Author: Peg

Today, after breakfast, I paid a visit to the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo. It is a better aquarium than zoo. But for a country of 66,000 people, it is a nice but tiny zoo.

They have a tank full of huge lion fish. Guess they want everyone to know what lion fish look like. Bermuda’s lion fish program is “to beat them eat them”. So far the lion fish are winning.

I took the ferry to breakfast, bus to the aquarium and two buses home. Bus riding here is totally old school. Google doesn’t know anything about the bus or the ferry. You can walk or drive with Google’s help. But for public transit you are on your own.

Heck, in Singapore, Google even knows how crowded the bus is and will suggest that you should wait 4 minutes for the next bus if you want to have a seat.

The Bermuda vacation is halfway done.

I have lots of pictures of “where the bear was” or “where the whale was” but I think this is the first “where the breakfast was”.

I need to expand my breakfast options. I eat at one of two places One place has better food but crappy service. The other has good enough food and fine service.

Today’s adventure was walk about Hamilton, with a long stop at an outstanding used clothing store. Of course, a can only make a tiny purchase if any. Didn’t buy anything today.

More hibiscus.

I love parades and oh so proper Bermuda is having a Pride parade on Saturday. These things are usually over the top. But, I am wondering, this is a place where investment bankers wear pink shorts with matching knee socks to work. So how outrageous can one be in Bermuda. I don’t think there will be fat men in green tutus (a regular bunch at DC Pride parade) and it is way too hot for leather.

Something to look forward to.

Last night’s sunset. Lot of clouds.

Funny thing about getting old. I think I have all the time in the world. But I know that my chances of seeing 99942 Apophis’s near miss fly-by of Earth in 2029 is less than the chances of a collision. 99942 is a near Earth astroid.

Nobody is promised tomorrow. Until then: laissez les bons temps rouler.

Lots and lots of boats around my lodgings. There might be more boats than cars in Bermuda.

As planned, I had a very lazy day. I tucked myself inside at about 5pm because it looked like a storm was coming. But now at 6:30 the wind has stopped and the sun is back. So, I guess sunset viewing is back on my schedule.

This was last night at sunset.

This is fruit of what we call the hala tree in Hawai’i. The Bermuda version is different. Since the hala was brought to Hawai’i by the original voyagers maybe they selected the plants that best suited their needs. The hala provided everything from an emergency food source to the “fabric” of the sails that powered the voyaging canoes.

Hibiscus, totally useless, but lovely.

This is the view from my bed. Views are very important to me. It is important to have a nice view while practicing “lolling around”.

And this is my swimming/ocean lolling area. A steady stream of pleasure craft sail and motor past.

Tomorrow, I am thinking, will be much like today except no trip to Hamilton for breakfast and provisions. The ferry doesn’t start until 10:30 which is seriously past my breakfast time and the grocery store is closed. All the stores are closed. I don’t think it’s a religious thing, I think it’s a lifestyle thing. People want to be outside with their families.

Last shot is the road back to my lodgings from the ferry.

Don’t seem to be able to insert photos using the phone. Let’s try again.

It works if I use cell service not the house wifi. I just looked up and noticed that I am sitting smack under a very prolific coconut tree. I should move. But I am tired.

This is the room.

This is my all of my stuff, under my seat with room to spare.

I walk up to the Bermuda customs guy. “are you traveling alone” he asks. “yes” says I. “you have to get your checked bags before coming through customs” he says. “I don’t have any checked bags”. “well, where is your luggage” he says. I gracefully twirl aound and say “here”And how long are you staying? He asks. nine days.

With great reluctance, he let me into Bermuda.

And this is what was in the little backpack. Didn’t take long to unpack.

I have bussed, subwayed, planed, taxied and walked to the grocery today. Wishing the sun would hurry up and set so I can hop in bed

From my deck, just now.

That’s all that I am taking. 14 inches x 2 mini KitKat Bars. Weighs in at 8.2 pounds. There is nothing in there for “just in case”. Well except for an extra credit card.

I don’t think I am going to take an iPad. My after-action report from my trip home from Hawai’i included these items”

2. I got along okay for 12 days without a computer or iPad.
3. Must have phone and Kindle.

And, I am only going to be gone for 9 days. So, I should be good to go with just the Kindle and Shamu. Not going to take anything camera-wise. You can only pack so much into little under seat backpack.

Work wrapped up for a while. I really am going to quit someday. I am an old woman. And one thing I hate about being old is that I don’t have as much energy as I did “before”. Before I was old. These days I really need my daily nap. Oh well, for now, being old beats the alternative. That is subject to change.

Don’t think I am going to take any camera gear to Bermuda. But, I will take an iPad and a Kindle. Plus Shamu the phone. I may go crazy with 9 days of doing NOTHING except reading and swimming around off the dock. I can always just get on a bus or ferry and ride around. And by the time I get back to The Asylum, it will be time to start thinking about my annual migration to Kona. And Flu Shot season at the hospital.

Today’s only critter was the small monarch butterfly. How does a butterfly end up small? I am sure that this is a monarch. But, it is only about 75% as big as it should be.

Same (?) eastern tiger swallowtail hanging around today. But, I did catch a sweet little goldfinch.

1 & 1 & out of here. Or one day of work. One day of not work. Then off to Bermuda. Think that I am looking forward to Bermuda more than I looked forward to my great RTW adventure.

RTW was an “adventure”. Hawai’i is where I live in the winter. But Bermuda is nine lovely days of old school do nothing summer vacation at the beach.

That was a couple of hours ago; at this instant, there seems to be a storm to the west.

Nothing exciting here, however. Not even any rain drops.

The five day cyclone map for the Atlantic is very tranquil looking. And, it is “free wine” night.

Those two items belong on my gratitude list!

I think this is a Black Jacket Wasp and not the really nasty Bald Face Wasp. But, just in case, I kept my distance and let the zoom do its thing. (Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II Lens on the Pen-F body like yesterday)

Really hot here today. Don’t this is accurate. Think it is more like 95. But still hot.

So, Bermuda is looking pretty good. Long range forecast indicates that the weather will get really fine here the day I leave for Bermuda and Bermuda will sock into cloudy and rainy. But, my lodging has a covered patio. So, all will be good.

And, that is about it for my 20 minutes of wildlife photography around The Asylum this afternoon.

 

Today I put the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II Lens on the smaller Pen-F body. And the lens didn’t “feel” as good as it does on the larger OM-D body. Until the other day, I think I always had the lens on the Pen-F body which might be why I was not all that happy with it.

I am traveling very light to Bermuda. The wise choice would be to just take Shamu the Phone and my Kindle and leave all the rest of the technology at home. Wonder if I’ll do that. Or will I sneak in an iPad and a camera?  And chargers. And spare batteries. And so on.

Today’s bug search was a bust. But, it did yield a fine fat chipmunk.

Think I like B/W chipmunk better. Shot these with my rediscovered 14/150 zoom. All the while setting on a nice bench.

Most of the day was spent working on my project for The Employee Gift Fund. The end is in sight. As long as I keep reminding myself that perfection is the enemy of progress. At least for me. Your mileage my vary.

Indeed, there is an hour before dinner, so I think I’ll knock out another few slides. Free wine night-so very little work will get done after dinner.

 

Wondering if I will be able to stand the excitement? Alexa, Play Grateful Dead.

Right before I came back from Hawai’i I picked up a less than stellar used  Olympus 14/150 zoom lens to replace the great Leica 14/150 that suffered a fatal bump in route to Hawai’i. I didn’t really give it a good test. I just put it on the camera and sort of said ho-hum. Then when I got home, I put it in the camera box and there it has stayed until today. (Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 II Lens)

Today, I went bug hunting around the asylum ground with that lens. It does not hunt focus like the really cheap 150/300 mm lens does.

I am rather liking that lens tonight.