Author: Bill

Sitting here last night wrapping up my on line stuff and I get a ping from one of the Dive Masters from the shop……. “Hey – you on the boat tomorrow?”  Well, I hadn’t intended to be, but can be if needed….. “It would help me out……..” Done – I showed up bright and early the next morning [this morning] leaving my Queen to sleep in a little bit [I hoped] and recover from a fairly hectic couple of weeks. Helped get tanks loaded…. loaded my gear and got it ready. Ensuing conversation determined – it was probably best if I leave my camera on the boat and be ready to react if necessary. As it turns out it was necessary….. several times…… first time I retrieved a young lady who kept floating to the top (before it was time to)….. another young lady was trying to ‘freak out‘ a little bit because she thought she was too low on air. Yet another young lady was worried about descending too fast ( it had been years since she and her husband had made a dive). I reassured her I would be right there beside her the entire dive to tend to her if needed, which I did……in the middle of that I had to dart out and catch another young lady whose tank had come loose and was flailing around behind her, make her seriously struggle to swim. I caught up to her, stopped her, wrestled the tank back onto her back and got it strapped in, before re-taking my position next to the worried diver. So all-in-all….. it was probably a good thing I left my camera on the boat…… but BOY-HOWDY was I lost when I first dropped on that first dive….. I had no friggin’ idea what to do with my hands~!!! Seriously — I spent the first 10 minutes of the dive trying to figure how what to do without a camera in my hands……. it was weird/freaky~! Even the Dive master on the second load was “making fun” of me because I didn’t ‘look right’ without my rig in front of me…… Guess it all worked out though. I received multiple compliments and thank yous from the various young ladies that I helped out. A pretty good feeling~~~

Unless I hear different between now and then – the plan is to take tomorrow off and get some house/yard maintenance done….. then will return to diving for the rest of the week. I did manage to snag a couple of pictures with my phone for the exit shots on the boat (You didn’t really think I was going to go ALL day without taking at least some pictures did you ???)     😉

Good Night Ya’ll > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thankx for stopping in~!

Up way early this morning to manage myself through a still relatively new routine to get me, my camera and dive gear ready for yet another day under the water…… It just now dawned on me, I have yet to show you a picture of my new camera gear…… quite impressive even if I say so myself……. BUT – you’re gonna have to wait a little longer to see it…… when I put a picture of it up – I want it “just so” – so when you see it, even though you probably don’t know beans about an underwater photography set up — you’re gonna go “WOW”…… at least I hope you do. All my dive friends that know anything about underwater photography have ALL went “wow” – when they saw it. It is a nice looking set up and when you factor in the fact that I know right next to nothing about it — it is already turning out some pretty spectacular pictures…… even by my standards. I just told my bride this afternoon – I am now casually deleting pictures – I would have ‘killed for‘ a mere 6 months ago…..Love it when I keep raising my standards…..! Our first dive site is rapidly trying to nudge it’s way into my favorite site……. and today, for whatever reason, the current was slow and the visibility was almost a 100’……. something we haven’t had around the island in the past couple of months….. I enjoyed the hell out of it snapping pictures as fast as my strobes would recharge…. usually less than 2 seconds. I got to swim around in the middle of 4 fairly decent sized sharks and managed a shot or two that I am not terribly disappointed in. (We had a LOT of divers on the load and they all were trying to get “close” to a shark – so I struggled to get any of the sharks to ‘cozy’ up to me…… The entire dive [brief as it was, [[because it is a deep dive]] – was wonderful~!! Only way to put it. We then took off to the next dive site and eventually dropped into visibility that can only be compared to pea green soup…… nasty……. Did I say nasty —- ? No – it was NASTY~!! Even though it was a shallow dive – everyone came up early because you couldn’t see squat. I snapped off a couple of photo’s and will include them here – they look like crap – but it will give you a good idea what I was floating around in on that last dive…….. pitiful……. but you win some……. and you lose some.

Back at the house, gear rinsed, some rain, some rolling thunder that sounds AWESOME…. a wee bite to eat….. temp had dropped a couple degrees. A sammich, belly full of hooch – yup – about all is right in our little piece of the world. I am taking the next day or so off to catch up on odds and ends I have skipped for the last month……. lots of pictures to share in case I don’t take any………

Good Night Ya’ll * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Thankx for stoppin’ in~!

A day or so ago…… our neighbor “Bucky” was hauled off in an ambulance. My Queen kept contact with his Daughter to try and understand what the issue was…. but that didn’t get us very far. We did get a phone call just a little bit ago, informing us Bucky had passed away. Dammit Emmit~! We met ‘Bucky’ within a day or so of moving in. He introduced himself by his real name, but followed it up by saying “everybody” called him Bucky. So – Bucky it was. Elderly gentleman, a local. Uncommonly bowlegged and as it turned out (according to him, he had spent his fair share of time on the top of a horse) – he had one Daughter, but most notable, a friend who had a son who managed to snag a spot in the major league of Baseball. He took great delight in dragging out a very old signed and dated picture of the young man and took great delight in saying he knew somebody famous~! Regretfully – I do not remember who the player was. Bucky was an everyday appearance, sometimes waving as he backed his car out of his ‘garage’ (a rope with a small plastic bottle in the middle, strung from tree to clothes line pole, to keep the ‘wild‘ horse out) It was more usually when he took his afternoon stroll over the the Landlords house (they were friends) and he would officially mosey through our yard [as a short cut]. Now if you have never seen anybody officially mosey – Bucky had it down to an art……. It got to where I took great delight in watching him mosey through our yard. I hope some day to learn that pace…….. A little un-nerving at times to be wrapped up in cleaning my gear or something in the back yard and he appeared ‘suddenly- out of nowhere’…… but I got used to it. I will not miss his deranged pack of pussy cats….. at best count – I had counted 13. He fed them once or twice a day and they would come from everywhere for the free meal. Most of them were feral and there was a new litter springing up almost once a month…. Since he has been away, I have only seen one or two of the pesky things since……… I will not miss them~! Although we didn’t talk a lot – we kinda kept an eye on each other, when there was an issue in his yard with him and visitors, I would always walk out and lean against my truck so he could see me, and let him know I was there for him…… in return – he kept an eye on my Queen and always made sure she was ‘good‘. A good old dude and I hate that he had to go…… I hope you get to mosey around Heaven and enjoy all the pussy cats up there….. Rest In Peace “Bucky”.

Good Night Ya’ll – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Thankx for stopping in~!

This past week has been just an absolute whirlwind for us old folks…… geeesh….. just almost impossible to see where the time went so dang quick….. It seems like Amanda and company got in here and one really good eye blink later they were gone……… it was a sad, tearful, wet good bye at the airport as we sent everyone back to the Land of Plenty…….. the island was sad every one was leaving and wept openly as we headed for the airport (rained)…… sadly, one of the very few places law enforcement chooses to do their job the way it is supposed to be done, is there at the drop lanes at the airport…… a$$wipes….. people saying goodbye to their loved ones, you would think they would cut folks a little bit of slack – especially since they don’t enforce the $%^&* law anywhere else on the island…. bunch of a$$hats…… but we did our hugs and kisses quickly and left our visitors to deal with the circus that is our airport…….   We told them we were only 15 minutes away if something stupid happened that they needed us. It was a quiet somber ride back to the house. Once there, we straightened up a little bit – put away the stuff donated to us they didn’t use……. made a drink and just sat in front of the fan quietly. Neither of us in the mood for chatter. So – so– so great to have visitors here on our beautiful little island……. and it may be just me — but the hole they leave when they go back to the states seems to be getting a little bit bigger and a little bit deeper each time someone goes back…… Text messages kept us informed of travel and we breathed a little easier when we knew everyone was back safely. A mostly restless night sleep for both of us as we struggled to deal with the fact we would not get to see those faces in the morning again……. part of the price you have to pay for this life style.

Up and at it for both of us this morning……. My Bride went to work at Blues for a little bit and I once again reclaimed ‘my spot’ on the boat. Dives were fun, lots to see…… vis mostly sucked….. Happily my Queen was home by the time I got there….. she brought Mickey-D’s for dinner/supper…… we’re havin’ drinks and dealing with other life’s little difficulties now….. and life goes on here in our little piece of paradise…… albeit a little bit quieter…… 😉

Good Night Ya’ll + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Thankx for stopping in~!

Up MUCH earlier than I wanted to be, to answer the ever questioning of natures call and my belly……. amped for a morning on the ATV’s…… a chance for my family to get to see what dad/Pa-Paw does when he spends his days bouncing around yon mountain top. Shawn and Cynthia did their normal outstanding job running the tour and making sure everybody was having a good time. We may have got a little ‘special attention’ being “family and all……. but it was a great way to eat up the morning and a little bit of the afternoon….. We left them to clean up the bikes and made our way down to Rainbow beach……No, I cannot honestly say where the name comes from – but I’ll look into it. We spent several hours bobbing around in that beautiful blue water, enjoying ‘beverages‘ and tossing around a frisbee that was older than 3/4th’s of the people throwing it…… A whole nother story in of itself………. as the sun sank slowly into the West — grumbling bellies told the tale that it was time to eat – and although the kids managed to devour the 30 lbs. of French fries that Pa-paw had handily dropped on our beach chairs earlier…….. Rhythm’s (the local bar) was closing…… so we loaded up and went to another local place. It has recently earned the reputation of not worth the effort – but it was the only one close that would accept us in our current condition….. swims suit and semi-ratty looking. My Bride and I have been there multiple times and had finally ‘wrote the place off‘ due mostly to really Shi…. crappy service. Like I said….. our options were pretty limited and we were hoping for the best. Imagine our surprise when our service was almost wonderful…… food was cooked right [and mostly quick]….. service was [mostly] spot on……. YAYAYAYAYAY~!~!! Bellies full – everyone agreed it was time for showers and a some sleep. We dropped our charges off at their hotel and scurried back to our little abode…… I have a shi….LOT of pictures to put up…. and now, even more to edit and put up…… so look for them the next couple of days……

Tomorrow is Hotel on the Cay…… guaranteed good snorkeling and OUTSTANDING food~! [and drinks]  SHOULD be a really great day~!

Good NIght Ya’ll : : : : : : : : : : : : :: : : : : : : :  Thankx for stopping in~!

Got up right around 05:10 this morning…… much, much, much too early for my tired old nash……….  but ‘we‘ had an appointment 3/4 the way across the island, and we had to leave early enough to get to it on time….  [[just as a general source of information. I have just sneezed ….. in the vicinity of of 15 times in a row]]….. My eyes are watering, my nose is running (and sore now) and the bad part is I’m not sure I’m not sure I’m done….. DAMMIT Emmit~! Understand please….. when I say sneeze…. I’m talking about those sneezes that start slightly below your knees and rocket all the way to your nose~! Holy Moley~!!! I can’t hardly breather right now…….

Anyhow—– my day started out on what is arguably one of the prettiest golf courses you ever want to venture out onto. I was going to play a [short] round of golf with my Son-In-Law Grant and my ‘Island Son’ Shawn……. an outing that proved to be much more fun than futile…… Grant was trying his level best to be the consumate professional and shoot a decent game – where as me and Shawn were out for a morning of drinking beer and having fun. Shawn had never tried to play ‘real’ golf before (putt-putt don’t count)….. and I have only done it a handful of times. Thankfully – I could NOT care less if I hit the friggin‘ ball or not…….. and Shawn was pretty much close behind me……. poor ole Grant had to suffer through our antics….. BUT – he got to play a PGA approved golf course in [arguably] one of the prettiest environments you could ever hope to play……..

We laughed and cut up and had just a really dandy time (well, me and Shawn did anyway) for 9 glorious holes…….. no records set anywhere – but I feel really secure saying all of us had a really good time~! We finally dropped our carts and clubs off and headed back to our end of the island……. just enough time for a shower and a nap (for the weenies) before gathering back up here at our house for grilled BBQ chicken wings, hot dogs, French fries and burgers. Bellies full – we sent the kiddlies outside while the adults set in the living room and basically lied to each other all evening – but it was great fun~! Everybody’s bellies full….. even the neighbors who stopped in for a bit… got their fill and headed back across yon hallway….. Wasn’t long before we ran the ‘island kids’ off — took Amanda and crew back to their hotel….. so we could get the joint cleaned up and relax a little bit before our big day tomorrow. My Queen is going to go get new tires for her ride tomorrow (seems as though we have steel belts showing on one tire) while me and the Indiana bunch do an ATV tour with Shawn and Cynthia….. should be a fun day…. at least for us…… and of COURSE there will be pictures~!

Good Night Ya’ll & & & & & & & & & & & & & Thankx for stopping in~!

After a mostly wonderful nights sleep, following a wonderful day of diving with family — we were still up a little early – but that was in part from going to bed a little early…… I think all the ‘divers’ in the group were a little extra tired  😉  My Bride and I took it easy for most of the morning until we got the call that everyone was fit for company. We headed down for another wonderful day on the beach. Drinks, laughs, family, sunshine and that gorgeous blue water. I brought along my little GoPro — and it took turns circulating around the group. I just barely got them uploaded — but haven’t got to edit any of them yet – so I’m gonna put up the rest of yesterdays pictures for tonight.

Grant, Shawn, Dave and me are going to play a short round of golf tomorrow. For me and Shawn, it is a chance to drink beer and enjoy the sites….. I think Grant and Dave may actually try to golf…… but we’ll see. I have actually played the course we are going to tomorrow – and it is gorgeous – so I’ll have lots of pictures from there as well. For now – I’m going to try to come up with a song for FB and then take my tired old touchas to bed…….. I’m pooped and tomorrow promises to be a very full day. (The plan is to come back and I’m gonna grill burgers, dogs and chicken for my Indiana family and our Island family)……. should be a real good time~!!

Good Night Ya’ll : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Thankx for stopping in~!

Up bright and early to get Grant, Sugar Pop and Evie down to the dive shop on time. There they completed all the necessary paperwork [the job is never finished until the paperwork is done] – got sized for their gear and we were soon settling into that gorgeous blue water. I was a bit apprehensive about the Instructor they got, but as it turns out, that apprehension was completely unwarranted. He did an excellent job handling his 3 students and tending to them to ensure their safety. All three of them did great~! One of the smoother Discover dives I have ever witnessed. My little Squirt (Evie) was a trooper – hauling around a full size tank, to and from the shop and water. ((Must get it from her Pa-Paw))  😉  Everybody was treated to lots of fun things to look at while we were cruising around. We saw 4 beautiful turtles~!! Even got their pictures taken with one of them~! We saw a nice small Stingray, some great big ole tarpon and at least a go-zillion other smaller fishes. Sadly visibility, is still hit and miss. I did manage some pretty decent shots and I managed some that left a lot to be desired due to the sand being stirred up. Ya win some, ya lose some. Finally back on land and up to the dive shop to take that heavy gear off~! Certificates in hand and away we went. Everybody wanted showers, and as it turns out was a little more tired than they thought, so it was decided we would skip shopping (for today)  and rest up a little bit before going out for the birthday dinner at Blues……there may have been a nap or two worked their way into the resting part of it.

Everybody cleaned up, rested and ready for some delicious BBQ…… Blues Backyard BBQ – here we come~! Got there and settled in after saying hi to Mr. Jim and Miss Debbie. Beverages [finally] served up – we got our food order put it, in just the nick of time, before the crowd come rolling in……. Jim and Deb outdid themselves with the food….. Chicken, Ribs, Steaks, Steak Sammiches, Brisket, Burgers, hot dogs and ALL the sides. We definitely helped lower their inventory~!! And it goes without saying… was all wonderfully delicious. Back on our quiet little end of the island now…… bellies full….Mouse and company are all relaxing soaking up the A/C — my Bride is sitting there in front of the fan…… moving into our A/C when we head for bed……. What a wonderful day. I hope my Sugar Pop had a wonderful birthday~!

Good Night Ya’ll * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Thankx for stopping in~!

Happy Birthday my Sugar Pop~~ <3

Not necessarily in that order…….. As most of you probably know – our oldest Daughter [Amanda] and her family have made the arduous trek to our gorgeous little island to soak up some tropical ambiance and spend a little time with us….. (hopefully not necessarily in that order) 😉  We got them settled in on our end of of the island in the same little patch of cottages that Jeni and her brood stayed in….. They seem pretty content with it. First night, it wound up getting a little later than we thought while we sipped beverages and kind of got “caught up” – not wanting to ruin the first night there by getting all the adults hammered – I ran out and picked up a bunch of pizza and garlic cheesy bread……. we munched, drank some more and chatted some more until it was agreed it was everybody’s bed time. We left them and came back to the house and pretty much fell straight into bed.  A pretty decent night’s sleep – we got up and took it easy as Amanda and her crew settled into a bit of an island morning routine. We wound up having breakfast here, while they made breakfast there…… finally getting together around lunch – Bulk of the afternoon was spent hanging out in the water, eventually breaking out the adult beverages while we floated, drank and laughed (not necessarily in that order) Knowing the longer we spent in the water – the hungrier everybody was gonna be – I called and made reservations at the little place next door (Beach Side Café)

We finally crawled out of the water around 4:00….. calmed, slightly more tanned/burnt but none the less for wear. We all went our separate ways to get showered up and changed….. meeting back at the café around 6:00. A couple more hours of fun, food and family (not necessarily in that order) before we all got up and waddled away from the table. Too full, too tired….. too much everything for anything else…. so we headed home and left Amanda and Grant to get their kiddlies in bed so they could have a couple of minutes to themselves.

Tomorrow – we are doing Discover SCUBA Dive for Grant, Charlotte and Evie….. It is also Charlottes birthday~! She said she wanted to SCUBA dive, shop and have dinner at Blues Backyard BBQ~! Gotta love a young lady with a plan —  so that’s our plan for tomorrow…… for now…. this old fat boy is pooped and ready for bed…..  take my meds, bathroom stuff, get batteries bump charged for tomorrow  and crash for the day (not necessarily in that order)   😉

Good Night Ya’ll + + + + + + + + + + + + + Thankx for stopping in~!

Sadly……. as I am still trying to get pictures and stuff migrated to this new computer….. I do not have access to a lot of pictures…. so for a while….. you’ll just have to take what I can find…….  [[sorry]]

Up earlier than I wanted and out the door — had to make 2 trips back…. forgetting stuff. I told myself if I had to make a third return trip – I was going to call off diving…… but I didn’t forget anything else and the dives went wonderfully — even got to play with sharks on a couple of the dives…… never got close enough to make it any ‘fun’ – but hey – ya gotta take what you can get. I made 3 dives today – 2 for the morning boat – and then did a quick turn around and did an afternoon boat, It was supposed to be a Jr dive day (where all the kiddlies and youngin’s come on board to dive) but only one young lady showed up – but she dove with the couple of other adults who came along and she did an excellant job — Turned out to be a really fun dive for everybody and I got some real fun pictures.

In other news…… we went out for dinner last night…… have I covered this already ? It sounds familiar….. guess I’m a little more tired than I thought….. some pictures from last night….. and some from today….. just too tired to rattle on any more. A much needed day off tomorrow.

Good Night Ya’ll + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Thankx for stopping in~!