Cloudy Day Walkabout

Tuesday morning of my last week in Bermuda dawned a little cloudy.  It was probably for the best that I was not going to have a lazy day on the beach.  It gave me time to do that baking that I promised my former coworkers that I would do.  But once that was done it seemed a travesty to not go to the beach since it hadn't actually rained yet, despite the forecast and clouds.  i decided to revisit Elbow beach, as one of my favorite rocks is there.  Yes, I have favorite rocks.

As always, Bermuda had a few treats out, even though the sun was not one of them.  I found a postcard perfect piece of seaweed enjoying the lonely beach.

And I had an unobstructed views of my favorite beach and some of the rocky areas at the far end if it.

And near the very end of the beach is my favorite rock.  The water was a bit rough on this particular morning, but it made for some nice photos anyway.  The favorite rock kind of reminds me of a crown.  When I first visited the island as a tourist almost 6 years ago, I walked down Elbow Beach every day and to this rock, fascinated by the lava rocks in the sea.  This picture was my favorite of my first trip to Bermuda...and I think it shows that it already captured my heart.

Me back in 2008, on what I thought was a once in a lifetime trip to Bermuda.  Life is funny.

On this day, I said goodbye rock, as I was not sure when I would be seeing it again.

And near my favorite rock was something I had been hoping to catch on film for a long time.  A Portuguese Man-O-War which had washed up on the sand.  Elation is not how people normally feel when they meet these, as those long purple tentacles create a stinging burning sensation if they touch you.  But I thought it looked quite pretty sprawled out on the sand.

I spent quite a bit of time, with a stick, and the Man-O-War, trying to place it so that the current would pull it back out to sea.  That didn't work.  So I took it out a few feet and tried to get it past the waves....but it still kept washing ashore.  I think I got one tentacle brush at some point, but it didn't sting too badly.  After a while I realized it probably wasn't going to survive the battering on the rocks as it kept getting washed back ashore, so I put it in a little pool of water near where I found it, hoping it wouldn't dry out, and that it would get a free ride out to sea when the tide rose a while later.  Godspeed little fella!

Saturday Sanctuary

The days are running down now, and soon my days of Bermuda beaches will be over.  The second last Saturday has come and gone now.  I realize that I am not very good at being on vacation, and it will take a few days to get used to.  I felt a little unease at how to best plan the best unplanned day.  This is what I came up with when a few people asked, "So what are you doing today?"  "Going to the beach," I said wanting to honor my promise of the day before.  "What else?"  "Don't know, maybe nothing, getting the beach is the only commitment I have."  And so beach day was declared, and a couple of people thought this sounded like a good idea.  First to chime in was Eileen.

Eileen with her gadget in hand

Then Siobhan.

She isn't cold, she just can't do sun after too many years in Ireland, she burns in minutes

And Annemarie wandered over as well.  It was meant to be a short gathering of about an hour, keeping in mind how long I could be in the sun I went straight for the sunscreen today.  Elbow beach was a bit quieter than the day before, and quiet is how I prefer it anyway.

Elbow Beach

It seemed as though the universe agreed with my one hour plan,  There was this one little raincloud sitting over in the horizon that was slowly making its way to us.  But we would get our one hour of bliss in first!

That cloud would prove to be our one hour sundial for the afternoon

In my new dedication to beach-going, I have to say I really enjoy Elbow Beach.  It is shallow for a long way out, and I rarely notice much undercurrent like I did at Long Bay the other day.  However, that also depends a lot on whether the tide is coming in or going out.  The colors are beautiful everywhere, but the length of Elbow beach and the shallowness enhance the pink sand and pale emerald waters even a little more than usual.  I went for the customary bob in the ocean and came out to relax.  It turns out Elbow Beach was a good spot for pretending to be a tourist on vacation -- it's a Saturday Sanctuary for the locals.  Do check it out when you visit this isle.  I think Elbow Beach will always be one of my favorite places.

Very inviting waters

Time's Up!

After the beach we decided to all meet up in town and watch part of the World Cup semi-final.  I wasn't very into the match, so I ended up going home and going for a nice long walk-jog combo, which gave me the energy boost I needed to make it to one other event of the day.  Irish night at the Hog Penny.  My friend Lisa who is in town from Boston teaches violin for a living,  Will Black asked her to play a set with him.  I had been pretty tired, but the first song I heard was Gordon Lightfoot "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," a true Canadian classic that perks me up every time.  By the time Lisa got onstage and I was clapping along in between chats with our friend Jen-- I admit I have forgotten the names of the songs all except for one -- "Devil Went Down to Georgia."  I can't help but love that!  And so it was a very good day off indeed.  I can get a lot of nothing much at all done now that I am not working,  I think I can get used to this!

Will and Lisa -- good combo!

D-Lightful

This is my last summer on the island and I wanted to do this year what I failed to do last year.  Get a suntan.  The weather has not been very cooperative of this idea yet.  And so today, seeing blue sky, i decided to go to the beach whether it was warm enough or not.  I threw on the bikini despite not achieving beach body readiness, and reached into closet for my favorite beach and boat dress and let out a little shriek of horror.  For some reason, in March, I deemed the little red DKNY not suitable for my last 6 months on the island and it is sitting in a box in an attic of Saskatchewan rather than being my faithful beach companion.  So I grabbed a little black and white backup, my beach towel and kindle and headed for the scooter.  I posted an open invite to Elbow on facebook just in case anyone was in the area, and as I was leaving got a text saying someone far away wished they could come to the beach with me.  "Don't worry," I said, "It isn't warm enough for the beach, I am going out of pure stubbornness."

And it was true.  There was a chill in the air on the bike and it probably would have been more comfortable with a light jacket.  As I parked at Elbow I had a missed call from Albert.   He was happy to pop down to the Beach.  "Bring beer," I texted back.  Might as well pretend it's summer I thought.  Even if it didn't feel hot, it was nice to hear the sound of waves and feel the sand in my toes.  I selected an open swath of beach and claimed it as my own.

My spot for lazing about today

There were a few people on the beach...a group playing beach tennis, a few other sunbathers, the odd jogger, and one poor exhausted looking man emerged from the surf in a full scuba suit and tank and started the long walk back to the dive shop with all the gear and flippers on.  Other than that, it was just me, Albert and some sunshine.  I applied SPF 85 to my new scar, 55 to the face for anti aging, 30 to the shoulders which have suffered too many burns in the past, but decided to let the rest of me do a little bit of what skin was designed to do...convert sunlight into Vitamin D.

The other brave beach combers of the day

Vitamin D is known to decrease risk of Multiple Sclerosis, Osteoporosis, High Blood Pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, and types of cancer.  Even Australia, which has the highest skin cancer rates in the world and a population that is used to covering up and sunscreening, has recommended 15 minutes a day without sunscreen.  The thing is...we need sunshine.  On our skin,  In safe, smart, and small doses.  Despite supplementing 2000IU a day, my level is still at the low end of normal Vitamin D levels.  And so...it is my goal to get some sun this year.

The first thing I noticed is the difference in skin tone in my arms, which get a little sunlight year round, and my legs, which are like summer tourists around the island themselves.  This is going to have to change.  And so, I sat out and hoped my dormant melanin producing cells could be coaxed into waking up from their long sleep.  And as we have always experienced, once I was off the bike, settled on the beach, and sitting out on the sand, the sun did start to warm me up.  Enough so that I could go into the still chilly water, and dry right off in just a few minutes.

the legs have some catching up to do

I had a nice visit with Albert, and spent a little longer than the 15 minutes I was going to spend on the beach.  I should have applied sunscreen to a few more areas.  But it felt so nice to have some time in the sun.  Summer, you are late, but I will be on the beach waiting for you when you arrive.  At least that is what I thought until I went home, and watched the pink color on my legs deepen as the evening went on.  Apparently 15 minutes really is all one should be outdoors for without sunscreen.  Lesson learned for the summer.

An Ex-Pat Christmas in Bermuda

"So what is Christmas like in Bermuda?" people always ask me.  As I have spent all but 5 of my Christmases in the snowy north, I understand what is going through their minds.  Hollywood images of drab palm trees with strings of lights and cheesy plastic blow up Santa's on lawns, with out of place reindeer and not a snowflake in sight.  I don't think Hollywood has yet to successfully capture what Christmas without snow is like for the world.  Earlier this week I tried to blog about all of the festivities of the season on the island, and take some pictures of the gorgeous and festive decorations that we have in Bermuda.  To be fair, I think the displays are pretty good down here -- perhaps it's because there is more time to put up the lights before your fingers freeze off, but I have been pretty impressed.  Except for when I went to get a close up of the ornaments on the bough of the Christmas tree outside of city hall.  While I was manually focusing my lens and focused only on the ornament directly in front of me I heard a rustle...it was only then that I realized a street person had burrowed through the base of the tree (its boughs start at the ground) and made a cozy nest inside.  Seemed like a good time to abandon that photo and move along.  That definitely doesn't happen in the frozen North.

An ex-pat Christmas in Bermuda usually involves a communal friend dinner, a lot of phone time and skype time back home, but revolves around the sentinel event of the day for an Ex-Pat -- Christmas on Elbow  Beach.  This is a long standing tradition, and a not-officially organized event, nor does it require invitation.  All are welcome.  There is no structure, no set time, people simply gather on the beach, kids, adults, coworkers and friends.  Many years ago, the Association of Canadians in Bermuda hosted this event, but over the years it has just been a sea of people who come, simply because they know others will be there.  Champagne bottles are uncorked and glasses are raised to friends, fellowship, and Christmas.  On average, at least 2000 people visit the beach on this day, many in seasonal attire.

We claimed a central spot, so this is 1/2 the crowd at the beginning of the day

On this Christmas morning, I received a distraught text from Albert at 9am to say it was raining.  Fortunately I slept through that part, and when I got up around 10, the next text was from Phil who was donning rain gear and heading down anyway.  That's the spirit.  By 11:30 when I arrived at Siobhan's, a few steps from the beach, the rain was gone, and so we headed down.  Along the way we got a call from a very excited Albert and crew who joined us for the walk down.  Karen and Allison were also on the way.  So we donned our Santa hats and Christmas crowns....

Popped our champagne corks, beer, or soda if it was a work day, and set out to share some smiles and laughs with friends...both old, and new.

The girls of King Edward Memorial Hospital -- old friends

The Bermuda Police Service -- new friends

I helped made Albert's secret Christmas wish come true...even if only for a few seconds.  I voted these ladies best dressed and got their consent to take a photo of the spirit of Christmas at Elbow Beach...that's a pretty big smile Albert.

Best dressed -- plus making Albert believe in Santa all over again

And so this is the tradition of ex-pat Christmas in Bermuda.  Ex-pat's, Bermudians, tourists, revellers, police, pets, kids, Santa's, reindeer, and a lot of fun.  Come when you can, stay as long as you wish, and celebrate Christmas with friendship, goodwill, and enjoy the beauty of Bermuda.  If you find yourself in Bermuda over the holidays, don't miss this experience.  It makes being away for the holidays a lot easier!

After that it was home to Skype, text, phone, BBM, What'sAPP, and email all of the friends and family not in Bermuda.  It's the time of year where you get loads of mini-updates and catch-up's which will leave me smiling for days.  Next year, I will be watching for photos from the Beach, likely from a snowbound Christmas in Canada.  Hopefully the memories of 5 Christmases in Bermuda will keep me warm inside.

My First Bermuda Love

I have always believed in love at first sight.  And intuition.  I would like to say that intuition never leads you astray, but I have to admit that isn't always the case.  But it certainly acts as a compass that takes you exactly where you need to be, for all the good and bad that may be on that path.

In 2008 I stepped off a plane at the L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda, a day late for my vacation thanks to the earliest Atlantic hurricane on record (which I refused to take as a sign to steer clear of this so called Devil's Isle).  The heat and humidity lit up a smile on my face and the sweet smell of oleander wafted through my senses, giving me an overwhelming sensory cue that it was vacation time, time to relax.  But there was one more thing that hit me, before I had taken my second step on the ground between the plane and the terminal (in Bermuda you still walk down stairs into open air and walk into the terminal to go through customs).  My gut kicked in and a little voice deep inside me said "This is home."  My conscious quickly dismissed this irrational instinct and I took my third step towards the terminal and forgot about it...for a while anyway.

As the car drove from the airport to my accommodations, I took in the heavy greenery, the windy roads, but it was a stunning image of a large black volcanic rock jutting out of the mesmerizing blue ocean that burned into my brain as my first impression of Bermuda.  I could not wait to stick my toes in that water.  On the first morning, I started walking and some helpful local workers directed me to the nearest beach, a little spot called Elbow Beach.  It was love at first sight.  I went back every day, shocked that such a beautiful beach would be so deserted in mid July.  As a local, I know now that most tourists flock to the more famous beaches, preferring to lay side by side in with the other hotel guests at Horseshoe Bay.  And 2 days after a hurricane, the locals were probably waiting for the waves to go down...or they were all at work and couldn't come out to play.  That is a very real problem when one moves to Bermuda after all.  I had the whole beautiful place to myself, almost every day.  Just my footprints on the sand.  No voices to mar the sound of the waves rushing onto the shore.  Just me and a few birds, and the still quiet little voice that i had heard at the airport...silent only because she was gathering peace, tranquility, and memories to use as evidence against logic later on.  One day I did come across other people, and asked if they would take a picture of me on my favorite rock on this rock.  I have always had a weird fascination with rocks, the little ones are unique as snowflakes if you look closely enough, and the big ones are just cool -- perhaps a second career in geology would have been a good idea.  It wasn't the stunning one I mentioned earlier, but it was unique, hardy, and seems to me to be shaped a little like a crown.

My Bermuda vacation 2008

After the vacation when I went back to Canada, the little voice started wearing away at the bigger voices of logic, practicality, and conscious rational thought.  Knowing how to stage a battle, the little voice kept the arguments very simple.  It waited until the end of a good day, and while logic, practicality, and rationality were patting themselves on the back for a solid day of hard work or a weekend of successful skydiving, the little voice dropped down on them like a tiny cannonball and said "meh, that was alright."  And then the little voice hit play on the little memory soundbite of tree frogs singing as the sun set over a thick growth of trees.  I felt an unmistakable stirring -- longing.  The memory of that sound made me long for Bermuda.  And then the little voice hit play on the sound of the waves on those mornings on Elbow Beach and the heart and soul joined in as allies -- I realized I had fallen in love.  One cannot deny the heart, game over, decision made, I was just going to have to move to Bermuda.  Logic, and a few friends, put up a good fight with a few thoughts like "But it's so expensive,"  "You don't even know if you can find a job."  But the little voice just looked around and said "I think I need to start downsizing my possessions for when I move."  And so in September I started lurking online for job postings while dropping of carloads of things at Goodwill.  In January, on my second application, I was offered a job.  Nearly 5 years later, I am thankful for the little voice, as living in Bermuda has given me financial reward, rest, a wonderful experience, and the gift of many new lifelong friends.  While it will be hard to leave Bermuda next year, the little voice spoke to me loud and clear last May, and logic, practicality, and rationality are as nervous about the lack of a plan as ever...but they are learning to trust the little voice to guide the way.

Elbow Beach

Elbow Beach has been a focal point of my time here.  Every Christmas Day takes me to Elbow Beach.  I use Elbow Beach as my target for a walk or run, treating myself to a few minutes looking out over the shore before heading back.  If I make it to the beach to lay about in the sun, it's usually Elbow Beach I head to.  The dive shop is where I did my scuba dive.  I think I will carry the sound of those waves in my mind forever.  I will always love Elbow Beach, the little patch of Bermuda that called me back, and brought me to where I needed to be.

Tranquil, peaceful, beautiful...my first Bermuda love