Radical Catamaran Adventures – Mermaid on a Raft

It’s a sweet gig

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03/15/2016 My niece’s daughter Jillian and her friend Caeli arrived on Saturday afternoon. Since I was tied to the airport I had Bill pick them up and take them to the grocery store before they came back here. I got home around 5 and de-stressed for a bit before we got the girls some dinner.

Sunday morning we were all awake bright and early for another day of adventure on the Radical Catamaran EXPAT day. There was supposed to be a full boat but approx. 10 people cancelled due to the weather. Both of the girls were really excited and looking forward to the day. I have to say I was very lucky to be able to go two Sundays in a row. We started out sitting outside, enjoying the scenery until just outside of Oak Ridge, it started to rain. And it rained hard for a little while. Most of the people were under cover, eating cookies and muffins. The sea was a little rough then too. As we neared the first snorkel spot the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. I told the girls the guys from the boat would pick up on them right away and as soon as we hit the water, they had personal tour guides.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Jillian and Caeli at the start of the 7 hour day.

Monday was the day with the least amount of cruise ships on the island so we headed for West Bay Beach. I was able to snag chairs at Bananarama for 1/2 price because I sweet talked the guy. They are all so nice there anyhow. It wasn’t very sunny and we kept hoping for the sun to break through the clouds and bless us with sunshine but that didn’t happen until we were half way home. Jill and I snorkeled, I took her out through the channel and to the deeper water then swam up towards black rock and along it. Great array of fish but what was the best was the huge parrot fish that was almost posing for me.

Parrot Fish are a recycling machine. They turn coral and rock into fine sand in the process of grazing algae from them. This particular one is called a Stoplight Parrotfish.

Gorgeous fish! The colors were brilliant.

When we were done snorkeling we drove to West End and parked. I wanted to go to the Shawn Jackson Gallery and the girls wanted to do a little shopping. I bought the coveted Faces of Roatan book at Shawn’s gallery. After that I called Lisa and Rob to see if we could stop and see Bandit and Sable on our way back down island.

The next day we went to Mega Paca where Caeli scored a Burberry sweater for 28 LPS, about $1.00 and Jill got some cute tops. Then we went to the Iguana Farm. We went down to the water and checked out the huge tarpon and other fish and admired the stunning view of French Cay.

After there we went to Parrot Tree and hung out at the 320′ long pool. It was pretty nice, very few people around at all. We swam, floated, napped and ate there.

On Wednesday we picked up Nidia and two guys and then met Rosalie and Bob and Bill and Alexi across from the airport. We were taking the new picnic table that Kelly Flowers built for Doña Maria to her. The table he so kindly made will last her for the rest of her life. Until now, she had no table to grind her corn on or to sit and have a cup of coffee.

What a rewarding day, everyone enjoyed meeting Doña Maria and are all ready to go back and see her. My next visit I am taking corn for the chickens, some chicken meal and of course, cold coca cola. My friend Ann has some chairs and cushions for her so I’ll more than likely get her to go along with me. It’s so sweet how people want to help Maria, she has so little and when we give her things, we benefit more from the giving that she does receiving. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Thank you Kelly for making the table, a perfectly honorable gesture from a pirate like you.

Thursday we were planning to snorkel with Eduardo, my friend the cop. Wednesday evening he messaged me that he was on the mainland and wouldn’t be home until Saturday. The girls and I went to Barefoot Cay anyhow. The plan was to snorkel and float in the calm protected area near the palapa. With the wind blowing, there was NO calm protected water. The winds were howling and the sea was churning. The current was so strong that we would have been swept to West Bay in no time, maybe even off to Utila or Belize. We stayed at the pool the majority of the day, it was so peaceful and relaxing.

Friday was the last full day on the island and we were planning a trip to the school in Pandytown, then going to Camp Bay to eat at La Sirena and ending up at BJ’s of course. We drove out to Pandytown and stopped along the way when we saw little boys playing by the road. I had a full bag of Hot Wheels cars that were brought down by my friends John and Lizeth Fowler. The first place we stopped the boys were sitting along the road. The one looks like he was going to cry but he was happy, honest! Next stop there was a small boy standing on the table while his mother scrubbed clothes in a basin. He was very excited to get a car.

All in all, I think they had a great time, they met a lot of people, went a lot of places and saw things they have never seen before. We came home Friday evening and miraculously found stuff to eat. The girls did some packing and we all went to be early.

I had to work at the airport again on Saturday so they rode in with Cindy and I. It took them forever to get checked in and by the time they were done I had to go inside to get ready for the first flight. I hugged them both good bye and they were off, until the next time.

Before I close, I met a new friend at the airport, her name is Chris O’Dell. She is not just ANY Chris O’Dell. She used to work for Apple Records in London and personally knows / knew all of the Beatles, Yoko, The Stones, Dylan, Clapton. She sang in the chorus of Hey Jude, she was on the roof for the Beatles last ever concert as a group, she is the real deal. George Harrison even wrote a song about her called Miss O’Dell. She wrote a book by the same name, I am slowly reading it, absorbing and processing every word she utters. I get to see this woman every Saturday. I am in utter awe. Check it out:

Since I have nothing that tops that, I’m outta here..

Dogs, Cats, Iguanas and a Parrot..oh my!

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03/13/016 It’s been a long time, hope I can remember how to do this blog thing. I have been so busy and exhausted when I get home that blogging is the last thing on my mind. Actually, there is nothing on my mind.

Aside of the airport insanity which I won’t bother even discussing because it makes me tired thinking about it, it’s been a busy few weeks.

The vets from Helping Paws Across Borders came on Feb 27th. It was a nightmare at the airport the day they arrived because a vet on the island had their meds confiscated. It took until Monday afternoon to get them back. Sunday I had arranged a day on the Radical Catamaran for the group. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water. Everyone that was here except for the group organizer and her daughter joined in on the fun.

The water wasn’t as clear as it normally was because it had been monsoon season a few days prior to the sail, things were still settling in the sea. Despite that, I got some great photos.

The next day I picked Dr Danny and Mike up and took them to the iguana farm to look at an older iguana with a lump on his leg. Luckily they found the iguana while we were there, the lizards are not in enclosures, they wander free, thousands of them.

A vet and a tech were going to go there and remove the lump from the iguanas leg but the owners decided to allow nature to do it’s thing, especially since he was such an old guy.

The next two days I picked up the gang at Parrot tree and we went to the clinic. They were setting up and we were checking in patients.

The first day we saw over 70 animals and the 2nd day almost double that. I could only do 2 days, I had company coming Saturday, airport duty Friday and Sat and a cleaning lady only 1 of those days. I cleaned a lot, both levels had to be done and the downstairs had been used as Bill’s workshop storage. It came out looking pretty good. Sat. I got to the airport at 11:30 and guests began arriving at 12:30. My nieces daughter Jillian (her sister Jen was here last June) and her college roommate Caeli arrived for a week. I greeted them at the airport and Bill picked them up so I could continue working until all the flights got in. It was a long day. I got home around 5:30. Once I took some time to chill out we made some dinner for the girls. It was the beginning of an adventure filled week.

Our gate was delivered but there was a miscommunication between Bill and Jose. Bill thought Jose was cutting the concrete for the metal gate track to go in, Jose thought Bill was. Bill cut it in, now we are waiting for Jose to come and install it and we will have a gate.

I’m breaking this in to 2 blogs, a separate one for the week I sent with Jill and Caeli. I’ll leave you with this fabulous story and picture. My friend Jessie and I worked together at Peoples Bank for a few years. She always made me laugh with her craziness. Recently she posted this photo on FB, look at it closely.

Remember that one time we cooked the sink drain with the turkey...... Said only us. — Her caption was Cole cooked a turkey. And then she commented: remember-that-one-time-we-cooked-the-sink-drain-with-the-turkey-said-only-us.

I can’t tell you how many times I have looked at this and cracked up. Only you Jessie, only you!!

I’ll be back soon..

Urine trouble

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01/11/2016 RIP David Bowie. (please click on the link to listen to Let’s Dance) When I read the news this morning tears involuntarily began streaming down my cheeks, dripping onto my lap. It was not a good start to my day. When it hit me that Ziggy Stardust was no longer, I decided today was not going to be a beach day for me.

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I struggled several times during the morning. We have lost lots of rockers before but the majority of them screw up and kill themselves by OD’ing and then we make a huge deal over their deaths. Freddy Mercury died from AIDS, John Lennon at the hands of a madman and David sang his last song because of Cancer. All fabulous talents, I’m just terribly sad.

Friday I attempted to pay our 2016 taxes, naively assuming I could go there and do this within 30 minutes. LMAO, where do I think I live? Ridiculousness followed. After waiting, chatting with the Mayor, Aaron, Clifford and Bernie, who all work there and my friend Gus who I met at the vet clinic, I left. Spanish class was waiting. Once we were out of Spanish class we all went to BJ’s to party and party we did. They ran out of wine soon after I got there and Marilyn would have none of that shit so she Jeanie and I jumped in Marilyn’s boat and went to her house to get 3 bottles from her personal stash for the bar. That’s just how we do it here. After a few glasses of wine we decided to plank someone’s boat. Thanks for the photo Melanie Wood!

12400736_10153361791785980_8359348102929703331_n (1) — Melanie is always there to help document these events.

12496050_10153361792040980_3320821127242055718_o — Thanks again Melanie Wood. We were dancing fools!

I spent my Saturday at the airport with Caroline, Miss Peggy, Lisa and Linda. It never fails to happen, the first flight was due in at 12:18, it came at 12:55. Fifteen minutes before the next flight and 20 before the next 2. It was crazy again, some man said to me very surprised, “You don’t get paid to do this?” Nope, volunteer. We were notified Friday eve that there was a passenger on one of the planes who was not to be allowed into the country and was to be put right back on a plane to the states. We spotted him before he even entered the building, he was apprehended and somehow talked his way out of the situation, was put through immigration and allowed to stay for the week. Very odd..I was exhausted and still had to go get groceries. The grocery store had nothing, no Blue Harbor lettuce, no jalapenos, no grated cheese, none of my fav yogurt, nada. (update: I went today, Monday, still nada..wth?)

Sunday morning I got up early, walked all 6 dogs, showered, then got things around here and was out the door at 8:30 to be in Oak Ridge for the Catamaran Boat trip. Radical Catamaran Adventures is an absolute blast!! This was my third trip and I’ll be going again Feb. 28th with the vets too! It’s 7 hours on a huge catamaran in the calm clear waters of Port Royal. We stop and snorkel at the cow and the calf, another spot and then a wreck. The boat is non-stop food and drinks, all included in the price, plus music, dancing and craziness. I was with a bunch of friends, and had an absolutely incredible time.

Needless to say, it was a beyond fabulous day on the Radical. It’s definitely something to look forward to when they have their ex-pat specials. A full 7 hours of majestic scenery, warm clear water and a boat full of friends. So blessed to have these people in my life and to get to live the life I am.

When the boat trip was over I stopped and picked up Miguel, our former worker. They were coming for dinner. He was going to bring his brother Winston but he had to leave Sunday so just he and his girlfriend and baby came. We had pizza on the roof. Miguel is such a fabulous, honest, trustworthy person, I’m so glad we have stayed friends.

Update on a few things. I may have mentioned that I fried the extra batteries to my good camera when I dumped the kayak. Well, I tried to use one of the batteries after it dried out and I got an error message on my camera. I then tried the battery that was dry and charged and my camera would not turn on. I charged the battery more, still nothing. I was so flipping bummed because I take pics every single day of my life. I quickly posted on a FB page to see if anyone was coming down in the next few days to bring me a new charger and 2 new batteries. Luckily my friend Linda was arriving Sat. so I sent them to her and she handed them to me when she walked into immigration. I was very doubtful they were going to work but they did. My camera is functioning and I was so damn happy that I didn’t ruin it. Thank you so much Linda!!

Also, my friends from Williamsport that I was going to hang with on Friday at BJs messaged me and said they had to go back to the states immediately. My friends Mom had taken a turn for the worst and they needed to return home. They got there one day before she passed. RIP Mrs. Daniele.

I asked my friend Amanda Walkins to ask her handsome Irish Colombian fiance’ who knows a lot about marine life and the jellies we encountered. This is her response:

This is what the Irish-Colombian says, “Comb jellies do not sting. Moon jellies can sting, but not badly. They were not the ones stinging you though, it was all the siphonophores that you can’t really see, but they’re long strands (did you read Rika’s latest post about the blackwater dives at West End Divers? Courtney took a photo of one – it’s the second-to-last picture in the blog: http://www.cubiclethrowdown.com/). They show up when it’s more stagnant because they’re feeding on the bacteria that accumulates with all those nutrients from the runoff, especially on the south side. It happens there more frequently, but happens on the north/west side, too. That photo of the French Angelfish – you said it was bad viz. That’s the runoff with bacteria and nutrients that the siphonophores and all the comb and moon jellies were feeding on.”

These are some stock images of siphonophores:

Tomorrow is a beach party in Port Royal. I had 3 different things planned to make, knowing that the grocery would not have all of the ingredients I needed so there had to be choices. Thankful that I planned ahead with a few ideas..broccoli salad it is.

My friend Julie (of Robby and Julie, who will be here for a week March 26th) posted this on one of my Catamaran pics; You have more fun in one week than some people have in a decade! Thanks Julie, I sure try!

My parting thought:

If you’re ever sad, just remember that the world is 4.543 billion years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie.

(instagram photo by @stevendouglas)