Pam and I have been married since 1978, high school sweethearts. I didn’t think I was a pet person, but Pam broke me in slowly, getting a cat. We had a number of cats over the years, usually in pairs.
Then in 1985, we made a life altering decision and moved to Vancouver BC. We took the bus, but our cat flew! haha
Once in Vancouver we found a lovely place right beside a park. That’s when Buck came into our lives. He was an amazing guy – you can find a tribute to him on this site. I would never have believed I could love ย a dog, so easily, so fully.
In 2003, we moved with Buck to our own house in Surrey, about 30 minutes south, and east of Vancouver. We had a grand time. But Buck was getting old, slowing down, and going grey. In late 2008, Buck just started to decline. Sadly, he has left us, but his spirit and joy for life remain.
My heart was so sore and my life seemed so empty without him. I told Pam I felt guilty about it, but I can’t live without a dog in my life. Buck was such a large part of my life, that I felt so diminished by his passing.ย We started looking after a couple of days, but my heart really was too sore. I didn’t think I could dishonour Buck by “replacing him” so soon.
Then we met Max and my heart just broke when I learned his story. I’m sure Buck would approve of saving this lovely guy. I can’t imagine leaving behind a dog I’d owned for seven years. It just boggles my mind.
So this blog was started to celebrate the new arrival, Max. There were no such things as blogs when Buck came to us, so this is all new. I’m not sure how this will progress, or even if it will progress! All I know is Max is coming into my life – and that’s going to be a big change! I can’t wait.
If you want to email Pam, click here – assuming your computer is set up to handle the mailto command, it should work fine.
Good Day to you,
I have been looking thru all your information. I see you have spent the last several years in Curacao. We are planning our first trip ever there and would love some feed back if you don’t mind.
Can not figure out where to stay.. Priorities are as follows:
1) on the beach with a great view as well
2) small causal resort
3) pool
4) restaurant or bar on premises
5) some type of kitchen – nothing fancy just the essentials.
We don’t need golf, massages, Casinos , 300 + rooms, 4 pools or anything of that nature. We would like to keep it around $250.00 per night or under if that is possible. Just a couple from SW Florida that loves the water and snorkeling and not large crowds.
For $250 a night, you can pretty much stay anywhere on the island! We live on Bluebay resort and there are a lots of choices under that price. You could get something right on the water for that. Bluebay has a nice protected beach, a bar, three restaurants and all the hotels have swimming pools as well. Their website is https://www.bluebay-curacao.com/ …. You could also find villas to rent with pools on Bluebay for that kind of money.
Bluebay’s snorkeling is some of the nicest on the island as well. There is a grocery store quite close. It’s about midpoint between the airport and the historic downtown. I would strongly recommend you rent a car, since there are SO many beaches to see on the island.
Currently the island is “closed for business” until at least May 11th due to the covid-19 lockdown. But it is a great island to visit any time of the year. Temperatures are usually in the low 90s all year long, and there is no threat from hurricanes.
The Avila Beach Hotel right downtown is quite interesting as well. It’s quite close to the finest restaurants on the island (Kome, The Wine Cellar, Fishalicious, etc) and is right on the beach. Their rooms are quite nice but no kitchens.
I would also suggest you take a look at the Royal Sea Aquarium. Their rooms are really amazing, with lovely kitchens. A lot of rooms have ocean views, and their pool is lovely, with a hot tub as well (not something you find a lot of on the island). It’s about as far from the airport as you can get, but puts you in close to alot of nice beaches like Caracaiisbai, Jan Thiel and the Spanish Waters. They have a snorkeling spot that is the best on the island, but it can be tough to get to on windy days – which would be most of the year!
Hope that helps.
Hello,
We just got back from Aruba and I found your web site while trying to identify some of the fish I saw while I was there. The underwater photography on your web site is excellent. Looks like you’ve visited a lot of the same islands that we have. We have a yellow lab named Bailey also (and a chocolate lab named Kahlua!). The design and content of your site is impressive.
Thanks for the kind words! Glad you found it useful.
Thanks Debbie,
that handsome fella is a gal ๐ She’s a beauty alright ๐
…Pam…
Pam,
Just made it over to check out Bailey and WOW what a handsome fella!
Debbie from KK
Hello You Two;
Long time since August…enjoyed your travellog and now we want to
have a page from your Halloween Fun.
Lots of love, Mom & Dad
I can tell you where one octopus hangs out – he’s been there two years in a row! Enter the water at Boca, swim “north” towards Malmok. When you get to the reef, look for the engine block in the water. Turn back towards Boca, and swim parallel to the beach, and you’ll see two large rocks. The one slightly closer to the beach has a big split in it. The octopus hangs around that split.
i love seeing pics of tropical fish in aruba, im am currently there now and i am going out tomorrow trying to find an octopus at Boca Catalina beach, Today we had seen 3 very very vibrantly colored eels and some sort of brown and white snake, also next time when you are there try looking for some bearded fireworm but dont touch! Also very nice setup on the website