August Trip to Haiti

Things are looking rather definite now. I got my passport not too long ago, and airline tickets a while back. So for those of you who even read this blog... if you didn't already know, I'm planning on going to Haiti in August. So if you know from prior advice that there are certain things I need to do, obtain, or pack before leaving, let me know. Passport: check. Airline tickets: check. Bug repellant: pending. Anything else?

I'm scheduled to fly out of Washington, D.C. at 7:45 PM on August 7. Then I meet Merle in Miami, and stay overnight until my flight from Miami to Port au Prince at 10:00 AM. The plans are that I'll fly with Merle into Port au Prince, then part ways and hitch a ride on a supply truck heading out to La Source, where Bethanie is. At this point, it looks like I'll probably be splitting the cost of a flight in a missionary airplane with two other folks when returning from La Source to Port au Prince. I'm scheduled to fly out of Port au Prince at 4:55 PM on August 19, then have about a two-hour layover in Miami. My scheduled flight departs Miami at 9:55 pm and is supposed to arrive in Washington, D.C. at 12:20 AM. However, Merle has informed me to possibly expect a delay leaving Port au Prince on the return flight. Reportedly, they are notorious for having delays and all other sorts of problems towards the end of the day, and it could possibly cause an overlap with my connector flight in Miami. I'm hoping that doesn't happen, but it very easily could. I intentionally scheduled myself to return a few days before my vacation from work is over though, just in case of an event like that.

I will need to return for my last day of full time-work at the hospital on Saturday, August 22. The next week starts a new 4-week section of scheduling at the hospital, and also my first week of fall semester at Alvernia. At that time, I will be giving up my full-time position at the hospital, and backing off to a part-time night shift in the same job title. I'll probably pick and choose my Exeter Ambulance shifts carefully and sparingly during the fall semester, but hopefully won't need to quit altogether. If anyone wants to do anything this summer yet before I get all busy with school again, let me know soon. The jailroom door is about to slam.

I meant to post this earlier, but never got around to it. Last week, I was out in the fields with a couple of buddies taking care of some rodent problems, and we found this little munchkin laying in the field. We almost accidentally drove over it, until my buddy Zach stopped the truck and started yelling something about "deer deer!" We all were looking out through the bushes along the edge of the field, trying to see a big full grown deer, but then he started pointing down alongside of the truck. Here was this little fawn all cuddled up, and trying to blend in. By the size of it, I'm guessing it couldn't have been more than a couple of days old, if even that. It might have even been born the previous night before this photo. All we had was camera phones, and I thought I had mine set to take a larger photo, but this is what I wound up with. I have never seen a live fawn that small so close. We never saw the mama doe. This little one stayed laying still for a few minutes, then got up and ran off. We just left it alone. While it was laying there though, all curled up like that, it was only about as long as my forearm, and it had this little wet nose that would twitch, and these big Bambi eyes. It will taste good once it packs a few more pounds on.