Return To Antigua - 14-21 Feb 08

Less than five months after leaving Antigua the crystal blue waters, light sandy beaches and calming tropical breezes were calling me; I had to go back for a visit. While speaking of the trip within my office a colleague of mine commented "that sounds great, I want to go", so I replied "grab your passport and some $$ and come along" - he took me up on the offer. The week went very quickly, but it was wonderful to see friends and enjoy the island once again!
Not many hours after arriving we made our way to one of James and Mary's famous pizza party's. It was great to see some familiar faces and meet a few new folks too.

I've shown Devil's Bridge to many people as they've visited the island and never once have I been caught in the spray of water that shoots up and over the edge as the sea hits the rocks - until now. Watching those little fishes in the crevices of the rocks that must have been tossed up there by the waters left me a prime target for the "sploosh" that caught me off guard. I was subsequently drenched.

Game Night was a big hit while I was there, so a few of us got together for a pretty rambunctious game of Guesstures one night. Lots of laughs and fun throughout the night. Thanks Barbara for orchestrating that!

Sitting on the sand watching the boats sail by was such a big part of returning to the island. Thankfully Guy (my colleague/friend) was content with most of the same. I did take him around different parts of the island to see some of the sights too though.

Our final day there Mary was able to join in the fun for an afternoon at my favorite beach - Half Moon Bay. If you've seen my blog before you would probably recognize that name from numerous previous posts. It was a great day of fun on the sand and in the surf!

Christmas In Wisconsin - 24-28 Dec 08

After many years of being away from home for the holidays I was able to make a short trip back to Wisconsin this year. Even though I couldn't attend every family function spread out across the weeks before, during and after Christmas I was able to be there for a few.
Rob & Romelle have adopted a unique tradition of placing their Christmas tree outside on their patio. They enjoy it more there through the patio door from the dining room than they would in the family room. I love the idea and as you can see, it makes for a magnificent sight with the northern Wisconsin snow.

Out front the scene is a bit different, with a cheerful snowman to welcome you and bright white lights in the miniature trees that line the entry.

What's one of the best things to get for Christmas?? In my family that would be some hand made chocolates! Here at Dad & Audrey's home that's exactly what I was able to unwrap and enjoy (amongst other goodies too).

During my short five day stay we had two separate snowfalls. The pines behind Dad's house hung low as the snow collected on their boughs.

An old piece of farm equipment sits peacefully covered in fresh snow.

New York, New York, Sunday, 7 Dec 08

In late Nov/early Dec my friend Felix from Spain was visiting the US, where he spent time with friends in New York as well as here in Delaware. I went to New York during that time to see friends I hadn't seen in a long time and to take in a few sights while there. Here are a few shots.
The Chrylser Building lit up for the night. (Sorry for the blurry shot, I didn't have the tripod with me).

New York city as seen from the back of the ferry as it departs from the shore on it's way to the Statue of Liberty.

Statue of Liberty stands tall on a cloudy day with Manhattan in the background.

It was a pretty chilly day in New York, but still worth going out to see our Lady Liberty.

A creation of the weary and wanting as they arrived on the shores of America. This statue stands near the entrance to the ferries that travel to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Home Sweet Home - Saturday, 1 Nov 08

After extensive searching for the perfect home I decided buying wasn't going to be the best option at this time. The market was still in a decline and homes in Delaware are still way over-priced in my opinion. As much as I didn't want to rent I decided that was going to be the smarter choice for now. So, on 1 Nov 08 I began moving into a two-story, side-by-side twinhome in Dover, DE. Here are a couple of shots of the new digs.
This should be a nice place to call home for a while.

Not much for a patio out back, but I plan to work with the landlord and see if I can get him to put up the $$ if I put up the sweat and do some upgrades in the back. We'll see what the summer brings.

Going Away Brunch - Sunday, 21 Sep 08

A few local friends put together a very nice brunch on the Sunday before I left the island to say good-bye. It was a excellent time for more laughter and smiles amongst some good friends.

Tina's back patio was an ideal spot to get together for a small, yet pleasant brunch with good friends.

I was so pleased when Catfish brought me along to a party at Patricia's home many months ago. She is a wonderful person and has become a great friend.
Likewise, I'm also very pleased that Patricia has shared her friend Tina with some of us. She is always good for plenty of smiles and good times. I'll miss them both very much.

Going Away Bash - Friday, 12 Sep 08

To say farewell to all of the wonderful people I've spent the past 14 months with I decided to have a Going Away Bash at the club. The kitchen staff did a great job at preparing the Wisconsin brats and cheeses I brought down as well as adding to it other tasty dishes. I had Kenny's band Monky T-li play some great music for a few hours and we all enjoyed some of our favorite libations served at the bar. I think everyone had a pretty good time.

A shot of a few of the local crowd enjoying themselves on a Friday afternoon - the weekend has begun!

The 'girls' were enjoying some good ol' rock n roll being played by the band.

Mary, Bolo and I giving a smile for the camera.

Kenny enjoying what Kenny does best - play those drums!!! He may be a painter by day, but he's a drummer at heart.

How could I possibly let Barbara get away without a photo from the night after she got all dressed up for the evening? I couldn't.

Kim's Visit - Saturday, 7 Sep 08

Yes, I know it seems like forever since I've posted new pics here; that's probably because it has been! Well, it's time to remedy that right now and try to get a bit caught up. That all starts with Kim's visit back in September last year. Kim is a good friend of mine whom I met while stationed in England in the early 90's. She owns a villa at Jolly Habour in Antigua, so her visit wasn't quite the same as some of the others. We didn't do island touring and sight seeing, but still managed to have a lot of fun visiting and enjoying the beaches and friends. That part is always the same, no matter who visits. Taking advantage of a photo op from the back patio of Kim's villa.
I can't recall her name, but this friend of Kim's had us in stitches laughing so hard the entire night. She was quite the cut-up.
An evening at C & C's wine bar in St. Johns is always a good time, especially when spent with some new and old friends. Kim's friend Terry (who lives in a villa just down the street) is another wonderful person I was given the honor to meet.
Much to our amazement while standing in line to get Kim checked in for her departure flight we encounter Charles Samuel. Charles is a native of Antigua who was back to the island to visit family. Kim and I met him during the time we were all stationed at RAF Mildenhall, England. What a small world!!!! It was great to see him again and have a few minutes to catch up.