Picture me smacking my hand...

I'm sorry to all of you who are starving for news from us! I have been very lax in keeping up, so be prepared for a novel of an entry now. Here's the rest of our adventures in Barbados (I really think we should cut off the cable tv...)

We landed at John F. Kennedy airport at around 10 in the morning. We collected our bags and went to find transportation to Manhattan. The taxi charged a set rate and took us by sights like the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station and the Midtown Tunnel, as well as the site of the 1964 World’s Fair (which everyone who has seen Men in Black would recognize – part of it is the globe the alien space ship crashes through at the end of the movie). Since we had almost 24 hours in New York, I thought it would be criminal (and really, it would) not to spend some time soaking up the atmosphere in the “Big Apple”. The chance to do some serious shopping also played somewhat of a factor…

We were lucky to be able to check into our hotel early – the folks at the Westin Times Square really outdid themselves. We were given a nice room on the 11th floor so we dropped our bags and headed off to find some lunch.

At McDonalds.

Laugh if you must, but Rod and I had developed serious cravings for Mickey D’s since moving to Bermuda (there isn’t even one drive thru restaurant here, and very little in the way of fast food, except for KFC).

After we’d had our fill of Quarter Pounders (sticking to vegetarian eating went out the window) we headed off to see the sights. A quick taxi ride from the hotel landed us at the Empire State Building.

And a two-hour lineup just to get to the elevator to get to the observation deck.

Luckily, we found this tour company called Sky Ride. You pay a little more than you would just to get to the observation deck, but you also get a virtual reality/IMAX fly over show of Manhattan. Lots of fun.

After seeing the IMAX movie, and waiting in a much shorter line up to get to the elevator, we crammed into the elevator like sardines for the trip to the observation deck on the 86th floor. Our ears popped about 4 times during the super-fast elevator ride to the 80th floor. Once there, we had to go through a metal detector and get on a different elevator to the 86th.

It was a wait, but boy was it worth it! The view from up there was fabulous!! It was freezing and very windy (you can probably tell from the picture of Rod and Jean) but we could see almost all of Manhattan and even the Statue of Liberty was visible in the distance. It was very worth it.

After we dropped Jean off at the Westin, Rod and I headed to Macy’s (the largest Macy’s in the world, by the way). They have an entire floor dedicated to women’s shoes!! It’s about seven stories in total, and to get from the 5th to the 6th floor, they have a wooden escalator (I’m not sure of the story behind it, but it’s probably a hundred years old and been part of the store forever). I didn’t buy as much as I wanted to, but the store was crammed – Thursday shopping before Good Friday.

We decided to walk back to the hotel down Broadway – so cool! Once we got to Times Square we walked around it as well. At one point, a fire truck was trying to (we think) reach an emergency (if the siren was any indication) but there was nowhere for it to go. The traffic was practically grid locked. New York is a fun place to visit but I think my head would explode if we lived there. It truly is a city that never stops.

We decided to try authentic New York pizza for dinner and found the absolute best “by the slice” place a half block from the hotel. We ordered a pepperoni and a Hawaiian and while we waited, we looked at autographed pictures from Ron Howard, Sidney Poitier, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Harry Connick Jr., and Bill Cosby, all endorsing it as the best pizza in New York.

They weren’t wrong. We scarfed it down like the gourmet food it was. We also picked up a couple of hot pretzels (low-carb meal it wasn’t) since I thought is was sacrilege to be in Manhattan and not sample those.

We retired for the evening, full of delicious junk food and looking forward to the flight to Barbados the next morning. Long story short, we almost missed the flight due to a glitch in American Airlines flight tracking system. A recorded message called us in the middle of the night, saying our flight was delayed 2 hours. Luckily everything was closed the next morning and we got to JFK early only to find out the flight was not delayed, but on time and we had about 5 minutes to check in or miss the flight.

Jean was a trooper – we had a long walk to get to the gate, but she kept up. The moving sidewalks really helped as well. Once we boarded the plane (a 767 this time) we were off to the tropics.

After an almost 5 hour flight, we landed at Grantley Adams International in Barbados. The weather hit us like a wall as we walked down the steps to the tarmac (they don’t use jet ways, either in Barbados or in Bermuda. Not worth the expense when the weather doesn’t merit it).

Once we collected our luggage and cleared customs, we found a taxi to take us to Coconut Court Beach Resort in Christchurch parish. It was lovely. Not posh like the Westin, but clean and inviting and right on the beach. We ate in the restaurant hotel that night (it was pretty good food, but I missed the pizza).

It was an early night for us. The next morning, we picked up our rental car and started exploring. We had rented a Suzuki Swift (which turned out to be not so much unless the air conditioning was turned off) and started exploring the island after stopping in Bridgetown to do a bit of shopping before everything closed for Easter weekend.

Did we get lost! That may sound strange to some of you, but we found that sometimes we’d pass through a roundabout (traffic circle) and the map would say we were still on a highway, but the potholes and ruts and turns and twists made me long for the relative pavement of highway 36 to Ormiston!

I was lucky to do most of the driving. I’m looking forward to getting my license here and it was great practice to drive for 4 days while we were in Barbados – I think Rod was happy to navigate and run the camcorder (and side seat drive sometimes – but sometimes I welcomed it). The rules of the road there are the same as here (left side, right hand drive and the pushiest driver wins).

We saw some sights, that’s for sure. We started off driving up the west coast of the island, stopping at one place to try our luck at the slot machines. Mostly we just fed them quarters and after about an hour, we pressed on further north. We went through Holetown and Speightstown after navigating through Bridgetown (the capital of the island) and stopped for lunch at their version of McDonalds, called “Chefette”. After that, we turned inland and saw some really amazing rainforest type scenery.

We were gone almost six hours (yes, some of that involved getting lost – my nickname that weekend was “Wrong Way”) but eventually found our way back to Coconut Court and were in bed pretty early. It was a nice surprise to find we enjoyed the resort enough to spend time (and eat meals) there. It was definitely not fancy, but it was clean, the service was pretty good, and there was a lot to see.

Sunday we were up early and tried to drive up the east coast of the island. The scenery of the island changes much more than Bermuda (it’s also a much bigger island – 266 square miles to Bermuda’s 21). The east coast is very rugged with rough surf, jagged cliffs and not much in the way of beaches. The west coast is flatter and has the majority of the beaches.

We stopped for lunch that day at a small roadside restaurant called the Sand Dune. It had about six tables in it and we had a fairly hard time understanding the waitress/hostess’ accent, but we managed to place an order and settled in to watch the ever-present cricket matches that seemed to be the only thing on any television we saw.

An enormous amount of food arrived, including a serving each of macaroni pie (mac n cheese casserole – home made and very good) and I think we all had trouble finishing everything.

After that, we pushed on to find the Barbados National Wildlife Reserve. Our tour was very educational and we enjoyed seeing all the animals resident there. I think the strangest of them all was a creature that had the rear end of a rabbit and the front end of a deer (no, I did not have too much beer at lunch – they were really there! I’m sure I have a picture of them somewhere…). However, they also housed green monkeys, tons of turtles, too many bird species to count, iguanas and a gigantic reticulated python.

We spent an hour or so there, then made our way back to the hotel to have an excellent buffet and listen to some average steel drum music. We turned in early that night – as we did most nights. The heat, sunshine and fresh air had us all yawning by 8:00 most nights (except for the nights we found places for Rod and Jean to try their luck at the slot machines).

Monday the shops were still closed due to the long weekend, so Rod and I headed out to Carlisle bay to try snorkeling. It was fun, but there wasn’t a lot to look at unless you were out more than 100 yards – not my thing.

After that we went back to the hotel to pick up Jean so we could head off to the horse races at Garrison Racetrack. It was the first race of the season, so we didn’t know what to expect. Of course, Jean immediately found a woman sitting behind us who was really in the know – she owned a racehorse. We got all sorts of tips from her and Rod picked a forecast (getting 1st and 2nd horses in order) and won a bundle!!! All in all it was a good day. Then we had another fabulous barbeque at the hotel.

Tuesday was shopping day, and our last full day with the car. We had a look at the shops at the Sheraton Mall, advertised as Barbados’ largest shopping mall – it would have fit in West Edmonton Mall about 20 times over. Then we headed into Bridgetown to try spending some money there. We found a couple of souvenirs, but there were three cruise ships in port that day, so downtown was way too crowded for us.

Tuesday night we started to pack up for the trip back to New York, and turned in fairly early after having one last meal at a pub across the street from our hotel, called the Red Rooster. I wouldn’t say the food was inedible, but I’m pretty sure I could have made a better pizza than we had, and the chicken fingers were more like toes. However, it’s all an adventure if you’re trying new things!

Wednesday morning we finished packing up, had one last sit around the pool, and headed to the airport.

After an uneventful flight, we landed in NYC once again, this time to stay at the Ramada close to JFK, as our flight was early the next day.

I'm really sorry I don't have more pictures of Barbados to upload, but we brought the wrong (small) card for the camera (and didn't bring anything to unload the pictures to) so most of our memories are captured on camcorder (are they still called that?)

This trip in wasn’t so much fun. It was cold and rainy, and it had been a fairly long day. The shuttle took forever to arrive (should have taken a taxi instead) and was packed full of people (so Rod and I immediately made a game plan that had me dashing off the bus the second we got to the hotel to get checked in. It sort of worked, except for the very pushy redheaded woman – but I’ll get over her terrible behaviour). By this time it was close to midnight and we were absolutely famished, having not eaten for close to 8 hours.

We had a good meal in the hotel bar and turned in right after that.

We got back to Bermuda that morning (no problems through immigration for any of us – Yay!) and grabbed a taxi and headed to the apartment.

All in all, it was a fabulous trip! I definitely want to go back to New York, and we will likely be back in Barbados – I’d recommend it over Mexico any day.

Hugs to everyone at home (I'm sure from Daisy as well, but she's napping at the moment)

Us.

Sometimes public transport isn't so bad...

I have decided I can’t complain about having to ride the bus any more. Riding the bus gives me insight about the people and the culture of Bermuda, and today I got a rare opportunity.

I met Johnny Barnes.

I can hear all of you at home saying; “who?” or “why is this so monumental?”

I’ll tell you why. Since arriving on the island, I have seen 2 bronze statues of men who are important to Bermuda.

One is Mark Twain.

The other one sat next to me on the bus today.

I did not immediately recognize him, but I did notice him when he got on the bus. An immaculately dressed older gentleman, he wore a perfectly pressed tan suit with a formal pink shirt, and immaculately groomed hair and beard. I didn’t think much when he sat next to me, except to wish him a good afternoon. He made a comment about the beautiful weather and I agreed.

We continued to make small talk until we reached the Harbour road roundabout and then he asked me if I knew who Johnny Barnes was and had I ever seen him.

Well, of course I’d seen him; I’d even waved to him a couple of times. The man then pulled a postcard out of his bag and gave it to me. It was of Johnny Barnes standing next to his statue. I thanked him and started to slip the postcard into my bag but he stopped me. He asked me to take a closer look and my jaw dropped.

Only then did I realize I was sitting and chatting with a man who is as much representative of Bermuda as Longtail Birds and the privateers!

What a treat to get such an up close and personal visit with the man known as “The Spirit of Bermuda”. Most weekday mornings, he stations himself at the last roundabout before entering Hamilton from about 6:30 until 10:00 am. He waves and smiles and wishes everyone who passes good day and God Bless.

He is someone who does not seem to have an ounce of anger or resentment or mistrust in him. He has a genuine wish that everyone in the world try harder to get along. He is a man who has lived a long time and seen many things and still he wishes only peace and happiness for his fellow man.

Don’t get me wrong; there’s no message from me in this blog entry. It just really gave me a warm fuzzy both to meet a Bermuda icon and to find out he’s such a pleasant and warm person.
PS. More chapters from our adventures in New York and Barbados to follow. They just need one more edit…

Holy smokes, where do I start? It’s been a whirlwind of a time since Rod’s mom arrived. We can’t believe 3 weeks have gone by already. I’m going to post this in installments, otherwise there will be a novel to read.

We picked her up at the airport on April 2, and after she’d peeled off her patch and had a smoke we climbed into a taxi for the ride to our apartment.

It was a long trip for her, having left Regina on Sunday night, flown to Calgary and caught the overnight flight to Toronto to connect to the once daily morning flight to Bermuda.

We arrived at our apartment and brought her bags up the stairs and settled in, catching up on Hesterman family news until Jean was ready for a much-deserved nap. We waited until she’d got her bearings here before springing our big surprise, which I’ve already let out of the bag in a previous entry.

We had a couple of days here before leaving for New York. The night we left, we had the MacDonald family over for dinner (they looked after Daisy for us while we were away). Chris, the husband, is the operations manager for Switchworx and his wife Kathy and their kids Victoria and Riley were really looking forward to having Daisy for a visit.

After they left on Wednesday night, we packed our bags and tried to get some sleep. We’d booked a taxi to pick us up at 5:00 Thursday morning, and boy, did it come early!

However, we were really excited to be off on this particular adventure. We got to the Bermuda airport and had plenty of time to grab a coffee and do a bit of duty free shopping before we boarded a 757. Next stop, New York City! This picture doesn't look like much, but we're on approach to JFK. Look at the houses packed in.

Chapter 2 to come...

Hugs to everyone,

Rod n Karen (and Jean)

Back from hiatus

Hi everyone!

It's been a while, but I am managing to avoid our zillion cable channels and actually sit down to write something.

Lots has happened in the last couple of weeks, including our St. Patrick's Day/housewarming party on March 17. Rod and I made a ton of food (including Rod's now famous hot wings) and most of his co-workers and their spouses/girlfriends showed up for an evening of great fun (and Lori playing the spoons while Steve played the guitar).

The last guest departed about 3 a.m. and we spent the next day being very quiet ;-)

Daisy has been to the beach again, and she's decided it's not so bad, although she's not ready to go for a swim yet. The last time we were there, dozens of man-o-war jellyfish had washed up on the beach. Hopefully it's a weird tidal thing and not a hint of the summer we can expect. For those of you not in the know, man-o-wars are the worst kind of jellyfish - their sting can be extremely painful. Here are a couple of pictures - they're the things that look like weird blue shells (they look more like very strange-shaped plastic bags if you encounter them floating in the ocean or washed up on the beach.

I love the sunsets here. It's hard to believe, since I thought prairie sunsets were the prettiest in the world, but every so often if the cloud patterns are just right at the right time of day, we have the best view - right from our balcony.

Life has settled into somewhat of a routine, but that should change now that Rod's mom is here! She arrived yesterday, after having travelled from Regina to Calgary to Toronto to Bermuda. All in all, a very long flight, but it was the only way to avoid having her stay in TO for the night.

She also rode back on the same plane with Nick, one of Rod's co-workers who had been home for the weekend so we all shared a taxi into town. We dropped Nick off and continued on to Casa

Hesterman.

We were out for supper last night at Island Cuisine, a low-key restaurant not far from our apartment. They have a good menu, decent prices and they're one of the few places who don't automatically include the tip for the wait staff.

Then it was back home for an episode of "Deal or no Deal" and off to bed.

We did have one surprise up our sleeves, though. When Rod put his house up for sale, we agreed that we would take a portion of the proceeds and have fun with it. Well, Rod's house has sold and we have booked a long weekend away and Jean's coming along. Thursday morning we leave for New York (and shopping in Manhattan - WUHOOO!!!!) for a day there, and then we're off to Barbados for the weekend!! There will defintely be posts of our adventures (and pictures) next week.

But Jean had adventures of her own this morning. We had to pick up some groceries, so she borrowed my helmet and climbed on behind Rod for a quick trip to Marketplace (it's not everyone who has a mom/grandma who is so cool!!)

I followed on foot, since it's only a 15-minute walk and we had to buy enough that we needed a taxi home.

Once I got to the store we got everything we needed and Rod took the bike home and we followed in the taxi.

Rod and Jean are now busy making perogies! And cheese buns, if I have anything to say about it.

Hugs to everyone at home. I'll try not to stay away so long next time.

Musings on Bermuda

So I've found some things I love about the island (the weather, the immaculately dressed school children, the pace of life, watching the endlessly changing blue of the ocean, and driving a bike) and I've found some things I don't like so much (cockroaches, weird spiders that have the biggest webs, and humidity so thick some days you sweat even when you're standing still).

That being said, it beats snow and wind and ice and cold hands down.

I have now driven into Hamilton twice - I'm such an adventurer! Of course I wait until the morning rush hour is done and then it's fairly easy if you pay attention. Yesterday I came into town to meet Rod for lunch and try to get his suit dry cleaned (it got a bit mildewy - go figure). I haven't found a reliable dry cleaner or seamstress yet. You'd be surprised how much that matters when you don't have one.

It's been a while since I last blogged - I have to admit to some homsickness and a little bit of lonely. However, Rod and I went bowling tonight at Warwick Lanes - 10 pin - and it was fun, and not too expensive. There's more to settling into a new country than I remember from being a kid in Florida. Of course then I was in school within a week of arriving - not nearly as much time on my hands as I have now.

However, we're having some people over on Saturday for a St. Patrick's Day/Housewarming party. It's all Rod's co-worker's and significant others. Hopefully it's as much fun (almost) as the last party we threw.

Daisy and I went to the beach the other day. It's pretty obvious she loves it here (see photo if you don't believe me). Overall, it's still the most fun I've had in a long while - but I'll be glad when my paperwork is in and I can start applying for a job.

Well, that and waiting for summer weather so we can spend time at the beach!!

Hope everyone at home is good. Danielle, if you're reading this, I hope you are fine and everything is progressing as you'd hoped. You'd better send pictures in about 49 days!!

Hugs to everyone at home.

R & K.

A Car in the Works?

We've been scouring e-moo (the Bermuda online classfieds) to find a car. Bikes (scooters) are fun, but not when you're picking someone up from the airport with luggage or you have a big grocery shop to do.

I've just heard from someone who's selling his Mitsubishi wagon (go ahead, laugh) because he's moving in with his girlfriend. The price seems like a steal, so hopefully it's what we are looking for (even though we'll have to get him to deliver it since neither one of us can drive legally yet).

I'm on pins and needles waiting for Rod to get home. It's pointless calling his cell phone when I figure he's on the bike - hard to answer the phone while wearing a helmet and needing two hands to drive - so I'll pace until he gets home.

I practiced some more today on the bike - got groceries for supper tonight - having a ball!!

We miss everyone at home, but we don't miss the weather (feel free to swear at us now).

love,

Karen & Rod.

WUHOO!!!

Rod and I just got back from renting me a scooter. After the guys at Wheels made sure I wasn't hopeless at riding, I followed him out of Hamilton, thru two roundabouts to get to Middle Road and down to the Southampton Princess back entrance (which is the only way to get into our apartment complex).

I do believe I'll be a fair weather rider. It isn't very comfortable being a passenger when it's raining or very windy, never mind being the driver. If you don't pay attention, a strong gust could push you off the road.

However, I made it fine and can't wait to try again. Pictures to follow!

It was bound to happen

We've been here nearly a month now. I've got the apartment clean (finally), we have some pictures hung up (more to do, though) and we have curtains hung over the patio window.

And I'm bored. Becoming a Domestic Goddess was never on my list of accomplishments, and I need a new project.

I'm not complaining, mind you. I am, however, waiting for Rod to pick me up so we can head into Hamilton and get me a rental bike (scooter) for a week. I've found a few quiet streets I can practice on and really get a feel for whether or not this is a good form of transportation for me. The buses are okay, but I'm not used to being tied to someone else's schedule - especially when that schedule seems to vary from day to day (gotta love "Island time"). I'm really itching to do some serious exploring and take a whole bunch of pictures.

We went out last night and had a beer with a couple of Rod's co-workers - Nick and Steve. They're both Canadians (from the Ottawa area) here on contract. We were at a pub called the Robin Hood - the same place we went to watch the Superbowl last month. (Okay, we weren't really interested in the Superbowl, but Nick was throwing himself a birthday party also)

Some good news - my immigration paperwork is approved and pending signature!!! Time to start looking for a job.

And other good news - Rod's mom has her ticket to come visit and will be here for 3 weeks in April. Coincidentally, it's the same time period we were here in 2006 to see the Bermuda Masters Squash Tournament. I really hope she will enjoy herself here - our first visitor!

More info and pictures to come. Hugs to everyone at home.

Karen & Rod

Just another day in paradise...

Today was spectacular. All of you back in Canada can feel free to swear after you read this, but today Daisy and I were sitting on our balcony soaking up the sun.

Each day I have at least one moment of "holy cow - we LIVE HERE!!!" Our apartment is in quite a rural setting, so the roosters wake us each morning. We can get up and eat breakfast with a really great view of Little Sound (otherwise known as Port Royal Sound). Then Rod is off to work, and the day is mine to explore.

We went shopping at Bermuda's equivalent of Home Depot the other day. It's called Gorham's. We picked up a bookshelf, some baking dishes, some picture hanging hardware, a mailbox ('cause we don't have one for some reason) etc. etc. Then I took a taxi home with the stuff and Rod followed on the bike.

And we have living room furniture now!!! On Saturday we went to Furniture Walk and bought a sofa and chair. We got them delivered on Tuesday and picked up a few houseplants today. Our apartment is starting to feel more like home.

Rod took some time off today and we went off for a drive (okay, Rod was scouting fishing spots and I went along for the ride). We made it all the way to Dockyards at the far western end of the island. The weather was kind of windy, but the sun was shining and we were together - a perfect afternoon.

He found a couple of likely spots in Somerset parish and one of his co-workers has promised to show him some good spots - didn't take him too long to meet a fellow fishing fool. However, according to the co-worker, it's too darn cold to fish this time of year!

I found out from the taxi driver who brought me home from Gorham's that the valley our apartment is in used to be a limestone quarry. I always wondered why there were very regular horizontal cuts in the rock behind our place and now I know.

It's only been 2 1/2 weeks since we got here, so nothing feels "normal" yet but I'm looking forward to the day when it's a natural to remember my sunglasses, helmet and phone when I leave the house.

Hugs to everyone at home.

Us.

So it's been windy today. I feel like I sound like a native. It's been bloody windy - windows bowing in and huge whitecaps in the bay.

Several times today the storm shutters (which weigh a ton) were flapping in the wind gusts. It's been like a Calgary chinook (or a Saskatchewan windstorm) all day. Tomorrow is supposed to be much calmer and warmer.

We still have NOTHING to complain about. Rod's Bermudian co-workers were frozen to the bone, and Rod replied, "It's not cold until you have ice on your moustache!!"

More tomorrow.

Us.

Unrelenting rain...

Now I understand why Rod is so insistent we get a dehumidifier. The spare bedroom window looks out to a limestone cliff face and consequently doesn't get much sun. The clothing we had stored in there is now very, very mouldy . You can't see much from the picture, but the stuff that looks like dust is actually mould.

So I am washing it all (again) and have purchased these thingys called "DampRid" that pulls the water out of the air and stores in in this collection bag (I put it up two days ago and it's already got about a cup of water in it). The humidity level is currently at 94%, and the living room windows have so much fog on them I can't really see out. I think we'll shop for that dehumidifier tomorrow.

There has been relentless rain today. Daisy's being a brat - seems she doesn't get that walking in pouring rain isn't so much fun. Maybe I should grab my rubber suit and show her...

However, we took her for her first scooter ride on Sunday. I bundled her up inside my coat and climbed on the bike behind Rod and off we went. She seemed to not mind at all, being slightly squished between my front and Rod's back.

We went to Astwood Park, more than anything because there's a spot there that Rod is determined to catch something from (like a fish, perhaps). You have to walk down a path, then scramble over some rocks, then ease yourself down about three feet to a shelf. It's a little wet at high tide, depending on how rough the surf is.

Rod fished for a while and I walked Daisy around the park. She seems to really be having a ball here (and it doesn't hurt that I have all this time to take her for long walks) and gets quite demanding if I won't (in her mind, I'm sure) take her every day.

I've grabbed a picture from when we were here last April. It's astounding how really beautiful this place is, and most days I really think "how cool is this - we LIVE here" - and then it rains.

Kidding.

We don't have to shovel rain, or scrape car windows, or start cars with frozen seats before going to work. Birds of Paradise (flowers) grow outside.

There's also this place called Crystal Cave. It took a about a million years to form, but it's an underground cavern with seepage through the limestone and it forms amazing stalactites and stalagmites. The water there is so clear and still you can see more than 15 feet down. Apparently Esther Williams starred in a movie filmed here in the 1940's.

Okay, so Blogger is not cooperating at the moment, but I'll upload more pictures later. It could be our internet connection, who knows? Hope everyone at home is well.

Karen & Rod.

Here's the thing about life in Bermuda. Yesterday it was sunny and calm - a really lovely day. Today it's raining so hard I can't see the bay and there's a gale warning on the weather service for tonight. Daisy thought she wanted to go outside (until I actually took her, but first I had to put on my rubber coat and rubber shoes - thanks again for the Crocs, Jean they are really useful here) and she got soaking wet in under 2 minutes and didn't do any business. Oh well.

I'm starting to figure out the bus system a little. I can get from our apartment to Hamilton and back. However, yesterday morning on the way in I ended up sharing my seat with a cockroach - YUK! I think I'll practice on the bike a little more...

Bermuda can be a really friendly place. It's quite common for a total stranger who passes you on the street to say "good morning". It takes some getting used to, but now I'm even starting to do it myself!

We can hear a strange sound sometimes when we're in the apartment. It's a low, rumbling boom that sounds quite a bit like ice shifting on a lake in winter. It doesn't seem to happen at regular intervals, or even at any set time. It will probably turn out to be something harmless and typical, but in the meantime we're having fun coming up with theories.

And that's it for Valentine's Day from Bermuda.

We're here...

It's Wednesday - our fourth full day on the island and we're starting to settle in. I even took my first bus ride today to get home! It was a little nerve wracking to be in the bus while it barreled down the narrow, twisty roads with what looked like barely inches to spare between the limestone cliffs and the oncoming traffic. It is much more economical than taking taxis everywhere.

Rod's back at work and I'm home with the dog. We went for an hour long walk today down the historic Railway Trail. I hadn't intended to go for that long but I met two women on the trail - also walking their dogs - and walked with them past some very pretty scenery. It had been cloudy and blustery this morning, but just as we came even with Gibb's Hill lighthouse, the sun came out and made the water bright like a jewel.

It seems to be the way of the weather here. One minute it can be cloudy and cool, then the sun comes out and changes everything. I am looking forward to beach weather, though!!

As for tomorrow, I am going to try to ransom our cargo from the airport and get Rod an appointment for a physical (which he needs done before trying for his Bermudian scooter license) so we can stop renting a bike.

Our apartment is quite lovely (and it's just like I remembered - Barbie's dream house pink on the outside) and I think we'll settle in before we know it.

Closer to departure...

Well, the house is now practically empty and we're that much closer to our new home. We've moved all the big furniture except the bed (and somehow that keeps us putting one foot in front of the other and getting the packing done - weird).

The realty sign is up and viewings should start tomorrow. I'm still sorry Rod didn't choose to list with Allison, but the realtor he chose is one he has quite a bit of history (and luck in making money) with.

It's been kinda tough saying "see ya later" to everyone. I say see ya later instead of saying goodbye - it's too much like I'm never going to see them again, and I definitely will see my good friends again.

However, it's impossible to have adventures without stepping out of your comfort zone once in a while!!

See ya later.

The beginning...

I wanted this first picture on our blog so that it would always remind me why we are moving to Bermuda. We will miss our families and friends but hope this blog will help us keep in touch.

We are about 8 days away from our new adventure and the house is a mess and we're sick of take out food already.

However, moving to Bermuda is probably in our top 5 of "greatest adventures ever".

The shipping container arrived on Friday and we're filling it up in preparation. It's madness!

We are looking forward to being done packing, that's for sure.