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!