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Overdue Trip Report from July
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LynnieGirl
- Posts: 84
- Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:57 am
- Location: Bryant,AR
Overdue Trip Report from July
Hey Guys! I never did a trip report after our visit in July. This was our first trip to STJ and we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary there. I'm ashamed of myself because I let one thing nearly ruin this trip and hurt my husband's feelings. I had based this entire trip around seeing...wait for it...a turtle. For nine months all I talked about was seeing a turtle, it was my main goal and it didn't happen. 
Well, technically I did kind of see a turtle. We were at Maho and a woman started screaming "TURTLE, TURTLE"! But she was pretty far away from me and I knew I couldn't make it over there. So, I swam in the direction I thought the turtle(s) were coming but no turtle. As the sun started to fade, we got out and took all our gear off and sat under the trees for a short time. When we were packing our things, I looked up and a turtle surfaced for less than a minute and went back down...I cried 
. I'm pretty sure that we are the only people who were there in July that pretty much saw nothing. After we got home and I read the trip reports and looked at the photos that everyone took, at the time we were there, I was depressed...bad. I didn't want to talk about the trip and didn't look at the pictures because they didn't have what I wanted in them. The moment that I realized that I was being totally stupid and had hurt Mike's feelings, was when he made a comment about the trip and I just blew it off. He looked at me and said, "you act like we had an awful time and the trip was a bust"...I cried ...again. Hello, my name is LynnieGirl and I am an Idiot!
So here is an abbreviated trip report:
We left Little Rock on Tuesday, July 16th, had a short stay in Atlanta then off to STT. The flight was uneventful except for the eight foot tall man that sat beside me. His legs were as long as I am tall (5’1 1/2"). I’m also a chunky monkey so my width and his leg height made it a cramped ride. Minutes after deplaning, I had the one bag we had checked and Mike was off to get our jeep from Amalie. I’d say in less than 20 minutes we were done and on our way to Red Hook. Funny thing about driving on the wrong side of the road for the first time in a place you’ve only been to once after you’ve been dropped off by a cruise ship, you don’t know where you’re going! Yes, we missed the fork in the road (twice) and after arriving before two o’clock, we made it to the car barge by four! After patting ourselves on the back for making it there, we had to wait an hour because only one barge was running.
But that’s okay; we could see our destination and were ready for another challenge.
The car barge was…fun. I was just happy that I didn’t get sick. We hit the ground running on STJ and boom, someone didn’t listen to his wife and he turned right coming off the barge and once again we were going in the wrong direction. But hey, the view was spectacular! After convincing the person I have spent 32 years with (30 of them married to him) to turn around and head the other direction, we were off to Coral Bay. The sun was going down and Bonny was waiting so we had to hustle. We met Bonny at Ekaete and were off to Sun Moon and Stars high up Calabash Boom. It was everything we had hoped for. We had a late dinner at Aqua Bistro and then went back up the mountain and sat on the porch star gazing.
We spent the first full day (7/17/13) exploring and finding our way around the island. We went shopping at Starfish and had spaghetti for dinner at SMS. Thursday (7/18/13) it rained and we did more exploring. We made it over to Mongoose Junction for a little shopping and lunch at the Ocean Grill. The service was great but the food was just okay. However the bartender did make a killer Painkiller. Later we headed over to the Tourist Trap and had pork nachos and tacos. Buster the rooster was under the weather so I didn’t’ get to meet him either (I’m batting a thousand on my animal sightings) but I did get to meet Larry, Cheryl, Geoff-Geoff and Neumaus (Geoff and Neumaus made our slide show). Friday (7/19/13) we hit Maho and my search for the turtles began. We had run-ins with bait fish and stingrays but no turtle. Well, there was the little butthead that stuck his head out of the water to laugh at me…sigh…We headed back to Coral Bay and had dinner at Aqua Bistro again.
Saturday (7/20/13) we went back into Cruz Bay and had lunch at Joe’s Rum Hut, Mike had to have a Big G. He liked the burger (he later proclaimed Skinny Legs the best burger) but the highlight for me was seeing Ziggy and his Mom on the beach. I live in the South and see pigs and hogs all the time; our mascot at the Uof A (Tusk IV) has worn a harness since he was a baby but I’ve never seen a pig wearing a harness walking on the beach. We left Joe’s and made our way over to the Beach Bar for a couple of Mango Daiquiris, then I ordered my hook bracelet from the Bamboo Studio. We made our way back home and had dinner in. Sunday (7/21/13) we had brunch as Miss Lucy’s and then made our way back to Maho and still no turtle! Monday (7/22/13) we got up early and headed to Francis. It is so neat when you are the first ones there and are the only ones there. We had a couple of little crabs that were curious about us so I stalked them for a photo. No turtles at Francis either but my goodness, just how big are these sea urchins? If they appear to be huge at that depth, imagine how big they really are. We saw a ton of fish and one in particular that was really big. At first I thought it was a sunfish but it wasn’t flat. It was really big and we heard a “boom” under water and it took off. And oh yeah, no turtle. After we got back to the villa, I ordered a mango cake from Baked in the Sun for our anniversary and we just vegged and swam in the pool.
Tuesday (7/23/13), our 30th anniversary! Mike and I have been together since we were 15 and 16 years old. We’ve been together so long, that we almost don’t remember not knowing each other. We went into Cruz Bay and had lunch at the Barefoot Cowboy, picked up our cake and headed back to the villa to get dressed for dinner. We made a reservation at ZoZo’s for the bar and it did not disappoint. We were joined by a newlywed couple and their friends and family. They were so cute and asked us how we stayed married for so long. We told them to talk to each other about everything and to enjoy each other. By Wednesday (7/24/13) our beach days were over because Mike had developed some kind of sun sickness. He broke out in a terrible rash and even taking a shower was painful for him. We went exploring again that day. We had lunch at Banana Deck, and then drove out to Vie’s. She was out of chicken so we just kept exploring. We had our last dinner at Aqua Bistro and went home to pack. Thursday (7/25/13) was our walk/drive of woe day. We got some extra time in the villa and then made our way to the car barge. We got one of the last spots and made our way back over to STT. This time, we only made one wrong turn and got to the airport about three hours early. Customs wasn’t terrible and we had lunch at the airport. Wheels were up by 4pm and we made good time to Atlanta. Once there our plane was delayed because of bad weather up north. We were supposed to be back in Little Rock by 10:30 but we didn’t make it back until after midnight.
I guess that wasn’t so “abbreviated” huh? We did have the time of our life and dream of going back as soon as we can. Next year Mike’s parents want to go to Florida so our STJ dreams will be on hold for at least one more year.
Thank you for all your help and guidance. Thank you for all the belly laughs and for sharing your stories and pieces of your lives here. I wish I could give you all a great big hug.
Below is a link to our pictures of Sun Moon and Stars Villa in Coral Bay. I have also put the link to our slideshow, so here is the disclaimer:
This was our first trip to St. John and we normally make all our shows well under 20 minutes however this one runs a "whopping" 35 minutes. But it was made for our family and us so the length didn't matter.
So, if there is nothing on television; your team has already won or lost; didn't play today or is on a bye week; if you love the ocean, beaches, seeing a pig on a beach, donkeys, hummingbirds, crabs, GREAT music and more donkeys, come join us in St. John. We hope you love it as much as we do!
~ Tammy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96657629@N08/
http://youtu.be/XhPnWbX6Vd8
Well, technically I did kind of see a turtle. We were at Maho and a woman started screaming "TURTLE, TURTLE"! But she was pretty far away from me and I knew I couldn't make it over there. So, I swam in the direction I thought the turtle(s) were coming but no turtle. As the sun started to fade, we got out and took all our gear off and sat under the trees for a short time. When we were packing our things, I looked up and a turtle surfaced for less than a minute and went back down...I cried . I'm pretty sure that we are the only people who were there in July that pretty much saw nothing. After we got home and I read the trip reports and looked at the photos that everyone took, at the time we were there, I was depressed...bad. I didn't want to talk about the trip and didn't look at the pictures because they didn't have what I wanted in them. The moment that I realized that I was being totally stupid and had hurt Mike's feelings, was when he made a comment about the trip and I just blew it off. He looked at me and said, "you act like we had an awful time and the trip was a bust"...I cried ...again. Hello, my name is LynnieGirl and I am an Idiot!So here is an abbreviated trip report:
We left Little Rock on Tuesday, July 16th, had a short stay in Atlanta then off to STT. The flight was uneventful except for the eight foot tall man that sat beside me. His legs were as long as I am tall (5’1 1/2"). I’m also a chunky monkey so my width and his leg height made it a cramped ride. Minutes after deplaning, I had the one bag we had checked and Mike was off to get our jeep from Amalie. I’d say in less than 20 minutes we were done and on our way to Red Hook. Funny thing about driving on the wrong side of the road for the first time in a place you’ve only been to once after you’ve been dropped off by a cruise ship, you don’t know where you’re going! Yes, we missed the fork in the road (twice) and after arriving before two o’clock, we made it to the car barge by four! After patting ourselves on the back for making it there, we had to wait an hour because only one barge was running.
But that’s okay; we could see our destination and were ready for another challenge. The car barge was…fun. I was just happy that I didn’t get sick. We hit the ground running on STJ and boom, someone didn’t listen to his wife and he turned right coming off the barge and once again we were going in the wrong direction. But hey, the view was spectacular! After convincing the person I have spent 32 years with (30 of them married to him) to turn around and head the other direction, we were off to Coral Bay. The sun was going down and Bonny was waiting so we had to hustle. We met Bonny at Ekaete and were off to Sun Moon and Stars high up Calabash Boom. It was everything we had hoped for. We had a late dinner at Aqua Bistro and then went back up the mountain and sat on the porch star gazing.
We spent the first full day (7/17/13) exploring and finding our way around the island. We went shopping at Starfish and had spaghetti for dinner at SMS. Thursday (7/18/13) it rained and we did more exploring. We made it over to Mongoose Junction for a little shopping and lunch at the Ocean Grill. The service was great but the food was just okay. However the bartender did make a killer Painkiller. Later we headed over to the Tourist Trap and had pork nachos and tacos. Buster the rooster was under the weather so I didn’t’ get to meet him either (I’m batting a thousand on my animal sightings) but I did get to meet Larry, Cheryl, Geoff-Geoff and Neumaus (Geoff and Neumaus made our slide show). Friday (7/19/13) we hit Maho and my search for the turtles began. We had run-ins with bait fish and stingrays but no turtle. Well, there was the little butthead that stuck his head out of the water to laugh at me…sigh…We headed back to Coral Bay and had dinner at Aqua Bistro again.
Saturday (7/20/13) we went back into Cruz Bay and had lunch at Joe’s Rum Hut, Mike had to have a Big G. He liked the burger (he later proclaimed Skinny Legs the best burger) but the highlight for me was seeing Ziggy and his Mom on the beach. I live in the South and see pigs and hogs all the time; our mascot at the Uof A (Tusk IV) has worn a harness since he was a baby but I’ve never seen a pig wearing a harness walking on the beach. We left Joe’s and made our way over to the Beach Bar for a couple of Mango Daiquiris, then I ordered my hook bracelet from the Bamboo Studio. We made our way back home and had dinner in. Sunday (7/21/13) we had brunch as Miss Lucy’s and then made our way back to Maho and still no turtle! Monday (7/22/13) we got up early and headed to Francis. It is so neat when you are the first ones there and are the only ones there. We had a couple of little crabs that were curious about us so I stalked them for a photo. No turtles at Francis either but my goodness, just how big are these sea urchins? If they appear to be huge at that depth, imagine how big they really are. We saw a ton of fish and one in particular that was really big. At first I thought it was a sunfish but it wasn’t flat. It was really big and we heard a “boom” under water and it took off. And oh yeah, no turtle. After we got back to the villa, I ordered a mango cake from Baked in the Sun for our anniversary and we just vegged and swam in the pool.
Tuesday (7/23/13), our 30th anniversary! Mike and I have been together since we were 15 and 16 years old. We’ve been together so long, that we almost don’t remember not knowing each other. We went into Cruz Bay and had lunch at the Barefoot Cowboy, picked up our cake and headed back to the villa to get dressed for dinner. We made a reservation at ZoZo’s for the bar and it did not disappoint. We were joined by a newlywed couple and their friends and family. They were so cute and asked us how we stayed married for so long. We told them to talk to each other about everything and to enjoy each other. By Wednesday (7/24/13) our beach days were over because Mike had developed some kind of sun sickness. He broke out in a terrible rash and even taking a shower was painful for him. We went exploring again that day. We had lunch at Banana Deck, and then drove out to Vie’s. She was out of chicken so we just kept exploring. We had our last dinner at Aqua Bistro and went home to pack. Thursday (7/25/13) was our walk/drive of woe day. We got some extra time in the villa and then made our way to the car barge. We got one of the last spots and made our way back over to STT. This time, we only made one wrong turn and got to the airport about three hours early. Customs wasn’t terrible and we had lunch at the airport. Wheels were up by 4pm and we made good time to Atlanta. Once there our plane was delayed because of bad weather up north. We were supposed to be back in Little Rock by 10:30 but we didn’t make it back until after midnight.
I guess that wasn’t so “abbreviated” huh? We did have the time of our life and dream of going back as soon as we can. Next year Mike’s parents want to go to Florida so our STJ dreams will be on hold for at least one more year.
Thank you for all your help and guidance. Thank you for all the belly laughs and for sharing your stories and pieces of your lives here. I wish I could give you all a great big hug.
Below is a link to our pictures of Sun Moon and Stars Villa in Coral Bay. I have also put the link to our slideshow, so here is the disclaimer:
This was our first trip to St. John and we normally make all our shows well under 20 minutes however this one runs a "whopping" 35 minutes. But it was made for our family and us so the length didn't matter.
So, if there is nothing on television; your team has already won or lost; didn't play today or is on a bye week; if you love the ocean, beaches, seeing a pig on a beach, donkeys, hummingbirds, crabs, GREAT music and more donkeys, come join us in St. John. We hope you love it as much as we do!
~ Tammy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96657629@N08/
http://youtu.be/XhPnWbX6Vd8
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Tammy, I just watched the video with my morning cup of coffee. Very nice! And very creative, too! 
And the reason you didn't see a turtle this trip is because the Island will always leave you wanting more. That's why we all keep coming back again and again and...well, you'll see!
Oh, and Happy Belated Anniversary!
And the reason you didn't see a turtle this trip is because the Island will always leave you wanting more. That's why we all keep coming back again and again and...well, you'll see!
Oh, and Happy Belated Anniversary!
Friends, they go away then they re-appear...I believe there is Magic here.
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Hi Tammy,
thank you soooo much for sharing your trip to St John.
We will visit our daughter and her husband they work on the Island , next sunday for 3 weeks in St Thomas, I think we will come everyday to St John.... 
All the different pictures I found here, soooo stunning.... Unfortunatly the video I can only see in St Thomas , because Germany does not allow your music, we have a" GEMA", they are to blame...
I am pretty sure, you did not see a Turtle....because this Lady screamed !!!!!!
Kind regards
Cécile
thank you soooo much for sharing your trip to St John.
We will visit our daughter and her husband they work on the Island , next sunday for 3 weeks in St Thomas, I think we will come everyday to St John.... All the different pictures I found here, soooo stunning.... Unfortunatly the video I can only see in St Thomas , because Germany does not allow your music, we have a" GEMA", they are to blame...
I am pretty sure, you did not see a Turtle....because this Lady screamed !!!!!!
Kind regards
Cécile
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darkanddietwithlime
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:38 am
- Location: Maine
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Hi Tammy, I, too, just watched your youtube video/slideshow with my morning cup of coffee. Loved it! I would love to be as creative with the photos and music but I'm technology-challenged! 
What kind of camera do you use? We are thinking about purchasing a new one to replace our little point and shoot for our trip to St. John in March. Can't wait for it!
First time we went to St. John was for an anniversary as well. For us it was our 25th. This year we will celebrate 45 years! We have spent many of our anniversaries and/or birthdays on St. John since that first trip.
Our favorite place on earth!!
Thanks for taking the time to put your slideshow together and sharing!
What kind of camera do you use? We are thinking about purchasing a new one to replace our little point and shoot for our trip to St. John in March. Can't wait for it!
First time we went to St. John was for an anniversary as well. For us it was our 25th. This year we will celebrate 45 years! We have spent many of our anniversaries and/or birthdays on St. John since that first trip.
Our favorite place on earth!!
Thanks for taking the time to put your slideshow together and sharing!
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Congratulations on 30+ years together. That is really wonderful.
Thanks for sharing your trip. You had some pretty wonderful 'animal' pics in there. The Turtles were just being bashful - til next time.
Thanks for sharing your trip. You had some pretty wonderful 'animal' pics in there. The Turtles were just being bashful - til next time.
Life is good .....
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ColumbiaSCTraveler
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
- Location: Columbia, SC
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Now that I think about it, I didn't see any turtles on our first trip, either, and I was upset. But I saw so many other things that I wasn't too disappointed. And what do you know - the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th trips….we've seen turtles GALORE, and this past year - we finally saw an eagle ray!!!!!!!! So when you DO see what you want to see, it's ALL the better, trust me!
Turtle tips for next trip: Early in the morning in the sea grass at Maho. Works every time.
Just looked at the pix. I'll look at the video when I have a free 30 minutes to spare.
Turtle tips for next trip: Early in the morning in the sea grass at Maho. Works every time.
Just looked at the pix. I'll look at the video when I have a free 30 minutes to spare.
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mindehankins
- Posts: 3014
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
- Location: Western NY State
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
I can really identify with this, cause I caught the mantra fever a couple of years ago. We spent the whole vacation at Francis, waiting. I won't ever again pin the value of a trip on seeing one particular thing.
Come back, and see what magic awaits you, next time
Come back, and see what magic awaits you, next time
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mindehankins
- Posts: 3014
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
- Location: Western NY State
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
*manta*
Sorry, I'm on the iPad!
Sorry, I'm on the iPad!
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Myheart'sinSTJ
- Posts: 363
- Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 7:02 pm
- Location: New London, PA
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Hi Tammy-Just loved your pics and video, it is my Saturday evening entertainment, anything STJ suits me just fine , the views from your villa were spectacular, I was wondering about pic #2417 on Flickr, what island is that? part of the BVIs? Jost maybe? Anyway I it looks like you had a fantastic time on your first trip and wishing you many more, thank you for sharing.
, the views from your villa were spectacular, I was wondering about pic #2417 on Flickr, what island is that? part of the BVIs? Jost maybe? Anyway I it looks like you had a fantastic time on your first trip and wishing you many more, thank you for sharing.-
dreamshark
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:08 pm
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
I hope now that you've written it up, your wonderful trip has taken its proper place in your memory as something to cherish.
Promise that you won't start crying again, and I'll tell you the secret for how to find turtles. Go to Maho Bay about 10:30 am, so there's a reasonable number of people in the water but it isn't packed. Walk straight down onto the beach from the parking lot. Look right in front of you for a bunch of snorkelers about 50 yards from shore, slowly swimming in circles. That's where the turtles are.
I didn't see any turtles at all until my 4th trip, despite snorkeling once or twice every day. I was very excited when I finally saw two of them in 2012. Then this past trip (once I figured out how to find the Maho turtle pastures) I got kind of bored with turtles. After about 15 minutes, watching turtles graze is a lot like watching cows. Now I want to see an eagle ray!
I wonder if the big fish you saw was a nurse shark? There were a LOT of them at Maho this summer. Did it look like this? http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... CDQQ9QEwAg
Promise that you won't start crying again, and I'll tell you the secret for how to find turtles. Go to Maho Bay about 10:30 am, so there's a reasonable number of people in the water but it isn't packed. Walk straight down onto the beach from the parking lot. Look right in front of you for a bunch of snorkelers about 50 yards from shore, slowly swimming in circles. That's where the turtles are.
I didn't see any turtles at all until my 4th trip, despite snorkeling once or twice every day. I was very excited when I finally saw two of them in 2012. Then this past trip (once I figured out how to find the Maho turtle pastures) I got kind of bored with turtles. After about 15 minutes, watching turtles graze is a lot like watching cows. Now I want to see an eagle ray!
I wonder if the big fish you saw was a nurse shark? There were a LOT of them at Maho this summer. Did it look like this? http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... CDQQ9QEwAg
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LynnieGirl
- Posts: 84
- Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:57 am
- Location: Bryant,AR
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
My apologies for the late response!
Hey Nancie, I am so happy that you enjoyed the video. I did try to make it shorter but being our first time and a big anniversary, I just couldn't do it. Any you're right about the island leaving you wanting more, I do! Thank you for the anniversary wishes as well!
Hi Cecile, I'm sure you are right about the screaming woman and the turtle. I can only imagine what goes through their little heads when this big googly-eyed monster is screaming! When I first made the video, it told me that no one in Germany would be able to view it; at the time I thought, "I don't know anyone in Germany". As soon as I saw your comment I remembered you talking about trying to book a snorkel trip for your daughter and son-in-law. I hope they are well and if you remember, maybe you can look at it when you go to visit them again!
Hey DDWL, thank you as well! All you have to do, is do what I/we did and play with your camera and software. That is how we learned to make our show and get most of the photos we want. We are still learning and having a blast doing so. We have a Nikon D3000 camera and several regular and telephoto lenses. The lenses make all the difference in the world! The SLR's aren't hard to use but like I said, the lens makes all the difference. Our underwater camera was a Nikon AW110 and we were very happy with it. Unfortunately, someone (me) left it a taxi cab in Las Vegas CONGRATULATIONS on your anniversary, that is wonderful!
Hi Peace, thank you too! We had a great time seeing all the different fur babies that inhabit the island. I guess the turtles just wanted to check me out before they let me see them! And this was their way of telling me to come back! I know have two goals, the turtles and a sneaky little mongoose.
Hey CSCT, that makes me feel better knowing that I'm not the only one who didn't see them on the first time around. That is fabulous about the eagle ray, what a treat! The beauty and majesty of Mother Nature just astounds me! I'll take your turtle advice and hopefully I will be the crazy lady screaming TURTLE!! next time!
Minde, I hope you had a Wonderful trip and enjoyed SMS! I'm ready to feel the magic again and again! It's funny that you talked about waiting for the manta to come around, at one point I told Mike that I felt like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin!
Thank you Heart! If I remember correctly, pic #2417 is Peter Island. I'm glad you enjoyed the video as well. The view were great from the villa. We had a lot of Sahara dust while we were there so the sunrises weren't as wonderful as I know they are but I just kept sitting there thinking, "look where you are"!
Hey Dreamshark! I was really hoping to see you while we were there! Oh, most definitely this was a trip to remember and cherish! I will remember how, when and where to find those pesky little turtles next time. I 'd when I read the cow comment, it's funny and true! I will be so glad when I can say the phrase, "on our last trip"! Those are some of the greatest words!
Below is the link to the "Big Fish at Francis". The pictures aren't very clear and it may not appear to be large but it was not your run of the mill catfish, bass or crappie.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96657629@N ... 883318366/
Thank you all so much for your kind words and advice on catching that wascally wabbit (turtle)
I've got the no ticker blues...
Just another day for you, you and me in Paradise...
~Tammy
Hey Nancie, I am so happy that you enjoyed the video. I did try to make it shorter but being our first time and a big anniversary, I just couldn't do it. Any you're right about the island leaving you wanting more, I do! Thank you for the anniversary wishes as well!
Hi Cecile, I'm sure you are right about the screaming woman and the turtle. I can only imagine what goes through their little heads when this big googly-eyed monster is screaming!
When I first made the video, it told me that no one in Germany would be able to view it; at the time I thought, "I don't know anyone in Germany". As soon as I saw your comment I remembered you talking about trying to book a snorkel trip for your daughter and son-in-law. I hope they are well and if you remember, maybe you can look at it when you go to visit them again!Hey DDWL, thank you as well! All you have to do, is do what I/we did and play with your camera and software. That is how we learned to make our show and get most of the photos we want. We are still learning and having a blast doing so. We have a Nikon D3000 camera and several regular and telephoto lenses. The lenses make all the difference in the world! The SLR's aren't hard to use but like I said, the lens makes all the difference. Our underwater camera was a Nikon AW110 and we were very happy with it. Unfortunately, someone (me) left it a taxi cab in Las Vegas
CONGRATULATIONS on your anniversary, that is wonderful!Hi Peace, thank you too! We had a great time seeing all the different fur babies that inhabit the island. I guess the turtles just wanted to check me out before they let me see them! And this was their way of telling me to come back!
I know have two goals, the turtles and a sneaky little mongoose. Hey CSCT, that makes me feel better knowing that I'm not the only one who didn't see them on the first time around. That is fabulous about the eagle ray, what a treat! The beauty and majesty of Mother Nature just astounds me! I'll take your turtle advice and hopefully I will be the crazy lady screaming TURTLE!! next time!
Minde, I hope you had a Wonderful trip and enjoyed SMS! I'm ready to feel the magic again and again! It's funny that you talked about waiting for the manta to come around, at one point I told Mike that I felt like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin!
Thank you Heart! If I remember correctly, pic #2417 is Peter Island. I'm glad you enjoyed the video as well. The view were great from the villa. We had a lot of Sahara dust while we were there so the sunrises weren't as wonderful as I know they are but I just kept sitting there thinking, "look where you are"!
Hey Dreamshark! I was really hoping to see you while we were there! Oh, most definitely this was a trip to remember and cherish! I will remember how, when and where to find those pesky little turtles next time. I
'd when I read the cow comment, it's funny and true! I will be so glad when I can say the phrase, "on our last trip"! Those are some of the greatest words!Below is the link to the "Big Fish at Francis". The pictures aren't very clear and it may not appear to be large but it was not your run of the mill catfish, bass or crappie.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96657629@N ... 883318366/
Thank you all so much for your kind words and advice on catching that wascally wabbit (turtle)
I've got the no ticker blues...
Just another day for you, you and me in Paradise...
~Tammy
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Hi there,
Your "big fish at Francis" is a permit. I love those guys! We saw one at Maho once that was bigger than me!
Thanks for the report, and the photos.
Your "big fish at Francis" is a permit. I love those guys! We saw one at Maho once that was bigger than me!
Thanks for the report, and the photos.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Wow...wow...WOW
It was our 40th on the 19th of July and.....
Were there at the same time...I CANT believe we didnt run into you ( I had my Island spice wrist band on too) as we were at Maho the same day...AND Zozo's that same night..
I have yet to do a report too...just way too much happening here but Ill get to it..YOU have inspired me.
We were on island the 17- 24. On the 23rd we sat at the bar at Zozo's kind of in the middle..There WAS a family with newlyweds there on our right facing the bar....it was around 6PM. I have photos of it too. Ill try to post some.Well they seem to be too big to post here so here is a link to the photos I took at Zozos on the 23rd. https://picasaweb.google.com/1076394728 ... directlink
We went to Maho our second full day(18th), as the first day(17th) it rained we were on the reef bay hike, then around 3PM we were at the BB.
We probably passed each other many times...lol
Loved your report and photos..I am now going to watch the video ( maybe I or my husband(also Mike) will be in it...lol)
It was our 40th on the 19th of July and.....
Were there at the same time...I CANT believe we didnt run into you ( I had my Island spice wrist band on too) as we were at Maho the same day...AND Zozo's that same night..
I have yet to do a report too...just way too much happening here but Ill get to it..YOU have inspired me.
We were on island the 17- 24. On the 23rd we sat at the bar at Zozo's kind of in the middle..There WAS a family with newlyweds there on our right facing the bar....it was around 6PM. I have photos of it too. Ill try to post some.Well they seem to be too big to post here so here is a link to the photos I took at Zozos on the 23rd. https://picasaweb.google.com/1076394728 ... directlink
We went to Maho our second full day(18th), as the first day(17th) it rained we were on the reef bay hike, then around 3PM we were at the BB.
We probably passed each other many times...lol
Loved your report and photos..I am now going to watch the video ( maybe I or my husband(also Mike) will be in it...lol)
BetsyV
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LynnieGirl
- Posts: 84
- Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:57 am
- Location: Bryant,AR
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
Thank You LA! I am so glad to know what kind of fish it was! It was pretty deep and I knew it had to be pretty good size. I laughed because I had started to second guess myself and think maybe I only imagined it was big and that it was the size of a small perch!liamsaunt wrote:Hi there,
Your "big fish at Francis" is a permit. I love those guys! We saw one at Maho once that was bigger than me!
Thanks for the report, and the photos.
I've got the No Ticker Blues...
Just another day for you, you and me in Paradise...
~Tammy
-
LynnieGirl
- Posts: 84
- Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:57 am
- Location: Bryant,AR
Re: Overdue Trip Report from July
OMGosh Betsy! I had my bracelet on too and Mike kept telling me to stop stalking peoples arms! Were you sitting on the far left side of the bar at ZoZo’s? We were on the far right. The newlyweds were next to us then two couples (one was her mother and I guess the mom’s boyfriend whom the daughter wasn’t particularly fond of) and then a couple on the left side. Oh my goodness, I wish I had realized!
Were you at Maho when the lady was screaming, “Turtle”? Ha! I would love it if it were you. I bet we did pass each other a bunch of times. I know I recognized people that I saw at different places.
Even though we didn’t get to meet in person, it makes me glad to know we were in the same place at the same time! I remember you telling me, before we left, that you were celebrating an anniversary too, so Congratulations and Happy Anniversary!
I just looked at your pictures and I remember seeing you there. I will have to go back and see if I took pictures of the entire bar. I had the Mahi and it was Fabulous! Well, that’s the last time I listen to Mike, I will continue to stalk arms looking for STJ Spice bracelets!
I've got the No Ticker Blues...
Just another day for you, you and me in Paradise...
~Tammy
Were you at Maho when the lady was screaming, “Turtle”? Ha! I would love it if it were you. I bet we did pass each other a bunch of times. I know I recognized people that I saw at different places.
Even though we didn’t get to meet in person, it makes me glad to know we were in the same place at the same time! I remember you telling me, before we left, that you were celebrating an anniversary too, so Congratulations and Happy Anniversary!
I just looked at your pictures and I remember seeing you there. I will have to go back and see if I took pictures of the entire bar. I had the Mahi and it was Fabulous! Well, that’s the last time I listen to Mike, I will continue to stalk arms looking for STJ Spice bracelets!
I've got the No Ticker Blues...
Just another day for you, you and me in Paradise...
~Tammy