The hobbit moves to her new island home

"We're going to Guam." was the message I got from Tom. To which I replied, "Where the hell is Guam?" If you don't know, go look at Google Maps, I'll wait. Just a heads up, you are going to have to scroll out more than a few times to find the next land mass. It's not close to anything, but to give some perspective it's about 3 hours by plane south of Japan, 3 hours east of the Philippines, and 8 hours west of Hawaii. It's a small, tropical island 13 degrees north of the equator with an air force base on the north side, a navy base on the south and a lot of jungle in between. And I will be here for the next four years.

Am I excited? Absolutely. Does my little hobbit heart want to scream and run crying back to someplace familiar? I'm probably not supposed to admit it, but yes, it does.

Say hello, Quicksilver. 

So far we have been living out of a hotel room while we look for housing. We don't know many people yet, and I'm still physically limited from the accident so there has been a lot of time spent watching videos on the laptop. We did buy a guam bomb so we wouldn't have to keep paying for a rental. She's a 91 Corrola painted with Rust-oleum and is named Quicksilver. She won't win any beauty contests, but she runs well and should be easy to work on if she needs repairs. We're still looking for a house off base. Houses here are definitely different from what we became accustomed to on the mainland, but hopefully we will find something that works for us in the near future. Both the husband and I are getting a little frayed from living out of our suitcases and having to go out to eat all the time. Having a place to call home and a working kitchen will definitely help with the settling in process.

The day after we arrived, we took a drive around the southern tip of the island which was recommended to us by an acquaintance. This is where the jungle is the thickest and where the "mountains" are. Hiking is a major activity here and I'm looking forward to joining some boonie stomps once my arm is out of the sling. We've become acquainted with a local biologist here who is working on the brown tree snake problem so we have an excellent guide to Guam's wildlife. I am excited about the amount of foraging prospects with coconuts everywhere,  mango trees, wild boar, and of course fishing.

We then hit Tarague beach on Andersen AFB where I had my first of many rounds of  "OMG STUPID ACCIDENT I WANT IN THE WATER." The beaches here are great. Clear, warm water, protected harbors with mild currents, and an amazing variety of fish out in the preserve. We finally gave in, bought some snorkeling gear, and headed to Gab Gab beach down at the navy base. The reef here is a nature preserve that doesn't allow fishing. After some false starts we figured out where to go and kicked around for a few hours. Since I wasn't able to use my arm we stayed close to shore to avoid strong currents. I've read that there are sea turtles that hang around a little further out, so once I'm able to really swim again we will definitely be checking that out.

So yeah, hafa adai from Guam, where the day starts in the US. Living here will definitely be an adventure for this hobbit. I have a lot to learn about my new island home and will have many opportunities to travel to new and exciting places.

A late introduction of sorts

Hobbits are a little people, smaller than dwarves. They love peace and quiet and good tilled earth. They dislike machines, but they are handy with tools. They are nimble, but don't like to hurry. They have sharp ears and eyes. They are inclined to be fat. they wear bright colors, but seldom wear shoes. They like to laugh and eat (six meals a day) and drink. They like parties and they like to give and receive presents. They inhabit a land they call The Shire, a place between the River Brandywine and the Far Downs. ~ Introduction, The Hobbit. 1966 Ballantine Books

One of the benefits with age is a better understanding of the self. When I was a teenager, I thought myself more like the elves or the fey. A woodland sort of creature with a sense of magic. Now I understand that I am a hobbit, and that is a very pleasant way to be thank you very much. Some of my greatest pleasures are baking our weekly bread, sharing home brewed beer(s) with close friends, and working in my garden. If I must go out, I prefer a quiet pint at the pub over a cocktail at a loud club. Yes indeed, the simple life of a hobbit is for me.

However, I am a hobbit of the Took line. People say that somewhere in our past one of our ancestors must have taken a fairy wife, as once in a while we have a tendency to go on adventures. I do love a good adventure and have been racking my brain for years for a suitable title for a recording of both my day-to-day life and my adventures. Of course I should have known that eventually I would turn to Tolkien for inspiration (and no Mr. Colbert, I do not challenge your supremacy in the field of Tolkien trivia, it has been many years since I spoke any Sindarin or Quenya). So here is a place I have made for myself, a modern "There and Back Again" if you will, to chronicle both my mundane hobbit existence along with my very un-hobbitlike adventures.

Welcome, or as the elves would say: Tolo na naur, gi nathlam hí.