dive # 939-944 Nov 2014 cenotes

I finally did it.
Another 'tic' off the ol' bucket list.
I made the plunge down to Mexico "Puerto Aventure" in Mexico to dive the cenotes. I got a bit overwhelmed  planning the trip since there were so many things to factor in so I opt for jetblue's all inclusive package .
 The trip went remarkably smooth with a greeter at the airport in Cancun to dive us to our hotel which was about 50 miles south of the airport.
 The hotel, Catalinia Riveria Maya was spectacular.
It was true resort catering to your every needs. It was very clean and luxurious. I didn't know what to expect by booking an all inclusive but it exceeded my expectations. (I did something like that in Barbados and it was the pits.)
My room even had it own jacuzzi on its porch over looking the beach and pools.
The food was fantastic.
 I am the fussiest person in the world and there were multiple vegetarian choices. You could NOT drink the water from the faucet but there was plenty of water at various stations(and other beverages including "adult" beverages for your consumption) You didn't need to speak spanish but I did (or at least tried to) at every opportunity. I am sure the natives got a good laugh my fractured grasp of the language.
The first dives scheduled were reef dives. You were not allowed to dive the cenotes unless you first did a reef dive and had at least 200 dives under your belt. I figured I was all set in that department until the boat was ready to leave. They pulled me off the boatat the last minute  because I had checked off "migraines" and "over 45 years old"on the medical report. I thought to myself "are you f#cking kidding me?" as I looked around on the jammed boat with over- weight people and people much older than me who couldn't even carry their gear, plus there was a guy chain smoking while settting up his tank. I literally ran  1/2 mile back to the dive shop and "corrected" that "misprint". Enough said.
I got a little lost running back to the boat. Thank God I knew enough spanish to ask some of the workers there how to get back to the boat.
The reefs there were OK, on par with diving Florida reefs. Nice, but average with not a ton of fish. I did spot two large lion fish, eagle ray and a free swimming large green moray.
However, the cenotes were in a league of there own.
We went to four different ones. They were all inland in the jungle. The water was colder at about 73F. I wore a thin shortie over my 3M suit. I generally use 12lbs in the ocean but in the fresh water cenotes I could actually get away with just 6lbs. The cenotes we went to were: red jaguar, kukukul, ponderosa and taj majal.
They were all spectacular. It is hard to describe what they are like.
It's a bit scary, wicked cool, and alien (like you are on mars).
You enter a water cavern and descend down tunnels underwater. Some parts are pitch black , narrow and someplaces the light comes through.
It felt like you are being kissed by God.
You also swim through parts in a phenom called "halo cline".It a mix of salt/fresh water and sulphur creating this blurry effect. You can't see shit. It is scary stuff but you try focusing on the light of your dive guide leading you through.
Oh yes, you absolutely need an experienced dive guide along with using halogen dive lights and you follow the thin rope line.
There were some fish there. Under the mangrove roots that reach, I would say, at least a 100 feet down you saw some unusual fresh water fish. I beleive some of these fish were cichlids and mollies.
Back at the resort there were lots of stuff to do other than swimming and water sports. I took up archery one afternoon and one day we took a tour to the Tulum ruins -which was pretty cool. Even in our gated resort community the area was fantastic to go jogging in the morning with all it's beautiful birds and wildlife.
Would I go back to explore more cenotes ?(I believe in this area alone there are 18 cenotes)
Absolutely.
It was "las pelotas"

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 108

The tourists are gone and most of the nosey busy bodies don't get up when I get up to go running.
The pigeons still recognize me and follow me when I run on the beach. I've found a few dead ones on the board walk.
I'm not sure why but it is troubling.
There are certainly less of them.
I do know they are hungry and pizza, french fries, and left overs are no longer available.
 Soooooo I've been bringing a small bag of seed to 'help' the pigeons to get through the winter. I place the seeds away from any of the buildings not to cause issue. I spotted Brownie and Galok in the fray.
Two days ago, before dusk, as I about to hit the beach jogging. A white van sped past me nearly hitting me. I thought to myself, "a$$h@le!!!.. slow down!!"
At the corner of the sidewalk I found a seaside sparrow on his back with his legs up in the air. I thought, "oh crap, I think that van hit this little guy". I  presumed the sparrow was dead.
And then his little legs started to move.
I picked him up cupping him in my hands.
He was still alive.
I took him home to access the damage to see if he could be saved.
I looked him over and did not see blood spots nor any obvious breaks or disfigurements. I placed him in a small covered cushioned aquarium to rest.
I wanted to wait til midmorning to call Jody from the Cape Ann wildlife for her advice. If he was merely dazed or in shock the warm comfortable dark aquarium would provide the rest he needed.
At about 10:00 I opened the lid of the aquarium to check on the sparrow and whooosh! out he flew. He flew around my house without any problems.
He appeared to be OK.
I caught him, put in back in the small aquarium and brought him back down to beach. I released him and he flew off with another sparrow sitting on the wire fence.
Hooray!

"Rubbish to runway" 2014 fashion outfit

OK as per request, I wanted to share the outfit that I had designed for the "rubbish to runway" show.
Everything used, according to the rules, had to be something that would've (or was) in the trash.
I had actually made two outfits but after they were reviewed from the artist consultants only one was used and the accessories pared down.
The title of my ensemble was  called "budgie ball".
(Because most of the outfit was made from bird food bags! )

Some of the items I made  did not make the cut in the selection process. I think, maybe, I could use it for next year's show, if indeed, I am among the many talented ladies selected.

To me, fashion is "wearable art". I love art and I love creating.
These shoes were shoes that a friend of my mother's that were destined for the dumpster.
 I salvaged them by repairing them, adding card-board, kaytee bird food bag logos, old ribbon, discarded feathers and hot glueing sand-paper on the soles so I wouldn't slip and kill myself.

Here is the vest (front and back).
I used scrap material, lined it with an old fabric shower liner, shoe-lace lace up and put a kaytee food bag picture as an applique on the back.
The necklace and earrings that I wore as accessories I used bottle caps as framers and placed  (again) pictures from the Kaytee food bags inside the caps plus old beads.

Here is the skirt made by sewing kaytee food bags together and lining it with that old fabric shower curtain liner.

At the final rehearsal, I ended up not using the scarf. It was a bit much with the busy oufit. The simplier the better.
The scarf was made using scrap fleece material, kaytee cut-outs and disgarded bird feathers.
I did use the purse featured. Again, from Kaytee food bags, bits from that shower curtain liner and the handles from a wrecked grocery bag.

I have ideas for  NEXT years show. After seeing some of the incredible creations from some of the other ladies involved it inspired me to amp it up in "my creativity department".
Maybe next year's ensemble will be titled: "fifty shades of grey cockatiels". (:O

"rubbish to runway" fashion show 2014

Last year my cousin and I attended this fundraiser called "rubbish to runway" in NBPT to raise funds for project "Long Way home" for sustainable housing (and education) in Guatemala. She wanted to go because the Mayor of NBPT (who she campaigned for) was in the fashion show and also for her interest in latino countries.
I poked along because I am always interested in artsy endeavors and was fascinated that the badly needed schools in Guatemala funded by this group were made by using discarded coke bottles as windows. Guatemala is a very poor country.
This is what prompted the theme -"rubbish to runway". Trash was reused and recycled no matter what was considered "junk".
Therefore the idea of taking stuff you would ordinarily throw away and making it into something beautiful, useful and downright fashionable was the theme for the show. The fund-raising effort seemed to be a worthy Christian cause.
So this year, I volunteered.
 I made an outfit out of Kaytee bird food bags, shedded feathers, scrap material, plastic bottle caps and an old stained shower curtain liner.
And being the ham that I am I also volunteered to be a model as well.
Some of the outfits the other "designers' made were extraordinary.
I only posted a few of the outfits but I have to say they were all amazing.

This "model", modeled and designed this dress made out of plastic spoons, forks, knives and plates! It was stunning!

This "model", modeled and designed this dress out of old pill bottles and expired pills! All I could think of that this dress would be perfect for "Nurse Jackie ". It definitely had the "wow' factor!

This "model", modeled and designed this dress out of old hospital scrubs. Amazing!

This 'model" modeled this dress for her friend. It was made from scrap material she found "dumpster diving' and New York Times newspapers. She was absolutely breathtaking!

This "model", designer is a high school kid! OMG! She made this out of corregated computer paper!

Ok here I am.

Hey, I've been seriously working out my arm muscles so why not flaunt it?
It's good clean fun!
And the money raised goes to a good cause, so why not?

Oh, BTW here are the shoes I "made" and wore for the show.

spanish lessons

Parrot missing for years returns speaking Spanish

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Posted: Oct 13, 2014 1:11 PM EDT Updated: Oct 14, 2014 4:43 PM EDT

TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) - A pet parrot that spoke with a British accent when it disappeared from its home four years ago has been reunited with its owner - and the bird now speaks Spanish.
The reunion was brought about by a Southern California veterinarian who mistook Nigel, an African gray parrot, for her own missing bird, the Daily Breeze reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/1qU5dU3).
Teresa Micco tracked Nigel's microchip to Darren Chick, a Brit who lives in Torrance.
"I introduced myself and said, 'Have you lost a bird?'" Micco told the newspaper. "He initially said, 'No.' But he thought I meant recently."
When she verified Chick's name and said she had his African grey parrot, "He looked at me like I was crazy."
He said his bird went missing four years earlier.
Little is known about Nigel's whereabouts the past four years, but Chick says the bird's British accent is gone, and it now chatters in Spanish.
Chick says last week's reunion brought tears of joy to his eyes - despite the fact that Nigel bit him when he first tried to pick him up.
Micco said the behavior was not unusual and that Nigel would settle back in soon enough.
"He's doing perfect," Chick told the newspaper by the week's end. "It's really weird. I knew it was him from the minute I saw him."
It's the fifth parrot reunion facilitated by Micco, who has been running ads for her own missing bird for nine months. That parrot, Benjamin, flew the coop in February when it darted out a door that was left open.
Julissa Sperling found Nigel outside her home and brought him to Micco after seeing one of her ads.
But first, she took Nigel to her dog-grooming business.
"He was the happiest bird. He was singing and talking without control," Sperling said. "He was barking like the dogs. I'm from Panama and he was saying, 'What happened?' in Spanish."

September 28 2014 dive # 937

September 28 2014 dive # 937
Did I say last time that was the last dive of season? Oops. My mistake.
Today was predicted to be a beach day with record breaking temps sooooooo I contacted Jackie to see if she was game for a dive.
We went to Back beach. The entry point is fairly easy, they have public toilets and there are places to park (so long as you get there early and bring LOTS of quarters for the meter. It is 25 cents per 8 minutes! Good thing I had a pile of quarters reserved for tolls)
Jackie, Sandy and Andy showed up plus a gent from Argentina se llama "Marcone" (I'm not sure if I am spelling it correctly) asked if he could join us.
Jackie and Sandy buddied up and I had "all the men to myself".
Water temp seemed reasonable. I am guessing about 62F. The further and deeper we went out it got COLD. I think we hit about a 50 ft depth. The viz was clear at about 20 ft or so. No current but a light surge.
There was lots of small lobsters, cunners and a HUGE red sea raven. He was a monster! I swam back to the shore most of the way back because I  ran really low on air. I think I ended up with probably 50psi left. That's what happens when you have fun.
I did bring an extra tank "just in case". And guess what, I did a second dive.
dive #938
We went back in at back beach but this time we dove in a triangle pattern so that I did not risk getting so low on air. Ten minutes one way, ten minutes another and ten another , and then slowly swimming back looking around at things. This was a good game plan.
Andy found a huge mushroom anchor. It was completely encrusted with stuff. There was one area that was loaded with all kinds of pipe fish of various sizes and colors.-yellow, tan, rust and brown. Some of the bigger ones looked like snakes.
There were these two crabs that had their backs to each other up standing up straight. They looked they were trying scratch each other's back. There were also some curious hermit crabs investigating Andy's gloves that had holes in them.
The place was packed with divers now. There were lots of "newbies" there working at getting certified.
Jackie, Sandy and I afterwards headed over to Plum cove.
 There was a dive club event going on. We wanted to say "hi" to our dive buddies. Fred, Chris and Pete were there as well.Everyone was having a good time. The sun was really beating down and I ended up "Hampton beaching it". The water felt really refreshing.
It was truly a great day.
So now I am ready for a bucket.

September 14 2014 dive # 936

September 14 2014 dive # 936
Oh I am digging for crumbs in the chocolate chip cookie bag.
I hate for the dive season/summer to end.
I cringe when I hear the drone of football game announcers.
Football=fall...Brrrrrr...
Jackie invited me to go diving with her and Andy at Pebble beach.
I felt like a hyper jack russell terrier waiting for the ball to be thrown.
Ok ok ok....!!!!!!
Off to do a shore dive at pebble beach.
Pebble beach is pretty easy to get to.
Take 128N all the way then a left onto Eastern ave, then  take a right at Barn lane (near the Shaws/Cape Ann dive shop plaza) take a left onto 127 Thatcher rd. Take a right onto Tregony Bow, a right at the end onto south st. Finally take your second left onto Penzance. The place is chock-o-block full of divers so you have got to get there early (unless you have a rockport parking permit)
It was sunny but cold. Wind from the NNW. It was less than 50F topside. I put my wetsuit on ASAP. I tried out my BCD that I had replaced the "crapped up"  inflator valve.It worked perfectly. I used 16lbs of weight since I had the BCD and full neoprene boots. The water chilly but calm and clear.
Jackie likes to swim so we swam out to the rocks. Jackie and Andy led. They both navigated perfectly. Thankfully, I had no problems with my right ear. Hooray!Andy found a 6 inch pipe fish along with little lobsters. Jackie found a comb jelly. I was cold and out of air so that was it for me.
They braved another dive with some metrowest buddies.
At least I got my "fix" for the day.

fashion show 2014 Oct. 25 2014

I am going to be in a fashion show.
I will be  a "model" for my own creations made of recycled and "upcycled' materials. (watch out Heid Klum!)
It's Wearable art.
I used thriftshop finds by reconstructing old, discarded materials. I also used bird food bags, feathers, junk found on the beach and an old basketball to put together some of my creations.
I am putting this notice out there in hopes people will come to this event.
It is a fundraising event.
I think it will be fun.

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part # 107

It's painful to go to the beach now that I can not feed the pigeons. All the tourists have gone so therefore, the supply of pizza crusts, french fries etc.. are far and few between. It's been a few months since I've fed the pigeons but they still recognize me. I don't dare feed them not because of the stupid law but because of what could happen to the pigeons as backlash.
A month ago, the wall above Sal's pizza collapsed due to rot and rain damage. The ledge below had two nests with babies in it. The area where the wall collapsed was taped and fenced off. There was rubble and debris in bins.
The nests were gone.
But what happened to the babies? I was freaking out thinking they were chucked in a bin but I couldn't get in to check. I am hoping they were old enough to fledge.
To keep the pigeons off the ledges, fake owls were installed to scare them off.
I really hope no harm was deliberately done to the pigeons.
 I don't think people realize that there is a Massachusetts law that protects pigeon nests:  Mass law Part IV, Title 1, chapter 266, Section 132-"Whoever willfully kills pigeons upon, or frightens them from beds which have been made for the purpase of taking them in nets, by any methods, within one hundred rods of the same, except on land lawfully occupied by himself, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one month or by a fine of not more than twenty dollars, and shall also be liable for the actual damages to the owner or occupant of such beds".
There are less pigeons by the beach now that I have noticed. I am sure by the winter there will be even less of them.
Meanwhile, even though there is a leash law and a "no dogs on the beach" law  I've seen more dogs on the beach along with dog shit on the beach and sidewalks more than ever. I spoke to a young woman who had her dog run amock in August on a crowded beach. Her dog took a crap  next to somebodies beach towel and  she just left it! When I said something to her she just flipped me off. The lifeguards had no authority to do anything.
I guess" the laws" only apply to just a few of us.

September 7 2014 dive # 934 & 935

September 7 2014 dive #934
The wind was blasting from the NE. It was a bit "challenging" getting out of the slip.
 Regardless, it was a warm and sunny day. A perfect September afternoon.
Chris and Fred were running the show along with Pete and Andy manning the lines as well as John (from the froggies). We went  south to the wreck of the New Hampshire. Below the surface, there was a sneaky cold current.
Chris and I were still working on filming using Russ's double hose  reg, plate glass mask and rubber black fins.
 Again, like last week, I had some issues with clearing my right ear. With that in mind, I've been "practicing" all week '"working" on my ear by deep swallows making sure I could hear some kind of "click" in my ear. I did get down to 25 feet, but it was slow going and the water below was freakin' cold. Since it was cold it was also clear which makes for good filming. The water looked like it was "snowing" with all these comb jellies all about. I was hoping to see a torpedo ray, but no luck.
dive #935
The surface temp was about 60F and at 25 feet I had 45F on my temp guage. I didn't dare get out of my wetsuit just in case Andy saw something good. I still had air in my tank and even though I wanted to try out my BCD since I had replaced the inflator hose I opted to just use the back-pack since it was set-up. I swam around looking for critters. John also went in twice as well despite the huge tear in his wet-suit by his neck and shoulder.Yikes!
It was a nice day to be out. We did a detour on our way back to the dock to take a look at Pat S new boat. It is a beauty. In the harbor we also saw a huge seal swimming aound.
What a great way to end the boating season.

August 31 2014 dive # 932 & 933

August 31 2014 dive # 932
Labor day weekend
You can see the light and wind shift change by Labor day.
Bummer. This means "the gate is going down".
Regardless, you savor these sunny warm days like it is that last chocolate chip cookie in the bag.
Today was warm and sunny. We anchored in Folly Cove to do some more filming and also it was a protected cove. The waves at Salisbury beach (and other beaches as well) have been monsterously huge along with a wicked undertow and rip current.
Chris and Fred were running the show along with Pete and Andy. John (from the froggies) and Illya were also onboard.
The captain was 'on a tear". Chris and I did our best to do what was instructed as far as filming. I felt a bit sick and my right ear was acting up but I desperately wanted to go diving. I did my best "easing' my ear to equalize. The cold water felt good on my head.
The surface temp was in the high 60sF and appeared deceptionally smooth. However once we got past 20 feet there was a wicked current and it was freakin' cold. Chris reported it was 45F!!!!!!
 We did a few "swimming" scenes and 'fiddling around at the bottom looking at stuff" for the filming. A skate swam by and there was a convention of hermit crabs. They looked like a bunch of partiers. When I swam up to them they quickly dispersed as if I was a copper on a bust.
I tried to do the "don & doff' using the double hose but it proved to be more of challenge than I visualized. I kept getting the hose twisted and tangled which caused the air to flood in my mouth. This also blasted the plate mask off skilter forcing water up my nose. I have no problem ditching & donning using my standard BCD and single hose regulator. The double hose doesn't afford the same kind of flexiblity and even air flow like the single hose.
dive # 933
We took a little break and braved the cold undercurrent again to film a little more.
The don & doff with the double hose just wasn't going to fly, at least for today. Illya ventured out further in spite of being warned of the current. It's puzzling to why he just didn't stay close to the boat or by the wall.
Chris paddled out to him in the inflatable to assist him, if he needed assistance. Andy had his wetsuit on ready and waiting as well.Everything turned out to be A-Ok.
Never a dull moment!
My neoprene socks were not in my dive gear bag. I either absent mindingly put them in someone elses bag or left them on the boat. Maybe they just walked off all by themselves to hide .Even my scrottie old neoprene socks don't want the dive season to end!

August 24 2014 dive # 930 & 931

* I found this funny photo on the internet with a diver diving with his dog!
The guy looks like he is having fun, and dog seems to be having fun too!

August 24 2014 dive # 930
We lucked out on getting such a perfect day to be out diving. Warm and sunny but not suffocating. The water temp, on the surface, had to be close to 70F.
It was a bit surgy with crappy viz but that's the pay off. We anchored off of Folly cove near the restaurant to do some more filming.
Chris and Fred were in charge. Andy and Pete as crew. John (from froggies), Jackie, Alex, Charlie (from NBPT) and his son were onboard.
We had a good easy going group of buddies to share the day.
Back in the water Chris and I went following the illustrated instructions Fred wanted us to do.
I, hopefully, followed the instructions to get that needed footage.
 John was snorkling above us and said we looked pretty good. But time will tell once Chris looks at the actual footage. I swam back and forth numerous times at different angles.
The viz was really fuzzy so that could be a factor. I ended up pretty much draining the tank. As with a double hose reg you can't tell how deep you are nor how much air you have (you don't have any guages). You kind of just have to guess by experience.
August 24 dive #931
The water was really warm and I had an extra tank. There was no way I was NOT going back in!  I am hell bent on keeping my UW skills up so I settled on the bottom to take off my BCD, put it back on and do the same with my weight belt. There was a slight surge and I was bopping around UW. As I was feeling for the buckle on my weight belt a nosy cunner came up to face mask and started pecking at it! I think he knew I was busy doing something. Either that the fish at Folly have gotten so used to the divers that he has no fear.
 I was kind of hoping I would see Andy's "rrraken" friend or Jackie's torpedo ray friend but I did see an odd looking fish. It was the size of a  cunner but longer with tiger stripes and bright yellow coloring.Tropical fish do come up this time of year. When I looked in my fish ID book I found a harlequin bass that matched the description. They live in northern florida.
After I drained this tank as well and got out of my wetsuit we all started to "hampton beach" it and jump in the ocean for just a swim. I blessed and annointed all the "hampton beachers" with a "in the name of Howie Carr, dunkin donuts and the Boston Red Sox' you are all now officially "hampton beachers"!
It's great fun to get all silly like 13 year old kids.
That is best part of being on the boat:-) being kids again!

dive fatalities-addressing the elephant in the room

In general, people don't want to talk about death.
 I can't say I blame 'em.
 It's uncomfortable and we are afraid to offend the departed family.
With that being said, regardless,I do feel it is necessary to talk about what happened to our dive buddy. I am opening up a forum to discuss what we know and using what we know discuss the probabilities of what might have happened to hopefully, prevent another untimely death.
The only information that I have is that our friend was found UW at 25 feet without her dive gloves on.
What we don't know is if she had any medical conditions or if there was any air in her tank and/or tainted air in her tank. In this forum, I am ruling out any malice or foul play. The police reported this as a 'diving accident due to drowning".
OK
All week I've been plagued with very real and vivid nightmares. One dream keeps repeating over and over again is that I wake up and on Fred's boat alone. The boat breaks off of the dock and is moving away from the dock over white caps and choppy seas. I panic and think, "oh God..I've got to save the boat!"
 I am not too far away from the dock that I could put on fins and swim to the dock but the boat would be lost. I couldn't do that.
I try to remember how to start the boat, put it into gear and  bring it back to the dock. I then think, then what? Which line do I tie off first to secure it? What if I can't do this. What radio station do I call for mayday? As the boat floats off, I see passing boats and wave my hands frantic for help. No one stops. I've got to remember, rehearse the skills I've learned awhile back and not to panic/freeze to order to save the boat.
 I do believe this dream is symbolic in many ways.
The boats symbolizes divers and diving in general. I am trying not to panic and I try to kick start my brain into Action. Therefore,by trying to remember what to do  symbolizes that one always needs to practice and refresh your memory into 'what if situations' so that you can jump into action at ease, and you can not rely on others to 'help' you.
Even though it was "only a dream" I asked Chris to review boat stuff "just in case'. Knowledge and learned skills are comforting.
With this being said, I think about general scuba skills and our friend's death.
What we know is that she was at the bottom , with water in her lungs and no gloves.
What happened UW?
This is what I think might  have happened, but I want to be clear this is just me thinking (writing) out loud.
My first thought is that she got caught in a monofiliment ghost net and couldn't get out. So far, nothing has been said about a gill net entanglement.
The fact if she frantically took off her gloves in the cold Maine waters means she was desperate for dexterity to 'fix" something. I am guessing she got herself in trouble and was trying to inflate her BCD hose to get to the surface. The inflator hose might have had a crack in it therefore it filled with water making it impossible to inflate and at the same time making the BCD even heavier weighing her down. She also had a intergrated weight BCD. So either she thought about ditching the weights, or not, or couldn't get them out. Or she nevereven  thought to get out of the heavy BCD, or couldn't, and panicked.
When this scene crossed my mind, I thought this "ditch the BCD and weights" skill that has to practiced over and over again so it is second nature.
I have a simple no frills BCD. I also use a weight belt. They are simple, reasonably priced and I can easily get them on and off. Most people have these $600.00 fancy intergrated weights BCD. I do beleive people either don't think to ditch weights (they forget that this is an option) or they are reluctant of ditching a specialized part of their $600.00 equipment or that they can't.
This may or may not be the issue  in this case but it is worth talking about.
Last year when I did my first dive of the season,I was  testing out my dry suit etc... I got caught in a current. I was struggling to get back to the boat. I thought to myself, "oh shit..this isn't working...what do I do?" and then it dawned on me to just ditch the  friggin' weight belt so I could swim with out the extra burden. As I was reaching for the buckle, Larient came out to get me. (Thank you Larient!) You got to repeat in your mind: just ditch the friggin' belt! (it's only a $20.00 belt!)
I can pretty much get out of all of my equipment UW *but it something you have to practice and think about all the time.*
When I was thinking of this I figured I could probably even get out of my wetsuit, if I really really had to. As I was visualizing my houdini act it occurred to me that the only piece of equipment I would not be able to get out of would be my dry suit. yikes..
Dry suits tear and fill with water making them extremely heavy.
Years ago on Easy Diver, (about 16 years ago) I recall a customer who was struggling at the surface. His dry suit had a tear and it was filling with water. I swam out to get him.
He weighted a million pounds. I struggled to tow him back. Pete jumped as well and we got him back to the boat.
Did our departed friend's dry suit suddenly filled with water as well? Therefore weighing her down? We still do not know.
I really hope we find the answer. It will not bring her back but I think, as the scuba diving community -we need to know.
Please feel free to give your thoughts on this matter. I am just volleying my thoughts on the matter.

August 17 2014 dive #928 & 929

*photo done by Andy Jaswinski. Thanks Andy!

August 17 2014 dive# 928
It turned out be a pretty nice day. There was a chance of afternoon showers but that was Ok. We were going to be wet anyways. We headed to Folly Cove to continue on filming with the "60 years of diving". Fred and Chris were in charge. Andy and Pete at the helm, along with dive buddies,John (from the froggies), Jackie and Sandy.
Chris was filming and I continued as the 1950's diver. As you can see I am wearing Russ K's vintage mask, a double hose reg, back-pack and simple black rubber fins. I got to admit, I'm begining to like this vintage stuff. I like it because it is simple. The mask has a huge field of vision. Unfortunately, I need bifocals!
Andy saved the day by noticing the double hose had a tear in it. The guys jumped into action and repaired the leak. And then, off Chris and I went.
The water was relatively warm (high 60s) but the viz was awful-at maybe 10 feet max. On top of it, there was a sneaky current and some surge action. Chris and I moved away from the surge and I think we got some of the needed shots. I had a little trouble clearing my right ear but it eventually "popped" into place.
dive #929
We moved the boat over at Folly cove to where Andy had spotted the "rraken' a few weeks ago. I still had some air left so I figured I'd look around to see if I would get "lucky". I did see a very large tautog and some good sized lobsters.
After I took my wet suit off Jackie and Sandy came up and they said they found a torpedo ray! Arghhh! I must have swam right by it! Oh well...
We still had fun and beat the rain.

August 10 2014 dive # 926 & 927

August 10 2014 Dive # 926
Today would be considered the "perfect summer day". Hot, sunny with a gentle breeze.
We had a chock-o-block full boat today. Fred, Chris, Pete, Andy,  John (from froggies), Myanna, Linda, Charlie (from Newburyport) AND the Navy guys with the rebreather and hard hat helmet for today's UW filming. Whew!
Russ K lent me his working double-hose reg and an antique plate glass rubber mask that we could use in the "history of diving" UW  filming.
 I will admit I was a little nervous using this equipment at first. I needed to go slow and visualize using this mask and double hose in order for it to "work". The mask had no nose peice nor my needed prescription. It was a little floppy but it seemed to work ok so long as I kept it straight on my face without any sudden movements. The double hose worked OK too remembering to keep in mind that I had no depth guage nor air guage. I used just a back-pack with no BCD as well and black rubber fins.
After I got used to it, I felt incredibly unencumbered. I had no excess equipment dangling. The mask had a large clear field of vision despite no corrective lenses. I only used 14 lbs of weight on my weight belt. I might have even got away with just using 12 lbs.
Chris had the UW camera rolling with me, as the 1950s diver and Victor as the 2014 high tech diver with his dive computer, dry suit, guages, gizmos and high tech rebreather. Chris said I looked  like a little mosquito coming up to a giant transformer.
Water temp was in the high 60s and viz about 10 feet. We were anchored in Folly cove.
The filming with the hard hat didn't work today due to technicalities. The helmet weighed 70lbs so it was difficult to manage it. Another day for that.
dive # 927
Everyone ran out of air. I, incredibly had 1000psi left in my tank (I only had 2000 to start with) so I figured I would do a short dive. I still wore the fins and back-pack but I used MY mask and reg. Andy spotted a blue shark here a few weeks ago so I NEEDED to do some exploring.
Close to under the boat was the BIGGEST lobster I've ever seen. I've seen "biggin's" before with Larient but nothing like this. You would need three guys to lift it. The claws were bigger than a space aliens head. It was massive.
*
*I thank God everyday for having this privilege to enjoy this diving activity with my friends.
With that being said, sadly, we recieved the awful news that one of our dive buddies, Anna Krowczynska, passed away on a dive trip near Monhegan island in Maine on saturday. She was a kind,tough, funny, friendly girl with a very "distinctive" voice. It is such a great loss to lose "one of our own".
She will be missed by all in the scuba community.

our at adventure at Boston's comic con

 Last saturday we bought tixs to Boston's Comic con at the seaport conventions center.
 Let me tell you, we had a blast!
Now you are probably wondering
What kind of people go to something like this? Well, it was completely PACKED with :comic book collectors, comic book artists, people who role play, gamers, people into star trek, super heros, star wars, game of thrones, Dr. Who, underground comics, Marvel comics, fans of particular artists or actors and people who just like to dress up in costume. They had workshops, film festivals,  cosplay, booths selling comic books,collectables, clothing, and posters.
I am sure I am leaving stuff out but the best part of the event was dressing up in costume and seeing other people in costume too. It was hilarious.

* that is me above as "Hit Girl" from the movie "Kick Ass"

 This is "Hit Girl". I loved her character. She is a foul mouth 13 years old girl along with her father (an ex-cop) kicking the crap out of bad guys. hmmmm.
"Kick ass" was one of funniest movies ever.

My husband went as "Red Cloud". "Red Cloud" is a Japanese anime character. I teased him and kept  calling him 'fart cloud" instead.

 Here is Naruto Akatsuki's "Red Cloud" characters.

 Here is a couple of guys at the convention, one dressed as "Wolverine" and the other guy as "Dead Pool" "Dead Pool" was a very popular character. Alot of guys were dressed as the "Dead Pool" character and "the Joker".  Girls seemed to favor Japanese anime characters and the sexy villian "Poison Ivy".
There was one girl who very very obese in a "wonder woman" costume which was kind of wrong. There were guys wearing costumes in body suits that were, well, left nothing to the imagination, if you know what I mean..

 I thought there would be a ton of guys dressed as Batman and Spiderman but I only spotted three. I posed with this Batman.

 Don't ask

 This girl was dressed as "Anubis", an Egyptian goddess, as you can see one big reason guys like this event!

 I had to take this photo of the staypuff marshmellow men from "Ghostbusters"

I couldn't resist having my pic with one of the "Ghostbusters"!

Aug 3 2014 dive # 924 & 925/ dive # 1 & 2

*Ok you are probably wondering why I posted this picture from the funny/scary "Chuckie' movies in a dive log post.
Well, let me explain.
 As a kid I used to tease my brother and call him "Chuckie" after a crazy kid in the neighborhood and also after the killer "Chuckie" doll. As an adult when my brother had a son I subsequently called my nephew "Chuckie Jr".
So hence, the story begins.

Aug 3 2014  dive # 924
Fred and Chris so graciously welcomed my nephew "Chuckie jr"(Richie) out for a day of scuba"aboard Easy Diver.
Pete, Andy, John (from the froggies), and Jackie were out also out for a day of fun. The weather was fairly cooperative -cloudy with some drizzle. Thankfully no noticeable wind. We headed to Nile beach to practice skills in shallow water.
I geared Rich up with my husbands gear. He fit into a brand new 5 mil surf suit, a hood, booties, and size L force fins. We used 12lbs. of weight that seemed to work fine and a back-pack. I had a small green mask that fit him OK, at least for now. I had him use my "little bomb" tank.
We first jumped off the side of boat to get the feel of the wetsuit's buoyancy and to do some snorkling. He had no problem using the snorkle and diving down.
Chris, myself and Rich took the inflatable over to the beach into stand up water Chris had him go through most of the skills which I was amazed as how fast he caught on.
He breathed through the regulator, retrieved the regulator, cleared his mask, removed his mask and cleared it (one of the hardest skills), unfasten and dropped his weight belt, and got himself out of the back pack.
After we finished the skills he out swam me back to the boat! Ha!
This was Dive #1 for Rich
dive #925
Water temperature was about 61F, but I was shivering. However,  I wasn't about to miss out on Rich's first decent down to 18 feet. Chris took Rich down the down line to make sure he could clear his ears and scuba around under the boat. He had no problems. Although the viz was only 10 feet we saw hermit crabs and lots of different skates scurring about.It was pretty cool!.
This was dive #2 for Rich. And Pete presented him with a dive log.
He did well.
I am hoping he will continue on and is now bitten by the "diving bug".

fox 25 zip trip to Salisbury beach

I am posing with Fox 25 TV commentator "VB".
"VB" used to be on the Howie Carr show. When I told him I remembered him being on Howie's show. He said, "oh that fat bastard?".
 I burst out laughing.

A salisbury summertime resident brought her pet pig to be 'interviewed" on the human interest segment.
 I had wished I brought my pigeon!
 I have to say, the pig was very fashionably dressed for the occasion.

The program ran from 6:00-10:00am. I was there only from 6:00-7:30 because  I had an early morning client scheduled at 8:00am.
 It was quite the event, I must say. They had games, contests, "freebee give aways" from local sponsors, food and FREE dunkin donuts coffee!
Everyone who was somebody from Salisbury was there. The selectmen, local popular business owners (including myself. HA!), school kids, market basket employees holding signs, fire fighters, beach people and even the lady who was featured in "People" magazine voted as one the top 25 " most beautiful people in the world" was there. (She is a local Salisbury lady who is 55 years old! I have to admit she is rather stunning and elegant. Way to go!)
I got my mug in one segment of the show "early morning workout" with planet fitness jogging.
www.myfoxBoston.com/category/286276/zip-tripsalisbury
(I did, by the way, already did my morning jog at 5:00am before I went to the event.)
It was fun to be there!

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach # 106

I haven't fed the pigeons on the beach because of the "new ordinance" prohibiting the "feeding of all wildlife' on the beach.
There were two nests that I could see with youngsters in them above one pizza shop. In one nest, the mother is mostly abscent. I thought she was gone for good and I panicked seeing the two youngsters in the nest.
 I took my bike down the beach during the day and I would nonchalantly check to see if the mother returned. My heart sank thinking "how long has she been gone?" "Will they just starve to death?" "Where is the father or "auntie" pigeons?" (Fathers and sometimes nearby females (the Aunts) who had just lost babies step up and care for the orphan babies)
And then, sometimes the opposite happens. The fathers will chuck the babies out to make room for "new babies". In otherwords, the male is just interested in mating and not the babies at all. (hmmmmm.. similar to humans in many respects) And some of the neighboring females (Aunts) will also chuck the babies to make room for the potential of having "new ' babies.
After two hours on the beach and as I was unlocking my bike to depart, I saw the mother return to the babies. Thank God!
I was visualizing a early morning "rescue" in hopes that I wasn't too late to save them.
 There is food at the beach for the critters such as pizza crusts, french fries and bits of fried doe. People for the most part are slobs and leave their refuge for seagulls, pigeons, dogs and raccoons to forage.
They seem to have enough food, I think.
I just have not been bringing seed to the beach in the morning like I used to feed the pigeons. It would be my luck that despite the no dog policy, no littering policy, etc..I would be the one who would be fined $1000.00 (seriously)for feeding the pigeons.
The pigeons recognize me even during the midday when I take my bike to the beach. I will have a parade of pigeons following me. One little brat started throwing sticks at them and I stopped, and glared at him.
 He turned away.
The youngster pigeons are still not safe. The most dangerous part of their lives is when they fledge. They are almost at that point of their lives where they will attempt to fly and try to join the other pigeons.
Cats, dogs, hawks, seagulls, and mostly (mean) people is what they need to worry about.
Yikes...

dive #922 & 923 July 20 2014

Dive #922 July 20 2014
A bit overcast with a few sprinkles of rain was today's weather.
 I was hoping for a sunny hot day.
We had Fred and Chris running the show along with Andy helping out with Pete and John (from the "froggies"). Long time dive buddies Linda and Myanna were out on the hunt for lobsters. Plus non-divers , Fred's daughter "Charlie", her husband and Andy's wife Anna were out for a "day on the boat".
Andy had reported that yesterday the water was so cold it hurt his calves. I thought to myself " ay mierda". With that in mind I thought when I hit the freezing water I would swear in spanish rather than in English.
And so I did.
And so I did.
We anchored off of the stone house on the south side of Kettle. It was fairly clear and warmer by the rocks but it was still freakin' cold. It was also a bit surgy by the rocks so watching the kelp swing back and forth was a bit nauseating. I  did see a few bit stripers and some good sized crabs but no lobsters.
Dive #923 July 20 2014
We moved down the shore-line  a bit but I forget the name of the sight. I was shivering but I did not want to take off my wetsuit just in case Andy came across another shark sighting. I wanted to make sure I was suited up "just in case". Andy said he couldn't yell 'shark" last week when he spotted the shark at Folly because he did not want to cause a panic amongst boaters and swimmers.
That was probably a good idea.
Soooooo he taught me the Polish word for shark : "rekin" (pronounced: rrrreakin) I don't think many people around here speak Polish so yelling "rekin!" should'nt cause a panic. (Hopefully)
I went back in the water for a second dive so Chris  could do a little more filming by yours truly using the double hose regulator and full foot black fins. That double hose regulator takes a little bit "getting used to". I forgot to blow out in the mouthpiece to rid it of water causing me to gulp down some seawater.
Yuck.
 I also had a little problem clearing my right ear. I think she might of got some decent shots but we will see after she views the tape.
I think all in all we had a pretty good day. :-)

Birds of Orlando

anhinga

limpkin

common gallinule

ringed turtle dove

sandhill crane

muscovy

boat tailed grackle

wood stork

roseate spoonbill

whooping crane

barred owl

hairy woodpecker

bald eagle (at wildbird rehab)

kestrals (at wildbird rehab)

barred owl (at wildbird rehab)

* I took all of these photos while I was in Orlando.The local parks are loaded with all kinds of beautiful and different birds!