Hike Up Monk's Hill - Saturday, 3 May 08

A nice hour long hike up Monk's Hill seemed like a great way to start the weekend. I was reassured that it wasn't a bad climb and the view would be worth it; both were true.
Our hiking crew for the day (L-R) Jimmy, Will, Patti, Bill, Patty and Justin. This was taken at the top of the "hill" in front of the entrance to a fort that once covered the entire top.
I'm told that the greenish color in the stone is caused by the copper content in the stone. It really adds an interesting look to the old structures.
As promised, there would be a great view. Behind me is Farmouth Harbour. The small harbor behind it is English Harbour. Since I'm a big chicken when it comes to heights this was as close to the wall edge I would go (and I was pretty apprehensive to sit there).
A nice touch of color adorned this tree protruding from one of the ruins. There's always something flowering on the island!
Another structure was actually in pretty good condition for being very old. Here's the arched doorway that lead to a small entrance and then into a larger open area.

A Day Of Sea & Sun - Friday, 2 May 08

An afternoon "out n about" provided some beautiful views from numerous locations along the west side of the island.
The water at Darkwood Beach was just pristine in color as it lazily lapped against the shore.
A number of sailing vessels can barely be seen in the distance here. These were competitors in a Division B sailing race from Jolly Harbour to Farmouth Harbour.
The Carnival Destiny cruise ship appears mammoth in size compared to the small buildings along the port of St. Johns were the ship was docked for the day.
The unique shape of this rock formation cropping out of the sea just off shore was the isnpiration for the name of the resort that extends along the beaches here; The Hawksbill Resort.
Spirit Keepers can be found along different beaches around the island. Some are piled rocks, others are dangling objects from a piece of driftwood or even a combination of both. It was a nice view as the sun danced across the water beyond.

Mount Gay Rum Beach Party - Friday, 25 Apr 08

Every year during Sail Week here in Antigua Mount Gay Rum (from Barbados) sponsors a huge beach party. So...of course I had to go! After all, its a) a party, b) live music, c) at the beach and d) complimentary rum!!!!
A quick shot of myself, Mary and Justin shortly after arriving.
As we arrived there was a steel drum band playing. A couple of hours later our dance music for the night was performed by a band called Itchy Feet.
Alcohol abuse is not tolerated under any circumstances!!! Therefore, when Dara spilled her drink down my arm it was imperative that she capture as much of it as possible by licking it off.
We even had a group of Pirates come to the party. Arrrggghhh!! After taking their picture they offered both Mary and I a string of beads - seen in the next picture.
As you can see, we did manage to have just a little bit of fun! Ok, a lot of fun!!!

Fort James At Sunset - Tuesday, 22 Apr 08

The ruins of Fort James sit on the northern point of land that creates the harbor at the city of St. John's. It was a very small fort and not very much of it remains.
A lone cannon remains at its vigilant stance along the sea wall as the sun hides behind a neighboring palm.
Only one of two old wooden doors barely remains in place at one of the entrances. The original block work was covered with plaster at one time during upgrades to the facility, but over time without care the plaster has broken away to expose the bricks once again.
An old stone & concrete stairway gathers dried leaves from a nearby tree.
The same silouhetted cannon is a reminder of what was once a very important protective fortification many years ago.
As the day comes to an end a golden sun continues to fall toward the sea as the skies around it are painted in pastel hues of lavendar and orange.

Aircraft Ops At Sunrise - Wednesday, 2 Apr 08

Every week we have an aircraft that arrives early in the morning; which provides an opportunity to experience beautiful sunrises like this!
As the sun began to light up the sky it reached out and touched the high clouds and gave them a beautiful pink hue against the blue sky behind them. The lower, dark rain clouds were quickly approaching in the foreground.
Our Telemetry dish stands tall on the distant horizon as the skies change from pink and blue to lavender and orange.
Once on the ground our plane faces the morning sun as it awaits the arrival of airport ground crew. Such a nice way to be greeted by Mother Nature!

Final Antiguan Sunset for The Zeratskys! - Thursday, 10 Apr 08

As their vacation came to a close Mother Nature decided to send them off with one more beautiful sunset as seen from our lounge chairs at Jolly Beach.
Light wisps of high clouds shown bright against the blue sky as the once again golden sun casted its glow across the water and wet sand as it made its way to the horizon.
So many different types of clouds collected together for this shot. The distant clouds hid the sun much earlier than we would have liked, while the darker clouds stayed away long enough to allow a view of the sun. The white clouds lingering high in the sky added to the depth of the overall scene.

View From Reed's Point - Thursday, 10 Apr 08

Reed's Point is a fairly steep hill at the end of Jolly Beach that is being developed for homes to be built. It was one of Rob & Romelle's favorite places to go for their daily walk because the views were spectacular and the incline was great exercise.
This view looks toward the outer part of the Jolly Harbour. The colors of the water were so much more vibrant that this picture captured.
Here is a shot of Jolly Beach. The tallest point on the island (Boggy Peak) can be seen at the left of the pic where the tower is.