Unforgettable Evening

We got to do something AMAZING tonight. I am still on a total high from it. One of my friends from church is a doctor in botany and does research and teaches at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens here in my own town, Kalaheo. He mentioned to us that they were going to dig up a sea turtle nest to count the hatched eggs for their research and invited us to come. Female sea turtles return to their hatching ground every other year to lay their eggs. The same turtle comes to Allerton Beach at the gardens every other year and lays her eggs. Scientists at the gardens keep watch over the nest and when the babies have hatched and made their way to the ocean, they wait about two days then dig up the nest to count the eggs. It is kind of a VIP event and is kept quiet to keep the crowds away. We felt so privileged to be there!

Just walking through the gardens to the beach was an amazing experience. Here are J. Wayne (our friend from California who just moved here and is staying with us until he finds his own place) and Veda standing in front of the famous tree in Jurassic Park where the T.Rex eggs were. A photo can't do it justice - it is incredible!!

This is the scene we came upon at Allerton's beach. This scientist first gave a fascinating lecture on the sea turtle and the turmoil these tiny little guys go through just to make it through the nest and into the water. Then with all their natural predators, only 1 in 1,000-10,000 will survive into adulthood.

They are pulling out the empty eggs and counting them. You can see how many they have found. They looked about the size of a golf ball. I think they found 80-something.

THEN, lo and behold! He pulled out this little dude!

He said he was at the bottom of the nest and probably would have never made it out.

Veda was so excited! She kept asking me "Can I hold him mom? I REALLY want to hold him!" Since they weren't allowing anyone to even come close to the nest, I didn't think there was much of a chance. So I said "Well, you have to be bold and ask the scientists." She did!

After we oohed and aahed and photographed him like he was Paris Hilton, we wished him luck and sent him off into the big blue ocean. When he was out of sight, we all cheered.

Before bed tonight we said a special prayer for our baby honu. "God, let him be the 1 in 10,000!"

From the left: Pheonix, Me, Veda, Finn, Jesica, Eve, and our ticket to this once-in-a-lifetime experience, Bro. Tavana