Tag Archives: weather

Quick little note

Some masksThe weather has been great lately. The heat of the summer has passed and it’s been in the low thirties most of the time. With the wind picking up, now that hurricane season is over, it is even more pleasant. Bailey and I have even managed to get some running in.

We have a collection of masks that we’ve purchased over the years in the different countries we’ve visited. When you have walls made of cement, displaying them becomes a problem. Drilling into cement blocks for each mask would have been a nightmare! We came up with a pretty neat solution, I think.

Getting settled

Passport photoIt’s been difficult getting settled into our new lifestyle. Dealing with another country’s bureaucracy is never easy. But we’re getting the hang of little things like paying bills: You have to go to the bank to do that, unlike Canada where you log onto your bank’s internet site and a couple of clicks later it’s all done. And of course, don’t forget to bring your passport when you do so! Everyone here wants to see your passport. (They must have a thing for seeing you at your worst!)

Getting around without a car is not easy. The bus service is not like Vancouver, with buses and trains running every which way dozens of times an hour. When we had to take the car in for routine servicing, we had to first find a garage that would even touch our Buick. We’ve found only one on the island that can do that. The local Chev dealer simply wouldn’t touch our car. Unfortunately the garage is a $40 cab ride away!

A glassy sweeperStill, there are lots of perks to living here as well. The weather for one. It’s the end of October and it’s a very warm 28 degrees. And it’s sunny and rarely rains, unlike Vancouver where it will be gray and rainy from now until February. It sure is nice to be able to go and swim in either the ocean or our swimming pool at any time of the day or night. Our car insurance is about half what it was in BC. Gas is 20% cheaper. Booze is cheaper, although I do miss all the craft beers available in Vancouver.

All in all, it’s been a bumpy transition, but getting easier and easier as we get used to things.

Notes about weather

The view towards Mt BakerIt’s been another crazy year for snow. Walking around right now is still a little treacherous in spots, but no where near as bad as it was last week. And January was brutal for lots of snow and lots of cold. It really does have me considering winter tires for next year, that’s for sure.

Once again this year Pam and I both got sick: Pam was sicker, by her estimate, but insisted it was not the flu. She was sidelined for a good three weeks or more. It was a tough go… another sign we’re getting old I guess.

Stellar photo of BuckThe photo of Buck in the header is an old one, from 2002. Not sure what age that makes Buck, but he looks adorable as usual. So attentive.

Around the Parrot Tree

Parrot Tree ResortWe didn’t venture very far today. We jumped into the ocean here around the resort, and it’s quite wonderful. The reef is really healthy, full of fish and teeming with coral. But we’ve both felt a difference to it, but neither of us can put our fingers on what it is.

A crabMaybe it’s that the fish seem less skittish, or maybe it’s just our imagination. But it’s been great fun exploring. The weather has been typical for the Caribbean in November – a little rainy, a little sunny, a little cloudy – but always nice and warm. Right after a rain, the water is a bit murky, but a couple feet under the surface, it’s back to beautiful and clear.

Ocean triggerfishTake a look at this picture of an ocean triggerfish. Pam took this in about three or four feet of water, and it’s a bit cloudy, a bit dark. It was taken just after a brief rainstorm while we were in the water.

Lionfish Now look at this picture of a lionfish. I took this picture down at about fifteen or twenty feet. A lot clearer, and nice color! Weird eh? We’ve seen far too many lionfish here. Lots of very small ones, too. Not good news for the reef.

We saw a couple of flying gurnards too. Always neat. They have these pretty blue wings that spread when they are trying to take off. We’ve seen them before, but they’re pretty rare.

Flying gurnardWe’ve been eating in most nights. Have only eaten out the once for ribs. The supermarkets aren’t quite as nice as the ones on Aruba and Bonaire, but we’ve managed to find lots of great stuff. We got a dozen big prawns (VERY fresh) for five bucks, a bag of saffron rice (enough to feed four) for fifty cents. For dessert, we got a bag of rambutan (lychee-like fruit with a hairy skin) for a buck from a street vendor, and had them with some pistachio ice cream. Great deal – tasty and sweet!

Here is a brief movie of the ocean triggerfish. You can see how shallow the water is that he is in. His dorsal fins almost touch the bottom, and the top of the water!

Foggy days lately

Max in a bandanaWe’ve been in a fog… and the weather has been crazy too! This year is going to be one for the record books, that’s for sure. First the seemingly endless amounts of snow, and now this crazy fog.

I love the fog, and so does Pam, but we don’t normally get it for such a long time and over such a wide area. I’m going to have to get some shots of the bridges, because you can hardly see them.

Max-Foggy ParkThe one of Max in the fog was taken on Saturday, at Serpentine Off leash park. He’s been a bit restless with all the snow not allowing him to get out and give it a good run, so we’ve been to the offleash a couple times over the last couple of days.

The one of him in his new bandana was taken at the office on Saturday. (I was installing the new server on the weekend – easier to do when no one is around tapping their feet waiting for the databases to get back online.)

He’s doing really well, except for his barking at strangers. I’m convinced it’s because he’s scared, or nervous of them, rather than him trying to be mean. He’s generally pretty good, but still has his moments of barking at strangers.

Here’s a small movie to give you an idea of the thickness of the fog in the park.