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Showing posts from September, 2010

Visit on the Bridge

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

Guam; Where America Begins Its Day!

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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