The Buzz on the Bay

Recent gorgeous sunset

Thought I would tell you about our week......

We had the opportunity to act as bed and breakfast hosts for the last six days for a couple from the States. Our chaplain had put together a mini-conference on the topic of marriage/relationships, and a church in South Carolina sent a team of folks to lead it. We were so lucky to have Bobby and Robin Gore stay in our home for the week -- I loved to listen to their Southern accents! Along with the other people from their church, they did a great job in leading noon workshops and nightly meetings. Just when I sometimes mistakenly think "oh, I already know all of that," I hear a lesson on communication, forgiveness, or love and respect, and I am immediately humbled. Refresher courses are much appreciated!

The Navy hospital had a huge problem this week when a fire valve broke on the second floor resulting in large amounts of water flooding the entire hospital -- it's estimated that $6-9 million in damage occurred. So, the hospital is closed except for true emergencies. Two near-term obstetrics patients were MEDEVAC'd to the States. (Photo is view from hospital front doors with the helipad in the background.)

We heard that it make take six months to get everything back in order. I will digress for a moment to mention how reasonable the health care here has been -- we finally received all of our bills from Vince's emergency room visit last November and ensuing appointments regarding sciatica and blood pressure. For one emergency room visit, two doctor appointments, and three prescriptions, the total charge was just over $450. I thought it was a real bargain for today's health care costs. (Of course, maybe with the upcoming repair bill for the hospital, all of that might change!)


We took Fergus to the beach this morning, mostly just to wear him out. The heat here does tend to tone down his energy level, and it doesn't take much of playing frisbee or even walking for him to get tired.

We had fun walking along with shore, looking for old bottles, shells, or sea beans. Fergus was looking for lizards, which is his new hobby. (Our neighbors back home, the Cepure's and the Prochaska's will recall Fergus' intent hunt for squirrels -- now, all he can think about are geckos and anoles!)

Batwing coral crab seen during a previous beach visit -- this little guy was only about 6 inches long and was very shy -- be sure to enlarge the photo!

Under the Gumbo-limbo tree.....

Vince had noticed this tree on one of our drives around the base, and thought it was quite striking with its smooth bark. When we learned its name -- gumbo-limbo -- we just had to have a photo of it!

The scientific version is bursera simaruba; in Florida, it's called the "tourist tree" since its bark somewhat resembles the sunburned skin of visitors.

Hmmm...now I just need Vince to compose a song about us standing under the gumbo-limbo tree. And if anyone could do it, he certainly could!

Social and Anti-social Morays

When it is sunny and hot at mid-day in GTMO and you are tired of looking at four walls and listening to the mind numbing sound of window air conditioners then the thing to do is jump in the water. Any of the swimming pools on base will do if you prefer the clear chlorinated water over salt water. But if you want to experience the beauty of iridescent blue salt water and listen to the sound of waves splashing against the rocky shoreline then you must go to one of the beaches. Also the ocean front beaches or the beaches that are on the bay often provide the stunning beauty and colors of reef fish and other sea life that defy words to describe them.

Since my time off usually falls on weekdays we can visit beaches that are often deserted. One we frequent that is on the bay is called Glass Beach. Since the ocean is often used as a garbage dump (more in times past than present) broken glass of all colors becomes rounded translucent nuggets that wash up on beaches in many places. Glass Beach is a good spot to find these "gems". The water feels so good on a hot day.

Recently we went to Glass Beach for a short swim before I had an evening shift. We splashed around and bobbed effortlessly in the salty sea and cooled down nicely. After awhile I decided to grab my snorkel gear to see what was in the sea. I expected the usual compliment of Sergeant Majors, Parrot fish and Yellow Tail Snappers. I put on my gear and clumsily re-entered the water adjusting the flippers after I was floating in about 10 or 12 feet of water about 25 feet off shore. 

I put my face into the water to look around and instantly saw a 4 foot Green Moray right underneath me. His mouth was wide open and he was staring at me with the razor sharp teeth clearly visible. I had no idea that Moray eels would come in so close to shore since they are usually seen hiding in nooks and crannies of coral reefs.  The coral formations were some distance away.  After the initial shock (they are not electric eels so no pun intended) I began to follow him as he swam out into deeper water. He (or maybe she) stopped and coiled around to watch me baring those teeth. I did not know if this was a warning or just typical behavior so I retreated.

I described this to Cathy who promptly decided that beach combing was the better option that day. I can't say that I blamed her. Later after a little study we found out that Moray eels usually have mouths agape as part of breathing and do not pose a hazard unless cornered. 

PS. The photo above was borrowed off the Internet. We do not have an underwater camera yet. The eel above looks just like the rascal I encountered. 

Snapshot of Shopping

I've alluded several times to the lack of "shopping" here, so thought I would back up my point with a few photos of our commissary.

The Navy Exchange, or "Nex," is THE place to go for the essentials here. Vince also privately refers to the Nex as the "Jamaican General Store" since almost all of the employees there are Jamaican. While quite friendly ("hey, mon!"), these folks do operate on their very own timetable.

The only fresh meat available is beef. Chicken is in the frozen foods case, as is pork. And I'm not sure where the pork comes from because it doesn't taste nearly as good as what we have at home. If we want pork for a meal, I cook it in the crockpot for a LONG time and disguise it with a sauce.

And, as I have mentioned before, you cannot purchase fresh fish at the Nex -- although the freezer cases do hold fish, goat, tripe, and oxtails and other delights.



We didn't immediately grasp the deli department protocol since, as with so many things here, it's not written down and people aren't always forthcoming with information.

If you want to purchase freshly sliced ham or turkey, you can't just ask for it. You have to write it down on sheet of paper. The deli guy will then place the paper in his in-box, and when he is good and ready, he will slice the meat. So, whatever you do, you don't stand there and wait for the order. You come back in 10-15 minutes to see if he has had time in his busy schedule to slice your half-pound of turkey.

I am probably savings hundreds of dollars on cosmetic items since we have no Walgreen's on GTMO and this is ALL of the make-up available.

Irish Moss seems to be a popular beverage among the Jamaicans.

This is the women's clothing department. If you can't find it here (which you mostly can't), you need to rely on the Internet and hope that whatever you order, the company will deliver it here. (We learned that some companies will not mail items to FPO addresses.)

Even though some bits of saracasm might have shone through in this narrative, I don't want anyone to think that we are complaining. We have plenty to eat and if I had any more clothes, I would just have more laundry to do. Making do with less is not such a bad thing.

West Bargo and the Toaster Wars

I love coming up with these titles! Actually, the two topics are not related -- I just liked how they sounded together. First, West Bargo......as mentioned in a previous post, there are numerous neighborhoods on the base, and Bargo (consisting of East, West, and Central Bargo) is one of these areas, probably with at least 50-60 homes.



These photos are for our friend, Carol. I was lucky enough to meet her years ago when I was searching for a private teacher for art lessons for my kids. I was amazed to learn recently that Carol and her husband, Bob, lived here at GTMO from 1967 to 1970. So, Carol....this photo is the first house on the left in West Bargo, and the other photo is taken from the hospital area, showing the back of the home. (Hope I got the right house!)

Another note on housing here -- in the last 20 years or so, scores of new homes have been built here and the concrete block construction has been scrapped (which is too bad, because the concrete villas are where you would want to be in a hurricane). Most of these newer homes are reserved for military families and below is a photo typical of such housing.

There are single family homes, along with duplexes, four-plexes, and apartment buildings. Just about all of these homes have central air conditioning, unlike our villa, which has three window units that drone on and on 24 hours a day. (But at least we have it!! -- Carol, did you have air conditioning when you were here?)

Now, on to the Toaster Wars, which has absolutely nothing to do with GTMO.....I was attending a women's Bible study last night, and during our socializing time, the spiderwebbing conversation turned to kitchens, then appliances, then kitchen counters and finally, keeping them uncluttered. (At least, some of us were focusing on the "uncluttered" aspect.) Anyway, we discovered that a huge controversy exists in some homes on the location of the toaster. Is it proudly displayed on the counter for all to see? Or is it properly hidden behind a cabinet door?


I have to confess that I fall into the latter group and think that toasters are better kept unseen unless being used. And, Vince, who uses the toaster almost every day, is hard pressed to understand this particular brand of logic. BUT.....here in GTMO, things definitely are different (in every way) since I have few items to put on the counter. So, I proudly reserve the right to change my mind while we are living here. (Craig -- this photo is for you with the toaster on the counter!)

Geology 101

Actually, this won't even classify as a "101" on Cuban geology (more like a .025). In an effort to educate myself, I've done a little bit of research here and there, trying to grasp some basics and I kept reading words like: subduction polarity in Cuba.....periodicity of arc and other magmatism in Cuba......karstgeology.....metamorphic and uplift history......geochronology, etc.

Good grief, can someone please make it a littler simpler? Finally, I found "Cuba is 70% limestone" which was a concept even I could grasp. And, since the one of the main components of limestone can be the shells of marine organisms, things were starting to fall in place.

You can see the fossilized coral in these large cliffs overhanging the beach.

This is an area on the leeward side of the bay, and the photo was taken at sunrise, which is why you see the nice pink hue. There is a small strip of sand right next to the water, but you can also note the huge pile of coral, shells, and rocks that nestle right up to the sand.

This photo is a close-up of Hicacal (pronounced here as High-Cackle) Beach -- again, this is on the leeward side of the bay. Prior to the 1950's, Hicacal Beach was considered the "Navy's winter paradise" and home to a small airfield, golf course, living quarters, along with a ramp for seaplanes. None of this exists now and Hicacal is a vacant area primarily known for its vast array of shells on its shore, along with its voracious mosquitoes.

You can stroll along this beach for a quarter of a mile (just have on plenty of bug repellant) and hear a crunching sound because you can hardly avoid the shells as you walk. And, with the tide ebbing and flowing, even more shells are washed up on shore.

(Note: the viewing of any of these photos would be enhanced by double-clicking on the photos to enlarge them on the screen.)

Iguana Tales

Iguanas are the official mascot of GTMO, and they are fiercely protected. You see them all over the base, and it is a strict rule that if one is crossing the street, all traffic must stop until the iguana has safely reached the other side. (It's also a strict rule to say "Hi, Iggy" every time you see an iguana -- however, this is my rule, not GTMO's.) I have to admit that at first it was disconcerting to see these somewhat prehistoric-looking creatures roaming around in yards and on beaches -- but I'm used to seeing them now.

In the photo above, we stopped in this parking lot because we had never seen an iguana eat chewing gum before. (You might want to click on the photo to enlarge it to get the full effect.)

Here is an iguana at his day off at the beach -- years ago there used to be an iguana research center right next to this particular beach, so it is common to see many iguanas here. This guy was a particularly big one -- some iguanas here get up to five feet long.

Iguana at work, acting as sentry of this abandoned building.

For the most part, an iguana will completely ignore you, and often will just run away if he is approached. However, I have heard people relate about picnicking on a beach, and having an iguana run up and steal a sandwich right from someone's hand. Occasionally, you will see some iguanas that look a little battered -- they have the reputation of fighting with each other, probably disputing over territory

It's always good form to watch where you are walking just in case you inadvertently disturb a sleeping iguana while he is catching some rays.

And, be on the alert because sometimes a piece of driftwood can look very similar to an iguana.

(P.S. After reading this post, I wondered if readers would start imagining our front yard cluttered with iguanas -- thankfully, this is not the case. I have yet to see an iguana anywhere in our neighborhood. They do seem to congregate more in certain areas on the base, but Granadillo Point is not one of them.)