Two at a Time!

Overcast skies and a little wind were not going to stop us from fishing....so off we went to POC in search of reds.  The guide boats were lined up as we put our boat in the water waiting for their customers.  We stopped at one of our favorite spots and soon we both had a fish on....two nice reds in the ice chest.  Another red keeper and a bunch of ones to small kept us busy.  Dale landed a small trout and then another red......we lost a trout that managed to slither away and back into the bay. We had a good day....4 nice reds and a trout to take home.  We loaded the boat and headed to Bubba's in Seadrift for lunch.

300th in Cayman

I left for Grand Cayman with my old friend, Karen for a week of diving.  Karen had never been to Grand Cayman and decided to join me.  After a smooth flight, we grabbed our bags, picked up the rent car before stopping at the grocery store....then out to the condo on the East End.  It was great to see all the folks at Compass Point and Ocean Frontiers.
I showed Karen around the place after we had unpacked and enjoyed supper.  My first dive started the next morning, Sunday and it was great to see friends, Tamara and Dennis on the dive boat. On our first dive the dive master found a large, yellow, seahorse......got some great pics.  We invited Tamara and Dennis to join us for dinner...fajitas, Spanish rice, beans, guacamole, and tortillas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
Monday lots to see under the water and I made my 300th dive on the second dive of the day.  Got a great photo with the dive masters to celebrate.  Dinner that night was with Tamara and Dennis.....always such gracious host and good cooks.  They even surprised me a cake to celebrate my 300th dive!

Two more dives on Tuesday with a seafood lunch at Kurt's Korner, then snorkeling at Rum Point.  We also made a stop at Starfish Beach where we found a few starfish near the beach.  Karen did good snorkeling and decided to book
a snorkel trip out on the boat.
Wednesday I booked the 3 tank Safari and packed a picnic lunch for a day out on the water.  We had some excitement when a fellow diver had a medical emergency on the boat and we made a quick trip to the dock.  What the crew feared was a form on the bends turned out to be some type of allergic reaction.  On the 3rd dive of the trip we encountered a group of 3 black tip reef sharks that circled us on the dive. Karen had booked a 3 stop boat snorkel trip and fell in love with snorkeling.
Thursday I had my last two dives and after Matt found a Dwarf Frogfish I was summoned to take photos underwater.  The whole boat was excited and I was glad to document his discovery with a photo.  Supposedly this creature had not ever been seen on the East End.  After lunch it was time to show Karen around Cayman....Smith's Cove, Georgetown, Seven Mile Beach, Hell, Hurley's Grocery and some shopping downtown before heading back to the condo.
Friday we were up early for our Stingray Trip, arriving at Kaibo to catch the boat at 7 am.  As soon as we anchored the rays began to arrive.  We entered the water and had a chance to feed them some squid.  I tried to get photos, but Karen was excited and not standing still.  After that we headed to a snorkel site near the reef for about an hour long snorkel....Karen loved it.  Next we stopped at Rum Point and almost had the whole place to ourselves.  We enjoyed taking photos, snorkeling, just relaxing in the shade and lunch.
Sadly our trip had come to an end...we packed and did a little shopping before heading to the airport.  The flight was easy, but traffic in Houston was a nightmare!  We pulled into my driveway a little before midnight. 
Cayman was great, the diving awesome as usual, and sharing it with a friend made it special.  I think we both went home with lots of memories to treasure.

Sand Fest!

Wednesday---Arrived in Port A, checked in and unpack at condo, Jimmy dropped off our buggy, Dinner at Beach Station Street Grill......YUMMO the crab stuffed shrimp are to die for!!!!  Weather funky!
Thursday----Up and off to Rockport to shop and get groceries at HEB.  Cloudy and cool, not a pretty day.  Lunch at a deli was soup and a sandwich.  Got some oysters fresh off the boat on Fulton Beach Road. Back to Port A, drove to beach and watched the army of people setting up the event.....tents, chairs, vendor booths, and artist trying to work on the big sand sculpture.  Dinner that night was hamburgers on the grill with a Pina Colado.

Friday-----Up, enjoyed breakfast, then off to SandFest in our buggy.  The sculpting had begun and the artist were hard at work.  We checked out the vendors....looking for something we couldn't do without.  Karen got a 10 gallon hat and I got 2 sun visors with Texas bling!  Back to the condo we had lunch and then went to meet some old high school friends.  It was good to see our classmates and we enjoyed dinner together at Cathy's house.
Saturday---We checked on the shrimp boat and found they were on their way in to the marina with their catch....so off we went to snag about 5 pounds of fresh Gulf shrimp.  After taking  care of the shrimp we went back to SandFest and enjoyed seeing the sand piles take shape.....we began to pick our favorites.  We spend some time listening to the music and more time looking at the vendors.  We also went into town to check out the local store...Karen getting a cute swimsuit and I purchased a dress.


Sunday----A storm hit during the night and it was wet and soggy at SandFest.  Some tents and vendor booths were blown down, water stood ankle deep  some places and it was a wet mess.  The artist continued to work on their masterpieces and were lucky that the rain didn't seem to do much damage.  We rode the beach, went to the jetties and cruised town before heading back to the condo for lunch.  The awards were given out about 4 pm and we were surprised with the picks.  SandFest was over for 2013!!!
Monday ---Up to check on the beach..hoping to get photos after they took down the fence......sure enough we were the first to climb up on the big sand sculpture...just like two kids!  We also found an abandoned beach tepee and took some funny photos. Fried shrimp ended the day and our seafood feast...sure were good.
Tuesday----Packed up and headed home to my honey!

Mustang Beach Fly In

Off the ground bright and early this morning headed to Port A for a fly in at Mustang Beach Airport.  Clear skies, cold temps, and no wind made for an easy, smooth flight....landing a little after 9 am. We were meeting friends we hadn't seen in a long time....that had flown down yesterday.  Lots of planes arrived and it was good to see lots of old friends.  Lunch was a spicy Cajun shrimp boil......with some darn good music. The flight home was bumpy and we had to climb to avoid the thermals....landing at VCT
about 4 pm.

Bonaire Bound!

Dale and I caught the United, red-eye to Bonaire, leaving at midnight and arriving at 5 am.....a killer of a flight!  Whisked away to our resort and given the keys to #8, our condo....we crashed!  After picking up the truck later we went to the new, very nice grocery store to shop.  It was early to bed as we had booked an all day snorkel trip on The Woodwind, bright and early the next morning down at the Divi.  It was a great day out on the water, met folks from Holland and Germany .......and enjoyed a yummy lunch.  On Monday we relaxed, swam in the pool, and enjoyed dinner on the porch while watching a brilliant sunset.  Tuesday I had a 2 tank boat dive with the boat picking me up at the dock of the resort.  With one dive master and four divers on board we headed over to Klein Bonaire to enjoy the beautiful reefs and marine life.  Dale and I enjoyed a late afternoon swim and then relaxing in loungers on the deck over the water. Wednesday I booked a 2 tank shore dive with Alejandro, my private dive master for the morning.  We loaded our gear in his truck and headed South, hoping to see the Manta Ray that had been spotted in the area.  No Manta, but two nice dives with a very nice young man.  After lunch Dale and I headed North to explore the Washington-Slagbaai National Park......a long, long 2 1/2 hour drive on a rough, bumpy road.  We saw playas, bocas, blow holes, salt ponds, and a natural spring that was disgusting!

The most interesting part of the park was an old light house on the North end of the island.  Dale and I were up early Thursday because I had a 2 tank boat dive at Buddy Dive.  Hubb, from Holland rode over with us and was my dive buddy. Dale enjoyed a buffet breakfast while I was diving. Lunch and then off to explore the South end of the island....the slave huts, the Cargill salt operation, pink flamingos and Lac Bay, where the windsurfers gather.  Thursday night we enjoyed dinner at Mi Banana, a place the locals like, the food was good.  Dessert was a scoop of Lover's Ice Cream....I had rum raisin, Dale had chocolate.  Friday we chilled out, swam in the pool and read in the shade.......later we packed for our early flight home on Saturday.  The taxi picked us up at 5:15 am for the short trip to the airport, check-in was slow, we boarded the plane and 4 hours later we landed in Houston.  This was our first trip since Dale was hurt in October of  last year......sure felt blessed to share another adventure!!!

Rain, Cold, Clouds!

Rain, clouds and cool weather in the forecast....but off Karen and I went to the Warrenton/Round Top Antique Extravaganza!  We arrived to find most of the booths still closed....but we checked out the few that were open.  Our major purchase was some delish homemade pasta from a lady from Austin!  Chilled to the bone we managed to find a cup of hot chocolate to warm us up at Rather's, but no one told us to stir!  As more booths opened we looked around, but didn't really find anything we couldn't live without.  Oh, Karen did ...but get an awesome bag ...that I plan to rent on occasion.  Time for lunch we headed to Carmine and JW's Steakhouse....hoping to get warm and find some soup.  After lunch we made a few more stops...the rains came and we called it quits! 
We had fun....but the weather was YUCK!

Loose Screw or Screw Loose?

The saga continues.....Dale has a loose screw! One of the screws in his foot has backed out....minor surgery scheduled to remove!  Friday we made a mad dash to San Antonio to have the screw removed.  A quick little incision and one stitch....and we had the screw for a keepsake.  Now he is back on crutches for about 10 days....at least he has gotten really adept at crutches and a walker!!!!