Fergus and the Grand Banyan

Yes, Erin and Fergus arrived in GTMO safely on Wednesday.** It was a long day for all of us, those who were waiting, and those two who were flying. Evidently, Fergus did pretty well on all three of his flights, and we were just extremely glad to see both of them when the plane landed.

So far, we have been busy getting Fergus acclimated, and showing Erin the sights. This photo above is the banyan tree close to our yard -- Erin gets credit for the by-line! Banyans are amazing trees, apparently a relative of the fig family, and this tree is even referred to as a "strangler fig." They are known for their spreading root system -- and it's amazing that this particular tree is only about 50 years old. We've seen photos of our neighborhood dating from 1956, and this tree was not even in the picture.

Today we took Erin snorkeling. We started at one of the beaches, thinking it might be easier to "walk in" the water, instead of climbing down a ladder. But, the winds weren't as favorable, making the water somewhat choppy.

So, we drove to nearby Phillips Dive Park -- and Erin did extremely well. In fact, she was much quicker at getting her face in the water than I was! We had a great time watching the fish.

I think I saw a "Puddingwife" -- no kidding, that is the name of a fish!


Behind Erin and Fergus is Dexter, a 1991 faded brown minivan. We decided that it was necessary to have a vehicle here, so this is our "GTMO Special," proudly named after his previous owner. Vince thought it would be a nice touch to put the spare tire on top to give us more room in the back -- now all we need is a stuffed iguana riding on it! Dexter overheated during our first drive, but Vince thinks he has diagnosed the problem. Luckily, we won't be driving Dexter any great distance, and since there are always security police around, I should have readily available help should I need it.

**I don't want to repeat an incredibly long story (that doesn't sound like me, does it?), but some of you may not be aware that Fergus was not able to fly with me to GTMO on October 1. Through a series of bumbles by Northwest Airlines, he was prevented from using his $229 ticket. The only way we could get him here was to have him accompanied, so Erin took time off from work, and acted as his escort. After many phone calls to Northwest, Vince was assured that this time Fergus would be properly accepted by the airlines.