sv evi

We spent a week with my mom cruising in the Bay of Islands. We visited Motorohia, Moturua, and Waewaetorea islands. We went for morning skinny dips in clear blue water, hiked around Moturua and saw a new bird (a tomtit), snorkeled, and went paddle boarding. We played mah jong and Wizard cards. We had friends over for dinner, and enjoyed a lobster caught by our friend Dan and given to us as a present. We watched the 2nd and 3rd movies of the Lord of the Rings. We ate yummy food and enjoyed boat life with Ma.

We also did some home schooling — here’s some pics of Ma reading with Luz and teaching the kids how to write Chinese characters.

We had a private shopping session at Mary’s house in Paihia, because she closed her shop down in order to focus on teaching sewing to primary school children. Ma & I got matching linen dresses and pants, and Mary gave Mom a shirt to boot!

Ma flew out on Sunday. She was the last to board the plane. I didn’t cry as I hugged her goodbye, but once she was out on the tarmac, the tears just wouldn’t stop. Luz also was crying and crying. Next I was crying in New World while buying groceries. That night we were all out of sorts. Luz cried for about half an hour before bed because she missed Po Po, and she wanted Po Po to be there when she woke up. That’s a definite drawback to this sailing life we have chosen — being so far away from loved ones, and not knowing when you will see each other again.