Pacific Partnership 2010

Helo maintenance Sunset from the Bandaid boat On our way "home" late... I snapped this, of my patients and Corpsman Buchanan, as we took off in the helo. Standing watch Helo transferring supplies to the Mercy Watching the ship that brought us our supplies

I just completed a video summarizing many of the fun times I had while on the Mercy this Summer.  It was not all work!  There is so much more and so many pictures left out... and many fun times I have no pictures of... wow!  We had a great time, didn't we? Here's the link to see the video: FUN ON THE MERCY

I enjoyed yet another gorgeous sunset on the "fantail" which is the very back of the ship.  Last week, a friend of mine and I had a nice conversation with one of the civil mariners named Anthony.  He told us if we came up to the bridge at 1900, he would show us around.  Of course, we were excited since the Bridge is one of the few "off limits" places on the Mercy.  As luck would have it, since that day, they have called Flight Quarters every evening.  During Flight Quarters, the Helo is either flying or being refueled and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to be outside except for the very back of the ship.  We certainly could not walk across the flight deck to climb up to the Bridge! Finally, this evening, after sunset, we realized we had not heard the, now familiar, Flight Quarters announcement!  We walked to the other end of this huge 900 ft ship and climbed up to the flight deck, passed the helo which is bolted down and climbed up another set of stairs to

Enjoying life on the "fantail" I was thrilled to have 2 1/2 days to explore Guam.  Since the departure of the Mercy was delayed, we actually had a 3rd full day off the ship, however, there was no transportation off base.  I spent more than 6 hours at the NEX (Naval Exchange store) and LOVED it, which clearly indicates that I've spent way too much time on this ship! Our tugboat as we prepare to dock on Guam The first, and most important, thing I did in Guam, was to explore Spanish Steps.  It is the site of an old Spanish fort where the belief is that they dug a well near sea level and created steps down to the fresh water.  The steps are mostly gone now and it is a steep, rocky, muddy traverse down the side of the small mountain.  Someone tied ropes to trees that we held onto to help us down and back up again.  The path leads through a jungle with huge palm and coconut trees.  When you get to the bottom, the jungle opens up into a breathtaking lagoon complet

The Mercy, taken from a bird's eye view at the Christus Statue in Dili Today was a much needed day of R&R.  The powers that be aboard the Mercy declared it a "Holiday Schedule."  This meant we did not have to muster at our normal time or be awakened by reveille at 6 am.  In our department, we even had permission to "phone muster."  This meant instead of reporting to work in person, we could call from the phone in berthing and say, "I'm here."  This way, the commander can send the muster report to account for all of us still being here (as in, nobody fell overboard) without us having to get dressed and go upstairs. It was very, very dark when I woke up to the sound of really loud "ship noises."  I have no idea what it was, but it sounded like water and clanking and drilling.  Hmmm....  Anyway, I looked at the clock I keep in bed with me, and it was 8 am!  Wow!  I slept 2 hours past the normal 6 am!  Yippee!  And, although the nois

Last night, a group of us met on the flight deck to look at the stars.  Richard, one of the Merchant Marines here on the Mercy, is somewhat of an expert and gave us a "Night Sky Tour."  He obtained permission to bring us up on the bridge where they keep the "Big Eyes" ( a huge, powerful set of binoculars).  The moon was full, so it wasn't the greatest night to see the stars with the brightness of the moon drowning out the stars, but we saw plenty!  I had my little pair of binoculars and was able to see amazing star clusters and the red color of Venus. There were 4 planets visible last night: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus.  He showed us that we could see 3 moons around Jupiter with "Big Eyes!"  It was wonderful! The view I saw was SO much brighter and more beautiful! Then, he focused "Big Eyes" onto the moon and showed us the Sea of Tranquility!  I've never looked at the moon with the ability to actually see its topography before.