Gypsy Blood

Oh dear, I've done it again! Dog-gone went and booked me a plane ticket... I can't seem to help myself!! This time, I'm going to Phoenix, to visit the family. My sister and her husband live on a golf course in beautiful Mesa, and my parents (retired) spend their time in a small desert town called Bouse. It will be two weeks of quadding and hiking and all sorts of fun stuff - maybe even a round of golf?! I can hardly wait! Having a trip to look forward to always makes showing up for work just that much easier... 16 more sleeps...!
Cheers!

Buh bye Barbados...

We're at the airport right now, waiting to get on the plane to come back to... WINTER!! Oh well. It's been a fantastic trip; the weather was really the most unbelievable part about it... every day was hot and sunny and of course windy - but windy in a good way, not just for the kitesurfing, but because without it, the heat would be unbearable! My friend Toni needs to travel here, the temps are perfect for her! Honestly we spent the entire time in bathing suits, only putting on a shirt and shorts when we went out to eat. No long sleeves needed! We met some awesome people too, a few folks from Canada and a great group from the UK. Friday night we all went into Oistins to the 'fish fry'... what an experience! There was music and dancing and food and drinks, it was super fun. Then on Saturday I went snorkelling with sea turtles, which was way cooler than I ever imagined. They are such gentle creatures, and they're LARGE, so beautiful! This morning we lazed around, went for a stroll along the beach, got soaked in the daily tropical rain shower (very refreshing!), and then packed up our stuff and took the most calm bus ride of the vacation - the taxi/bus drivers here are mostly crazy - to the airport. It's nice and air-conditioned in here, plus there is free wireless internet to help pass the time.
Anyhow, I'm going to make one last trip around the shops here to burn off the Barbados dollars we have left... then north we go. See you soon!
Cheers.

Testing, testing, 1..2..3..

Ha ha! I've read that the true test of a relationship is travelling together... well, I'm now sure that the TRUEST test is driving together in a car, in a foreign country, where the roads are super narrow, shoulder-less, and you're on the opposite side of the road as in Canada! We rented a car last week, and the first few hours in it were scary to say the least! But we did manage to get used to it and we did not kill (or even maim) each other...!! We spent a couple of days and drove around the entire island, which is interesting and beautiful. The north coast is rugged, with huge cliffs and no beaches. The east side is less populated, and the south and west coasts are definitely where the action is. We went to pretty much the middle of the island and saw Harrison's Cave, and we also went to Ocean Park which is a small aquarium-type place. Other than that, we've been hanging at the resort, Todd's been kitesurfing, and I've been frolicking in the sea! No, I haven't got up the guts to try my new board out yet... the swells are large (no flat water here!) and I've witnessed a few too many epics thus far - tangled kites, people slammed up on the shore, ripped kites requiring rescue (Todd!!), people carried downwind and by the tide out to sea - and I just can't bring myself to do it. Oh well. The white sand and rum is enough for me!

Cheers.

A glimpse of paradise...

Here are a few pics from the trip so far. We haven't seen much of the island yet, but where we are is pretty darn nice! Enjoy!

This is the life!

Ahhhhh.... 30 degrees and SUN!! It doesn’t get much better than this! We arrived in Barbados Monday, after an uneventful but long (11 hour) flight... the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel however was one of the most frightening experiences of my life!! **Whew** not something I need to do again soon!!
And in his usual fashion, Todd dropped our luggage in our room and made a break for the beach within about 15 minutes of arriving at our destination... of course he got in a fantastic session before the sun went down, it was awesome to watch! I on the other hand, am going to have to grow some kahoonas, because even inside the reef the swell is intimidating, and the shore break is substantial as well. I know it will be a challenge, but I really need to try out my new board!!
Tuesday we slept late, and by the time we got things set up to kite, the wind had kind of died. But that’s okay – I got in some poolside time and drank a few rums, yummy! Todd saw some sea turtles while riding and I saw some monkeys when I was out wandering around. So far, the only minor detail I could do without is some weird bird, which chirps incessantly and sounds exactly like our gas detectors at work when they go off... I've actually resorted to earplugs at night, because they just don’t shut up!!
And today Todd got out for two sessions in the surf, one in the morning and another this afternoon... I stayed in the shade due to a little too much sun the day before!!
Anyhow, overall I’d have to say so far, so good! The resort is nice, the food and drinks are good, the water is TURQUOISE like I’ve never seen before, and obviously the weather is fantastic! We’re having fun in the sun, YEAH!!! My posts may be limited though, because the internet access is super sketchy. We are going to rent a car and travel around for a couple of days, so hopefully we can find an internet cafe and I can get some pix up, to make you all jealous!!! It is a beautiful location!
Cheers!

I love airports!

Yes, it's true... I love airports! I love watching all the people, I wonder what their stories are... where they are all going to or coming from... are they on holidays? is it a business trip? maybe it's some romantic secret meeting!? Oh, the possibilities are endless!

Anyway, we're catching the redeye tonite, so what better way to get yourself a bit sleepy than to stop in at a pub and visit with the Captain! We board soon, but I thought I'd post since there is free wi-fi, plus it kills a bit of time. This time tomorrow, we'll be sitting in a pub alright, but it will be in BARBADOS!!! Yeah!!

Cheers (and I do mean CHEERS!)