Cabritz and Ft. Shirley

Ok, so as promised we made the trip back to Ft. Shirley with the camara and checked out the ruins more extensively. It really is a remarkable place.

This is looking north over Prince Rupert bay at Cabritz peninsula. Fort shirley(the rebuilt part) overlooking. You can see how a fort on this peninsula is in good position for defending the bay.

Cannons looking from the fort back over the bay from the previous photo.

Hiking the saddle (which was cleared of trees during the time of the fort) between the east and west peaks of Cabritz brings you to the north battery which shows the signs of what rainforest plants can do to stone and morter after a two hundred years.

Here is leigh inside the ruins.

More ruins, cannon still aimed north ready to defend Douglas bay, and the British Royal insignia. All around the fort you can see cannons still sitting on the origional cannon stand with the wheels sunk in about 2-3 feet of mud. Most of this site is unexcavated... metal detector anyone?

Leigh doing her best captain hook impression on a 18th century cannon laying in position along the old wall running east and west along the north side of Cabritz, just as the British left it centuries ago. The archeologist in me is going nuts right now... things like this all all over there...unbelievable.

Looking north off Cabritz you can see Guadalupe in the distance, a french island. directly below this photo is a great snorkeling spot called Rose Garden.

These are all pictures of the east side of the peninsula at the Commandants quarters. You can clearly see how stately this two story sturcture once was. It had arched ceilings, and flagstone flooring. it also has two bunker rooms and a tunnel (storage perhaps) leading around behind the structure. I found a cenuries old iron spike- looks like a hinge pin to an old iron gate door to me.

You can see how the trees treat these structures, unimpressed with the imperial might that had them built, they get their branches in and literally rip the stone walls to pieces. Here is a peice of a wall or house suspended 5 feet off the ground... rule of the jungle applies here to be sure.

We saw this near the Commandants quarters. Standing 60 or so feet tall and spiny all the way up, 20 bucks goes to any amateur (or professional) botanist who knows what type of tree this is... and 1000 bucks to anyone who climbs it!

As always here, when we left the park we were treated to the always different, and always spectacular sunset over the caribbean sea...

Are you for scuba?

Well, matt and I forgot our camera today on the very best adventure we've had so far...which means in the near future, we should do it again and bring it! (Hence, you only get a pic of the map of Dominica) Matt's first experience with snorkling and my second was spectacular. We drove around Portsmouth to Cabritz, a national reserve in the northwest corner of the island, containing the remains of Fort Shirley, an 18th century British military post complete with gunneries overlooking the bays to the north and south of the peninsula (the peninsula directly above the word "portsmouth" on the map at right). What is unique about this sight is that the cannons, and stone ruins have not been restored, so things are pretty much as they were left when the Brits abandoned the island. Willie and I went with our two new friends from Texas -Matt and Aileen. They are a hoot.

After weaving around snakes, lizards and crabs through a thick tropical forrest, we reached a rocky beach edge called Rose Garden. We then ventured out to the underwater entertainment. All sorts of long fish, flat fish, electric blue fish, stripped fish, and schools of fish swam around makeshift coral and rock homes. I actually saw a big fish attack a smaller fish and eat it! Matt saw a sea snake slithering on the buttom of the ocean which then settled in between a circle of rocks. The snake was not happy with sharing its space with any other fish. It was fasinating!

Heading home, wet and sun-kissed, we past two stray cows (they have stray cows around here like most neighborhoods have stray cats) chewing on some grass on the side of the road. We had to walk quite a ways until a transport bus picked us up. There is just so much happening around I have never seen before. Everyone is friendly here -once you are friendly to them first.

The one thing I could live without is the bugs though. Matt just killed a cockroach in our bathroom and we were informed kindly by my landlord today that right now ants take over the kitchen. At least in a couple of months ant season will be over -something to look forward too!!

Hope you all are doing well.

feelin' Dominica

So after a missed flight that "stuck" us in Antigua for a night... is stuck the right word?... we finally arrived in our new home for the next couple years, the Nature Island of the Caribbean, the island where parts of Pirates of the Caribbean II was shot, the Island of Dominica. Leaving Antigua at 530 am after flying a redeye from Salt Lake to Newark, then a 4 hour flight to Antigua left these two cowboys wondering what we had gotten into. We boarded a two-prop puddle jumper in antigua before the sun was up. Luckily it was only a 30 minute flight and we had 4 or 5 other stranded classmates to keep us company on the trip.

The approach into melville-hall airport comes in low off the sea and traces a small canyon to an unlit runway, all routine no doubt for the caribbean pilots. We landed and embarked on a taxi ride along the coast and across the interior of the Island to our apartment in picard, right across the street from Ross University...

As we watched the sunrise over the undescribable island scenery, we thought, "yeah... I think we might be able to pull this off."... and one nagging question to all those we left behind in the gorgeous rocky mountains...
Wanna get away?...

VETERANS DAY

On November 11th the nation honors all those who served in the armed forces. I join with many in giving my thanks for those who willingly sacrifice to ensure that their fellow citizens are able to walk, worship, raise families and raise protest under the treasured banner of freedom. One of the most sobering experiences of my life has been the opportunity to talk with veterans from both the WWII and the war in Vietnam. As they shared their experiences with me, I was moved. Hearing their stories of faith and sacrifice had such an impact on me. Shakespeare wrote: "He who sheds his blood with me today, shall be my brother..." How much stronger then should our hearts be tethered to those who shed their blood for us? To all those who have served, currently serve, and the families of veterans -I offer a sincere but somewhat inadequate thank you. Your sacrifices have made a difference. I hope within each of us is a desire to live morally correct. To live honestly, to be charitable, to exercise our freedoms in such a manner as to be worthy of the price that liberty cost.

List of a few great war movies:

• Saving Private Ryan
• Saints at War Documentry
• The Longest Day
• The War -Documentry directed by Ken Burns
• Band of Brothers HBO Series
• Tora! Tora! Tora!
• Letter from Iwo Jima

San Francisco... That's fun to say...

I sincerely wish I knew how to rotate this photo... sorry all- someone give me the tutorial via comment please... We spent the week in San Francisco (known in french as the city of lights) with Leigh's mother and Uncle David. What a city it is! Leigh massaged computer types at a convention in San Jose monday-Thursday and Matt flew out to play for the weekend. It was voted (2-0) to be our favorite vacation as of yet. We spent thursday getting free stuff at Leigh's convention and walking around San Jose. Friday we joined Leigh's Mom and Uncle David walking around the San Fran piers. We toured a liberty ship, saw the aquarium and realized that Matt was the only one in the whole city wearing shorts... at least they weren't his denim pair...

We enjoyed great views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, all which were wonderous to behold. Shopping in the square brought big city feel and gave us a chance to check out the architecture of the city which give the city so much culture. It was so much fun to hang around with the Walton siblilngs. Kudos, kudos to Uncle David for being such an amazing tour guide and gracious host. All in all we give the trip 4 1/2 out of 5 stars... (half star deduction for Matt's blatant exposure of his white calves...)

Weddings R Us and the blue room

The Blue Room in the Manti LDS Temple... Have you been there? It's breath-taking. It's better than one million dollars. It's one of life's wonderful surprises. If you attend the temples and haven't been to this one, GO. If you're not yet a member of the LDS church, BECOME ONE, so you can experience the pure joy of sitting in a bluerfect room of blue goodness.

In all seriousness though, the Manti Temple is a wonderful place. Matt and I got to attend Andie and Aaron Trammel's awesome wedding slash sealing there on October 12, 2007. The day started early at around 5:30am with the long travel to Manti in a covered wagon. Psych, we actually got to ride in a pimpin Cadillac. Very comfortable and smooth automobile.

Amiee Garner, a friend of ours from Church, was kind enough to come to Manti on such short notice to be the wedding photographer. The blonde Williams' clan mixed with the brunette-filled Trammel family made for some very attractive shots. Like clock work, neither Matt nor myself remembered to bring a camera to take pictures of the lovely event -hence you get a picture of the manti temple instead of a picture of the happy couple.

After pictures, everyone in the wedding party mingled at a texas roadhouse and enjoyed some good eats. We then traveled back to Provo, five deep in a Geo Prism singing to the local radio station's old 1990's hits (Bryan Adams was rippin up the charts).

All in all, it was a great event.

Fall is here and I'm not in school...

Okay, so it is autumn again in Provo, the leaves in Provo canyon are turning all sorts of colors, mornings are crisp, Nordstrom's is packed on Saturdays with all the returning students spending Mom and Dad's Fall semester stipend... and don't even think about trying to get a bench at 24 hour fitness after 5 pm. For about the last decade or so fall in Provo has meant that both Leigh and I have been neck deep in procrastination as we plowed through another semester at the Coug. This one, however, is different. We have no classwork responsibilities, no homework responsibilities, and unfortunately until recently... no backup plan. But alas, we have begun a new chapter in our lives and are beginning to plan accordingly. Matt has found amusement driving to work each morning and watching sleepy-eyed students somnambulating to their 8 o'clock classes... Leigh has been the epitome of effectiveness at home taking care of all traditional domestic projects as well as working as a real estate agent (an occupation which has thus far brought her no satisfaction) and a massage therapist. All in all we have had a ton of fun... traveled a bit and enjoyed each others company.

Congrats! Congrats! to Andi and Aaron Trammell who announced they are getting married next friday, October 12th. That makes a bakerssss dozen marriages for Richard and Camille this year. Pretty cool... all our best to those two kids and their collective 7 studly boys...