Snapshots of the week

A crowded day at Windmill Beach

We are winding down our time here -- will be back in Lincoln on September 23. So, for the next few weeks, I'll be concentrating on the details with moving. But, I will continue to post some photos and notes from activities here.


Yesterday we rented a pontoon boat and had a wonderful time with our friends, Mike and Hope, out on the bay. Where else can you rent a boat (plus fuel) for 6 hours for $78? Friday was also a scheduled power outage for our neighborhood -- no electricity all day long, so it was good to be elsewhere.



We first went to a sheltered area and snorkeled -- because of the tides, the water was too cloudy to see much, but Vince did dive down the 15 or so feet to collect four sand dollars.

Cave close to one of our fishing spots

Later, we spent quite a bit of time casting our lines with no luck -- like Vince says, that is why it's called fishing, not catching. We were really lucky to have several sea turtle sightings -- you learn to look for the brownish spots floating on top of the water, and then a head will poke up, grab some air, and head back under. It all happens quickly and with digital cameras, it's tough to grab your camera and get it turned on in time for a shot. I'm just thankful whenever I can spot a sea turtle.


Earlier in the week, Hope and I did a little beach combing. At the top of the stairs leading to a beach, we saw this "little" friend. Guess he was pulling sentry duty. The password was "shoo."


Also noted this week were some jet engine remains by the recycling bin at one of the beaches. I wouldn't have known what this mess of metal was, but Vince recognized it as a compressor from a jet engine. I guess someone must have pulled it out of the water? Hope this wasn't an unhappy ending for someone.

Not far from our neighborhood is a large area that used to be the home to numerous family dwellings, but they were all razed nearly ten years ago. All that remains are the steps leading to empty lots. Rumors are floating around that this neighborhood may now be rebuilt.

Update from Hurricane Alley

The height of hurricane season falls in August and September. Via satellite imagery, Vince has been watching these amazing storms starting inland in Africa and building up momentum as they cross the Atlantic. Right now, we are feel the residual effects of tropical depression Ana -- mostly wind, dark clouds, and some light rain at the moment.


The iguanas are never bothered by the weather -- they always have some safe place in which to tuck away. As you can see, Stubby lost part of his tail somehow.



Yes, rotisserie chicken is now here. The grand opening was last week, and I never thought I would see a line of people waiting to pick up a cooked chicken (or, uncooked, for that matter.) The Jamaican employees at the Nex are struggling with placing the roasted birds in those crazy plastic containers -- I think that was the main reason there were people waiting. The containers are then wrapped with about 20 feet of plastic wrap. When I bought one a couple of days ago (I wasn't going to wait for one!), I also noticed that the chicken was upside down -- I guess they haven't figured out which part of the chicken gets presented.


Here is one place we don't frequent but thought I would post a photo -- the furniture store. It's not particularly inviting on the outside, and there really is not much on the inside. But it's the only source for new beds, couches, and dining tables. Since most of our furniture was provided, we have supplemented our needs through garage sales.


There is a large presence of military folks here working for JTF (Joint Task Force), so we see all branches of our armed forces coming together for the detainee mission. The troops live in trailers seen in this photo -- living quarters are small, cramped, and shared with nothing fancy about them. However, it's better than living in a tent.

Glorious GTMO!

We do live in a glorious world -- when you pay attention to your surroundings, even something like a seed can be beautiful. An example is drift seeds, or sea beans, which are shown in the above photo. The two larger specimens are from the species entada and are commonly called "sea hearts" since they can often be found in the shape of a heart. The one on the right has not been polished -- its counterpart on the left has lovingly been hand-sanded by Vince. Many folks make these beautiful beans into pendants, or just pile them in bowls as a decoration.

The smaller sea bean, leaning on its side on the sea heart, is also known as a "hamburger" and I think you can see why! Both hamburgers and sea hearts occasionally wash up on the shore, tangled in wrack (seaweed debris) -- and it is great fun to go beach combing and be lucky enough to find them. There are numerous kinds of sea beans -- most of them originate from trees and vines in the tropics, and get carried by rivers into the ocean, where they can bob around in the water for a long time (up to 35 years as estimated by one specialist).

Tell us how you really feel, Fergus! (click on the photo to enlarge)

Switching subjects, the local Girl Scout troop had a dog wash this past weekend and a friend of mine asked if we would let the girls wash Fergus -- for a donation, of course! Fergus doesn't really like water, unless it's dirty creek water and he's following a pack of other dogs through it. So, we were interested to see how he would react to a bunch of little girls hovering over him. He tolerated the washing with patience.


Ferns love this hot, humid climate -- we purchased one at a garage sale last fall, and it was just about the size of the skimpy plant on the right. Now, it's a gorgeous full fern, and I've been able to dig up some roots for new plants, like the skimpy one. I've not had the same good fortune with ferns in Nebraska, so I had better enjoy these while I can.

And, finally, just a very Happy Birthday to Justin -- I can't believe he is 31!

Last week in July!

Big news from here -- rotisserie chicken will be appearing soon at the deli! Unfortunately, the deli (just a small area of counter space in the meat department) will have to close for a week (at least) to accommodate this change. Still, it is a bright spot in our long, hot summer here. (I know, Wendell -- we've been here too long!!!)


I'm still meeting once a week at the library to join whoever shows up for "Stitch & Chat" -- the last couple of months, it's just been two of us, so last week I was thrilled when two more of my friends were able to attend.

Vince is standing in front of the northeast gate -- the spot where Cubans used to move freely between the base and their homes in nearby villages to come to work.

Vince participated over the weekend in the "You Can't Handle the Fence Line" five mile walk. You could also, bike, run, or drive a jeep (if you had one). I was also slated to go but the day before when I was adding some time to my regular walk for "training purposes," I somehow pulled some muscles in my left leg and for a couple of days I could barely walk. I was disappointed that I couldn't go since the hike followed the north fence line which is an area where we normally can't go. Unfortunately, it's also an area where there are limited photo opportunities so Vince wasn't able to document too much of the walk.


Switching subjects....we've really enjoyed our bird-watching here, especially since our windows have a reflective coating which allows us some close viewing. Here are some white winged doves (didn't Stevie Nicks sing about them?) at our bird feeder. They have a beautiful blue ring around their eyes and are quite the pigs when it comes to the bird feeder. Sometimes we have six of them precariously balanced on it, shoving out the smaller birds.

Birthday Cheer and Butterfly Snowstorm

Vince sipping his birthday Mojito

Sunscreen and a hat is essential

We celebrated Vince's birthday this week -- he had to work a double shift on the actual day, but it ended up working to his advantage. He now has TWO days off in a row, which hasn't happened in months. Having a beach picnic is always a great way to have a party, so we loaded up some food and beverages and rode on the ferry across the bay to our favorite Chapman Beach. Vince grilled some turkey burgers which we enjoyed with our Mojitos. And, as usual, the beach was deserted.


And regarding butterflies....actually, we learned the little creatures are moths, but I prefer to call them butterflies. A couple of weeks ago we started noticing massive swarms of white winged insects. It is hard to describe the effect -- you see them everywhere you go -- and it is challenging to get them on film. But, with the breeze blowing, and if you squint real hard, you can pretend it looks like snow. My little camera doesn't produce great video -- but you can get the general idea. After doing a little research, I think we are seeing Great Southern White moths. (The video is taken behind our villa in a parking area.)

Ship sightings

I didn't even attempt to take any photos of our Fourth of July firework celebration here -- but it was definitely one of the best ones I've seen in years. Vince had to work that evening, so he grabbed one of our walkie talkies as he left for his shift. Then, about 9:00 p.m. when the firework show started, I took Fergus and stood in our front yard, with the other walkie talkie in hand. When the colors started to light up over the bay, Vince called out to me over the airwaves, "Ooooooh.....Over." And, then I would return with "Aaaaaaaaaaah......Over." It was fun for a few minutes, anyway, and we were amazed that the walkie talkies would work that well -- he was in the tower, over three miles away by air, and I was at the northern end of the bay.

Speaking of the bay, when you live on a body of water that is a major supply station in the Caribbean, you are bound to see some interesting vessels.

Crane or Cargo Ship -- these ships are named after state mottos, and wouldn't you know, this one is the "Cornhusker State."

A heavy lift ship, 873 feet long, the "Cape May" was designed and built by a steamship company, and later sold to the Navy. You can see an LCU boat (landing craft utility) in front and to the left of the Cape May.

Helicopter carrier

The ferry boat is on the left -- these are used to transport people and vehicles across the bay and is about 150 to 200 feet long. To the right is a missile frigate.

USNS Robert E. Peary -- dry cargo/ammunition ship -- is 689 feet long.

GTMO Snapshots

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to take the annual "Cuzco Wells" tour. The Marines give a guided tour of an area called Cuzco Beach which normally has no-entry status. In 1898 a battle took place at this site between the Spanish forces and a battalion of Marines. We climbed a hill to view one of the lookout areas and tried to imagine what it must have been like over 111 years ago on that spot.


I've been perusing Cuban and Jamaican cookbooks from the library in an effort to try some local delicacies. I made a couple of Cuban dishes this week using chicken (were okay, but not great), and then we thought we'd try our hand at some Jamaican specialities. Ginger beer is popular, according to the cookbook, and looked easy to make, just requiring ginger, water, sugar, lime, and some yeast. So after Vince whipped up a batch, we let it ferment for a day, and then tried some over ice. It was amazingly good!


Our other Jamaican treat was more funny than tasty -- a recipe for a cookie called "Jackass Corn" just sounded intriguing. Again, just a few ingredients - coconut, flour, sugar, water, baking soda, and nutmeg. It's supposedly called "jackass corn" because the noise made while chewing the cookie sounds like a jackass! I couldn't resist, so I made a batch of the homely things. While the cookies aren't all that wonderful, the odd thing is that they do taste like they are made with corn. Maybe the name is applied because that is how you feel after you've taken the time to make them.


Fergus loves the frisbee! Vince will take him either to the dog park, or an open field, and give Fergus some great exercise early in the morning before it gets too hot. We've had to be cautious -- if Fergus gets overheated, which can easily happen with the temperature and humidity, he begins to "wobble" while he walks which we have learned is not a good sign. So, Vince tries to end each session after only about 10 minutes.


We did some beach combing this week and it was just one of those times where not much had rolled up on the sand and rocks. But Vince did spy this cute little fellow -- a hermit crab tucked into his shell, and his colors were so vibrant that we just had to take his photo. It's difficult to tell the scale in this photo, but the shell was about an inch and a half in diameter.