Remains of the Day

Most days off I set out on the scooter with the idea to take pictures in a certain location.  Often i finish up but still have a little more energy to go exploring, and just drive down a road or two to see what is there.  Sometimes that leads to a dead end, like this drive down Stokes Point Road.

But a dead end with a glorious view isn't such a bad thing.

In this case the concrete pillars are remains of the Bermuda Railway system.  The ones between Ferry Reach and Coney Island are popularly photographed....but these ones connected St. David's to the main island, and would today reach a quiet neighbourhood on the outskirts of St. George's.

There are a lot of great views in Bermuda, and I am happy that I took the time to let them soak into my memories and subconscious.  I have left Bermuda now, but was treated to a dream of the waves crashing against the rocks at Astwood Park last night.  I awoke to a message from a friend saying they had some bad weather and perhaps the island misses me.  I smiled to realize my dreams were in tune with the conditions at some of my favorite places.  Bermuda gets into your heart and soul in an instant, and stays there a lifetime.

Just across the main road from this dead end is a little nature preserve, I believe it was Stokes Point Nature Reserve.  I do mean little.  It was once a little pond, and back in the older days and less environmentally responsible days, people used ponds and marshes as a dumping ground.  This one was reclaimed, and sits solitary these days.

Little trail through the woods

Leading by one of Bermuda's colorful trees

A pretty pond, but it doesn't get a lot of attention in the middle of all the ocean views

An Enlightened View of Gates Fort

I first went to Gates Fort last November.  It is a quiet little Fort, doesn't attract a lot of attention, but a cute little Fort, with a pretty big gun.  At that time I enjoyed it for the great view, and for being able to quietly soak up a bit of the surrounding history.  In the early summer, I enjoyed watching Longtails from the rocky cliffs on its edges.  But only recently did I pick up a copy of a book called "Sea Venture -- Shipwreck, Survival, and the Salvation of Jamestown," at the recommendation of one of Bermuda's local Conservationists in a lecture at Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

I thought I had my Bermuda history figured out until I read this book.  This book gets right down to the last known detail of those souls aboard the Sea Venture on that fateful day it wrecked -- their successes and failures that led them to colonists or captains, and also explains as much as is known about who did what, and when in both Jamestown and Bermuda.  The association between Bermuda and Jamestown is far more intricate and closely linked than anything I had previously read.  Of course, one of the main characters aboard that ship is a military man -- Gates.  Turns out that Gates Fort, in Gates Bay, is named after him, and this site is right about where the shipwreck passengers and crew came on board.  Much smaller than Fort St. Catherine, but much more significant with regards to the Sea Venture.

This is where the fire to colonize Bermuda came from.  Bermuda was a saving grace to the badly failing Jamestown venture, and a paradise compared to its counterpart.  It took several years and a lot of happenings for colonization to happen, but it did.  I will leave the specifics for you to research by reading the book.

I will just post a couple more pictures of Gates Fort, with a bit of new found appreciation for the site, now that I know about all the shenanigans that went on, and 2 leaders struggled for power (and hence built two ships to leave Bermuda), as men rallied and railed, were tried, sentenced, pardoned or executed....all along the shore of this quiet little site, long before it even became this ancient little fort.

What Paradise probably looked like in 1609 -- with more sea turtles and cahows before the soldiers ate them all

Gates Fort from outside the walls on the cliff

Gates Fort now

The Solo

OK, too many days without a post -- my apologies for that, but the good news is, the Bermuda crew plus two (maybe two and a half) survived a trip to Las Vegas.  The extra half person is another story for another time, which I will get to some day down the road.  But for today we will pick up where we left off -- on the topic of the Longtailed Tropic Bird.

I mentioned how they fly with speed, sharp angles, and grace, often in pairs or small group, interacting as they go along.  But, every band gives the dummer and guitarist a chance for a solo to show off their unique skill, and so the Longtail Solo is the theme of the day.  This series of photos are mostly solo where I was just aiming for one bird, to try to capture some of the different angles and views of their flight patterns, which as you know I find fascinating.

Head on

Gaiining altitude

Initiating a turn I think

Full Glide

Hitting the brakes before flying in to check on the nest in the rocks

I was so excited by this fly-by....until I realized my longtail had no tail.  Seriously, just my luck!

Flight profile

I wondered if this is how the other guy lost his tail!  Actually he is just chattering midflight, I don't think they bite each other :)

Another fly by by the Stubby Tailed Tropicbird...sigh

Don't they look intense?

And a shot of the distinctive and beautiful black banding....nature's racing stripes!

I promise to write about something other than longtails tomorrow....but I must warn you, there are more pictures of them, and the best ones are yet to come!  But for now,  I need a post Vegas pre-midnight bedtime and only have 6 minutes to do so.  So signing out for tonight....

Dance of the Longtails

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 Longtails.  How I love my longtails.  The Longtailed Tropical Bird does exist a few places other than Bermuda, but Bermuda is one of its nesting places as Bermuda is quite proud of this bird and lays claim to it.  There may be a Bermuda specific species, but I am not entirely sure.  This is one of Bermuda's ecological successes -- safekeeping habitat for Longtails and the Cahow, which was almost entirely eradicated by human settlement at one point.  Longtails winter on the ocean -- in fact they just have stubby little legs because they don't spend much time on land.  They nest on the rocky cliffs of the island and lay an egg, and raise the chick in Bermuda.  They only arrive around May, and are gone by fall.  But when they are here, they put on fantastic flying displays, reeling, diving, swooping, making sharp turns...and they really don't appear to be doing anything at all.  They aren't getting food, they aren't going anywhere.  They just seem to love to fly...and I love that about them.  Here are some snapshots of some longtails that were buzzing a cove in St. George's one June day.

synchronized flying

different stages of flight

note the long tail -- like a rudder!

this reminds me of Star Wars when the 2 Jedi fighters are flying into the Death Star

And the very elegant dance between two Longtails

Sense Spa

In the 90's there was a movie called Mall Rats.  Somehow in Bermuda we have a different problem...spa rats.  I am one of these, the problem being is it is too easy to waste money being pampered.  But I have loved every minute of it.  There are several good spas in Bermuda -- La Serena at the Reefs, Invermurie at the Hamilton Princess, Willow Stream a the Southampton Princess, also Newstead, Bersalon, and many others.  I trotted shiny toenails or relaxed massages muscles through them all -- but today's blog is dedicated to the last spa I went to on the island...Sense at Rosewood Tucker's Point.

Tucker's Point, located in exclusive Tucker's Town, is the most expensive hotel on the island, and therefore a lot of effort had been put in to make it the poshest.  However, all of the hotels are "keeping up with the Jones'" and it is hard to declare a clear winner in such contests.  They do win "most expensive burger" award, and it is a fine looking hotel, but way out of both my price range and my sanity range, as I will never be both rich enough to afford it and crazy enough to spend that kind of money on a room.  If you are however, rich and crazy, you will love it!

The Spa prices were also a little more than at some of the other local spas, but in experiencing all we could on the island, we of course splurged for an afternoon.  By splurge I mean I had a pedicure and got a glass of Prosecco.

My trusted Bermuda co-adventurer Siobhan did the same.

The spa experience was very nice, but in keeping to the theme of crazy rich people, a little eccentric.  My first reaction to the treatment was "I am Alice in Wonderland."  Instead of the typical pedicure chair, they had oversized overstuffed armchairs on an elevated platform over the pedicure foot bath.  My feet dangled over the edge and just barely into the water.  I tried to lean back but couldn't reach the chair bath.  If I moved back in the chair my knees wouldn't have reached the end and feet wouldn't have reached the foot bath.  I must have gone down the rabbit hole and become too small.  But then I reached for my complimentary orange juice that was saying "Drink me," but it was like a half ounce shot glass.  A good treatment, a nice place, I did enjoy it, but I didn't quite melt into a contented ball of zen like I had hoped...but maybe I was just not crazy rich eccentric enough to appreciate my supersize chair and super low volume and therefore low calorie juice.

That didn't stop us from trying a second regular size supersize priced glass of Prosecco by the pool though!  The pink fluffy umbrellas added to the ambiance, and we stuck around for lunch as well.  It is definitely worth going to see one of Bermuda's newer and nicest hotels, and I am glad we finally made our way there.

An Afternoon Drive

Nothing better than an afternoon in Bermuda than go for a quick ride around on the scooter and look at the beautiful views.  I have already posted pictures of a lot of the main views, but there are a lot of wonderful views in tiny spots that most people pass by.  Today's blog is dedicated to the little roadside stops that I made one afternoon that people rarely stop to look at.

For example, coming around this hairpin turn on the way to St. George's is a very pretty stretch of water, so I found somewhere to park and take a photo.  Once I was close enough to do so, I noticed an old set of stairs.  Following those down, it turns out that this was once someone's home, or at least boat house, long long ago.  It would have been a nice spot to call home I think

A little while further down the road on the outskirts of St. George's is a little harbour.  It first caught my attention one evening when a jovial boat party was taking place as I drove by.  People in Bermuda like to "raft up" or tie boats together so you can walk back and forth to each other's boats and share supplies...and barbecues and drinks.  It seemed like so much fun.  By daylight, it looks a bit more tranquil, but still very nice.

I also noticed a little road going out to a little island and wanted to take a drive over and see what the word looked like from that patch of earth.

But, this is what a security gate looks like in Bermuda.  I guess you could swim around it, crawl over it, etc, it really doesn't seem like an effective gate.  But the rich are funny folk and I guess it half makes them feel better and half works....because I didn't take my camera for a swim around it.  Can't be much prettier from that side than the above pictures anyway.

Suddenly Saskatchewan

I woke up this morning and the realization sunk in a bit.  The incredibly long day that involved more packing, housecleaning, goodbyes, watching my beloved Yamaha scooter drive off to its new home, and clearing 2 sets of airport security, Canada customs, animal imports, 12 hours airport to airport with 2 horribly upset panther cats, and a 3 hour drive at night in a fabulous lightning storm and a hail storm that was too thick to drive faster than scooter speed in....after all of that, I have left Bermuda.  I will be bouncing around for a bit, but today, I am suddenly in Saskatchewan.  What's that look like?  Well, a little like this...

hauling grain in a Peterbilt

But it also went a little like this...we started the day with hair appointments and cappuccino with the fabulous Elaine Panko, who has done my hair whenever I am in Saskatchewan since about 1990 or so.  Then we hopped in with my brother and my dad who had been hauling grain.  I hopped in with my brother who was kind enough to pass Dad and Siobhan so I could get this photo....

And this one at the grain terminal.

This was my ride.

After that we headed back to the farm for supper, and a Saskatchewan Sunset Cruise (this is quite different from the uber vida).  It involves checking to see how the different crops are coming along in different areas.  Here is what that looks like.

I also got a few pretty pictures along the way, one of the sun setting by some of the grain bins...

...this old barn and farmyard which has fallen into decay....

...and since I missed getting the fox, deer, or hawk, here is a grasshopper picture.

Day one on the mainland....not too bad.