28 Feb, Tues

Tues, 28 Feb .... tried to get things organized for tomorrow's boat trip. we will leave the dock at 7:30am and go pick them up again. we emailed them a copy of the Release form, so i don't need to take a lot of pens with me, and spend time doing that when we pick them up. John, the original John, is such a nice person ! he said he would be here at 6:30am to help me get the boat set up. i'm going to miss him too. John spent all morning today in the Hyperbaric Chamber helping Jungle Jim with a guy that has been having treatments in there for the last 3 days. the Chamber is capable of delivering 100% oxygen to the patient, this is the treatment for decompression .... this 'kid' works for a 'company' and dives down very deep for lobsters. he was brought in several days ago by a friend, .... because he couldn't walk, ... he was paralyzed from the chest down, due to not following proper procedures for surfacing from deep diving. i guess they don't have good equipment and don't take what they do seriously, and neither does the company they work for. this is the second time this 'kid' has had to have treatments! you'd think he'd learn, but they continue to do it because they make 'good' money. it's VERY expensive to have the treatments; and of course none of the locals ever pay. ...but the kid is now able to walk, still has a catheter and is still having urinary problems .... but he will be ok ... he's very lucky! ....someone has to be in the Chamber with the patient, and today was John's turn. i am enjoying my working days being with Shark Bait .... he is a sweet kitty, but always wanting more food ... i keep giving it to him ... he's a growing boy ! ...this is him, asking for more food ... so after John finished in there, we worked a little more, then finally called it a day. i hadn't eaten since my PB&J this morning and forgot my water. i got cleaned up and went to the Indian Wok for dinner, with my date, ...my favorite MacBookAir laptop, ....i love this laptop! then stopped in to visit with Valentine for a little while. .. so i went home happy :) Skyped with Mom and Daddy .... they're looking good, they are awesome! checked my email at about 9:30. i had an email from the Whale Shark Manager, sent at about 9pm .... the Release Forms didn't get filled out, so we'll have to do that with the guests after we pick them up, .... so there has been a change in plans and we will be leaving a half hour earlier tomorrow than scheduled !!!!! ...i have no way to get in touch with either John, nor either of the Dive Masters to let them know they need to be there a half hour earlier .... this doesn't make me happy ... and it's no way to operate a business ... at least not one i'm part of .... volunteering for :(

27 Feb, Mon

Mon, 27 Feb ... work work work..... seems that's all i do all day :) ... i spent most of the day with John ... a 'new John', who has just agreed to help out, since the other John will be leaving about the same time i'm leaving. so at least there will be some continuity in the program. i think i overwhelmed him with information :( ..... later in the afternoon, the regular John and i met to try to organize the database of prior sightings of Whale Sharks ... which will be a very long project and one that i'm glad i won't be around long enough to have to work on! we did get another request from Utopia Lodge asking for a Whale Shark Boat trip for 12 people and they asked for Wed. ... we checked the wind forecast and it will be really rough in the pm, so we got permission to go out in the morning .. that's good. John has prior commitments, so i'll be on my own for the first time. ..... i'll have 2 Dive Masters with me and the new John, ... all new people ... and me ! Paco and Tulum (that we had Chili with) are leaving in a few days. ...so they had their own Going Away Party and he fixed his famous Chili again ... it was awesome. there was quite a group there from the Dive Shop ... and 2 of the people had already left when we took this picture ... i'll miss Paco, he is one of the good guys.

26 Feb, Sun

Sun, 26 Feb ... got up and treated myself to a Thompson Cinnamon Roll. they are famous here and they are pretty good if you get there when they are warm and fresh. ...not bad for cinnamon rolls without frosting. stopped on my way back for some fresh squeezed OJ in a baggie with a straw in it ... i love that idea ...! went to the Whale Shark office, John and i moved the computer and all related equipment to the other side of the room where it would be more comfortable for someone to input the data from 2009 to present. ...i'd forgotten how much 'stuff' there is with a regular computer, i'm so used to laptops ! ...cords and wires and plugs everywhere ! ...but we got it done. we studied the datasheets that have been completed so far and still aren't comfortable that all the data has been input correctly ... and on which set of datasheets. it seems to be a real mess! we finally called it quits around 3pm and went to Munchies for Chicken Fajitas, ... with a very generous portion of chicken! ... back to my room, took a nap, and waited for Julie. she said she would stop by tonight and we would get something to eat. i waited until 6:30, and she never showed up. .... then decided to go to the Cinema to see some movie i've never heard of. it was an 'art film' .... titled "Future" ... i didn't like it ... it wasn't a happy feel good movie, ... and now i'm in a bad mood :(

25 Feb, Sat

Sat, 25 Feb ... got up and looked outside .... it's still amazing to me that every day is sunny and hot ..... then went to work for a few hours, came home packed up my snorkel gear and headed out to rent a bicycle. ....they are closed on Saturdays :( ...so i walked ... my gear is heavy and it was around noon and the sun was beating down on me and there were no trees ..... do you feel sorry for me yet? ......didn't think so :) i found Ronnie's yellow house and he was there. we walked across the street and looked at the beach; but he said there were better ones down the road .... did i want to see them? ... i did. .... we walked back to his house and got his motorcycle ... yes ... i got on a motorcycle ! .... sure beats walking in the sun :) .... we stopped at this spot .... this is known as the Iron Shore because of the color of the rocks and coral here he started to walk out into the water, i had on my crocs and he had on some rubber-type sandals. all of a sudden he makes a noise .... i look over, and he's holding his foot ... i look down .. and see Long Spined Sea Urchins like these... except the ones he stepped on where tucked down in between the rocks ... OUCH ! ... he stepped right on them .... luckily he had sandals on .... HAD sandals on ... his sandal was gone and it didn't float away ... i think the Sea Urchin sucked it in somehow .... it was no where to be seen! poor him ... that's pretty painful ... there aren't too many sandy beaches around the island, so it was nice to see this one ... so then we got back on the bike and drove into an area that made me forget that we were in Utila ... there were homes here that looked like they belonged in California. this is definitely the 'high rent' district of Utila! ....they have a nice beach area with a pretty big bay in front .... there are pretty strong waves on this side of the island; but i did a little bit of snorkeling and took a few photos. since it was pretty wavy, there was a lot of sand being kicked up in the water, so visibility wasn't very good, especially for taking pictures ... this is the first picture this year i've been able to get of a Squirrel Fish ... they like to hid under the rocks; ...but i caught this one, even though it's not in focus and the light caught a lot of the sand particles .... am still trying to get a picture of a pair of ButterFly Fish swimming side by side ... i'll keep on trying .... these are SpotFin ButterFly Fish.... a Blue Tang .... i think you must be pretty familiar with these by now :) and TWO Queen Angelfish ... swimming away from me, of course .. here are some French Grunts with the stripes ... and in the back a Spanish Hogfish that is orange with a blue back ... i need to do some further research on this fish. it has beautiful red markings and a big eye ... and was hiding deep in a crevice. ... i knew Ronnie was waiting for me, so i didn't want to stay out there too long .... or i would have kept trying to get a better photo so i could ID it ... we visited for awhile sitting in the water's edge, then he gave me a ride on the bike back into town .. it was nice not having to walk. i'll try to go back out there again and snorkel at the first spot we stopped. it will be calmer there with less waves since it's in a protected area went to Mermaid for dinner for fish and chips and used the internet

24 Feb, Fri

Fri, 24 Feb .... at work today, and didn't do much; browsed more files, etc. ... at 2pm i left and went up to visit with Gordo Gato again .. love that cat ... i'm so glad he has a good home. this photo is almost exactly like one i took last year ... he hasn't changed met John back at the Whale Shark office and we went over some things; then i showered and walked down the street to the Driftwood, .... it IS Friday night. .... since i was so disappointed with my Fish Burger, i had to go there and get one, coz i heard theirs is really good ... and it was ! Jungle Jim was there again, and of course, Bruce, the owner. the Barefoot Band was playing there again tonight .... i am SO glad i went there, i didn't know they were playing and would have been disappointed if i had missed them. i was sitting at the bar visiting and also saw Roger, the Vet's husband... and we visited too ,,, it was nice to be somewhere and have people to talk with ..... :) the band started playing and the place was packed. they have really good food there and they were so busy, they had to stop taking food orders because the kitchen was so backed up.... a good night for the Driftwood ! i also talked with a guy, Ronnie, who's great great? grandfather was the second person on this island. he has a place east of town and said i could stop in there and stash my stuff if i wanted to snorkel in front of his place. i've wanted to rent a bike and go all the way out there; but after being robbed, i was hesitant. i think i'll take him up on his offer tomorrow. i left around 11pm and stopped at the Utila Lodge Bar right next door where they do Karaoke ... it was awful ... :( ... i had to leave, and call it a night !

23 Feb, Part 2, Thurs

Thurs, 23 Feb ... Part II ... i took a break from snorkeling and had lunch at one of the 3 places to eat there. i ate at a Fish Burgers, and thought i should probably have their Fish Burger ..... i had heard it was good ... but it was not ... it might have been better if they hadn't smothered it with mayo. then i walked down the street again .... this is the the no-so-pretty part of island living ... everything goes in the water out here ... if you know what i mean :( and the disturbing part ... the local fishermen are not bound by, or ignore, ..... the 'rules' of sustainable fishing .... i saw my first Queen Triggerfish today (the blue-green one) ... 2 of them in fact ... unfortunately they were dead, .... in his bucket ... they are one of my favorite fishes because they are so beautiful .... and ... they are one of the larger fishes that are starting to eat the LionFish ... without them, the LionFish will continue to destroy the reef and take over the seas :( then they clean them and lay them out on the ground, or hang them on the fence/line, to dry ... and yes, there are flies here :( then i went back in the water to see more living fishes ... again, i like the shallows, because they are always teaming with small fishes; Blue Tang, ButterFly Fish, Juvenile Parrot Fish ... this colorful fish is called a TobaccoFish ... i saw these fishes the other day, but couldn't get a good enough photo to make an ID, but caught them today.... i'd never seen any of these before ... they are Harlequin Bass ... about 6" long ... nice markings with black spots on their tails .. i'm always happy to see the colorful Christmas Tree Worms ... the other day i showed you pictures of a Smooth TrunkFish, the one with the black around it's mouth .... this is the Spotted TrunkFish, the one with the white around it's mouth ... i could show you 10 photos of this Spotted TrunkFish, ... he was such a willing subject today ... but i'll stop with three :) ... i noticed this Sand Diver while i was watching the TrunkFish. these guys lay very quietly on the sand, blend in well, and rarely move ... but when they do, you're surprised at how fast they are .......... i swam around in the deep for awhile before finishing up for the day .... i saw this beautiful Azure Vase Sponge down pretty deep and had to try to get down that far to get a shot. ....i really don't know how deep it was ... at least 20ft .... i had to make 5 kicks to get back to the surface ... and then not too far away was another one !!!!!!!! ... a group of Blue Tangs passed through in a band of blues ... before i came back in a Porcupine Fish had to tease me to dive back down to try to get his picture ..... ... i had to laugh as he decided he's had enough of me and took off. ..... watching him from above, his dorsel fin (the one on the top) ... looked like the wagging tail of a happy dog as he sped through the water .... it was so cute to watch .. coming back into the shallows, there was a lot of activity with the ParrotFish busily eating the coral and algae ... their colors were so pretty as the sun was getting lower in the sky ... and they reminded me of cows grazing ... and they are so important to the health of the reef .... and on the way in, i saw lots and lots of these pretty velvety green anemones ... we don't have Nemo here, but that is another Harlequin Bass in the foreground ... at 4pm the boat returned, and we boarded for a bumpy rather wet ride home, although i managed to find a spot next to one of the Dive Masters that was relatively dry. i spoke with several people while i was there, and one gentleman from the UK asked me if i had plans for dinner tonight. an intersting guy ... he flew to California with his bicycle and camping supplies and rode his bicycle through California, through Mexico, part of Guatemala, and now Honduras ... he's headed to Panama ! ... he was taking a break from biking and came to Utila and is getting his Open Water certification. ....biking all that way, with a tent, stoves, supplies, food, water ... everything ..... i can't even imagine doing that .. and by himself .. and he is probably my age+ .....amazing ! so we agreed to meet for dinner at La Piccola, the nice Italian restaurant that i haven't been to yet this year. i had a good meal ... finally ... chicken scallopini, except with almonds instead of mushrooms. we had a nice visit ... then i stopped in to visit with Valentine .... again, ... she just laid in my lap ... totally content ... i'm very attached to her :( she has put on some weight and looks really good. she's a healthy little girl :)

23 Feb, Thurs - Part 1

Thurs, 23 Feb ... i'll split this into 2 posts since i have a lot of photos from today :) .... i took the day off today, ... got up at 5:30 and prepared my snorkel stuff for the day. one of the Dive Shops, Captain Morgans (like that name) ... has a hotel-hostel out on Pidgeon Caye. you can go out there with their boat in the morning and spend the day for about $5 for the trip. so i signed up and showed up. Pidgeon Caye is pretty much all 'locals' ... there aren't any hotels out there, except the one that the Dive Shop uses for their students. ....it's pretty out there ... but there is nothing to do ... except snorkel or fish .... ... it's actually 2 small islands that are joined by a bridge i walked to the other end when i arrived ... that took about 10min :) ... this is a photo of the main 'street' .... NO motor vehicles here!!!!! ..... it was so nice an QUIET ! ... then spent some time snorkeling off their shore, and the island next to it. i showed you another Feather Duster yesterday, ... i found the actual name: Social Feather Duster. .... in this photo you can see the parchment like tubes that they suck into when disturbed. .... their color varies by region ... so they are this color here, but are light brown in Belize, and white in Cozumel. an Intermediate (teenager) Blue Tang ... still has it's yellow tail... a Parrot Fish and a Smooth TrunkFish hiding from me .... this is another type of ButterFly Fish ... the FourEyed ButterFly Fish .... it has a black spot on it's back on both sides. ...it is used to confuse it's enemy to thinking that is its head, .... so it looks like he has 4 eyes .... at night the Blue Tangs display these stripes ...... this guy was young and must have been confused ... remember the other day i talked about the Flamingo Tongue and said that it's shell was actually all white/cream ...? ...so here is a photo showing only the white shell ... i've actually never seen one white like this .. and now this one with the living tissue covering it ... beautiful, isn't it ? a NEW fish ... i've never seen one of these before, never knew they existed ... i recognized it as a type of File Fish .... ....i've seen Scrawled FileFish before; but this is a Orange Spotted FileFish ... i love these Trumpet Fish .... they are incredibly good camouflouging themselves. here he is blending in with the sand and rocks, with beautiful turquoise markings and here he is golden-brown, blending in with the Fan Coral ..and here, pretending like he is part of this Finger Coral ... this is like 'Where's Waldo" !.... i chased and dove deep trying to get a photo of the Spanish HogFish .... this is the best i could do today ... this is a tiny 3" ThreeSpot DamselFish Juvenile ... that darts in and out of the coral i made many attempts at pictures of any one of a number of BlueHead Wrasse ... this is a Barred Hamlet .... i love the design on it's head and face ! ... i saw these for the first time last year ... to be continued on Part 2 ...