Southern Mountains of GuamGreetings from Guam!
This update is about our activities at the end of 2013 through 2014. I had written most of this (and more) long ago, but am gradually catching up on getting it posted.
We were blessed to visit family and friends during the 2013 holiday season, with Thanksgiving in Washington and Christmas in Maryland. We also had our last visit with my Porter grandparents in their own home and saw lots of friends too in Tennessee. Along the way I attended conferences in Las Vegas and Chicago, so we had a full, but fun trip. We made it back home to Guam just before Abigail’s 2nd birthday, taking full advantage of her last days of free air travel.
In February of 2014 I helped organize w
Guam Boatinghat turned out to be the first annual Southern Mountains backpacking trip in Guam. We only spent one night camping, but I learned I should have brought more water and less gear. The route we took along the ridges was very steep in places, and had awesome views along the way. It was tough, but we enjoyed it and have been going back every year since then.
In March we enjoyed a visit from Brenda’s parents and had fun boating and doing other water activities while they were here.
In July we took a trip to Cairns, Australia with my parents and sister. In Australia we explored Cairns and took a day trip up the coast to Port Douglas before my parents arrived. Once my parents joined us we spent a
Great Barrier Reef Boat Trip couple of days aboard a boat diving and snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef. We then went on an amazing 4 day train tour into the Outback called the Savannahlander. We saw lots of Kangaroos, visited small towns, explored caves, toured a gorge and visited several lava tubes at the various stops along the way. Overall it was a great trip, and we highly recommend the Savannahlander. Another highlight of our trip to Cairns was Rusty’s Market, where we enjoyed all kinds of fresh produce, from Strawberries & Blueberries to Dragon Fruit.
In July I had a short trip to attend my Grandpa Porter’s memorial service in Tennessee, followed by a conference and some cousin time in Boston.
We took our 2014 annual leave in the fall, since it was our last year without kids in school. We started our trip visiting friends and family in the Northwest, 
Sabannahlander Train Tripand then attended my Grandma Porter’s memorial in Tennessee. After the memorial we helped sort and pack up my grandparents house, which was a big job. We then spent time with my family in Maryland before returning to Guam.
For Christmas we enjoyed lots of different Guam activities and events, including a full size Gingerbread House warming at the Hyatt, the Guam Symphony Orchestra concert by the sea with Santa arriving in a Carabau (water buffalo) drawn sleigh, simulated snow at the mall and Christmas light display at the Governor’s house.
Until next time,
Andrew