This was a nice one, hope you don't mind me sharing. We cut down 4 banana trees, trimmed up the brown leaves, and trimmed up the palms this afternoon, after the rain, and filled 8 garbage bags. I was thinking as we were throwing those perfectly good banana leaves away, that I need to learn how to cook with them.

Anyhow, I'm going to say it like Ania (Ahn-E-a) from Cuba, a coworker, says it. Lake Fant-a-SEA-ya at sunset. Lake Fantasia, or Fan-TAZE-ya for us Gringos.





Short work week, or broken work week ahead, for all us in the US. Needed. 'Night all!

Nice Kathy - Thanks for giving me a little bit of Florida while I'm in the mountains!

Hey Timmmmy, there are mountain adventures. How long are you there?

We used to take the kids to the Nantahala and on to TN and Franklin, NC, for gem mining. Found all my stones this weekend and WOW I must be rich (lol), and this pic, which is right after Larry flew up in the air and we fished him out of the water, and then we're headed down a waterfall. lol Good times in the mountains. Great times.

And the caves, and Chattanooga, and just all that stuff were so special to us. This is a beautiful planet, and we surely have to enjoy all of it.

Gorgeous sunset, Kathy Like the reflection on the water - very peaceful

Cute lizard on your screen!

Just gorgeous Kathy!

I am going to have to come over there and have sunset & wine with you! That is just to temptingly pretty! After Bonaire....single digit countdown starts tomorrow!!! So, for today, TEN!

23 for me, Pegi - we're doing "tag team" Bonaire trips. lol

Kathy - We are here till next Monday ... I have done the rafting trip down the olympic course on the Ocoee River(5 class 4's in a row )

Kathy, beautiful sunsets! wow, I'd have a glass of wine every night looking at that! You need to learn how to make baskets out of the banana leaves...lol!

I can't really countdown to anything...lol! It is a bummer having the Fourth right in the middle of the week! We have a couple of friends coming in for the day.

Had a great beach dive yesterday in Laguna. I thought the vis was 10-20 feet, but Michael said it was more like 7-13...lol! I'm not very good with distances. He reminded me how quickly we disappeared during the dive...lol...so I said, ok, you're right...it was still great. Saw lots of cool stuff...and there was a whole lot of sex going on! lol! I kept telling Dylon to close his eyes...

Really nice pics, Kathy! Not being on the water here in Jersey, I appreciate seeing sunsets like that!

kathy, I always love your pictures1
Cynde, I'm so looking forward to a little SoCal diving in August! Are you using the drysiut now???
No diving for me this weekend...Eric has been so crazy at work that I called a time out: no strenuous recreations, no long drive anywhere...ate out, took walks, saw a matinee. I got a new barbecue, little round thing that can double as a fire pit, and we barbecued and sat out til late last night. I'd been stripping ivory off of old piano keys, so we kept tossing the stripped keys into the fire. Very relaxing. I hope we were quiet enough for our very good neighbors, who go to bed early...

beautiful sunsets

Our best laid plans... I had originally planned on kayaking on Sat with friends because G was working on the heli but he promised to be home early and really wanted to go. So I put off kayaking and puttered around the house but OOPS! he got home later than planned and we ended up hanging out drinking wine with the neighbor. Then yesterday, G was on duty so I figured I'd work too so that today we could kayak and play... well, because of the hot dry weather their are keeping everyone on... he's on the heli again today At least if he's going to get force-hired he's doing something he loves - and the overtime will come in handy for Bonaire

Thanks for the pics Kathy - oh btw... thanks also for the input on the camera. Unfortunately, it's a computer glitch It just freezes up (sometimes LCD is on, sometimes off). We had to remove & replace the batteries to turn it off a few times. The girl at the camera shop is a friend so she's got us covered.

CB, yes on the dry suit, but only boat diving...too much weight to walk up and down the 1000 steps at Shaw's cove...lol! Surface temp yesterday on one computer said 71, I don't believe it...at depth it was 63...other puter (new one) said 69 at the surface, and 64 at depth...I wore my 3mm gloves, 7mm suit, and was nice and toasty! I lost my 5mm hood, so have been wearing the dry suit hood and LOVE IT...lol! much easier to get on, has the zipper, and matches up nicely under the 7mm.

We saw some cool things yesterday, these big slug things, I need to look up the name of them...I stopped to hold onto a rock to keep me from flying back out on the reef, looked down, and there were like 6 of them having an orgy. Someone said they do orgy mating...lol! One HUGE sea star on a pile of barnicles...dinner! Lots of lobster and sheep crab carcasas...so they are eating and mating all over the place...lol!

Can't wait till you guys get down here for more diving too

Boom, poor guy, I think it is going to be a bad fire season...

Kini, were they Aplysia Californica???? My favorite!!! I don't see them here like I used to. I'd guess the temp swings have suppressed them but don't know.
Ok...work for me. My first job is about a quarter mile from here, so of course I'll be late...

CB, yes! That's them! They were everywhere!

I should get my butt in gear but I've got the scanner on and it's popping.
Guy is in the air, a fire has started at Davey Brown Campground which is not that far from the one that started on Saturday night. It is 60% contained at just about 500 acres.
I did a Google map of the area and it looks like it's a long way but it's really not... Paradise Road (where the Santa Barbara Rangers Station is) is just over the hill - about 30-45 mins by car.
Guy says it's the most beautiful site from the air.


well, they are returning the water tenders so that's a good sign... I'd better get going or there will be no sunset pics for me....
sorry to highjack your thread Kathy

Tara, not hijacked! Sorry to hear about another fire, and hope your hubby is OK. We're in rainy season here, a rain shower almost every day, so our fire threat is over. But, it never rains in California, the song says. I wish for you guys...RAIN. So you can enjoy time with your hubby and not worry.

We didn't get to kayak either, because we got a downpour, and Christine, who is on the Gulf side (I'm bay side), said the water was choppy and the wind was kicking. Not here, it just rained and rained, then steamed - which is when we were out cutting down banana trees and trimming the palms. Man. Like a steam room. But if we don't cut down some of the bananas, the rest won't produce fruit, so we have to.

ANYWAY, another day we'll do our kayaking. We're going to buy some used ones, to use on the lake and river and see how that goes. Lots of people kayak on the lake here. Christine's been doing alot of kayaking and she says it an amazing workout, without even knowing it. That's the kind of workout I like.