July, 2005 ~ "Life is a Beach"
August 2005 ~ Bermuda!, Fire Fighting Training
September 2005 ~ Bermuda Highways, Gone Fishing, John Smith Beach, Hurricane
October 2005~ Imagery, Visiting Bermuda
November 2005 ~ Hello - We are still Here, Our Place, What do I Do?
December 2005 ~ "All I want to do is Catch a Big fIsh"!, Our First Visitor, Peugeot Cabriolet
January 2006 ~ Happy New Year!
February 2006 ~ Winter in Bermuda
March 2006 ~ BRrrrrrr!
April 2006 ~ April Showers?

Friday, October 14, 2005

IMAGERY

Lori at the entrance to Shelly Bay at sunset
Being in Bermuda is a constant assault on the eyes. The beauty is mind blowing. Quite often we will spend a day to go and explore an area where we haven't been before. Of course we bring Lori's camera. This posting is to display only a few of Lori's pictures and to show a glimpse of different parts of the Island.

Ross on Tucker's Town Beach

It is only a 10 to 15 minute ride from the North side to the South shore, so of course, one comes across astonishing vistas of coast line around every other corner is seems. We'll be blasting along on our scooter and rounding a bend, come across an astounding view of incredibly blue water crashing upon the coral shoreline. "STOP!" Another picture to take!

Exploring a nameless Cove

You would think that a country with more people per square mile than most would have crowded beaches. This is simply not the case. We've found many "undiscovered" little coves and bays that are empty of people, even on the weekend. Of course we are into the cold months of winter soon and the Bermudans find the beach and ocean far too cold. Lori and I went swimming yesterday in 82 degree water that was crystal clear and beautifully refreshing.

Mouth of a Cavern at Clarence Cove

Most of Bermuda's Island formation is limestone. Most of the construction of it's buildings are of Bermudan"Blocks" carved out of limestone. Along the coast the wave action has eroded many caverns into this formation and in some instances these caves actually transverse the island underground (Or so I've been told). We do plan on going on a few scuba adventures to check this out.

Canon Fodder at Alexandra's Battery in St. Georges Parish

There is lots of history here as buildings date back to the 1600s. Cruise ships make this a port of call and stay for days. They dock at Hamilton, St .Georges and at The Royal Naval Dockyard. The islands of Bermuda all have historic "Forts" with remnants of canon and armories.

This "blog" has it's limitations in many respects. One of them is it's inability to properly display images. We plan in the future to have a "photo gallery" set up on line.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Visiting Bermuda
There are those who express an interest in coming to Bermuda for a visit. Of course we want them to stay with us and in that way cut the expense of the trip in half. I thought I should post an article on what the "visitor" should expect when not staying at a resort hotel. As a matter of fact, there are no "all inclusive' hotels in Bermuda. If you like golf and have plenty of money to spend, you'll love the challenging courses of Bermuda. The cost of 18 rounds can be high as $280. Then there is a little 9 hole club near us (Ocean View) that we can play for $38 after 2 pm. We haven't sampled the night life as of yet, mainly because we haven't found it. Last night we went to the "Princess Hotel" for Happy Hour (a Friday night tradition in Hamilton ) where mostly ex pats stood around in their finest shorts and knee-socks guzzling booze under the stars. Lori and I kicked up our heels a bit in an effort at getting the party going but then it could have been the Gin.


Tobacco Bay
We "have" checked out most of the beaches to find one that we think will fit the bill when showing visitors a good time. Although the beaches in Bermuda are spectacular, there are not much in the way of amenities when spending the day there. So one brings their own cooler with eats and drinks and beach chairs, etc. Only problem is that it's a trifle difficult on a small scooter supporting two people. (Although you would be amazed at what we've brought home on the scooter from Tynes Bay where I work .... but that is another story.) We are actively looking for a small car and soon these transportation problems will be solved. We will also be able to pick visitors up at the airport and continue the tradition of getting them swizzled at the Swizzle Inn upon arrival.
We "did" find one beach that will fill the expectations of visitors like my brother Randy who likes some action on the beach. It's called "Tobacco Bay" and is a small beach with great snorkeling, picturesque with nearby historical forts to explore. It has a beach bar, music and a restaurant nearby. Located at the East end of the the Islands near St Georges, it's only about a 20 minute drive from Hamilton.

The restaurant down the road is called Blackbeards and has it's own beach which is also very nice. Right beside Blackbeards is the historical Fort St. Catherines. On top of the hill behind all of this, surrounded by the St. Georges Golf Course, looms what Lori dubbed the "Overlook Hotel" from Steven King's famous story "The Shining". This huge abandoned hotel sits empty and crumbling, deserted years ago by it's owners Club Med when the Bermudan Government refused to allow them to have a "topless beach"

.

The "Overlook Hotel"