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.

GTMO Chapel

Chapel

Interior of Chapel

Since last November, we've been attending the 1100 (military time!) "Protestant Worship Service" here on the base. Many of the services are held in the main chapel, one right after another, on Sundays. Over a dozen different groups meet to worship, with the list of services ranging under the headings of Protestant, Catholic, Islam, Gospel, and Jewish. Attendance at our service ranges from about 100 to 200 people.

View of the bay from the Chapel

The military chaplains here are great folks and do an outstanding job of working with so many men and women with all kinds of different needs. Not knowing what to expect when we arrived last fall, I was gratified to learn that a women's group (PWOC - Protestant Women of the Chapel) met weekly for Bible study, so I began attending. In addition to being a wonderful source of growth, it's also been a great way to connect with more people. A men's group also meets every week -- unfortunately, it's on a night that Vince would normally be resting prior to going to work for a midnight shift. However, last week he did decide to attend and forego the extra rest.

It's been interesting (and refreshing) to be part of a church group that has so little emphasis on money -- the building, utilities, and salaries are all funded by the military. So, most of the usual financial needs that a church might have are already being met. People are still very generous with their time and financial support -- money is collected in the weekly offering. And, there is a council that meets quarterly to decide where and how to allocate the funds, mostly to small, non-profit organizations back home. Our chaplain has asked Vince and me to be a part of this council, so we'll learn more about it when we meet in a couple of weeks.

My group of kids during a photo op

Last week was Vacation Bible School with the theme being "Crocodile Dock" -- and since I have the time and supposedly the energy, I volunteered to be a crew leader. It was a lot of fun, although I was worn out by the end of the week! We would meet at the chapel at 0830 every day, and each morning was devoted to shepherding the kids (ranging from preschool to age 12) to a variety of stations, such as games, crafts, Bible storytime, etc. About 75 kids participated, with over 40 volunteers, including some young men from a guard unit back in the States who were crew leaders and who were also exhausted by the end of the week.

GTMO's Great Outdoors

While I am busily complaining about the heat, Jamaicans walk around every day of the year, covered from head to toe with heavy clothing. Folks refer to them as "ninjas" -- they are responsible for trimming and cutting grass on the base. We assume that their apparel keeps out dirt and dust.

Have I mentioned recently that it is HOT here? Summer -- along with the hurricane season -- has arrived with a vengeance. Walking Fergus at 7:30 in the morning is a steamy adventure -- no breeze, just humidity and thickness in the air. The poor dog has gained seven pounds in the last few months, mostly because it's just more difficult to exercise him in the heat. Well, I'll stop whining about the weather (for now), and just showcase some photos from our surroundings.

This is Egbert, one of the many cattle egrets that wander around our neighborhood. They love to perch on vehicles, especially on the mirrors.

So many lizards and so little time! I do happen to photograph a lot of reptiles and it's not from any particular love of them -- it's just that they are omnipresent! (I wasn't able to identify this specimen -- it might be a gecko or an anole.)

Great Lizard Cuckoos are common in Cuba, and somewhat rare in other Caribbean islands. They are known for their long tails and red eyes.

We've been calling these cute litle things "blue tails" but I learned it's really a five-lined skink. There is likely a whole litter of them living under our refrigerator on the patio -- you see them scoot quickly under there when Fergus comes outside.

The video above doesn't have much action but it's just rather amusing to see a land crab in the grass play dead while Fergus busily inspects it. You can also see it at right in the photo. Shortly after we took this video of the "inspection," we heard from some friends whose dog did the same thing but got heartily pinched on the nose by the crab! The dog swung his head around to release the crab who then flew several feet in the air before landing on the ground. I just help Fergus keep his distance now.






Northern Mockingbirds are as frequently seen here as robins are back home. They have so many lovely songs! This guy was getting a bath -- Vince was spraying water from the hose up in the tree, and the bird seemed to love it.

And, last but not least, today is my baby girl's 29th birthday -- Happy Birthday, Erin -- wish I could be with you to celebrate!!!