Turning Into Tinkerbell
I jumped in beside my sister, gasping as the sparkly green-white lights encircled my legs and torso. “I feel like Tinker Bell,” I exclaimed. We shrieked our excitement, our voices as high-pitched as school girls. […]
Nature’s Engine – A ripple that spins.
A cyclone looks remarkably similar to a single ripple spreading slowly over calm water. Except that the ripple spins and grows, a wild engine powered by wind and water. We saw that natural engine spin […]
Here comes our first cyclone…
I never thought hurricanes would feel so hot. The air outside is steaming, dripping, still, stagnant. The water vapor in the air makes the horizon hazy grey. The world feels like it’s waiting. Holding it’s […]
Front Page: Read our update in the Missoulian Newspaper!
I might have picked a better picture of us if I’d known it would end up on the front page of our hometown newspaper. But what fun to be able to share a few stories […]
Farewell to our First Visitor
It was a typical Randall sister reunion, full of music, good food and lots of novel-reading between the many outdoor adventures. Cassidy left yesterday after a month with us here in Vava’u. I cried tears […]
2013 – One Incredible Year in Review
6,000 nautical miles 26 tropical islands 8 countries 7 sailboats 6 months living on the sea 3 months living in Tonga 2 careers put on hold 2 big backpacks 1 incredible year In some ways, […]
Our Desert Ocean – South Pacific Fish Part One
Part One in a series on the state of the South Pacific fisheries. — The first time I got in the water in Vava’u, Tonga, I sighed in disappointment. No blacktip sharks came up instantly […]
Parent For One Week
So, what do you really need to be a parent for a week? Turns out you need a lot less when you’re in Tonga, a tropical island-nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Hell, […]
I’m so excited!
Ko hoku tokoua tu ne ha’u heni ahoni. In Tongan, that means: my sister is coming here tomorrow. After eight long months, I finally get to see my favorite person again. She’s my other half. […]
Bird Nerds on a Deserted Island
Imagine a place where hundreds of birds fly overhead. Where baby birds squeak from every branch you can see. Where eggs litter the ground you walk on. Imagine a place ringed by white sand and […]
