Caribbean Note III

It's almost eleven PM and we're finally all packed and ready for our flight in the morning. Very sad to be leaving our little island but happy to be coming home to see you all again.

We'll have to schedule a family dinner soon to celebrate all the birthadays we missed and those just around the corner!! Our projects are finished and we even squeezed in a few more dives, but it will be good to be back in the Pacific Northwest for the summer; please include us in your invitations and we will include you all in ours.

Caribbean Note II

Well, we managed to go through the entire month of April without spending any significant amount of time working on our list of home projects. It was another month filled with summer fun. (Note to kids: put $ in your IRA’s)

Over the past month, we have spent many enjoyable evenings with island friends and part time residents who own property here. We’ve met people from all over the world who think this little island is the place to be after visiting here there and everywhere. Many couples cruise the Caribbean Islands on their sailboats and end up staying here. The local people and tranquil blue waters are really nice. It’s hard to find hubbub and discord on Bonaire.

We are working with an island lawyer on tax and immigration issues with respect to our ability to stay 180 days or even longer as “official residents”. The new Dutch rules for people like us are uncertain and it’s very difficult to get answers. For sure we can stay for 90 days and all else depends on the answer you get from the person you’re talking to at the moment.

We have befriended a group of medical students (who like to relax by hunting Lionfish) and have tried to become more involved in local issues and causes. Island celebrations have continued with Simidan, an island wide harvest festival, and Dia de Rincon, another opportunity to parade through the streets in recognition of the several hundred years of slave culture in the island’s original town Rincon.

Berit and I have, of course, kept up our rigorous dive schedule, and we are up to 148 Lionfish taken off the reef. We have had so many Lionfish dinners I’m ready for a break, but so many friends and neighbors keep asking for a taste that Berit has been kept pretty busy with the frying pan.

We had a local “Lionfish Derby” where four teams of divers and spotters were in completion for three prizes; one for the most fish, one for the biggest fish and one for the most unfortunate sting. The four teams took 122 fish and I managed to get the biggest one at 13”. Fortunately no one claimed the prize for the most unfortunate sting, but Berit and I did get our picture in the local paper.

The derby inspired Bonaire Marine Park to invite us to dive in the off limits section of the reserve to hunt for a day and our group took 169 fish off the reef saving thousands of juvenile Parrots and Chromis and others from extinction. We are currently working with the research lab CIEE to count and classify the local Lionfish population and are going for our first “research dives” with the CIEE people later today.

Now that we have only May left of our 90 day visit, we have to get focused on completing our painting projects while we clear up the issue of extending our visas for an additional 90 days in the fall. (Note to kids: come visit sunny Bonaire during September, October and November.)

We hope all is well with you. We think about you all everyday.