More of the Brac

Finally back from the Brac. Now we are all sick with the cold and moping around the house on a sunny Monday morning. We had a great trip except for the flight delay on our return but I guess that's the way it goes. I worked on Friday doing presentations to school kids about birds then had meetings much of Saturday. Hayley, Hunter and Francelia made good use of the pool while I was gone then joined me for the exploration of a newly discovered cave Sat afternoon. It was discovered because a new road goes right over it. The entrance is small but it opens into a large ever decending bunch of tunnels and chambers. Everyone was thrilled by the pristine beauty of the cave; now we must figure out how to protect it if we can.
We also visited Rebecca's Cave and saw two fruit bats roosting and ended the day with a long swim in the pool. On Sunday Carol and I went off to photograph Tropic Birds, then we packed up and moved in to Uncle Darvin's apartment! Watched the Holland-Portugal football game then visited more caves before getting our stuff together and headed off to the airport. Pictures: Uncle Darvin and Mr. Keeley in the newly discovered cave; Hayley, Hunter and Whitney in the same cave, The kids and me decending the path to Peter's Cave (houses in the background can give some perspective), me handing out prizes at Spot Bay Primary School.

Cayman Brac

Great working weekend in the Brac and finally had some time to explore yesterday. Went to the newly discovered cave which is awesome and also discovered a new orchid record for the Brac! This is us at the edge of the bluff; highest elevation in the Cayman Islands at about 140' and also looking in to Peter's Cave. Also went to Rebecca's Cave and other hot spots then a much needed swim in the pool. Stealing a hotel's signal and it is very weak so more to follow when we return home tonight!

Fathers Day

Not that I pay much attention to "Hallmark Holidays", but today was a nice day to be a father! We did what has become a regular Sunday activity; we went out on the boat with the Fosters. Sunny skies and calm clear water, good friends and some fresh ripe mangos, just another nice lazy day. As if that wasn't enough, we then had a swim in Jim and Susan's pool. Now Greg, Francina, H&H and I impatiently await Carol's arrival with the chinese food for dinner!
Another great day comes to a wonderful end.

Slip-n-slide

A sunny Saturday morning so we played out at the swingset then "king of the mountain" with Rex. He was happy for the attention but not willing to give up his territory easily. The whole family gathered at Sharon's for the USA-Italy match followed by fun on the slip-n-slide. I did a presentation at 6:30 for the Ritz Carlton and then being a good psuedo-Canadian I went to Legendz sportsbar to watch the Edmonton game. Francina decided it would be a good cultural experience so Nana kindly babysat for us. The place was packed and we ended it up there until almost close. I wonder what Father's Day will bring? Happy Father's Day!

Rough Day

We had a "rough" day out in the boat in the North Sound. The wind was whipping up from the South and run-off from the recent rains has stained much of the water red. It looked more like the North Sea than the North Sound! But our usual spot by Rum Point was calm and the water crystal clear. We picked up fresh mangoes from the farm and thoroughly enjoyed them in the water. There were lots of baby stingrays and other fish and very few boats. Returned home and gave Rex a much needed bath. Dinner and an early night for all for sure.

Sunday Afternoon

We spent Sunday afternoon visiting with the grandparents then took a swim in Uncle Gary's pool. Rushed home to meet Andrew, Carla and Hayley Reid for dinner at Over the Edge. Always an interesting place for a meal but the food is good ( I had grilled Tuna). Finally the weather is almost sunny and wow is it hot and humid! All the birds are rushing into nesting mode and the males are sporting thier mating plumage including this normally shy Yellow Warbler who was so concerned with chasing off the "other" male in my truck's mirror that I was able to get a decent shot. Tough choices for the Queen's Birthday holiday tomorrow: more football or boating? My bet is we will be boating!

Rainy Week

It was a very rainy end of the week but perfect for watching the start of the World Cup! Total rainfall was somewher around eight inches and there was a lot of lightening and winds gusting up to 50mph. The driveway has about 3-4 inches of water but the sun and wind will dry it off quickly. Had a day of socializing and game-watching on Saturday; watched Germany-Paraguay at Aunt Gracie's, the Trinidad-Sweden game at gymnastics, and the Ivory Coast-Argentina at Granny and Grandaddy's! My team Holland won this morning although not convincingly but the weather is better so will go in to town for a swim at uncle Gary's and then for a visit to the Grandparents. And I was successful in my bid for World Cup tickets, airfare and hotels for two (what a shock!) so will be off to the quarter final game in Berlin on the 30th! I definately needed a few days away but this is more than I had expected. Just wish I had someone romantic to take! Go Holland!

Fresh Fish

For some reason, as yet undetermined, Hayley dressed up as a princess this evening. When we went to the neighborhood store for a couple things we passed Mr. Douglas coming in from fishing with his catch of two lovely "Dolphins" (or Dorado or Mahi Mahi but definately not the mammal) one male and one female; the male has a very blunt head. We bought some very nice steaks which we will enjoy for dinner tomorrow night although Hayley has made it clear she will not be eating "those beautiful fishies"! Hope that goes some way to explaining the picture!

Just another Sunday

A sunny hot Sunday perfect for cooling off in the ocean! Visited the stingrays for a while then relaxed in the quiet shallow water at Rum Point. Everyone was in the water all day and we are all now quite "well done" despite the sunscreen. We had lots of ripe mangoes and a few cold cervezas, the girls took a ride on the tube while Hunter had his nap, and all too soon it was all over.

Disney Cruise

Finally got some pictures of H&H's Disney cruise with thier aunts and cousin Katherine.

Heritage Beach

A great Saturday morning with about 30 volunteers restoring the Heritage Beach site.
We repaired the wall, raked the beach, planted a few dozen trees and plants, put up new signage and cleaned up the area. Then went picking mangoes for tomorrow's boat trip and visited the farm for some fresh Pasion Fruit Drink. H&H were at piano and gymnastics all morning , then to a school fair, visiting thier aunts, and then home. A long day for everyone.

Mist Netting

We were out in the mango orchards late last night with Wildlife Biologist and bat expert Annie Band mist netting and echo-locating bats. The mosquitos were awful and the hurricane has greatly reduced the number of bats around. But right after dark we caught a young female fruit bat which Hayley and Hunter helped remove from the net and take measurements of before Hayley held it and released it! The bat was so cute that both kids were completely unafraid of it and were very comfortable helping and holding it. A little of the wing edge was clipped to do genetic work on them and no more than they would normally lose while foraging in the limbs of the trees. The other excitment of the evening was when a large Tree Frog jumped onto Nana's forehead then fell to the ground with a thump! We also heard freetail bats on the echo locator as they zipped around overhead. A beautiful, clear star-lit night with good friends out in the middle of no where catching bats. Mmmmm.

Little Cayman Again!

On Friday H & H were off to Miami, Orlando, and the Disney cruise with thier Aunts, so Gary, Francina and I took off to Little Cayman for the holiday weekend. Spent most of Saturday and Sunday deep-sea fishing but only caught one small barracuda despite the beautiful flat calm sea. On Monday we did a little in shore fishing and took Francina on an island tour, but by evening it was getting too choppy for fishing outside the reef. On Tuesday the wind really started to pick-up and it even rained a little; probably the first rain in months for Little Cayman! Flew home last night and straight to a meeting so got home finally about 9:30. Highlight of the trip would have to be the variety of marine life we saw including a 6-7 foot reef shark right in front of the house. There were also several nurse sharks of varying sizes, several green sea turtles, and a school of Tuna that chased a school of bait fish right under the boat. And we still couldn't catch one! We also caught lots of bar jacks but released them all with the exception of one poor soul who was consumed by a large barracuda right behind the boat as Gary pulled him in. Pics are the reef shark's fin, Gary and Francina while catching jacks inside the reef, and Francina at Point of Sand. And now its back to work...

What would make a seemingly inteligent single man agree to a sleepover? I guess the joy of kids staying up all night wreaking havok on the house and love? New au pair Francina was a big help and everyone did end up with a few hours sleep before waking up at 6am. The newly opened playhouse will never be the same! It is Sunday and perhaps a nap is in order for the whole household today including Rex. Then hopefully out for the first sail in Hunter's sailboat. It is a sunny, breezy day perfect for it.

Sunday April 30th

A great day on the boat in the North Sound and then dinner out with Granny and Grandaddy.

Summer is definitely here!

Other than the heat, humidity and longer days, there are other ways of knowing summer is here. The appearance of the Rain Bird (Mangrove Cuckoo) and the mosquito spray plane in the sky are also good indicators! The Cuckoo was busy teaching two young ones the fine art of catching lizards and robbing nests much to the displeasure of the Loggerhead Kingbirds, who raised quite a fuss. There was also a noisy flock of parrots this morning providing background music for a wonderful two cups of coffee. The spray plane is busy larviciding the ponds to the south of us in anticipation of the first real rain in months. Yes, those are electrical wires, the neighbor's TV tower and one very frightened dove! Its in the high 80's today (30-32C) but a nice brisk breeze out of the Northeast. Children at piano and gymnastics then to a birthday party. Hopefully we will make the best of the last day of conch season tomorrow on Gary's boat in the North Sound.

Drivin Miss Hayley

Mr. Mom driving the kids home from jazz and tap class.

L-R Me, Hunter, Starri and Hayley. Don't worry... we were safely parked in the parking lot at the supermarket when the picture was taken!

Monday after school

Ann very kindly invited Hayley and Hunter over after school where they met three visiting girls. They had a great time together. The girls have been in the Venezuelan jungle for 8 years and speak a tribal language (and English!). Everyone, including Rex, had lots of fun while I did laundry and tried to find a new nanny!
Then everyone slept really well.

What an Earth Day Week-end! Friday evening we helped re-plant trees along coastal areas levelled by Hurricane Ivan almost two years ago! The Governors office including his excellency Mr. Stuart Jack toiled in the hot sun along with other volunteers. Then Dad was presented an award by the Minister for Tourism, Environment, Investment and Commerce the Honourable Charles Clifford at a reception on Friday night. Saturday we collected Hunter's early birthday present, photos of which will be forthcoming when I figure out how to put it together! Then we celebrated Uncle Gary's birthday at his pool party. Sunday morning was the 5K Fun Run very early in the morning, then our usual calls to friends and family around the world! And with so much company on Sunday afternoon there was not ime for the beach, so Hayley, Katherine and Hunter bathed Rex and then cooled off under the hose out on the porch! Not a bad weekend all things considered!

Last of Little Cayman

Hunter and Daddy on Salt Rocks ironshore, Hayley on the dock, Hunter and Aunt Shir Shir on the tube!