No cold weather here....Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

Karel's Bar at night...right on the water.


The barren landscape of Bonaire... The road leading to the salt pans, hills of salt and the conveyer belts for loading salt onto the ships for export....


Kite surfing at sunset.....Great colors on the beach!

A sample of the underwater world...

Sea fans and coral....


Big beautiful Angelfish (a French Angel) that swim with the divers...


Ascending to the boat after a dive....

The big wave....on Bonaire's "wild side."


The spectator...


Dining in the open air in the city of Kralendijk. Why was she wearing this long-sleeve winter dress in the Caribbean? Just wondering......

Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles in our memory.

We have returned home but will miss the 80 degree temperatures of Bonaire, in the water and on land... The cruise ships visit once a week but this is not a scene from the Bonaire I know. The cruising tourists are brought to the local beach for snorkeling and swimming. There is a major part of the island that they do not see.

Religion is a major part of the social structure in Bonaire. A church at night with mass in session...

Birds visit each morning for a snack of leftover crumbs...

White slave huts are a remembrance of a time when the slaves of Bonaire harvested the salt that was shipped worldwide. Salt is still a major export.

On our way home.....

Just the last few photos before we return home from Bonaire.
I love this island and enjoy the diving and quiet environment that it has.
Until next year.....

The Bonairean Iguana

Click on the photo to see the details in a larger size!

More of Bonaire

False-eyed Butterfly fish...


White slave huts, once used for the slaves who harvested the salt here on Bonaire.


The salt pier and navigational marker. Ships come here, as they have for years, to pick up the salt and transport it worldwide.

Red slave huts at sunset......

Bonaire, over and under the sea

The Bon Adventure dive site....


The early morning market in the city of Kralendijk...

Lovers swim at the site of 1000 Steps.....

In the Caribbean Sea, Bonaire

More of Bonaire, the Netherlands Antilles

The market in Kralendijk
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The church in Rincon
_______________ Karel's Bar in Kralendijk
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Bonaire Sunsets

The major activity, after a full day of diving in Bonaire, is to watch the sun go down.
The sunsets here are beautiful, as they are just about everywhere, but in Bonaire you may just see the green flash.

cruise ship in Kralendijk

Cruise ships make weekly visits to Kralendijk, the capital city of Bonaire.
It is amazing and surprising to me that ships would stop here, since there is not much to see or do in Bonaire.
It is a scuba dive location with just a few restaurants and tourist shops.
It is wonderful underwater and above it is just a quiet island .
The photo above is the main street with Karel's Bar on the water and the cruise ship in the distance.

Kite surfing on Bonaire....It's not me! It is fun to watch!

Another sport enjoyed on Bonaire...kite surfing. A large kite pulls the surfer through the waves! Looks like fun!

Red Slave Huts, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles...a return to this site at sunset. We do two dives a day and try to get in some sight-seeing before dinner.

Returning from the dive

The first day, the weather is beautiful and we completed two wonderful dives.
Bonaire is beautiful, more so underwater than above.

I know this is not Long Island but I, the Long Island Woman, does leave her zip code!
Bonaire has something that Long Island doesn't, and that's 80 degrees in January and lots of tropical fish in warm water.
Stay tuned for more Bonaire photos in the days to come.

Flamingo Airport, Bonaire.....We arrived to 80 degree temperatures, in the water and above.

The new arrival....We went to visit our friends Debbie and Dan yesterday. Their daughter Sara is just two months old. It still amazes me how life can begin from just a few cells. Isn't it amazing? We wish Debbie, Dan and baby Sara all the best!

A quiet bedroom during the day. I was just playing with the camera again. You know, my husband was watching the NY Jet game today....the playoffs. Yes, they lost.

Don't Feed the Ducks, Geese or Seagulls!

A seagull comes in for a landing.

We never had seagulls near the house before, but our new neighbors have been feeding the ducks and geese. Not a good idea, for sure!

People have spoken to them about the health risks, but they have ignored everyone.

Well, this seagull came pretty close to our garbage, and as cute as he is, it doesn't make me happy.

Garbage Day

First garbage-collection day after the holiday. Notice the empty wine cases and the discarded pointsettias. In the past we've saved the plants and tried to get them to bloom again. They never come back the same. The leaves usually fall off and make a mess.

It's wasteful I know, and it makes me sad, but we just throw them out after the New Year.

;-(

On our morning walk, we came upon the Great Blue Heron. I think we frightened him. He flew away as soon as we approached. There are also mallard and buffel-head ducks in the pond. It's a great place to walk.

The Kitchen Saint

The Kitchen Saint.....A friend of ours has this saint in her kitchen.

It is a saint to watch over the cooking. I'll have to research his name.

She's a great cook so I guess this saint is good to have.

Now if only there was a saint to help us lose weight!

Toast, Port Jefferson

Chris and I went into Port Jefferson today to take some photos.
We are both getting out of having mild colds, probably from all the holiday "fun" and stress but we thought we'd find some new places to photograph.
The sun was out; time to take photos.
We stopped in "Toast" for lunch. Have you ever eaten there?

Great food. Friendly place.
242 East Main Street, if you're interested.
Cozy place for breakfast or lunch or just some special coffee.
Stop in. They have some art and photographs to view and buy.
And you will definitely get something good to eat.
We plan on going back very early one morning soon.

We scouted out some perfect sunrise photo ops.

And we plan on stopping in Toast for a special breakfast.
But be sure to check out the art work!

;-)

New Year's Day, 2007....Our friends, Dan and Carole, invited us for a special New Year's dinner. It is a traditional Southern US dish of ham hocks, collard greens, black-eyed peas, rice and corn bread. The greens are for wealth, the peas for good health, and the rice is for abundance (or fertility). Carole loves to cook and enjoys experimenting with new receipes. It was worth our visit. Good friends and good food....the perfect way to start a new year!

Happy New Year, 2007!

Happy New Year....the sun comes up, but not on Long Island today!

I usually like to wake up early on New Year's Day and take a photo of the sunrise.

I'd go down to the water and watch the sky's first light.

Yes, even if I stay up late the night before!

There is something so ethereal about rising to a new day, new year.

A new day, a new year!

I couldn't take any sunrise photos today. It was raining, very hard.

Well, Happy New Year to you and your families!

May there be many new days in your future!

A chance to start fresh and a chance to see the beginning of something wonderful!

Happy New Year, 2007!

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Click here for a photo of the sunrise, January 1, 2006.