Here goes between trying to get Christmas cards and shopping done.....

Flight - I booked Continental out of Sacramento and the trip went very smoothly. The planes were on time, the 5 hour layover in Houston went quickly due to the availability of some nice shops (especially love having the Borders books there) and I arrived on time with all my luggage in 14 hours less time than my last trip! Woohoo!

Dining out! Bobbejan's for barbecue, Gibi's for some great home style meals, Richards for a great surf & turf, great atmosphere, Bongo's Friday night barbecue - great setting and company, Capriccios for some fantastic Italian food, Casablanca, always good, Swiss Chalet- dang I'm gonna miss the fondue and rosti and especially Suzi- and, my favorites, some home cooked meals with friends! Missed a few places I'd like to try and cooked at home some just to have a relaxing evening after a days diving.

Here's a pic of Gibi pinning up the flag that Ilona & Torsten brought from Hamburg!

The Wannadive guys & gal (Mika) were wonderful as ever. Bob, Bart & Paul helped to hook me up with some new dive buddies when I needed one; I did several boat dives on Klein with them and enjoyed my daily treks to the shop for tanks and comaraderie. I finished my AOW dives the first week with them-couldn't have asked for a more pleasant and relaxing atmosphere in which to do so.
I did manage to stay out of the wheelbarrow at the Thursday Rum Punch party at Wannadive Hut! I did not escape inheriting a new name from Bart...as I introduced myself to some folks there as Barbara, I was reminded "don't you have another name?" as everyone at Eden Beach heard me called "beckybarb" daily!

Dives:
I did lots more boat dives, especially the first week and so I have been very well oriented now to Klein!
Tish had signed me up with a couple of 2 tank boat dives through BelMar (provided by Buddies) and guided by Chrissy, Pepe and Danielo. We went to Forest, Nearest Point, Knife and Carl's Hill; each was fantastic- I just love the wall at Carl's Hill!
I dove Southwest Klein, Rock Pile, Hand's off & Joannes Sunchi with Wannadive; a very bold turtle at the latter hung out with us, eating and cruising about for many minutes!
Shore dives: Bari Reef with Torsten & Ilona, Something Special, Front Porch, The Lake, Salt Pier twice, Buddys (Reef Scientifico), Karpata, and Alice in Wonderland.
In all I got 22 dives in and each was different and awe inspiring...next trip I will have to get a camera! I saw several midnight parrot fish, turtles, garden eels, lots of baby filefish, various large and small eels, nesting sargeant majors, spotted drums of all sizes...well the list goes on...still looking for an elusive frogfish or seahorse!
Roger Burnhams website is a great way for me to reminisce since I don't have a camera...check these videos out!
Rogers blennylips videos

My first green flash! Woohoo, on my way to Cultimara, I noted that the sky was clear along the horizon...I sat down on a bench near Karels and WOW, there it was! Not caught on camera but here is what happened not long afterwards. There was the most amazing display of rays after the sunset!

I am now seriously suffering from PBD!
Missing the sunrise and
the friends (yum, Barts satay too)
Thanks to everyone who made this trip special... Torsten & Ilona, Tom C, Roger & Marcia, Ruth & Michael Ann, Rick & Joyce, Tish, Sue & John & Steve, Kelly, Wannadive, and special thanks to Ann for helping to make it happen!

More,More,More!

And oh, how the mind goes....many thanks to Michael at ChatNBrowse for being such a great friend and good company - and a for lovely lunch at Garden Cafe!

(Message edited by babsoleary on December 16, 2006)

(Message edited by babsoleary on December 16, 2006)

I have PBD too so I hope you don't mind a few sunsets.

BTW. If you can guess where these two photo's were taken, I will allow you to buy me a bright at that location.

WOW! So happy to see you enjoying yourself, I have major PBD now! Enjoy the holidays!

Let's see Bruce...the first...no guess, the second N Belnem or Windsock?
I'll let you guess too!

Babs-Beckybarb-Barb

Great report! Love the pics too!Glad you had such a good time
I've heard of "the green flash" but have never seen it - was really doubting that it even existed. Beautiful sunset shots!
Bruce - beautiful sunsets too!
Thanks for the report & pics

Glad you had yet another great trip to Bon!! So when are you booking the next one????

Judy..The Green Flash is no myth.. The best time to see it on Bonaire is when the atmosphere is very clear & the sun sets right into the ocean.. On some spots on the island Klein Bonaire kinda gets into the way.
See this site..
http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/explain/obs_colors.html

most green flashes have been observed while sipping on a bottle of heineken.

Vince, nice link to the green flash page! Yes, I was wondering if I would ever see one when there; the sky would seem clear but as the sun hit the horizon on many nights, some small and very distant clouds would be in the way! Keep trying Judy, it was amazing!

Hey there Beckybarb! Nice pics. Glad you had a great trip. You have just made my Pre-Bonaire-Excitement go through the roof! Wes thanks you by the way. Not like I haven't been talking enough about Bonaire lately.

Wonderful report Barbara and beautiful photos!!

A great report Babs, and love the pictures too. So glad that you had a good time.

Vince - thanks for the link - very interesting!
Babs- Les is still a non-believer - we'll just have to try harder in Feb. Glad you got to see it for real!

Babs, Great pics, loved them! nice report too, thanks for sharing with us.

Hello Beckybarb,
great report and thanks for leaving the castle flag at Gibis

Could we get the pics in big size? Do you send them via email?

Thank you,
Ilona

Sure, Ilona, I will send the big pics to you...probably Wednesday when I am off work again!

Babs, nice report. Sounds like you had a wonderful time

tank mule is pouting...wish we could have been there

Barbara, nice report and photos! It was a pleasure seeing you again!

p.s.: The boat to Rappel leaves at ...... 8:15 a.m.

Wally & Eva, I sure wish you could have been there too!
Tom, Bart was quite thrilled to be able to say "beckybarb, have you ever heard the term you missed the boat"
Well, the morning was not an entire loss - I ended up with a great dive at Karpata with Rick & Joyce!

Yeah Babs!!! Sounds like a fabulous bday trip!!!
The Green Flash has been spotted off the horizon from the beach where we dove when you were here (Hendry's Beach, Santa Barbara). I keep trying to spot it but no luck yet. Good for you!!
Thanks for the trip report and the pics - just wonderful