More Explorations of Mexico- Leon and Guanajuato

I spent most of the month of August in Mexico. I’ve been working on getting residency there and hoping to be able to move sometime soon. I’ve been exploring around the country, trying to find a place I’d really enjoy to call home. So far, I’ve been to Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Juarez, and Tijuana along the border. Cancun, Merida, Playa del Carmen (North) and Ciudad del Carmen (South) on the Yucatan Peninsula. Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan on the West Coast. Mexico City, Leon, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Toluca, Morelia, San Miguel de Allende in the mountains. And Tapachula at the Southern border.

So far, I’ve decided that although I love being near the ocean- for the beaches, and the opportunities to sail, snorkel and SCUBA dive- it’s just too dam HOT and humid for me. I’m just tired of being hot and sweaty all day long whenever I step outside the air conditioner. I grew up in Florida, have lived in coastal Texas since, and it’s always been hot and humid where I live- but I’ve never liked it. Never really enjoyed it- tho it was much better in Florida when I was young. I lived directly on the water then and was swimming and sailing practically every day. We also had a decent sea breeze that helped a lot. In Texas, I spend as much time as possible in the AC- almost never go outside in the summer ( where high temperatures last most of the year).

This year I was concentrating on the central part of Mexico. Up in the mountains. I flew into Cabo since that’s where I was dealing with immigration for my visa. I transitioned over to Leon to start looking around. I spent a few days in each city, more if I really liked it less if I didn’t.

Leon didn’t impress me much, tho I’m sure I could have found more to excite me about it if I had more time and interest. It seemed just another big city to me. It didn’t help that I had a not very good experience with the taxi I took from the airport to my Airbnb. The driver really had no idea where I was going but refused to admit it. He dropped me off saying it was 200 m down the block (it wasn’t). I wound up wandering around for over an hour before a nice policewoman helped me out and basically took me by the hand.

The place I stayed at was beautiful, had everything I needed and was just a few blocks to the center of town where I was interested in exploring. I just walked around looking at the churches, hanging out in the parks people watching and listening to the wandering mariachi bands.

I just didn’t feel like Leon was the right place for me. I soon moved on to visit Guanajuato, Queretaro and San Miguel de Allende. These 3 turned out to be some of my favorite cities (so far).

Guanajuato has an interesting history and some unusual features. It’s very hilly and even the central part has some fairly steep streets (like the one where I was staying). It’s also riddled with tunnels from the old days when they were created to divert the rivers from flooding the downtown area. 

It gives the centro almost a medieval feel. The sight lines are short, so every few minutes you’re looking at something new. The colorful buildings are full of interesting shops selling everything from shoes, clothes, leather, writing supplies, arts of all kinds, and food. Panaderias (bakeries), butcher shops displaying delicious smelling baked chickens at the entrance, chocolaterias selling amazing hot chocolate and candy. Street vendors at every corner offering elote (corn- on the cob or cupfuls with your choice of added flavors: mayonnaise, jalapeño, lime, chile, cheeses, salt/pepper, and more).

I spent my time there just wandering around, I hadn’t planned anything. I noticed a statue of Don Quiote at the bottom of my street and wondered about it. Turns out Guanajuato has a Cervantes Festival every year. I noticed a museum with another statue outside. Turns out it was a pretty cool little museum on Cervantes and Don Quiote (more on that later). I spent a couple of hours there admiring the artwork. Definitely worth a visit if you’re into Cervantes or art (painting, sculpture, writing). 

The street I was staying on- pretty steep!
One of many statues of Don Quixote, they pop up in all kinds of unexpected places

Every evening there was something going on. Groups of actors dressed up in costumes from the old days passed out flyers to the International Cervantes Festival. People hung out in the plazas to meet friends and relax while the mariachis serenaded couples and families out for a birthday party. 

Actors dressed up for the Festival Cervantes
Mariachi music in the park
Local group of musicians playing for free in front of another beautiful church

I really enjoyed my few days in Guanajuato. I’d definitely go back. 

September- Working for Adriatic Marine

I returned from Mexico late on August 30 and thank god I had work waiting for me. I had to rush around to get caught up and ready to leave for work on the 1st of September. That only gave me 1 day to get everything done that I could. 

Most important was to get a doctors appointment. Urgent need for that. Since I am a merchant marine, I must apply for a license to work from the United States Coast Guard. If they do not approve, I am not able to work. I don’t like that fact. Not at all. I think it’s completely against the foundational principles of our country (and basic human rights) that anyone should have to beg permission from the government in order to earn a living. But, I don’t really want to go off on that tangent right now (later I probably will)…

So. Part of what I have to do in order to be allowed to work is to take a USCG approved physical every 2 years. My latest medical certificate expires mid-October. So I can’t work after that until I get a new one. Send the physical in and (if) they approve it, then I can continue to work. I sent it in early August. I didn’t want to turn it in any earlier since the earlier they get it, the more time they remove from your ability to work (they date your medical certificate from the date of your physical). On August 29, they sent me an email that they wanted more information and a letter from my doctor before they would approve me. At one point they had asked for that info but stopped- told me I didn’t need to send it to them anymore so I didn’t. Now, they wanted it again. 

Thank god I had time to call my doctor and she was able to see me. I called from Mexico since I had only 3 days maximum to get this all done. I got home from Mexico late on Wednesday, August 30. Doctor was closed on Thursday. I was at her office at 0730 on Friday and had to leave for work that afternoon (flying to New Orleans). 

I made it to the boat on time that Friday evening and nervously waiting for test results and letter from my doctor to be approved by the Coast Guard for the next week and a half. I was SO relieved to get that email from them that I was approved (finally) and they had mailed my certificate. Now, I just have to get home to get my mail! 

I’ve been working through CLS this hitch. They got me a gig with Adriatic Marine on their supply boats. I got on the Caribou on Friday, September 1. Switched to the Axis on the 6th, the Red Stag on the 11, and the Bison on October 5. I’m still on the Bison and hoping to stay here until crew change. 

Red Stag at MC-650. Blind Faith with Safe Concordia alongside for personnel transfer

We’ve been running from Fourchon out to MC-650. Working for Chevron with the Blind Faith and the accommodation vessel Safe Concordia. It’s about a 12 hour run and the weather has been pretty rough the past couple of weeks. I think we’re having an early winter. Temps at home have been getting down in the 50’s at night. We don’t usually get that cool until late November. I’m looking forward to some of that. 🙂 

I’ll only be home for 2 weeks. They’ve asked me to come back here and I’ve already agreed. This job is pretty good. I’m working as DPO and these boats hold pretty good. This one has an MPT (Chouest) system, but the Red Stag has Kongsberg (which I definitely prefer). We’re just doing deck cargo (no bulk) so just have to pay attention to weather (no hoses to worry about). We do a lot of back and forth between the Blind Faith and Safe Concordia. Breaks up the day. Lately we’re doing a run to the beach every couple of days so I’m hoping we’ll be able to crew change at the dock instead of by helicopter. 

*(I wrote this while at work a couple of months ago- in September)

FOTD: Orchid

I’ve been at work the last couple of weeks (finally), so I haven’t been able to get online much. We just got back in to the dock and my phone started working again. Things have slowed down a bit now, so I’m taking the opportunity to check out the blogosphere and found Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge for today. So here’s my orchid shot…

Bluff Cove Lagoon

The muted wintry landscape sped by, shaded a weird blue hue by the vans tinted windows carrying us across the island to Bluff Cove. The browns of the tall withered grasses and deep greens of the heather lying close to the ground were broken up by weird rivers of broken rocks. This “stone run” landscape is unique to the Falkland Islands, caused by the erosion, thawing and freezing of the last ice age.

the landscape was so blue looking through the windows
this is more like it really looked

Bluff Cove Lagoon lies on the opposite side of the island from Stanley, about a half hour drive. Final approach to the farm passes over low rolling hills on a rutted dirt track to a wide spot where we traded in our vans for a fleet of 4 x 4’s (jeeps).

Speeding along in our jeeps, bouncing across sheep-shorn green grass and grinding through deep muddy ruts, we’re dropped off with a short speech at the rookeries near the beach. A flock of about 1000 gentoo penguins along with another 20 pairs of the kings we’d come to see were nesting there. Squeaking and preening, poaching rocks and tending eggs, they paid us no mind as we stood at the marked boundary and hustled for photos.

Along the edge of the lagoon, another 10-15 kings and their chicks- looking like fluffy brown puff balls- huddled in the steady cold wind. They paid no attention to us, but threatened the occasional goose that wandered to close to their chicks with their long sharp beaks.

It was wonderful to get so close to these wild birds. We were told not to approach closer than 5 m, but the birds apparently never got the memo. 🙂

It was a beautiful sunny day, but the wind was strong and it got so it was hard to hold my camera steady. With hundreds of penguin photos, I was ready for a hot drink. Picking my way through the fields littered with pellets of goose poop, I stopped at the top of the rise to take in the gorgeous seascape before me.

impossible to avoid the poop

The ocean was a dark teal color, with breakers shining electric blue as they rolled onto the blindingly white beach, the wind blowing streamers of spray and sand upon the few brave birds searching for food along the shore.

The Sea Cabbage Cafe beckoned with the smell of hot chocolate and baked goodies in the air. The small kitchen bustled with friendly chefs, all ready to suggest their favorites among the many options to choose from: lemon drizzle cake, Hattie’s famous carrot cake, scones with local Diddle Dee jam and farm fresh cream, chocolate chip, peanut butter and coconut lace cookies, chocolate cake and even gluten free varieties. Yum!

Maybe I should’ve spent less time with my cameras and more with the cookies? I didn’t even have a chance to check out the gift shop before it was time to head back to the vans. Next time, for sure. 🙂

Stanley

The capital of the Falkland Islands, Stanley is a small town of only about 2500 pop (2016 census). I wondered how isolated and deprived the local people might feel, or if they missed much the ‘advantages’ of the big cities of the rest of the world. I wonder if they get sick of all the tourists tromping through their town when the cruise ships come in?

I think I wouldn’t mind living somewhere like Stanley. It has all I need- boats to work with, friendly people to talk to, museum, shops, restaurants, hospital, pubs, and beautiful scenery to walk around in.

they even have a distillery...
and a brewery

Sadly, I didn’t get much of a chance to hang out and BS with the locals or sample the local delicacies. We were only there for the day and there was so much I wanted to do.

After stopping in to check out the local Seaman’s Center, I followed the paved footpath along the harbor front from the ship into town. There were informational signs along the way to describe the sights and the different birds to see along the way.

I detoured across the road to take a look at the cemetery. A large monument- the Cross of Sacrifice- tops the central stairway flanked with poppy- painted stones in remembrance of those killed in war.

The gates were closed, so I just peeked over the fence and continued walking along the harbor front, appreciating the history lessons I was getting from the signs along the way.

I noticed a couple of sailboats at the boat yard as I approached downtown. I was expecting more traffic, this being pretty much the only port for thousands of miles. But I guess maybe that’s why there wasn’t more?

There used to be a lot more. I really wanted to see the old sailing ships. Stanley Harbor is littered with the wrecks of about 20 ships- 100 more scattered around the Falklands. I had already passed by the wreck of the Afterglow- a 1920’s patrol boat- next to an old chimney used to burn the bones in ‘Hutchies’ slaughterhouse. All that’s left of the Afterglow is the boiler.

wreck of the Afterglow
remains of Hutchies slaughterhouse

Downtown Stanley looked like a what I imagine a small British town from the 1950’s would look like. A two-lane main street with shops, cafes, and government offices clustered in the center. The famous whalebone arch and cathedral are right across the street from the Post Office with the red phone booths outside. The streets are lined with neat little houses and well tended gardens. A couple blocks from the Post Office brings you to the Falkland Islands Museum.

looking past the whalebone arch to the names of ships that have protected the islands
interior of the ‘Southernmost church in the world’

Continue past the museum to find ‘Victory Green’ with a few old cannons and the mizzen mast of the SS Great Britain. The famous six master of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. She was launched in Bristol (UK) in 1843. She was the longest (322′) and most advanced passenger ship in the world from 1845-1854. She was the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic in 1845 (in 14 days). She had a troubled lifetime, including being sold for salvage once and being sunk for 33 years in Stanley. Eventually, she was raised, restored and is now a museum ship back in Bristol.

For such a small and out of the way town, they do have a lot of war memorials, and they’re all well tended to. The 1982 Liberation Memorial is just past the museum, and after another couple of war memorials (Royal Marines, Battle of the Falklands, and 1914 Sea Battle of the Falklands), you’ll finally find the wreck of the Jhelum.

1982 Liberation Memorial

She was an East Indiaman, built in 1849 in Liverpool. Abandoned in 1870 after suffering much damage in a storm and just barely able to limp into Stanley. I was a little disappointed. There really wasn’t much left of the Jhelum. The weather had turned nasty again, with high winds and cold, so I decided to head back to explore the museum.

wreck of the Jhelum

It was full of all sorts of interesting items explaining Stanley and the Falkland Islands. History, battles, biology, botany, Antarctica, and stories of day to day living were on display. I was especially fascinated by the artifacts of nautical history upstairs (of course). They had photos, paintings and pieces of the ships that called on their port during the heyday of the great sailing ships.

They had ships wheels, and ships bells, figureheads and furniture, chart tables, samples of salvaged cargos (ink), silverware, and so many more interesting items.

ink bottles salvaged from the John R Kelly

I would’ve loved to stay longer, but signed up for the tour over to see the king penguins on the other side of the island, so had to get going. Maybe one day I can return to spend more time.

Lens-Artists Challenge #80- Leading Lines

I always enjoy these photography challenges whenever I see them. I love to see the beautiful photos everyone posts, and I like to share mine too. 🙂

Here’s the link to this week’s challenge- Leading Lines.

And here are a few of my photos.

#Vernadsky Station, Antarctica
interior of the Cathedral on Plaza de Armas, Santiago Chile
boardwalks leading to the ‘tents’-Mpingo Ridge Tanzania
this one’s leading right out of the photo 🙂 Cancun, Mexico
gazebo on Lake Ponchartrain, at Fountainbleau State Park LA

I hope you like my photos, if you click the links in the captions, you can find out more about them. 🙂

Tuesdays

Tuesdays are my busiest days of the week. I’ve started going back to painting class Tuesday mornings. I was taking a class in oil and pastels, but the lady who taught that class ‘retired’. So I had no class to go to for a while.

Recently, they started a watercolor class that I’ve been going to for a couple of weeks. Here’s a couple I started last week. I think I need to add something- any ideas?

I’ve always loved art. Wether it’s making my own, or enjoying someone elses. Painting, photography, writing, music, sculpture, dance, etc. It’s all good. 🙂

Watercolor painting is very different than oil painting. It seems harder to me because you can’t easily correct a mistake (or maybe I just haven’t learned how yet). It seems easier to me in that it’s a lot ‘looser’. You can just paint a lot faster, or at least it seems that way to me.

my latest- it’s not finished yet either

After paint class, I like to go to the movies if there’s anything interesting showing. The theatre has specials on Tuesdays. It’s only $5 for the movie and they have a $5 popcorn + drink special. If I go any other day it’s about $20!

Last week I went to see Just Mercy. Wow! I thought this was a great movie. Not one with special effects or tricks, but high drama and a very compelling story. It’s about a black lawyer (Bryan Stevenson) who graduates from Harvard and goes down to Alabama to work with death row inmates.

The film concentrates on his work with Jimmy D (Walter McMillian)- a black man who was wrongly convicted of killing a white woman in 1986. You might think that people would be glad to have justice served. Nope. It really upset me to watch this film and see how wrong I was (am). It amazes me how corrupt our system (still) is- and not just for black people, tho I am absolutely positive that poor blacks get treated a lot worse than rich whites (or rich anybody).

All of the actors did a great job. Jamie Foxx and Micheal B. Jordan played the 2 main characters, they did a fantastic portrayal. I was raging and crying right along with them. I highly recommend this movie. It’s based on a true story. I’m sure there are many similar stories going on today. We still have a long way to go to achieve our ideals of a free country with liberty and justice for all. A long way. This film is a wake-up call, if enough people will see it and take it seriously.

After the movie got me all riled up, I went to my Tuesday night meet up of the Campaign for Liberty. We meet every Tuesday at the Wayside Pub. I haven’t been going much lately. Mostly because it’s so depressing to me. We get together and talk about all the crazy shit that’s happening around the USA and the world. The concentration has been on what an individual can do to remove themselves from the mess. Some people are seriously committed to that.

I prefer to concentrate on fixing the actual problems. Sadly, I still don’t find any solutions at those meetings. I don’t see any way to fix anything all by myself. It takes numbers and the general populace just isn’t interested in anything but having “their guy” win- regardless of how that will harm the situation in the long run. The meeting is just a social event for me now. I don’t make it a priority anymore, but I do still like to go. At least there I can talk to other people who understand my concerns. I wish more people would, but I understand how it’s so much easier to ignore it all. I just wish I could do that myself.

Friday Fun- Water

Here’s my entry for the Friday Fun challenge- Water.

FOTD- Roses

Here’s my response to Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge- Roses.

Drake Shake?

Nope. Drake Lake again. We had beautiful sunny skies and calm seas all the way from Elephant Island to the Falkland Islands. A journey of almost 1,100 miles. I love spending time at sea!

We spent the day relaxing onboard, we had our choice of lectures, science lab, knot tying class, puzzles in the lounge, sauna, pool or hot tub on the back deck.

I went to the class on knot tying. I was surprised how many people were interested. There was quite a crowd. It was pretty basic (for me). We practiced tying square knots, granny knots, clove hitches, half hitches, running hitches, bowlines, and figure 8 knots. I wound up helping the 2 instructors. 🙂

We had an interesting lecture on the geology of the Falkland Islands, to prepare us for arrival. It was pretty interesting and people had lots of questions.

Of course, there’s always good food to look forward to. I had the veggie option for dinner, since I really didn’t like the other r2 choices (we could pick red deer loin, sea bass or veggie patties).

Japanese beef tataki with spinach, sesame seeds and secret sauce
Grilled veggie patties, sweet potato fries, spring onion and tzatziki

After dinner, I met up with friends in the lounge to continue working on the ships jigsaw puzzles. Lots of people were hanging out, reading, relaxing over drinks, watching the ocean pass by.

As the sun set, we all headed out to get some photos. This was really the first time for a nice sunset. Til tonight, it was either overcast or too late at night. I miss seeing the sky clear and bright to see the starts at night. I really miss that about sailing.

Point Wild

This morning we arrived at Elephant Island and Point Wild.

This is where Ernest Shackleton left for his amazing 800 mile journey across the furious fifties in a small boat to reach South Georgia Island seeking help to rescue his crew. What a desolate place. Can you imagine being trapped here for months? Just you and your crew, nothing to eat but penguins and seals (if you could catch them).

approaching Port Wild, Elephant Island

We’d been learning more about Antarctica every day of the cruise so far. The ship was equipped with a science lab with microscopes where we could examine plants, minerals, plankton, etc. Our expedition team fed our interest in Shackleton and the other explorers (Roald Amundsen, Fritjof Nansen, Scott, etc) with films and lectures. There were plenty of books in the library as well.

We nosed our way into the small bay, up against the Endurance Glacier, with ice all around us. This was our last stop in Antarctica (technically only Orne Harbor was really part of the continent). We didn’t attempt to land.

Endurance Glacier

We could see a colony of chinstrap penguins and a monument to Piloto Pardo, the Chilean Navy Captain who managed to rescue the 22 men Shackleton had to leave behind there. His story and his tug Yelcho should be better known.

Chinstrap penguins

I find all that history fascinating and admire the abilities of those guys back in the days of exploration. The determination, stamina, courage, skills to do the things they did. Not just Shackleton, not just the Arctic or Antarctic explorers, but all of them: Columbus, Magellan, Cook, etc.

I think there’s something in human nature that needs that kind of wilderness- that frontier- that kind of challenge to look forward to. We need that kind of ‘escape valve’. It seems we’ve rid that from the world. I feel it myself. A loss of possibility. All we have left is space. I think it’ll be even more of a challenge, but will we find the capability to explore it like we did the earth?

Neptune’s Bellows

We left Cuverville Island last night after everyone got a chance to go ashore and have a quick zodiac cruise among the icebergs. My group (the giant petrels) was one of the last, the sun was starting to go down so it was getting cold and the light really sucked for getting photos (besides zipping around on the zodiacs too fast to get a decent shot).

Southern Giant Petrel

We made an early arrival at Deception Island to pierce the narrow entrance through Neptune’s Bellows. I watched from my room since I wasn’t dressed to go out yet.

It looked like another dreary day. Overcast and cold, but at least not too windy. As we made our way into the volcanic caldera enroute to our landing site at Telefon Bay, we passed an old whaling station on our starboard side. I would’ve loved to go exploring there, but all these landings in Antarctica are very strictly controlled.

I really hate being restricted like that, even tho I can certainly understand it in a place like Antarctica. It’s still relatively free of the effects of mankind and I can see why so many people would like to keep it in the (almost) pristine state it’s in today. I agree, I do think the world needs to keep at least some true wilderness. I guess I’m a hypocrite since I really would love to see all of those places myself someday too.

On arrival at Telefon Bay, we waited our turn for the zodiacs to come for our group. Landing on the beach was very smooth this time. The bottom was mostly gravel rather than the usual rock and ice. Sit on the side of the zodiac and hop off. Easy. 🙂

Some people were really getting into the spirit of things, and jumped in for a Polar Plunge. I have to admit, I was too chicken to do it myself. I think I’ve watched those hypothermia videos too many times at work to take a chance of giving myself a heart attack like that. I put my hands in the water, just to see, it was freezing! (Not literally, but cooooold!).

Not far from our landing site, our guides had cordoned off a section of beach. There was a seal sleeping on the beach! I still can’t tell the difference between a crab eater seal, weddel seal and leopard seal. I think this one was a crab eater. This one was the only seal I saw ‘close up’ in the entire trip (still had to stay about 20′ away, but got a few decent photos at least). There were a couple of gentoo penguins further down the beach too, but all in all, this place was pretty desolate.

Deception Island is volcanic. Once you pass through the narrow channel of Neptune’s Bellows (only about 750′ wide), you’re floating around inside the caldera- on top of the volcano.

It is still active, you can see some of the steam coming out of the ground around the island . The last ‘major eruption’ was only in 1970. From the beach, it was a steep hike up to roam around the edge of the caldera. I was glad for the use of the hiking poles to help keep my balance.

Landing at Telefon Bay

The scenery was beautiful in a very stark way. All black volcanic gravelly rock and white snow, with a few small ponds full of colorful algae. I tried to walk over to one interesting depression, where the snow was melted, but our guides called me back to their marked off pathway (too bad).

Supposedly there are lots of seals, penguins and other wildlife around this island but I didn’t see any. Just the one seal, all alone on the beach and the 2 penguins nearby.

As we were leaving, we passed the Argentine base and then outbound through Neptune’s Bellows again. The weather brightened up late afternoon and really made the scenery sparkle.

On departure, we were met by a whale mother and calf (I’m not sure what kind). And flocks of penguins porposing through the water nearby. This was the first time I got to see whales fairly close to the ship (tho they were still at least 100 yards off). I got a couple of photos and some video, but wasn’t able to get anything decent. They were all too far off and moving too fast for a good shot. Can anybody tell what kind they are from my photos?

According to our onboard expert, you can send in photos and then identify the whale from an online database.

All in all, another fantastic day on the MS Roald Amundsen. I was a little sad that today was our last landing in Antarctica, but had to get over it and go enjoy another delicious dinner. At least I had another few days of great food to look forward to- and we still had to see the Falklands. 🙂

Yum! I sure do miss their food. 😉

Cuverville Island

After a great time with the scientists at Vernadsky Station, we cruised on to Cuverville Island. Here was finally the Antarctica I’ve been expecting.

On arrival, the weather was awful. The wind was howling, the snow was blowing, it was overcast and cold!

But, we finally saw the penguin colonies like I was expecting to see all along.

Lucky for us, the changeable Antarctic weather improved. The sun came out, the wind and snow died down and it turned into a beautiful day to enjoy the antics of the penguins.

I wonder why they work so hard to get so high up. They seem to like sliding back down. 🙂

I’m not sure why, but I always thought of Antarctica as full of wildlife. Empty landscape, with no signs of humanity, but full of birds, seals, whales and dolphins. We’ve seen plenty of penguins so far (almost all gentoos- chinstraps only at our first Antarctic stop on Half Moon Island). Even there, I was expecting to see many more birds than we saw.

I spotted a couple of seals from my window as we were passing through the Lemaire Channel. I saw them resting on an iceberg, they paid us no attention. We weren’t very close to them, so why waste energy to get away from us?

Same story with the whales. I thought there would be tons of whales around (pun intended). 😉

The krill seemed to be there in abundance. Our plankton sample was almost green with the amount of plankton in the water. Humpbacks, blue whales and others eat krill. I would’ve thought there would be more than a couple around. I never saw any whales near our ship, only their spouts far off in the distance.

Whales spouting next to an iceberg

Maybe it wasn’t the season for them yet.

B&W Challenge: Cold

Here’s my entry for Cee’s B&W Photo Challenge: Hot or Cold Things. I was very lucky this year to go on a trip to Antarctica. I’ve been dreaming of a trip like this for decades. I had a fantastic cruise on the MS Roald Amundsen with Hurtigruten cruises. Here are a few photos. It was definitely COLD! 😉 

Lemaire Channel
Glacier at Orne Harbor
Vernadsky Station
Penguin colony- Cuverville Island, Antarctica

We were very lucky with the weather so far. It was very changeable, but most of the time so far was pretty nice. Sunny without much wind. This was our first real meeting with “authentic Antarctic weather” according to our captain.

The weather eventually got better and it was more enjoyable to hang around and watch these funny little guys. More on that later…

Vernadsky Station

After our amazing ice walk experience, we continued on to the Ukranian Vernadsky Research Station located at Marina Point on Galindez Island of Argentine Islands. Until as recently as 1996, it belonged to the UK and was called Faraday Station.

The weather was still gorgeous, with the sun shining bright over the sparkling ice. Huge icebergs lined the mountainous shoreline, slowly floating towards the open sea.The penguins met our zodiacs as we passed through the narrow channel that led through to the bay. We watched with joy as they leaped out of the water next to the foot long icicles along the shoreline and struggled with their funny waddling gait further onto the land.

our zodiacs brought us through this narrow channel to the base
check out those icicles, the penguins have to deal with them every time they want to eat!

It was nice of the scientists to invite us to visit them, we were their first ship of the season. They must’ve been looking forward to the distraction since I didn’t see any science going on. 😉

They sent their biologist out to meet us and give us a tour. She was happy to explain their lifestyle and answer our questions (even tho I was at the back end of our group so couldn’t hear much of what she said).

our guide Oksana

As we made our way up to the station, the snow reached over our heads along the wooden pathways. The buildings stood out in colorful contrast against the stark white of the snow surrounding them.

There were plenty of birds around: penguins, petrels and gulls. Like the Galapagos, they weren’t at all bothered by us. We were told before we had to stay at least a few feet away from them, but the birds didn’t follow the rules and sometimes came quite close. I noticed some of them were already banded (like this sheathbill in the photo).

As we removed our muck boots inside the crowded entry, we got a look at some of the photos of previous visitors: scientists and explorers from all over the world (and lots of photos of their ‘Antarctic league’ soccer teams). This photographic exhibit continued along the passageways. We saw various offices, labs, and storage for their skis, snowshoes and other equipment for the cold.

Old photo lining the passageway showing the Belgian expedition of 1897-99

Eventually we arrived at the galley and recreation room. They were set up for us to buy stamps, envelopes and post cards. Lots of business going on there. I bought a couple of cards to send home (I still haven’t received that one yet, tho I did get back the one from Stanley last week).

Further on, they had a bar where you could have a drink, play pool or darts and relax. They even had a souvenir shop where they sold t-shirts, patches, shot glasses, tiny little penguins and assorted other tchotchkes. 🙂

They also sold their own home made vodka which was actually pretty good. I bet even better after a long winters ‘day’ (when the sun never comes up).

After sending off my post cards and a warming shot of vodka, it was time to start heading back to the ship. I wondered how hard it would be to get a job like that. You might think it would be easy, I mean how many people really want to spend months or years away from friends and family to work in all that ice cold and darkness. But apparently, it’s pretty hard to get. Our guide told us she was one of the first women allowed, they only started allowing women a couple of years ago.

Seems to me, it would be similar to shipboard life. The isolation, the weather, the long periods away from home. I have actually tried to get a job on some of the supply ships that go to Antarctica. To this day, I’ve never heard back. Now, there are new requirements for “polar experience” so looks like another catch-22 as far as getting work goes. Can’t be considered because you don’t have the experience, but can’t get the experience without being hired first. 🙁

First Time Ever

When I woke up, the sun was shining. Everything looked fresh and new, the stark contrast of white against blue was strikingly beautiful. The world was a blank slate, empty of all but water, ice and snow.

The weather had changed completely from yesterday. We had passed through Lemaire Channel and found ourselves surrounded by the ice. Our captain decided to drive the ship up into the ice to give us a truly unique experience.

We crowded the decks to watch as the ship slowly ground its way through the flat sheets of ice. When we slowed to a stop, we waited anxiously to see if our expedition crew would find the ice thick enough for it to be safe for us to hop off and explore.

they look so tiny!
expedition crew testing the thickness of the ice

Yes! It was. We watched each group head down the gangway to stumble around on the fresh packed snow, staying within the area marked off with the usual orange cones. My group- the Giant Petrels- was not one of the first. The snow was already pretty torn up by the time I was able to exit the ship.

It was so empty, so quiet. Nothing to see, for miles around, but us and the ice and snow- with far off mountains hemming us in. I did see the tracks of a couple of penguins, but there were only 2. I kept wondering where was all the wildlife I’ve been expecting to see. So far, I’ve only seen a couple of seals (far away), and some gentoo penguins.

It was hard to walk around, with the snow melting into slush and so the ‘ground’ was very uneven. Everyone was wandering around, taking selfies in the snow with the Roald Amundsen in the background.

Today we made history! This was the first time in the history of Hurtigruten that a ship drove into the ice and we got to take a walk on the sea ice! So exciting. 🙂

Weather Changes Our Plans

After a beautiful day at Orne Harbor, we woke up to a more ‘typical’ day for Antarctica. So far, we’d been lucky finding nice weather most of the time. It changed quickly tho. We picked up our hearty campers, then headed on to our next planned stop at Neko Harbor (Andvord Bay).

Campers got to spend the night at Orne Harbor
we can just barely see the campers from the ship (far right in the photo)
The end of the red line is Orne Harbor. Around the corner to the South is Neko Harbor at the bottom of Andvord Bay. At the bottom left corner is Port Lockroy.

On arrival, we were met with high winds, rough seas, snow and very cold. There was a lot of ice in the water and it kept moving around. The zodiacs would have a hard time shuttling us back and forth to shore. After checking it out, the captain decided that the weather was not going to allow us to go ashore as planned.

too much ice for the zodiacs!

Expedition cruising, even more than normal cruising, is dependent on weather and other local conditions. You need to be flexible. It’s best to have the attitude of looking forward to whatever the day may bring and forget about being upset about what you might’ve missed.

We sailed on towards Damoy Point and Port Lockroy where we were scheduled to go ashore to the historic site run by the British. It has a museum and the only post office on the continent of Antarctica.

you can just barely see Port Lockroy middle left of the photo, we could just barely see their people waving with the binoculars
seals on the ice, taken from my cabin- I’m not sure if they’re weddel or crabeater seals

Sadly, the weather was still too bad for us to go ashore. I would’ve liked to send some postcards home with an Antarctica stamp. We did drive by and we all waved at each other. Brave people, to stand around outside in that kind of weather to wave at our ship.

On we went, to cruise through the Lemaire Channel. The weather was still pretty nasty for a little while. Howling winds, snow and cold! It felt like about 20 below, but I don’t think it was actually below 0 F. It was the wind that really made it feel cold.

The scenery was spectacular. We made our way through the channel filled with pancake ice, the sharp tips of the mountains peaking out of their coats of snow, glaciers calving off large chunks of ice into the passage alongside our ship.

The passage narrowed as the day went on. The wind died down, the snow stopped and the sun came out. I sat in the lounge with it’s wrap around floor to ceiling windows and just watched the world go by. Towards sunset (around 9 pm- it didn’t get dark until about 11), we passed through the narrows- only 1600 meters wide. The sound of the ice scraping along the hull of the ship was loud enough to be heard everywhere onboard.

In my room, I fell asleep to the low pitched background sound of the sea slushing along the side of the ship and occasional bang of a berg as we came out the South end of the Lemaire Channel to find our next adventure in the morning.

Orne Harbor

From Half Moon Island, we sailed on to Orne Harbor for promised spectacular views from atop the ridge.

The expedition crew set out on arrival and surveyed a safe pathway that zig-zagged its way up the steep slope for us to follow. The kayaks were brought out for those who had opted for that activity.

The weather was very changeable. In the morning, it was overcast and gloomy, with a thick layer of fog. By the time my group- the giant petrels- got to go ashore the sun was shining and the winds were calm.

I made it only to the first stage. Sadly, I did not get all the way up to the top of the mountain. I was really struggling, slipping and sliding around in the snow. Due to my ongoing work situation (not having any), I have to be super-careful not to do anything where I might hurt myself. I could just see myself tumbling down the mountain, rolling like a tumbleweed all the way down to the sea and then having a heart attack in the freezing cold water. 🙁

After making that decision, I made my way back to the landing site and watched the zodiacs come and go. The scenery was so beautiful. I didn’t need to go anywhere else to see even more of it.

I sat in the snow and watched the penguins and the people come and go. Absorbing the sunlight and the immensity of the atmosphere, I was so grateful of the fact that I was able to sit there- in Antarctica!

penguins
more penguins

I even managed to get a decent shot of a couple of penguins in the water. They’re so fast when they’re swimming!

Gentoo penguins in the water

I’m glad I made it as far as I did. Turns out, this would be our only landing on Antarctica. All the rest of our stops were on nearby islands. I was a little disappointed to learn that, but I have to admit the places we did go were pretty much just as wonderful. What difference does a name make? I’m not sure, but I am still glad I get to say I got to go to Antarctica and not just close to it.

Beagle Channel

We left Punta Arenas a little late due to delays bunkering with the ongoing Chilean protests. After only 3 hours sleep the night before, I wasn’t able to keep my eyes open long enough to observe our departure. I was assured there would still be plenty to see throughout the next day so I hit the sack by 10 pm.

View from my stateroom

I woke up to beautiful views of the Chilean Fjords passing by my windows. Green hills and sheer rocky mountains capped by deep piles of ice and snow kept my attention all day. The weather was beautiful. Cool, but sunny and calm- it was perfect for hanging out by the pool with a cup of hot chocolate.

View from the pool deck
Nice view from the jacuzzi too

As we made our way South down the Beagle Channel, the captain announced important sights to be sure we knew what we were looking at. We passed a couple of whales that day, but all I could see was their spout. They were too far away for me to see anything else. Not much traffic in the area. I only saw one other cruise ship- and one brave little sailor.

We passed valleys filled with glaciers and mountains covered with snow and ice from top to bottom. Announcements were made for passing Garibaldi Glacier, Pia Glacier, and Glacier Alley. The scenery was just spectacular.

glacier
Ushuaia Argentina on our port side

We passed Ushuaia Argentina around 6 pm- dinner time. I was assigned the first seating 1800-2000. Tonight was assigned seating (I have table 6) and a set menu , with appetizer, soup, choice of 3 entrees and choice of desserts.

As I watched the scenery scroll by through the large windows surrounding the dining room I had a delicious dinner of vegetarian options (since I didn’t like the other choices of fish or lamb). Tonights appetizer was a chorizo and pork terrine, main of red beets bourguignon and dessert of pineapple mousse. Yum.

After attending the preview of the next days events in the auditorium and the Captains welcome in the Explorer Lounge where he introduced the crew, I headed to bed. Strange to go to bed when it’s still bright daylight outside but it’s not getting dark until almost 11 pm.

Expedition team leader Stefan introduces his team

The ship continued on to Puerto Williams where we had to stop for customs and immigration. All of that was taken care of by the ships crew. Next stop would be Cape Horn. Then continuing on across ‘Drake Lake’ to Antarctica.

Look Up!

I had another photo challenge come up in my Reader tonight. This one is the Tuesday Photo Challenge hosted on the Dutch Goes the Photo page. This week’s theme is: Overhead.

I took these 3 photos in Paris last winter. This first one is the ceiling over a stairway at the Palace of Versailles just outside Paris.

Hard to believe they spend so much time and effort on a ceiling, big contrast to modern times, right? The next one is also at the Palace of Versailles.

And, looking up at the Eiffel Tower. I spent much more time looking at it from this angle than I spent at the top. The line was hours long. I’ll never make that mistake again. Totally NOT worth it!

Head on over to the challenge and see what everybody’s come up with. 🙂

Friendly Friday: Rising to Meet the Sun

I meant to get this done earlier, but a lot’s been going on the last couple of days. I found this “Friendly Friday” blog challenge last week and made a post for it. This week there’s a different host and a different subject.

It’s already Thursday so they’ll probably come out with something new tomorrow. Check out everybody’s posts for sunrise this week. Here’s mine…

I was able to fulfill another bucket list fantasy- ballooning over the incredible landscape of Cappadocia. We floated silently around rock spires and canyons, with only the occasional burst of the burner to give us more height and the clicks of the dozens of cameras.

We headed out before dawn so we’d be in the air to see the sun rise. it was spectacular. My photos don’t do it justice at all. We slowly drifted down where the ground team met us in a dry field to pack up the balloon while we had a champagne toast to celebrate our morning.

Casa Colon

I’ve been able to go ashore a couple of times this hitch. It’s just so nice to be able to get off, walk around, see something different, maybe have a nice snack. Try the local flavors. I love to explore, I live to travel! It’s one of the main reasons I chose to go to sea as a career. I don’t get around anywhere near as much as I’d like to, so I take every opportunity to go out as I can.

I’ve never been to Las Palmas, or Grand Canary before. We did stop at La Gomera (one of the other islands) for a week or so and a short stop on Tenerife when I was on the sailing ship in high school. I remember the small town, white washed houses and hiking through the dry, rocky hills to go swimming at the beach.

Las Palmas is nothing like that. 😉

I love looking at beautiful old architecture and the old part of the city- Vegueta– has plenty of it. The cathedral was one great old building, another was the Casa Colon. The house of Columbus. They didn’t open ’til 10, so we (me and my local friend Josito) went to look around a couple of old churches, wander the neighborhood peeking into courtyards, and had a snack. It was still early when we were allowed entrance (4 euros) to the restored house/museum. We were practically the only ones there for the first hour.

After that, the tour groups started arriving and in the small rooms of the house, it got quite crowded and noisy. The place impressed me. Not only the rooms full of interesting articles, but the house itself.

I especially loved the intricately carved designs of the wooden ceilings. I’m pretty sure they must be modern replacements, but I wonder if they’re copied from the original? I tried to ask at the museum, but no one there spoke English well enough to answer my questions. I’ve since sent an email, but no response yet.

I also wondered about the exterior doors. They’re surrounded by a thick stone mantle, carved with all sorts of decorative motifs including 2 large upright dogs. There are priests and centaurs, I saw a mermaid and a cow. I wonder what, if any, the significance is? I assume the large dogs (I think they’re dogs) represent the Canaries (canis is Latin for dog- canine is English). I’m just guessing though. They’re posted at either side of the entrance along with the shield of arms.

Inside, the house is typically Latin. Two stories surrounding an open courtyard filled with gardens, fountains and a couple of brightly colored macaws that freely wander around the place. We were warned, don’t get too close, they bite.

The recommended route through the house starts with a replica of Columbus’s ship. Wooden masts, blocks hanging from the rigging and barrels line the bulwarks. Steps lead up to the master’s cabin where he’d have slept and kept his charts.

From there, you enter a long room with models of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. The ceiling is covered with the zodiac and the walls hung with flags. Continue on and there are documents (copies) from the times of his voyages of discovery including his logs, letters he wrote to Queen Isabella, important treaties like the Treaty of Tordesillas which divided the world between Spain and Portugal.

Charts showing each of his voyages are hung on the walls. I didn’t realize he did so much exploration. All I remember from school was his discovery of the islands of the Caribbean. I know he went to Hispaniola only because I was there and saw monuments to that effect. He actually spent many years exploring the “New World” before retiring.

The ground floor continues on with the theme of exploration, showing the trade from the Canary Islands and the Americas. The people of the Canaries wound up in some places I wouldn’t have expected. Texas, Louisiana and Florida for example (tho I’m not sure how much I trust their figures since their map shows Louisiana up about where Missouri would be).

Further on, a couple of rooms full of antique nautical instruments (astrolabe, quarterstaff, compass, etc) and historical charts from the age of discovery complete the first floor.

The second floor is full of paintings (mostly oil) from the 16th to the 20th centuries. A lot of them (especially the earlier ones) are of religious subjects. The later ones are mostly portraits, but a couple of nice landscapes are there. I’ve never heard of any of the artists, but that doesn’t mean anything. They’re very good. I especially liked the “Bather” and the landscape with a tree.

Then we focus on the Canary Islands, theres a room with models and maps. There’s a model of the original fort that formed the foundation of today’s city of Las Palmas. Another one of the Castle de la Luz. It’s still there, you pass by the ruins in the surf on the way in from the airport. A model of Grand Canary shows the volcanic origin of the island.

My ship is docked at the end of the long pier off the peninsula

In the basement- the “crypt”, the focus is all on the New World. The cultures of the Amazon, Ecuador and Mexico. There are cases full of ceramics and all kinds of small objects. Careful not to step on the graves (I couldn’t read the Latin-or old Spanish- to figure out who was in there), we passed through fairly quickly and back up to the courtyard.

The macaws were entertaining a group of local school kids, so we decided to head on out. I needed to pick up a few things before heading back to the ship to get some rest before going on watch for the night, so we headed up Triana street. It’s a famous shopping street. Pedestrian only, hung with baskets of brightly colored flowers, benches along the way, occasional musicians busking the people meandering through.

It was easy enough to catch a cab back, and only about 11 euros. I spent 9 for a bag full of snacks to last the rest of the hitch. I love all the history here, but maybe next time I go ashore I’ll look for something different. 😉

Early Morning Vegueta

I’ve been working here in Las Palmas, Canary Islands for about 3 weeks now. This hitch I’ve been working nights on the DS-11 (drillship-11). I like it. It’s been pretty quiet so far, so I have some time to catch up on writing and photos. I can even go ashore once in a while in the daytime when things are open.

It’s not often we get the chance to go ashore any more as mariners. At least not when we’re working for any of the oilfield companies. It makes such a huge difference in crew morale. I don’t even know how they get away with it. In the Deep Sea fleet, companies must pay overtime if they restrict us to the ship. No such thing in the oilfield. 🙁

I do very much prefer sailing deep sea. Of course I would be doing that if I could. I have been looking for the opportunity to get back out there since I was laid off my last ‘regular’ job- late 2015. There still is nothing out there.

In the meantime, I’m happy to get any work anywhere. It’s been so long between jobs! This gig is one of the best I’ve had lately. I love working overseas (outside the USA). The traveling was one of the main reasons I chose to sail as a career. The other was that the job depended on your skills and knowledge- not what you looked like or how you dressed or talked (too bad that’s changed so much).

I’ve been able to go ashore a couple of times this hitch. It’s just so nice to be able to get off, walk around, see something different.

Plaza de las Ranas

Tuesday morning I met my friend Josito who lives in town. He works here too, but he’s on his off time. I took a cab from the ship in to town and we met at the Plaza de las Ranas (frogs). I get off watch at 7 am and need to get some sleep before watch, so I wanted to get to town as early as possible. But the people here like to stay up late and they don’t get started early in the morning.

Nothing was open, the streets were empty at 0800 when I met Josito. We decided to go to the market in Vegueta- the old town. The market was old too, it opened in 1863. It was full of individual little shops selling fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, breads- and pastries that made my mouth water (I skipped breakfast). Josito explained that lots of the shops were closed because so many locals go on vacation this time of year.

I wasn’t really shopping for food anyway. I just like to see how other people do. I always like to go look around the grocery stores whenever I travel. Just to see what’s the same and what’s different.

Here, we met a very friendly storekeeper who answered all my questions about his exotic wares. He had so many things on display: guavas, mangos, papayas, passion fruit, huge (6″) tomatoes, raspberries, dragonfruit, lychees, kumquats, loquats, 4-5 different kinds of bananas, all kinds of spices fresh or dried and packaged.

Jose and Josito
me and Jose at his fruit and vegetable stand

He had things I’d never seen before like guanoabana (not sure of spelling). It’s the big green fruit in the photo, above the tomatoes. It was white and fibrous inside, full of juice, and tasted very tart. Jose let us taste anything we wanted. I have to admit, I was not thrilled with a lot of the tropical fruits. We bought a big bunch of Canary Island bananas to bring back to the ship.

Vegueta is compact, it’s easy to wander around the old cobblestone streets and find all the major attractions: the Cathedral, casa Colon, the market and lots of little shops, bars and restaurants. We stopped for a snack as we wandered the neighborhood.

The Cathedral de Canaries (or Cathedral of Santa Ana) is one of the most important historic sites in Las Palmas. They started building it around 1500, they built and rebuilt it over 500 years (that’s why the different architectural styles- gothic, renaissance and neoclassical). It’s dedicated to St Ann.

The people here haul a float through the town with her statue and a huge silver ‘crown’ that surrounds the entire statue. They keep the float in a barred off section of the cathedral. There’s Semana Santa (Easter Week) and Corpus Christi in June, and the feast on the anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral on November 26. I imagine these processions must be a real sight to see.

You’re allowed to go up the towers of the cathedral. The view should be fantastic, since these towers are the highest point for miles around. There’s an elevator, it costs 1.5 euros, but there was no one in attendance so we had to pass on going up.

The walls of the cathedral are hung with beautiful old paintings of Jesus, Mary and the saints. A gorgeous pipe organ stands close to the entrance on the left. They were having a small funeral in one of the chapels while we were there. I felt like an intruder so didn’t get too close to that side of the church.

I took a close look at the pulpit, with its excellent carvings of angels and saints. I’m not really religious, so can’t say much more about the place except that it was cool, quiet and peaceful. A nice place to relax and rest and meditate or pray if you want.

Next to the famous Viva Vegueta sign, we found the Iglesia de San Agustin, another beautifully decorated church. It’s not as grand as the Cathedral, but had some very interesting artwork inside. It’s also mentioned as the Sanctuary of St Rita, patron saint of “impossible causes” (also of abused women). I had an aunt named after her. Mary Rita- quite a saint herself.

There were quite a few more churches to explore around Vegueta, including the Ermita de San Antonio Abad, which was where Columbus prayed while he was here. I would’ve liked to check it out, but it wasn’t open while I was there.

I never have enough time to explore when I’m working, but at least I got the chance to see a few of the more interesting things around Las Palmas. The old area of Vegueta was a perfect choice to spend the morning. I did get to see the Casa Colon too, but it would be too long a post to write it up here. Check back later. 😉

Friendly Friday: Tiled

I was looking at everybody’s posts for this week’s Friendly Friday challenge, and I just had to post one more time. 🙂

When I made my post the other day, I totally forgot about all the other places in Istanbul where they had such beautiful tile work. Different than the gorgeous stuff some people were posting from Portugal, but beautiful in another way altogether. Combined with the architecture, the artistry with the tile work makes so many of their buildings really special.

Here are a few photos I took in the mosques. I was really affected by how much time and effort went into building these places. The total devotion it must take to spend years, decades, centuries even- to build something so impressive.

Istanbul’s Blue Mosque with thousands of blue tiles decorating the interior

Those were from the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The photos below, I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure they were in the Hagia Sophia. It was a Christian cathedral before it became a mosque and it’s now a museum. The shimmering gold tiles of these mosaics really shine when the sun hits them.

Imagine the skill and patience it must’ve taken to make these things. How to make sure all those little pieces go together just right. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle! And all such a long time ago too. Of course, they didn’t have the internet to distract them back then. 😉

One more note re: tile. Have you heard of Dixie Friend Gay? She’s a modern day mosaic artist with some absolutely stunning projects. Here’s a photo I took to pique your interest. Check out this earlier post...

The View From the Harbor

I’ve been here in Las Palmas (Canary Islands) since July 10. I’ve been working nights, from 7 pm to 7 am every day. I’ll be doing that until I go home. I’m scheduled to leave August 8th (early).

It’s interesting watching what’s going on around the harbor. Yes, it’s really sad to see so many drill ships stacked up over here, but at least I can see they’re working on 3 of them. That’s a good sign. They must have work coming up or they wouldn’t be spending any money. It would be great to see them all leave soon.

My old ship the Discoverer India was docked right in front of us for a couple of weeks. I watched their dive boat working on their stern and the bunker operations over the last couple of days. They just left last night.

Discoverer India

I never realized how busy this port was. Other than all the drill ships, I see quite a few LNG ships coming and going. There are a few ferries every day- they go to Tenerife and around the islands. You can even take a ferry all the way to Spain (in about 40 hours).

There’s a container terminal right across from me. I see the container ships working there almost every night. There’s a yacht harbor a little further across. There are hundreds of boats over there. The sailboats are fun to watch, especially when they want to get so close to the big ships passing by.

LNG ship in the harbor, Las Palmas, Canary Islands

Yes, sailboats do have the right of way over power driven vessels- but- common sense should prevail, best get out of the way of someone 100 times bigger than you are that takes a half mile to stop.

The weather has been overcast since I’ve been here. I’ve been told this is normal for this time of year. Not to expect much sunshine. It doesn’t rain. We’ve only had one night with just a drizzle, not even enough to really wet the decks, but it looks like it’s going to rain every day.

I can see the lights of the city climbing up the hills across the water. It makes me want to take a ride over and explore. I did get to go over one day last week. My cab driver told me that one guy actually did try to swim over once…

A “Scottish guy, off one of the drill ships” took a swim for the city, they had police boats and helicopters tracking him down. The company sent him home, no doubt the Spanish officials were in complete agreement on that. I bet whichever company that was does not allow shore leave any more. Sadly, most don’t no matter what. 🙁

Harbor scene at night

CFFC: Close Up of Flowers

Cee has more challenges this week. I saw this one and had to jump in. Here’s the rules from Cee…

“This week the topic is Close Up of Flowers.  Any flower will do.  It can be a natural flower, artificial, or even handmade.  Just get as close as you can with your favorite camera, and lens, if you have an interchangeable lenses.  Macros are allowed too.”

A single waterlily, details are beautiful

Take a look at Cee’s blog and see what everyone’s posting. There are some real beauties. 🙂

Bokeh

I found another photo challenge thanks to Cee.She has compiled a whole list of them. This one is a ‘photo adventure’ from the Little Pieces of Me blog. It’s going on for a whole month. You can post once, or as many times as you want. This month, the theme is

bo·keh/bōˈkā/nounPHOTOGRAPHY

  1. the visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photographic image, especially as rendered by a particular lens.

I usually try to get my subjects in focus. I get blurry photos a lot more than I’d like. The point with bokeh is to leave the background (usually) out of focus. Sometimes, even the whole photo out of focus looks good. 

I’ve been trying lately to practice doing this. I don’t really know what I’m doing with my camera, so when the photo turns out good I’m always happily surprised.

I usually use a point and shoot camera. Just because it’s easy to carry around with me. I usually keep it in my pocket all the time when I’m out and about. Some people can take really great photos with their phone, but my phone is not one of those.

When I know I’m going somewhere I will be taking a lot of pictures, I take my good cameras with me. I love my Sony NEX-5R even though it’s old and should probably be upgraded. It’s much lighter than my other cameras and takes great pictures, even in low light.

Here’s my entry to the challenge. I took this one with the Sony camera.

I may be able to come up with more later. 😉 If you want to join in and see what everyone else is doing, click the link here

CYW: Asparagus

I don’t have any asparagus around the house to photograph, tho I do have some out in my garden. It’s not nearly ready to harvest yet, and it doesn’t match the color swatch anyways. I’ve looked through my photo stash and this is what I’ve come up with for Jennifer’s Color Your World Challenge for this week- Asparagus

Most of what I found were of some type of plant/vegetation, but some were man-made. I found this display of tiny dinosaurs at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

This asparagus colored plate (with delicious entree) was served to us at the Lemala Mpingo Ridge Camp in Tanzania.

I always enjoy these challenges. It’s fun to try to come up with something to enter and to see all the different ideas people have to play along. If you want to see the rest of the Color Your World series and see what’s coming up in the future, click this link.

Stock Photography

I’ve been stuck at home since my last job got cut short (again). I get antsy when I’m not working for months at a time. I start freaking out about money and bills, then start feeling trapped and depressed and don’t feel like doing much of anything at all. Since October, I’ve only had 5 weeks of work and it’s looking pretty slim for the next few weeks as well. 🙁

I’ve been trying to keep busy. I go see a movie to cheer up if there’s anything decent playing. I’ve stopped going to my usual (entertaining and interesting) Tuesday night political meetings since they’re just so frustrating now. I go to art class on Tuesdays (this morning was the last one for a while- the teacher is taking a break). I may start going to ‘open studio’ instead. It’s on Wednesdays, or Monday nights.

I’m getting around to doing things I’ve been putting off: I was working in the yard til it got too hot, working on my taxes, re-reading books I’ve been saving before deciding if I can now bear to get rid of them, uploading some photos to the stock agencies.

Here are a few examples…

Herd of buffalo in the Serengeti
Lilac breasted roller
Palace of Versailles from the rear
Pair of pink tulips
Fresh, organic vegetables at a farmers market

Stock photography- like the blogging, was supposed to be a side gig. A way to earn some income when I wasn’t able to get offshore. I hate to say it, but neither one has worked out that way. Both take a hell of a lot of work to keep up with. So far, I’ve earned a grand total of $7.83 on Bigstock and $6.46 on Dreamstime. A big, fat $0.00 from the blogs.

My thought was to sidestep the editors. To get my work out in front of the public where I figured at least some people would like it enough to buy something. I know it’s possible to earn an income from both blogging and from photography. I know people personally who are doing both.

I wish I knew their secrets. It seems the main issue is how to attract attention? How to be found among the 81 million on Bigstock alone? Or the 500 million ++ blogs in the world?

Just curious, does anyone you know earn anything from either stock photography or blogging? If so, do you know how?

FOTD- Bearded Iris

Here’s another of Cee’s photography challenges to join. This one is for the Flower of the Day- May 26th- Bearded Iris.

I just took this photo the other day. Couldn’t help pulling out my i-Pod at the grocery store and snapping shots of all the gorgeous colorful flowers. 😉