sunday began with an airplane-and-garbage-truck breakfast. Cheri got to work all day, while the rest of us had a picnic at the pool.

Alice is getting some new teeth and has been pretty cranky lately. We did some more lounging in the hammock before dinner.

Gryphon wanted to see some bamboo, so we walked to the edge of Kannat Gardens where some was growing. Gryphon called it, “Bamboo of the Tiger” for unknown reasons. Alice was unimpressed.

In the evening she was finally able to say “Da da” and was justly rewarded.

The race

2012-01-14T13:52:00.000+09:00

Stopped at the market this morning for the usual: bananas, banana bread, vegetables, coconut water.

After Alice’s morning nap it was time to go play.

We found our neighbor, Bheng, and 4-year old Vlad in the yard.

Bheng officiated some races.

Another neighbor, Lillian, showed up to help.

(Telephoto lens from fiverr earnings).

Early birthday

2012-01-14T10:02:00.000+09:00

Cheri worked in the clinic yesterday and is doing a 12-hour shift at the hospital today. So we celebrated my birthday a day early. I started things off with a pancake lunch.

We thought we should try a new restaurant, which had some good reviews online. As places don’t have addresses here, we relied on directions that said Sunny’s was between an abandoned garment factory and a laundromat. In the car we realized this place could be anywhere, but found it anyway. Unfortunately it rated high on my sketchiness meter, so I led the retreat to Thai House.

Gryphon was well-behaved. Alice settled down after we had filled her with enough Thai food.

Movie

2012-01-12T08:55:00.000+09:00

Cheri had three days off, and we’ve been having a good time at home.

We added some cardboard boxes to organize the kids’ closet. I took a trip to the nearby cave to do some drawing.

A piece of the pre-WWII Japanese shrine, and some discarded coconut crab shells:

Alice always likes a good bath.

We got a new battery for Big Red (the CRV), and took Isaiah Dongcar (the Corolla) to have his conditioner repaired. Renee always hooks us up. Coming back to our apartment, we stopped to get a look at some new baby chicks in the grass. I backed up for a better view, not noticing the steep shoulder – whoops.

I’m getting good at jacking up the car. Dante mysteriously appeared to help me out as usual. After nap time I took Gryphon to see his first movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks. He was duly impressed by the big screen, even though we made up half of the audience.

Yesterday we had family swim time.

I’ve been playing a couple of ultimate frisbee games each week, but the lower back says to tone it down. Now I just lie on the couch and answer math questions.

Chaos

2012-01-08T19:11:00.000+09:00

Here's the chaos of our house in wide angle splendor.

Cheri delivered two babies. I made some macaroons.

First haircut

2012-01-07T15:20:00.000+09:00

Cheri delivered a baby this morning. Alice got her bangs shortened.

We ran into Sunny’s family when we went to get our “waffle cone of the week.” (They’re postponed their trip to Korea.)

Gryphon decided he didn’t need his nap this afternoon, so we played outside after I pulled myself away from my book. We deposited the Christmas tree in the brush pile whence it came.

These skinks are everywhere. So are these millipedes.

We fit in a swim before dinner and saw a bunch of kids there.

(Fish eye lens was a gift from Cheri).

Dinner in the Tea Room

2012-01-03T19:49:00.000+09:00

Last night we picked up some food at the farmers’ market and went to visit Cheri for dinner at the hospital.

She and nurse Daisy were the only ones in Labor and Delivery.

After Gryphon ran into a patient’s room to collect Cheri (the patient and her husband were amused), we had a nice dinner in the little locker room.

Beach holiday

2012-01-03T19:24:00.000+09:00

Having spent the morning on the north end of the island, we ventured south watch the sunset at Obyan Beach. For the first time, we had company due to the New Year holiday.

We noticed everyone vanished from the water just before sunset – Cheri said this is due to a Chamorro superstition regarding evil water spirits that come out after dark.

Tour of the island

2012-01-02T20:32:00.000+09:00

Cheri’s been disappointed with the non-medical aspects of her job, so I took her to breakfast while Feli watched the children yesterday. Then we visited some of the sites she had not yet seen, starting with the Last Command Post.

Cheri sneaked into the woods to try to find more old Japanese hide-outs, but realized she wasn’t dressed for it.

Next we checked out the view from Suicide Cliff.

The final stop was Kalabera Cave. We ventured in farther than I had gone with children last time, and found it’s a pretty big cave! When it got too dark to continue, we turned back, but vowed to return with headlamps some day.

Cheri found a crystal in the wall of the cave, but no dinosaur bones. Unfortunately for us, dinosaurs were long extinct by the time the Mariana Islands were formed 30 million years ago.

When we returned home we found our neighbor Sunny, her friend, and her dog Moon playing with the kids and Feli in our apartment. We learned Sunny’s family was moving back to Korea in a few hours.

Gryphon’s been having fun with the play dough accoutrements that Cheri found him for Christmas.

New friends

2012-01-02T20:15:00.001+09:00

We took a walk around Kannat Gardens before dinner on Sunday.

Soon we were joined by neighbors Carlo and Erika, and Erika's friend. Alice entertained them by answering "Yeah!" to any question they would ask.

2012

2012-01-01T14:35:00.003+09:00

We've had a great 2011, and wish everyone an exciting 2012. We noticed that this year Alice will turn , Gryphon will turn , Cheri and I will turn and celebrate anniversary number . This may just be a fluke of the Mayan calendar.

New dress

2011-12-30T15:06:00.002+09:00

Feli came to watch Gryphon and Alice earlier this week. Gryphon was apprehensive, but just as in The Berenstain Bears and the Sitter, he ended up having a good time.

Alice toddled around in a new dress from Nanna yesterday.

While Cheri worked at the clinic, the rest of us adventured up to Mt. Tapochau again. It was very windy, and Gryphon spent his time trying to find hiding places from the wind, worried that he would "blow up into the air."

We had lumpia and banana bread for dinner at the street market afterward.

Computer Superfail

2011-12-27T20:21:00.002+09:00

Did I tell you that, in the last month, my camera got knocked over and required a new lens? Or that I drove over my tripod? That my cell phone went through the laundry and fizzled? Well, today the hard drive on my computer spontaneously died, and I have little hope of retrieving stuff from it. I don't think I'll recommend the HP Pavilion to friends (though it had been working fine until now). Fortunately I had backed up my files at the end of November, and most of my photos are online. However, the blog may look a little sparse in the coming days. Good thing Cheri gave me Habibi to fill the void in my life.

Christmas

2011-12-25T19:56:00.000+09:00

One of the reasons we moved to Saipan was so that Christmas would come 18 hours earlier.

Gryphon was very excited. Alice had to take a nap after an hour.

Then Nanna and Dar Dar joined us on Skype.

Alice had a tea party with the Mad Hatter, er, Gryphon.

Everyone was ready for a nap after lunch.

“Gryphon, I love your peace turkey” -Cheri

Pink ladies

2011-12-24T20:40:00.001+09:00

Gryphon and I needed an excuse to make more cookies, so we gave away all the Saipan stars to people in our apartment complex and whipped up a double batch of sugar cookies. He wanted to frost them pink, so we did. Well, we tried, but there were so many ladies that I had to freeze some to do later.

We had Christmas Eve dinner at the Indian restaurant. Mmmm, mmm hmm.

Saipan Stars

2011-12-23T19:59:00.000+09:00

Alice is feeling better now, so we went up the hill to the pool. She got to try out the swimsuit Feli gave her.

In the afternoon I used some leftover tatiza dough I made with corn flour to whip up some Saipan Stars. They’re not that great, but the clients aren’t picky.

Boxes

2011-12-22T19:20:00.002+09:00

We were excited to find seven boxes waiting at our mailbox today! While Alice napped, Gryphon and I muffled our excitement as we dissected each one and put the contents under the tree. Alice took an unprecedented four-hour morning nap, so after finishing with the boxes Gryphon had time to watch a little Cars while I did some work. The laptop screen was divided as such:

Cheri was still sleeping off her action-packed night shift while we headed to the hammock. This time we brought along the Mythbusters so we could ignore the beauty all around.

Hammock

2011-12-20T13:58:00.002+09:00

While Alice is still putting the bulb syringe to good use, I have declared myself well and put up the hammock to celebrate. The three of us spent almost two hours lounging in it this morning while Cheri slept off the first of several consecutive night shifts.

This evening we had dinner at the market. Gryphon’s prize for eating his lumpia was a ride on the bumper boat. We were the only ones riding, so we had a lot of room to pick up speed (they’re electric cars with big rubber bumperS all around them) – a little too much speed for Gryphon’s taste, so I ended up solo for the last few minutes.

Christmas tree

2011-12-19T21:13:00.000+09:00

The $1.50 “waffle cone of the week” sign in Gualo Rai tempts me every day. It seems mango ice cream helps sick people get better.

And so do presents. Alice spent the afternoon rearranging them under the tree.

Obyan

2011-12-19T21:08:00.000+09:00

Yesterday evening we packed up the infirmary and headed to Obyan Beach. It was nice to get out of the house and look for treasure.

Sick

2011-12-17T19:35:00.002+09:00

Well, we had a good run, but now everyone has a nasty cold. We mostly hibernated today, but the shortage of nurses means that Cheri still gets to do a night shift.
Here's a quick collection of what Gryphon's found under that rock so far.

Tangerines

2011-12-16T21:54:00.000+09:00

We love the year-round tangerines here. Lately their smell reminds me of the Christmas-time satsumas that my family has eaten every year forever.

I headed to the jungle to film the last of the “I’ll find your message in the jungle” gigs on fiverr. Too much effort. Feli’s husband, Dante, was working on some cabinets at his house near the ruins.

Gryphon and I made some “Lightning McQueens” today. Recipe to appear here later.

Latitude 15

2011-12-14T13:51:00.000+09:00

We’re starting to think we won’t be having a snowy Christmas this year.

Last night we watched the sunset, hit up the evening farmers market, and had dinner at Thai House again.

I’m getting discouraged after submitting lots of logos to crowdspring.com and not winning any contests. Here’s a small sampling of my pro bono work:

But my scheming on fiverr.com continues. Here’s the latest video people can have customized for $5:

Violet's party

2011-12-12T09:21:00.000+09:00

Midwife Sarah’s daughter, Violet, had her sixth birthday party at our pool yesterday.

I grew out a mustache for the occasion. As my dad knows, a mustache makes you cool.

Gryphon and I got one successful pass in the balloon toss.

Midwife Nikki showed up with Lee and we stayed late into the night (well, about 7:00). Gryphon liked playing in the pool with Sarah’s boyfriend, Dave.

Can you see Gryphon in the pool?

Gingerbread

2011-12-12T09:19:00.000+09:00

Saturday I stayed up to watch the eclipse in the middle of the night. My pictures didn’t turn out well, but it was cool to see the red moon. Yesterday Grypon and I made some vegan gingerbread cookies. They’re tasty!

Coconut oil

2011-12-10T19:30:00.000+09:00

Look at this.

If I had known that spending all afternoon cutting up, mashing, and boiling five coconuts would give me so little oil, I might have found something better to do. I followed these instructions, but probably messed something up.

Today we took a trip to Banzai cliff since Cheri hadn’t seen it yet. Gryphon got an ice cream cone.

I found this soap for Cheri today.

Dinosaurs

2011-12-06T19:49:00.001+09:00

Gryphon's been cutting out dinosaur tails for us to wear lately. We watched the BBC series Planet Dinosaur, and now he enjoys putting on his chasmosaurus mask (like triceratops) and "poking" the abelisaurus (like tyranosaurus).

Vanilla ice cream was on the shopping list, but right next to it was a flavor called ube macapuno. Not wanting to have a vanilla life, I got the swirly purple and white ice cream. Ube is a yam, and macapuno is a mutant coconut grown in the Philippines. The result is delicious!

Note: ever since my cousin Jeremy directed me toward crowdspring.com, I have been spending my free time entering logo design contests rather than updating the blog.

Cookies

2011-12-03T20:38:00.001+09:00

I appreciate the cookie-related holiday traditions, and so does Gryphon. He carefully brushed coconut oil on Gryphon’s Vegan Kachows for tomorrow’s holiday bazaar.

Our Christmas tree now has lights, cranes, and shell ornaments.

I finally got around to finishing this video from Tad’s visit this summer.

More teeth

2011-12-02T20:27:00.000+09:00

Alice used her quasi-teeth to wolf down a piece of pizza this evening. She didn’t appreciate this picture.

Nori chips

2011-11-29T18:19:00.001+09:00

We used this recipe to make some cheap and tasty seaweed chips this afternoon.

Thai House

2011-11-28T20:31:00.001+09:00

Hmmm…what to do? Let’s go to the beach!

We had Obyan Beach all to ourselves.

On the way to Thai House we passed by the dilapidated “castle of Saipan", which my dad and I will explore during the March visit.

We brought a seaweed snack, but Alice was ready for bed by the time the food came. Luckily we had the restaurant to ourselves as well!

Christmas tree

2011-11-27T19:35:00.001+09:00

This morning we ran around the yard, collecting rocks to prop up our Christmas tree (inside an old soy sauce bucket we salvaged yesterday).

We set up the tree, opened a coconut, and had Cheri's delicious clam chowder for lunch.

During nap time I made a cartoon for some guy in South Africa. I don't know much about it.

Projects

2011-11-26T20:15:00.000+09:00

We went out looking for a Christmas tree this morning, and found one in the yard debris pile. Well, we found something tree-like to hang stuff on (photos later).

We visited the library book sale. Cheri loved posing in front of the sign.

Then it was time for some claymation – here’s what we came up with (Cheri made the elves; Gryphon helped with the backdrop).

We took a trip to Pau Pau Beach this evening.

Thanksgiving market

2011-11-24T19:32:00.002+09:00

Cheri pulled a babiless 12-hour day shift today. Meanwhile, I started off by locking the rest of us out of the apartment in swimming attire. Luckily Feli's husband, Dante, drove me to the hospital to pick up the keys. I made a mental note about something but I forget what it was, then gave Feli and Dante the second pumpkin pie. Later Gryphon and I trekked up to the crab cave, carrying camera, tripod, laptop, Alice, and some snacks. Gryphon fed Alice the snacks while I made videos talking about a pink dinosaur for some guy on the Internet.

This evening we headed down to Micro Beach for the sunset.

We stopped at a playground, then hit up the street market for lumpia, bananas, pineapple, and tomatoes.

Here’s a video.

Early Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T19:46:00.001+09:00

Cheri will be working on Thanksgiving, so we celebrated early.

After refreshments at preschool, nap time and another game of Ultimate for me, we had a delicious dinner at Taste of India. Before bed Gryphon whispered, “I’m thankful for leaves…and sticks!”

Coral soup

2011-11-23T19:43:00.002+09:00

Yesterday Gryphon's preschool class read the book Stone Soup and began making soup of their own. Since he does half-days, Gryphon didn't get to stay for the soup, but we went home and cooked up our own Coral Soup.

Later we cooked up a couple of pumpkin pies.

Before bed we readied Gryphon's December sticker chart (he earns stickers for various milestones throughout the day).

Into the jungle

2011-11-20T20:43:00.002+09:00

One of my latest fiverr schemes involves taking movie clips of people's messages in the jungle. Gryphon accompanied me up to the "crab caves" while the ladies slept. He did a great job working the camera, and brought a message to photograph too.

Alice decided to bring out her line of winter attire.

Mantis

2011-11-20T20:26:00.001+09:00

Yesterday the children played on the lawn while I gathered coconuts and Cheri slept.

As Cheri left for work last night, a praying mantis showed up on our porch. I tried to get a picture of her, but she flew off. I didn't realize she had landed on my head until we were back inside.

Show Me Night

2011-11-20T20:11:00.003+09:00

Thursday evening we all visited Brilliant Star School so Gryphon could show us what he does all morning. He demonstrated the "knob cylinder box," "cutting snippets," "wringing a cloth," and drawing. He would have gone on, but by then we were finding it difficult to contain Alice.

Picnic at the beach

2011-11-20T20:03:00.002+09:00

On Thursday we picked Gryphon up from preschool and headed for Wing Beach.

We fit in a good amount of beach combing and swimming before the rain.

Day off

2011-11-16T20:34:00.004+09:00

I often find Gryphon relaxing with Richard, the school's principal, when I pick him up. He says goodbye to the classroom assistant, Shanshan, in Mandarin (or tries to, anyway).

Alice has been getting some new teeth, which have been bothering her a bit lately. Today she didn't let it show.

Cheri's body clock has a few too many cuckoos inside, from the sporadic night and day shifts she's had. After a long nap today, we all headed down to American Memorial Park so I could play Ultimate Frisbee. It seems that lying on the couch and watching movies has not improved my abilities since the last time I played, about 10 years ago. I didn't fail miserably, but had to eject myself after half an hour.

To celebrate my lack of fitness, I made some tasty cookies (at least they're healthier than usual - here's the recipe).

Feli's bananas

2011-11-14T20:59:00.001+09:00

Feli babysat while Cheri and I went out to breakfast this morning. I had deep-fried French toast and wondered why my stomach didn't feel good for the rest of the day. Later Feli brought us a bunch of bananas from her tree - they were so ripe that they had split their peels open. Alice figured the only thing to do would be to eat the whole bunch, which we nearly did.

New record

2011-11-12T20:10:00.004+09:00

Feli's dog, Whitey, plays with our Korean neighbors' dog, 달 (Moon). Our Japanese neighbors' cat watches from the balcony.
Cheri delivered 2 babies last night - a new record. During Alice's morning nap today Gryphon and I hit up the farmers' market, San Antonio park and Ladder Beach.

Jun helped us with our coconut hunt this evening.

Food

2011-11-10T21:47:00.001+09:00

I cooked up some okra for lunch yesterday and was full about halfway through. Our $1 bag of vegetables had some new green things in it this time. They didn't have a lot of flavor but were nice and crunchy.

Gryphon's school is having a bake sale on Sunday, so I cooked up some newly-invented Coconut Bazams, using the coconuts from the patio, of course. Gryphon helped put chocolate chips on the cookies and in Alice's mouth.

We ran into Midwife Jewel and her family at the street market last night. I let Gryphon hold the fried banana I got for myself, and it was gone by the time we had walked back to the car.

Everything turns into a toy eventually.

Projects

2011-11-09T14:07:00.001+09:00

The chickens love wandering by our coconut discard pile.

Gryphon and I watched the sunset last night, and I took photos of stuff written in the sand for nine people. These, along with the play dough animation and art projects I've been doing on fiverr have been a fun way to make extra money.

The play dough even got mention on the Best of Fiverr blog. I'll keep doing it until it gets boring.

Gryphon's fort

2011-11-07T08:15:00.002+09:00

Cheri worked hard all night but didn't get to catch any babies! She woke up to join us for a coconut gathering stroll yesterday evening.

Gryphon mustered the courage to take his bike out to play with the big kids in our front yard. It began pouring immediately but he still had fun.

Alice tried to fall down our porch steps, but Mama caught her.

My addition to the decor was this permanent fort for Gryphon, turning our 2-bedroom into a 3-bedroom apartment. This way I can keep all three people asleep as long as possible in the afternoons.

Friday

2011-11-04T21:06:00.002+09:00

Semi-nude Descending a Staircase

P.I.C.

2011-11-02T19:41:00.002+09:00

This morning I left Alice with Feli and took Gryphon to the south end of the island. We dropped off a hermit crab that Cheri accidentally collected last night, then played in a newly opened play area for a bit. Then it was off to the Pacific Islands Club, a resort with a good water park, where we met Gryphon's preschool class.

We swam around for a few hours (our favorite was the tube ride down the "river") before heading home by way of the library.

Then Gryphon pooped on the floor in his room for some reason. Way to bring down the party.

Fun at the beach

2011-11-01T19:52:00.004+09:00

We're always on the lookout for good coconuts - Gryphon and I brought three biggies home from the park the other day.

This afternoon we stopped by the market on our way to try a new beach.

Tanapag Beach wasn't much to speak of, but it did have a nice play area.

And this coconut seemed to be enjoying the pleasant view.

We decided to continue North to our favorite, Wing Beach, where we met up with Sarah and Violet.

Gryphon won the award for Best Shell So Far with this cowrie.

While Cheri and Alice combed the shoreline, Gryphon and I explored the reef. There are a lot of colorful fish in there.

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-31T18:56:00.003+09:00

Cheri had most of today off, so with Gryphon at preschool and Alice with Feli, we headed out for breakfast. Then it was off to Pau Pau Beach.

I swam out to the rock out there, and wore Alice's hat for protection. We saw only one other family, which was fortunate since they pointed out that my shoe was floating away (again).

We reclaimed Gryphon and Alice and headed inside for Halloween craft time.

We made Gryphon an eye patch and sword, and Alice got wings and a beak. After nap time we went down to "Trunk or Treat" at American Memorial Park, which consisted of various groups dispensing treats from the backs of their vehicles. It was very efficient trick-or-treating.

Cheri dressed as a nurse-midwife and left for work afterward.

It was very well attended. Eventually the rain drove us off, but Gryphon had a good sack of booty by then.

Coconuts

2011-10-30T18:41:00.005+09:00

I went on another coconut hunt with the kids. We wander the property looking for nice juicy ones, use the pole trimmer to snip them down, then machete them open to fill our pitcher. It's tiring but worth the effort.

Here's our classy coconut and tire collection. Gryphon is playing with a "spider."

In other news, Mark's short story collection (with my illustrations), Date of Disappearance, has 19 days left to raise $1,000. They make great gifts, and will more than double in value over the next 5 to 50 years. Please pass the link on: http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/date_of_disappearance

Flat tire

2011-10-28T19:56:00.002+09:00

I've been keeping busy with zombies and play dough lately, but here's what's been going on otherwise.

Didn't we just have one of these? Not to worry - after I purchased an appropriate wrench and jack, Sandie here was able to patch it up lickety-split.

Last night we cooked up a delicious* vegetable and tofu stir-fry for under $3.

*Unfortunately I made the recurring mistake of adding too many peppers. Gryphon and Cheri weren't pleased; Alice didn't complain.
This evening the children and I tested the tree pruner I got today to get out-of-reach coconuts. It worked well. Cheri has another night shift tonight. Her ideal shift would entail a fast delivery up front followed by lots of sleeping.

Happy face

2011-10-25T19:20:00.003+09:00

At long last, Gryphon didn't throw a fit when I left him at preschool. He was duly rewarded: he got to put a Percy train sticker on his chart, put Nanna and Dar Dar's Halloween stickies on the window, and choose a Boppa tattoo for his thigh (he chose a Jolly Roger flag).

During nap time I zombified a girl in my latest Fiverr scheme. Note to Laura and Dad: Sorry!

We hung out and listened to music with the kids for awhile before it was time for dinner at the market.

We're fans of the $1 vegetable grab bags for convenient stir-fry. Gryphon was pleased to see that the rides at the mini-carnival were running, and that he got to drive the whole train alone.

Cheri convinced Gryphon to eat his lumpia by flaunting the dessert banana bread. Alice needed no such persuasion.

I tried a local treat called apigigi, made from coconut and tapioca and roasted in a banana leaf. Delicious!

Dentist

2011-10-25T19:01:00.001+09:00

Yesterday after school Gryphon had a dentist visit to check out some spots on his back molars. Nothing to worry about, we were told. He did a good job and got a sugar bug, which accompanied us to the play area after nap time.

Night shift

2011-10-24T09:57:00.002+09:00

Gryphon and I peeled garlic and stuck them in a jar of apple cider vinegar, as our Oregon friends Sarah and Kamran do. We'll see how they taste in a year.

After dinner we took a walk around the apartment grounds before Cheri had to leave for her first night shift (7 to 7). This morning she reported that it was pretty dull until 2 a.m. when her skills were required to deliver baby #10!

Life in Kannat Tabla

2011-10-23T09:17:00.002+09:00

We hit up the market on Thursday, and brought lumpia home for dinner.

Yesterday we hung out at the pool in the morning.

Then everyone took a nap while I went to the beach to take pictures of messages in the sand, wrapping up my 30th order on fiverr.com.

This morning Cheri slept in to prepare for her first night shift tonight. Meanwhile, the kids and I attempted to find Dandan Beach. We found some dilapidated machinery and a viney trail that became undrivable after a mile.

Back at home, the four of us sat on the porch for awhile as Gryphon rode his bike. He was unhappy after rolling over dog poop, but liked to chase after Spider Ball and bring it back.

We visited with Feli, who is always happy to see Gryphon and Alice. Sunny, our neighbor next door, came out with her dog, Moon, who is always running around the yard.

Tatizas

2011-10-19T20:04:00.003+09:00

Alice had her fill of seaweed, so we started cooking up some Chamorro flatbread, called Tatizas, using this recipe.

Cheri noticed the weather was nice for playing outside, so she took the kids over to the play area. As luck would have it, a sudden downpour followed minutes later.

I found them under the shelter of the play structure with Feli, one of the caretakers here. She babysits Alice once a week (and cleans up our apartment during Alice's nap).

The tatizas came out well, especially with the secret touch of caramelized agave syrup.

After dinner we had fun playing with play dough. I've been doing a lot of that lately, since I set up a gig on Fiverr. One person paid to have a double-length animation, which Cheri helped me with this evening. Here it is:

On Labor and Delivery

2011-10-18T20:13:00.001+09:00

Here's where Cheri spends her time. (But not in this particular room - she avoids it due to haunting.)

Here's where we give report at shift change. That is Jin, the most awesome RN. She likes to tell stories and then say, "I was really laughing." Sitting behind me are Lora and Losanna, the Fijian midwives. Fijian midwives have been delivering babies on Saipan for over 20 years.

Flavy Saimon, our unit manager.

Here is the "tea room," where we eat our meals. Eating here is a communal event; everyone shares with everyone else, and you are expected to try everything.

Note that I have one of the big lockers. Attaining this was a small victory.

Average day

2011-10-18T19:43:00.002+09:00

The rain streamed down from the hill and turned our road into a river again.

We got fruit, vegetables, banana bread, flat bread, and coconut water at the market.

Swimming in the rain

2011-10-17T19:37:00.003+09:00

I left Alice with Feli, dropped Gryphon at preschool, and was pleased that I didn't have anything more pressing to do than walk on the beach. After nap time we played in the pool with our neighbor, Jun. He has helped Gryphon improve his "swimming".

The spaghetti dinner was well received.

Just before bed I got this video:

Marine Beach

2011-10-16T19:05:00.001+09:00

Cheri had a day off before a couple more 12-hour shifts, so we tried out a new beach. Marine Beach has an expansive coral shelf under shallow water. There are some hot tub sized pools where the coral is gone, and the four of us spent some time lounging in one of those.

Unfortunately, Gryphon was in a cranky mood and the beach had a lot of trash. Plus, there were three other people there.

Gryphon identified this katydid on the wall when we got home. Alice was pleased.

First step

2011-10-16T13:17:00.001+09:00

Alice took a single step on Friday, and repeated the feat yesterday and today. Here's a look at how she eats a meal.

Coconut crabs

2011-10-15T20:46:00.002+09:00

The kids and I took a hike up to the cave of the coconut crabs this morning. These guys are hermit crabs, and juvenile (they were about 6-8 inches with their shells). When they grow up, they drop the shell and grow their own. I haven't seen an adult yet, but read they can get up to 9 lbs. and 3 ft. long.

Gryphon kept whining about the steepness and slipperiness of the hill. Alice kept quiet.

Help us identify this weird thing we found outside our apartment when we returned. It was about half an inch long.

We made it to Micro Beach for sunset, but it was cloudy.

Seaweed on the beach

2011-10-14T20:15:00.001+09:00

On the way home from preschool, Gryphon suggested we stop and get some seaweed (he had had some during snack time). There were a few choices; I went with this one because it looked small.

But Gryphon and Alice munched their way through all six packages throughout the afternoon. They even took it to the beach.

Meanwhile, Cheri ended up with four pregnant ladies all to herself at the hospital - details to appear on the secret blog.

Sick

2011-10-14T05:31:00.001+09:00

We made pizza Wednesday night, and yesterday morning Cheri woke up with a case of pizzarrhea. She thought a relaxing bath would help, but didn't really get one. I thought throwing some extra peppers in the pad thai would help. It didn't.

Before bed we took a trip out to our porch to look for geckos.

Playing with cars

2011-10-12T20:14:00.003+09:00

Yesterday Cheri's car, Isaiah Dongcar, got a set of new tires at Han's, and we dropped it off at B&R to have shocks installed in the front. When I dropped Cheri to pick it up today, she noticed it had a dead battery and a flat tire due to a misshapen rim. It was time for a quest; I waited till naptime.

I started at Motion, where I had scavenged the door seals off of an old CRV the other day. They didn't seem to have any 14-inch steel rims with four holes lying around, but they suggested I look for "Bujubu, next door to National Office Supply" (this was my interpretation, anyway). I searched unsuccessfully, and the people at National Office Supply gave me a confused look when I began asking about "Bujubu."

Next stop: Cartown. I had had some work done here, and figured they would know where to get a used rim (and if they didn't I had a few other mechanics to ask, having requested repair estimates from Joeten Motors, Diamond Auto Care [not to be confused with Diamond Auto Parts], and Triple J). "On Middle Road, go to the big Shell [vague gesturing], and across the street is little Shell, and next to that is a tire shop."

I found a tire shop next to the big Shell, but they didn't have rims. "Go down down there [vague gesturing], and you see the rims!" I drove down the road, but didn't see the rims. I stopped in at SPG, where I had had an air conditioner repaired, and asked for advice. "Go to the traffic light, turn left and it's right there. You'll see the sign - vulcanization" (my interpretation again). I went to the stop light, turned left, and found the jungle.

After a bit I asked at a hardware store. "Go up the hill, and it's next to Java Joe's." Hey, I live next to Java Joe's! Sure enough, the Dan Dan Tire Shop is very close, and they had a rim for me.

Birthday presents

2011-10-12T20:08:00.002+09:00

Yesterday we opened a package from Mimi and Boppa - it was full of presents!

We like finding geckos in the house because they eat bugs. Chúa took a closer look.

We got some vinyl to protect the tablecloth, and it came with some good fort-making paper.

Here are a couple shots of our backyard hill in the moonlight (it actually looked much darker).

Flat tire

2011-10-10T10:16:00.002+09:00

Cheri's Corolla popped a tire on the way to her 12-hour shift yesterday morning. Sarah gave her a ride, and the kids and I arrived at the scene after lunch to put on the spare. There wasn't quite enough room to squeeze the jack, so I rolled up onto a coconut to make it work.

Everyone was hot and tired afterward, so we headed home for a nap. Afterward we stopped at the play area outside.

We went on a quest for a new beach, and found San Antonio Beach in to the south. It was a popular place for a sunset dip, but we stayed on land this time.

Alice mercilessly attacked the castle walls.

Gryphon practiced writing letters.

We didn't feel like cooking, so we hit up Taste of India again before picking up Cheri.

Moonbow

2011-10-08T20:09:00.001+09:00

Cheri had a day off, which we spent shopping for groceries (at the farmers market and a couple of stores) and sleeping. We met Sarah, Violet, and social worker Lindsay at the Indian restaurant for dinner. We observed a big ring around the moon tonight.

Gryphon is holding fast to his urinary habits at night and nap time.

Happy Birthday, Alice!

2011-10-07T20:25:00.003+09:00

Yesterday the kids tried out the play area in our front yard. Alice thought it was a good place to practice standing. Gryphon gave his approval, too.

Gryphon helped cook up some play dough.

Today Alice turned a year old, and celebrated with cake.

We recalled that when Alice was born, Cheri's first words were, "She looks like a little monkey."

Here are a few highlights from our time here so far:

Back online

2011-10-06T20:01:00.003+09:00

Yesterday we dropped a crying Gryphon at preschool and went to Java Beach Cafe for breakfast (and to use their wireless connection).

Then the DSL people made another visit to our apartment (after we pestered the company by phone and in person many times over the last couple of weeks) and got us hooked up. Alice celebrated with an early birthday present from Nanna and Dar Dar, which she opened at Obyan Beach:

She wasn't as excited about the prospect of not drowning as we thought she would be, but that might have just been the strap chafing her rump.

I snorkeled around with Gryphon in tow, and saw a lot of different fish. Gryphon liked watching airplanes from the safety of the beach shelter.

Running around

2011-10-05T08:30:00.001+09:00

With Cheri off work for two days, I've been spending time running between the mechanic, the police station, the internet company, and other places I'd rather not be. Things take a long time to get done here, but we're getting used to it.

Obyan Beach

2011-10-03T08:12:00.001+09:00

Cheri worked all day Sunday (one more baby!) - meanwhile, I lounged on the beach with the children.

We tried out Obyan Beach in the south end. Good for castle making and coral tasting.

Gryphon drew some of the beautifuls he found on the beach.

Dinner at Nikki's

2011-10-03T07:55:00.002+09:00

We squeezed in a swim with Sarah and Violet Friday afternoon, then we all went north to As Matuis, where midwife Nikki lives. The fourth American midwife, Jewel, joined us with her husband for tasty vegetarian chili, pasta, muffins, and plum wine.

We've been doing art projects with cardboard lately, to forestall a necessary trip to the recycling center (we've yet to discover where it is, if it really exists).

Saturday is buffet night at Taste of India.

Hachiman Jinja

2011-09-30T14:22:00.001+09:00

While Gryphon was at preschool today, Cheri, Alice, Sarah and I went in search of Hachiman Jinja shrine, a Shinto monument destroyed in WWII. Luckily, when asking directions, Cheri ran into the owner of the house next to the shrine.

At the top of some stairs completely covered in vegetation, one of two original stone lions looks into the jungle.

Breadfruit were scattered on the ground.

I got stung by wasp, but Cheri was able to use her traditional midwife medicine to help: just mash up any jungle leaves and slap it on.

The car required a good push from Cheri and me to get out of its parking spot. We later discovered that the rear drive shaft had been removed, so no 4WD for us. We love surprises.

The next stop was the Saint Lourdes shrine, nestled peacefully between the roots of a flame tree.

Cheri and Sarah hadn't seen the view from Mt. Tapochau, so we stopped up there on the way back.

After picking up Gryphon we got Cheri a library card so that we can check out 20 items at a time now!

Mt. Tapochau

2011-09-29T09:26:00.003+09:00

Gryphon has been having a hard time saying goodbye in the morning - he forgets how much fun he has.

Yesterday afternoon the children and I drove up to Mt. Tapochau, the highest point on the island. The steep and rough road up really showed the CRV what it was made for.

There were some delicious views up top. We could see rain on Tinian (the island south). Gryphon played peek-a-boo and kept Alice from falling off the mountain.

Gryphon liked looking for rats in the tourist coconut stand.

Crash!

2011-09-28T07:54:00.001+09:00

On my way to get the CRV registered yesterday, I was waiting to turn left when I noticed a car coming up too quickly in my rearview mirror. I honked and accelerated, but not quick enough! After confirming that Alice and I were okay, I checked on the other driver. She was very upset but uninjured (airbag), so I tried to calm her down and called it in. Did I mention it was pouring?

I couldn't tell if her car would be totalled, but the CRV just needs some new paint on the bumper - it's starting to grow on me. I was also glad that I had secured auto insurance that morning. The police issued a report, and with a squirt of betel nut juice they sent me off - still in time to pick up Gryphon from preschool.

Last night we picked up dinner and 5 bags of tangerines at the farmers' market.

Pau Pau Beach

2011-09-27T07:53:00.002+09:00

Cheri worked a 12-hour yesterday (no new babies), so after nap time the kids and I headed to a new beach.

We had to share it with two other people.

Alice tried eating more coral.

When it was getting close to time to go, I noticed that one of my purple Crocs had floated a long way away. With fins I was able to retrieve it with both kids on my stomach. Maybe I'm just gaining body fat.

Backyard jungle adventure

2011-09-26T08:09:00.003+09:00

Yesterday before lunch we explored the trail behind the apartment building. Almost immediately we were forced to seek shelter under banana trees.

But we pressed on, up a steep and slippery hill, to the Cave of the Land Crabs.The roots and vines were very helpful during the climb.

We couldn't help imagining the cave crowded with people hiding in 1944.

After lunch and a nap, we went to Java Joe's down the road to use the network. Gryphon enjoyed half an eclair.

We're experimenting with a clothesline in our house.

Alice stood for a good 10 seconds to do some texting.