Just wanted to let everyone know that my daughter Sarah aka Sea Squirt finished her Open Water certification this weekend in Aurora Reservoir here in the Denver area. Hopefully she will be able to accompany Sherry and myself to Bonaire in the not too distant future so she will be able to experience what draws us all there. I was doing some of my dive master internship there also and can report that the water at 20 feet was 68 degrees and the visibility was 10 feet or less.

Aquaman

Barry, sounds like diving around here! Tell your daughter congratulations, I am sure you must be very proud!

Only a little...

Congratulations to Sea Squirt - Ten feet viz, huh.....guess it beats walking on land, yeah? If she can do that, she will be certainly addicted to Bonaire - more cost for you, but more fun, too.

BTW - are you the BIG Barry with the Little Sherry that came to my deli? I think you are - if so, HIIIIIII, if not, HIIIIIII anyway.

Way to go Sherry! The viz is all downhill from here (unless you're diving in the Niagara River
Congrats to all the Bakers, and start planning that dive vacation now!

Man, beat out by a little sea squirt - I've just GOT to get certified soon! Congrats to BIG Barry, LITTLE Sherry, and SEA SQUIRT!! What a great summer you've had!!

My congrats to Sarah, the Sea Squirt. Oh, yeah...you too, Pops. How's the wound coming? We need you to get better so you and Sherry can come play.....

i also am very proud of sarah for getting her certification, she is a total joy to be around and her enthusiasm is contagious- just like her dad. today sarah leaves to go back to her mom and school in tennessee. we all will miss her, but i will miss her riding horseback with me. she is my riding buddy.

Which deli is that?

LOL...

Congratulations Sarah!!! Barry, you must be a very proud Daddy!!!! Good to hear from you again!

I know you are proud of her. Our two youngest got certified this summer for our trip to Bonaire. They just loved diving in Bonaire. They keep wanting to know when we are going back! What part of Tennessee did Sarah return to?

Well, when it was open, it was the only American deli on island - The Sandwich Factory. So, since you had to ask I guess you are not the Barry and Sherry I knew. Sorry

Barry..You had great sandwiches and always appreciated the delivery out to our townhouse at Lighthouse Beach. Also the best chili on island!

seems funny , another barry and sherry in bonaire. oh, well. hope to be there with in the year. we never did make it to the sandwich factory, wish we had.

i hope to spend enough time on bonaire over the years to try every single place to eat, shop, dive, explore, and visit with people!!!!!

Congratulations to Sarah, from another newly-certified diver --- just this morning. It's great to see these young people start so early. I know my saga would have been much easier if I'd even been able to learn to swim before age 44. Oh, how fear can bind us. However, I'm here to confirm that we can break free..

Way to go, Sarah!

And congratulations to you too Josie. Next time we meet there you will be diving the reef cam with us.

Barry Baker

PS Sarah and her sister live with thier mother near Chatanooga

Chattanooga is the nice part of the state. We live outside Memphis,(Elvis Death week is going on now), in the flat, unattractive part of the state!

Tony...thanks. The business may be no longer, but the licenses (food & beverage), processes, recipes and an expert advisor are available...no delivery, you have to come to Bonaire to live and get them

My most memorable compliment was from 4 Texans who tried to bribe me for my chili recipe - they wanted it for the big chili competitions in Texas. It's still a secret

Sherry/Barry...yeah, really strange. I think they were from the South, maybe even Texas......He was massive - at the time, I weighed about 230 (down to 200 now) and he dwarfed me. And Sherry, she was about 5'1 or 2, weighed about as much as Northern divers weight belts.

Bravo Sarah (Sea Squirt...just LOVE that nick name!)!! I envy you your youth and all the time you will have ahead of you exploring the deep blue seas of this earth. Congratulations and enjoy yourself and learn to love, respect and appreciate the good earth and all she has to offer. Carole

I hate to say it Barry but that does sound like us but I am afraid its not. Also weird, I am from Texas.

Barry Baker

BARRY GASSER, it really does sound like us, but you can look at a photo of barry on his profile. dont have mine there yet. barry is from texas but i am from north dakota (and short)
so i dont sound like the south but do have a northern accent, so i have been told. of course i dont think so! lol!

i grew up next to canada and montana. beautiful country there but super cold in the winters. we now live in colorado, sort of met in the middle of the usa i guess.

and barry, i really dont think we were at your sandwich shop when on bonaire in feb. the past 2 years.

i wish we that we had visited the sandwich shop. i wish we could be on bonaire long enough to try every place. we had to eat in our room part of the time, you know the peanut butter sandwich and mac and cheese story. sherry

Sherry...you would have remembered me cuz you called me in 1999 at my home and told me all about your new business and how well you (my S&B) were doing....

The Sandwich Factory closed its doors in May of 2000 after 5 1/2 years of quality sandwiches and pizza. For those of you who hold pink cards (buy 12, get one free), sorry.

I know..that was the one thing I was really upset about last year..I had finally filled my pink card and looking forward to my free sandwich...Subway really dos'nt compare..we miss the Sandwich Shop...all things must change..but not too much ! Any other reccomendations for sandwich places now ?

Ssve it....one never knows about the future. TSF still exists on paper.

Late congrats to Sarah. I did my open water dives at nearby Chatfield Res. 11 years ago, with similar vis & lower water temp. My only warm-water diving was in Cozumel 6 years ago, right after hurricane Roxanne, & the 20-25' vis wasn't quite what I had been looking forward to. I will be leaving for my first trip to Bonaire in 2 days- can't wait!