By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6245) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 4:54 pm: |
After 3 years of BT lurking, chatting, etc. we finally made it to Bonaire...after our initial OMG, this island is, ummm, primitive, we got into the full swing of things and can't wait to get back! Many thanks to Kelly, Mary, Seb, Wally, Eva, Joey, Kathy and Larry for helping to make this trip so wonderful. I couldn't have had better dive buddies and, okay, it was worth the horrendous $1 a minute to talk to Wally & Eva every day! (next time I will rent a cell phone from Michael at Chat N Browse)...
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6246) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 4:56 pm: |
Our first night was spent on a whirlwind tour from 8 to 10 p.m....then a rest and my first ocean dive ever the next morning with Kelly, Mary & Seb (the incredible seahorse hunter)
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6247) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 4:59 pm: |
The BT dinner was a blast and we were successful in finding several models for the famous Flamingo hats
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6248) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 5:03 pm: |
Diving every day with Wally & Eva was a treat...Wally had the underwater camera and I had to borrow a couple of these (with his permission, of course)
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6249) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 5:06 pm: |
Alison totally enjoyed visiting with Blikje and Grendal who lapped up the attention
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6250) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 5:08 pm: |
OOPS, almost forgot our first sunset with Kelly at 1000 steps
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6251) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 5:12 pm: |
And a trip around the island is a must...
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6252) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 5:14 pm: |
The blow hole in the park was awesome as well
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6253) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 5:16 pm: |
A couple more fish from Wally's camera...I was sooo fortunate to see the amazing creatures he was photographing!
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6254) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 5:20 pm: |
That's it for now....will try to get some more pics up soon! I can't wait to get back to the island! Highly recommended...1) Wannadive 2) Menno's boat dives (?sp) 3) ABCarrental...Mark was great at setting up my rental for me, 4) Lion's Dive, 5) Garden Cafe, 6) Croccantino's 7) It Rains Fishes....more to come!
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By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3914) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 7:19 pm: |
Thanks for sharing your memories with us, Barb. All of the pics are great! Isn't Bonaire a very special place?? It's hard to "get the feeling" for her until you have actually been there. It is a very special place in my life and now in yours and Alison's, too. So glad you made it down there and were able to enjoy her with Kelly, Mary, Seb and the rest of the wonderful BT folks and the regulars who live on Bonaire. I can't wait to return. Just have to decide if we want to stay at the Divi for both weeks or only one week and then off to a house for the second....tough decision but we will figure it out.
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By Tom Cousino (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #856) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 7:35 pm: |
Barbara, I like so many others are happy you ladies had such a good time. Nice report.
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By Liz Ginocchio (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #290) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 7:37 pm: |
Hey Barb,
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By Tom Cousino (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #857) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 8:06 pm: |
Barbara,
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By Eileen Kimmett (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6270) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 9:46 pm: |
Wow!! Awesome Barbara! I am glad that you had such a wonderful time!!!!
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By Mary Mueller (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2943) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 9:50 pm: |
Barbara - great pics - nice to see you and Alison falling in love with Bonaire!!!
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By DARLENE ELLIS (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1129) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 10:25 pm: |
Barbara, Thanks for the pics and glad you had an awesome time! Have you booked your next trip yet??? It realLy does help with PBD
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By Kathy Hall (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #271) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 10:38 pm: |
Barbara, all you lack is one of you u/w. ;)
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By Kathy Hall (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #272) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 10:40 pm: |
Oh, I see you have one in your profile pic! Great pic! : )
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By Martine TLOUZEAU - Jean Paul GODARD (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5288) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 7:03 am: |
Hi Babs,
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By Lisa Barclay (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #187) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 5:15 pm: |
Thanks for the report. Those pictures are great! I think I could look at pictures of Bonaire all day and never get tired of it. I am glad you had a great trip and Alison got certified.
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6258) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 10:41 pm: |
Oh, I am missing this sunset at Eden Beach....
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6259) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 11:03 pm: |
Another night
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6260) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 11:12 pm: |
One more for now...Alison and I wondered about all the sculptures along the south shore..We had a wonderful dinner with Ann Phelan and her daughter Maggie at a fantastic little local restaurant and remembered to ask...it is a hobby for many to erect these sculptures from the odds and ends that wash up from the ocean along the south shore...very cool art gallery there!
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By Kelly Lott (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1596) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 9:59 am: |
Barbara your pics are GREAT!!! I love the ones of us at Thousand Steps. (standing below Alison so we look thinner... lol)
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By Igor van Riel (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2642) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 10:35 am: |
Great report Barbara!
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By Belinda Z (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #173) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 10:53 am: |
Barbara,
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By Kelly Lott (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1600) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 11:37 am: |
Alison is such a doll everyone... such a fun and interesting young woman, Barbara should be extremely proud of herself, and of the way Alison is growing up. A joy to be around.
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By Dilly Dillbream (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #720) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 12:57 pm: |
Barbara, great pics and report! It looks like you had a great time and really got your feet wet
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By Margy Moon (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 1:13 am: |
Hi everyone, this is my first post, but I've been reading for 2 years. I've been seeing the name Barbara Leary, but never thought you were our Barbara from Folsom until you were talking about Alison and then came the pictures. WOW, I hope Alison sang for the BT dinner. I want to hear more about your trip, you picked a great place for you first dive trip. I'm hoping to go back in Nov. I'll look for you at the dance studio so I can hear more!
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By Brian (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #641) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 3:47 am: |
Barbara
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6281) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 1:08 pm: |
OMG Margy! That is a riot! Alison's former music/voice teacher a BT lurker...I hope you will get to post some pics sometime soon too! No, Alison did not sing for the group but I will be circulating the video "Anything Goes" by special request! Eva's first on the list! HA!
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By Niki Harris (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1247) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 2:54 pm: |
I have to mention this on behalf of Bas who dives the East side. The "sculptures" are not hobby art, they are markers for safe exits on drift dives!
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By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3932) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 4:29 pm: |
Niki, that's a new one on me! Makes sense. No way I'd be over there on that side, tho! LOL. And here we thought some hippies (I'm dating myself) were out there creating art all these years....LOL. Thanks for the heads-up! Carole
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By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3933) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 4:34 pm: |
Sort of like the romantic sounding "Sabadeco"....thought it was a beautiful Spanish or Bonairean word or name...nope....it's short for Santa Barbara Development Company! LOL. Oh well...Carole
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By John Carter (BonaireTalker - Post #80) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 4:51 pm: |
Niki,
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6285) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 6:37 pm: |
Wow, Niki, I got my info from Annie Phelan who has constucted some herself with her daughter...looks like it's going to be confusing for the divers as it seems that they are being erected by various people for various reasons- the pic I took was near the southern lighthous and there were literally hundreds of various sized and shaped junk sculptures - YIKES!
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By bob (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1242) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 7:43 pm: |
i think Bas (from phototours) can tell which markers are for divers and which aren't...
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By Niki Harris (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1249) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 11:08 pm: |
I realize some people may be doing sculptures spontaneously for fun, but divers do make and use them.
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By Niki Harris (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1250) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 11:13 pm: |
John, I'm glad you liked your stay there! We love it !
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6289) on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 1:28 am: |
Okay, folks, I finally got a few more pics out of the disposable camera...taken on a couple of snorkels out in front of Lion's Dive and Buddys...there was a big bait ball out front most days which provided some nice night time tarpon viewing...and the day fish seemed to like the little snacks as well
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6290) on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 1:36 am: |
As you can see, the tangs seemed to like to hang out with the mahogany snappers, some sargeants a spanish hog fish and a surgeon fish too!
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By Carole Baker (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3942) on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 1:50 am: |
Thanks, Barb! Carole
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By Ann Phelan (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1484) on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 8:20 am: |
Great report Barb..Mags and I enjoyed our time together at dinner and hanging..See you soon I know..
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6296) on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 1:14 pm: |
Hi Ann! I was wishing I had taken the camera for a pic of you and Maggie but I'll just steal your profile pic!
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6297) on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 1:43 pm: |
Some palometa from the divi
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By Barbara Leary (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6319) on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 6:29 pm: |
And for the little cactus flowers amoung us...
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By Cynde (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #11984) on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 8:02 pm: |
Barbara, awe...shucks...that is so cute
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