September 24th, 2006 ~ In my posting last year on September 10, 2005, I reported how Hurricane "Nate" was to make a "direct hit" on the island but narrowly missed by 107 miles.

This September it was "Florence", a category 1 hurricane which was coming directly at us. Everyone prepared for the worst; filling the bathtub with water to flush the toilet when the power is lost, nailing plywood over the windows, buying bottled water and canned goods that can be eaten without cooking. The causeway that killed three people in hurricane Fabian was closed, cutting off a third of the island and I was incarcerated at Tynes Bay for 36 hours. The inferno must be fed, even during a hurricane.

It turned out that Florence missed us by 80 miles and the winds didn't quite reach the 80 miles per hour as predicted, but the power did go out for many and lots of trees hit the dust (or roads as the case may be). This is the way of life in Bermuda during Hurricane Season. Once the storm blows through, it is mild and sunny once again and time to clean up the yard.

On the heels of Florence came Hurricane Helene which was more distant but caused giant sea swells and resulted in no less than 40 people being rescued by lifeguards at Horseshoe Beach in one day.

If you would like to watch a short video clip taken by my friend Mark of hurricane Florence then click here. (Mark was one of those who disobeyed the pleas of safety officials to stay indoors)

Thought I would show you a picture of what our back yard used to look like. The beautiful vine covered trees are no more, blown down by Florence. The saving grace of living in Bermuda is that the growth of vegetation is at such a pace, that it'll all come back in short order.

The beautiful vines with the purple Morning Glory were abundant prior to the storm. Several of the palms in our yard were also blown flat.

Mouse over the image and see what it looked like after the storm.

A couple of days after the hurricane, the cruise ships which had departed for the open ocean during the storm returned to port and it was business as usual. The view at right is of Front Street in Hamilton as seen form our favorite watering hole; "The Beach". Two of these ships can dock end to end along this main thoroughfare down town. Two more are usually docked at St. Georges and Dockyard; the East and West ends of the Island.

"Mouse over" the picture to wave to Lori ...

Lori's and my favorite pastime remains driving about with her camera to find the unique shot. At left is a side road we found the other day cut out of the Bermudian Stone. It got even narrower and we had to fold in the mirrors.

Below we were adventuring on the scooter and found this other great lane that hasn't been used in a while. The rock walls of hand shaped stone must be hundred of years old and fitted together with no cement.

By now you'll recognize our other favorite water hole, Cross Bay Beach. Just across the road from us, it is a protected little cove with good snorkeling and not crowded with tourists. It has it's own little thatched cabanas and lounges although a few of them disappeared with Florence.

This picture Lori took of Cross Bay is one of her greats, I would say. We will be printing, matting and sticking this one in a frame. Take a moment to click on it and see it full size.

No one wants to play with what is pictured below.
(Not Lori ... the jellyfish!)

The Portuguese Man of War is extremely painful if you touch one of it's tentacles. Washed up on the beach they are fairly safe but you wouldn't want to step on one.

Above are "The Scooter Girls" and at left is their father ... "The Hog Fish King"! On the other side of the Island from where we live is this landing in Jews Bay where our friends keep their boat. One can catch a Hog Fish right off the dock! They are one of the best tasting fish here! For bait, they love "land crabs" which come out at night, especially on a full moon.

The picture to the right is of a cottage on the water on South Shore that we thought looked idyllic; everyone's dream home.

One of the wonderful things about Bermudians is that they love to have their picture taken. We met Lamont, an ambassador of good will, while shopping in town. "Hey, great hat Lamont!"

The Bermudians love their "bling" and their tattoos and rap music. Always colorful, with a great sense of humor, they are very polite and love to talk with you. As a matter of fact, if you don't greet a stranger, even in passing, they often take offence and consider you rude.

So that is this month's posting. As you can see, I'm now sporting the "bald look" as I hear all the chicks go for it. I have to go for more fire training this week and so will be clean shaven as well. Now if I could loose about 20 pounds .... Lori might even be concerned.

As has been my custom lately, I'll leave the readers of this web site with another of Lori's images of our little paradise in the North Atlantic. Is there any doubt why one may say ..... "Life is a Beach".