whitsunday in the park with george.

it has been nearly two months since chris was here. in all the time since i haven't written about our trip to the whitsunday islands. i'm not quite sure why. i think it is mainly because it was an experience too wonderful to distill into a cohesive blog post. i feel the same way about my time on fraser island when my dad was here not too long ago. i don't have the words for how perfect those times have been.

this is a picture of me and chris at whitehaven beach. we were one day into our three days at sea with fifteen other passengers and three colourful crew members. we hadn't yet kayaked by mangroves and watched ancient sea turtles gasp for air at the surface of the turquoise water. we hadn't yet stretched out under the blinking night sky and picked out the southern cross from amongst a million stars. we hadn't yet swum face to face with clown and zebra and maori fish. we hadn't yet made friends with a cross-section of travelers from all over the globe and learned that in danish they don't say "cheese!" in photographs because cheese in danish is "ost" and you can imagine what that would look like in a snapshot. we hadn't yet been rocked to sleep by the waves of the pacific and learned to walk around the boat with one hand holding onto something fixed at all times. we were just beginning.

we had a wonderful time. we met lovely people, some of whom we are still in touch with. we saw fantastic things, experienced word-stealing beauty and stomach-turning waves. we had a wonderful time. i wish you could have seen it all.