It’s all grey…

30 Aug. 2012

It has been a while since I have written – the energy and time to write has just not been there. The flying has been a mix of good to absolutely appalling conditions. There have been times where we have sailed across Beau Vallon bay at 6000ft and the air was as smooth and calm as a baby’s bottom and then on the very next day, even just after take-off the ocean and air resembled that of an aged cowboy’s unshaved chin.

My metaphors are not thumb-sucks either. It perfectly depicts the flying conditions we experience here. They also resemble my much loved banter on life – how life resembles pretty much the road from innocent baby-bottom smoothness to the pitted grey of wisdom.

You never get wisdom without the grey.

Oddly enough, (and this time not planned) I watched a movie the other night called, the Grey. Everybody dies in the end, so I did not like it much, but later as my mind started to munch on some of the scenes and events I changed my opinion. It is actually pretty good. (It’s all about survivors of a plane crash in some heat forsaken frozen land while the survivors not only need to battle the hostile elements but a pack of wolves too).

And, I suppose, in the end we all die too.

Of course the notion of death is not limited to living things only – even our project is subject to it – if the whale sharks don’t come, the project will be dead too (in the water!) – OK, I didn’t need to put that in there but isn’t that how the expression goes? ;). The fact is, the 2012 season is off to a slow start and it is making all of us realise how dependant we have become on the arrival of these large spotty creatures. It has been two weeks and so far we have not seen even one. And even if the official season only kicks off on the 1^st September, every year at this stage the sharks have always put in an appearance. It has put a bit of a damper on things – by now the interns had hoped they would have had some in-water experience at least. (It sure goes a long way when you are helping with research and customer management if you have had some in-water experience yourself!). Of course they have been doing a lot of training – every day the team leaders have been putting the interns through the paces.

Even I have played a role in meeting and taking some of the 2012 interns up in the little micro-light. This part, for me at least, have always been a real treat and to be honest, more so in later years. At this stage whale sharks are anything but new to me and my interest and curiosity finds more meaning in the living creatures that occupy the little seat on the back of my orange plane. How often I have seen them get into that seat all smooth and baby-bottomed, and then an hour or so later whether from conversation or the flying experience (which by now even you at home should know can be quite something!), leave with the signs of growth. Heck, and if you know how to look, as I do, you will even notice the appearance of different shades of grey too.

Wish you were here!

:)

This is Glenn and I high over the bay of Anse La Mouche. Def no need for any grey introductions here!