Half way through

JF here with another irregular post from the field. So as many of you know, I am away from my new family on my last big field season in Fiji. As Colleen shivers in Rochester NY (though I think Jacob likes the cold), I am not going to complain to much about Fiji, but I really would much rather be home. I am working all the time here, 1) to make the most of this final long field trip, and 2) so I don't think that much about how much I miss my family. A saving grace is Yahoo Instant Messenger with voice and webcasts. Every day I am at the Conservation International office in Suva, the capitol, I get to see and talk to Colleen and Jacob (and Brendan, and Lauren, and Ethan.)

I think it is interesting that Jacob will grow up never knowing what it is like to be able to not to call or see someone. Just a few years ago, when I was in the field Colleen and I were relegated to a few short expensive phone calls a month. Now I check in every few days at the least. In about an hour I am heading to the village of Waitabu on the island of Taveuni. The village has established a marine park for eco-tourism so we are surveying their coral reef to compare it to areas where there is less management and conservation. I am feeling good about it, our team is working well and I think we will complete this last survey in about a week. Taveuni is a beautiful island, with lots of rainforests and waterfalls. Still I would much rather be in the snowiest city in the US right now. I will be heading home in just under three weeks and I can't wait.