Hi all,

Thursday, 10:30 a.m.

Hope you're enjoying the pictures. I've been relaxing in Darwin for the last few days, hanging out with six-and-a-half-year-old K and her four-month-old twin brothers, A&J. Their parents, A&V, have been awesome hosts. It's been a pleasant visit. Got to eat my first vegetarian lahksa (soup) at the wharf at sunset. Had a tasty lunch with V at the Northern Territory Museum -- great Aboriginal art, for those of you who are interested. Scoured the stores for this year's family Christmas gifts. Hiked through a monsoonal rainforest yesterday that was full of pandanus and paperbark trees. Lots of baby-holding, which I enjoy -- I swear! We had our slideshow last night, complete with a mad slide projector that randomly popped slides out. I think it convinced A&V to transfer their slides to digital media.

I was struck by how different their Peace Corps/PNG experience was. They lived in a remote village and had to hike two days to get to the airstrip when they had to go re-supply their food and get mail every four months. They taught at the local primary school and ran the local health center and helped the Hagahai people market these beetle earrings. They also stayed an extra year in Peace Corps and then helped train my Rural Community Development group when we arrived in PNG in 1999.

Today we're planning to hike to a beautiful waterfall called Wangi. Just waiting for the plumbers to figure out why water is leaking through the floor of the upstairs bathroom. Then late tonight I'll catch a flight to Sydney, lay over a few hours, and start the 13-hour trip to L.A.

No real words of wisdom to share. It's been a "buffer time" for coming back to the U.S., as well as a good chance to reconnect with old friends. I'm grateful.

S.