Our new ride

We finally bought a new vehicle. Check out the new "JRod". I looked at alot of vehicles but this one spoke to me and Frankie really like the leopard skin interior.

Girls and Friends in AS

The girls have adapted well to AS thus far and seem to be enjoying themselves. They like going to the beach, running around in the rain in their bathing suits, and playing with their new friends and the numerous stray dogs running around the neighborhood. We still don't have TV or intenet but the kids don't seem to miss it much. They have rediscovered how to "play" and always seem to find something to occupy themselves. Photos of the girls in action:

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Frankie holding a pua flower which grow on the trees in our yard

Frankie and one of the dogs she has befriended - "Lily"

Yes, they have McDonalds in AS - still one of their favorite restaurants

Frankie getting cocounut tree climbing lessons from Auntie Bua

Frankie, bua and Malea

Frankie and Juliana's new puppy - Koko. Koko was abandoned and rescued by Cheryl. We decided to give her a new home.

Another shot of Koko

Juliana with pua flower

Juliana in our house at Lions Park

Nick and the girls at Lions Park

Taking a break from playing with neighborhood dogs

Best buds

Frankie and Juliana holding an injured purple-capped fruit dove

Whale Carcass and Mt. Alava Hike

The last few days in AS have been interesting. A whale carcass washed up onto the reef in the village of Faganeanea. Occassionally you could see sharks feeding on the carcass. For some reason they seemed a little larger than expected. I spent the day watching the DMWR crew try and pull the carcass off the reef and out to sea. After a day of trying, they finally managed to pull the carcass out to sea.

Nick and I had a nice day on Sunday. We dropped the girls off at Cheryl's house so they could go swimming in the Ocean and then went on a hike up to Mt. Alava. It is a nice and peaceful hike through lush tropical rainforest. It takes about 1-1.5 hrs to get to the top but the view is worth it. After a hot afternoon we took a dip in the ocean at Cheryl's house. American Samoa has some of the most dramatic scenery I have seen. Some photos from the hike: