Items for your review

1. The other morning (and I use the expression 'morning' loosely, because it was still dark outside), a rooster planted itself inches from our bedroom window and began crowing. I've talked about rooster noise on this blog before so I'll spare you the hyperbole about how loud it was and launch right into my fitful, half-asleep whining that ultimately resulted in Jon trekking outside in his underwear with a flashlight to throw rocks. The noise here is UNBELIEVABLE. The birds, the insects, the dogs, the goats, many of them constant throughout the entire night. Related: I'm pretty sure our neighbor is building a Transformer in his backyard.

2. A funny story that I wasn't present for. A new student on the island was telling us about a conversation he had with a local guy. It started out friendly enough, chatting about the island, the flora, the fauna...then it came up that the locals used to eat the iguanas. So the student said something like, "Yeah, we've seen a couple of those...aren't they endangered?" And the local guy is INSTANTLY mad - "No WHITE guy is going to come to MY island and tell me what I can and can't do! These stupid Dutch people ate all THEIR iguanas in Holland, then come here and try to tell me I can't eat the iguanas on MY own island!!"

3. And then, this:

Usually I just photobomb stranger's photos, but this one at a school party ended up on Facebook. It was fun to see the fruits of my labor.

just call me Davy Jones

I feel like this blog is a little out of control. No real defined events, just a stream of pictures and occasionally a caption. But that's my life right now, so.... here we go again.

Hurricane Igor mercifully turned north at the last possible moment and is currently barely skimming the edge of the leeward islands (that's us). It hasn't caused any extreme weather so far - just extreme waves. Which is good if you're on the hunt for a blue bead, like we've been since we first got here. Supposedly rough water churns them up, so we headed down to Crook's Castle to see what we could find.

(Scary water)

Live sea urchin. Well, for a while longer, maybe.

Jon checking for life in this tide pool (there was none. Does anyone know of any real tide pools on Statia?)

Our loot. No blue beads, but we found some awesome shells. The two to the right are by far the biggest in our collection. The pieces of ceramic dishes are from the 1700s. You find little bits everywhere - even in the pavement - but these are the two largest pieces I've ever found. So it was a good day for treasure.

Tandy and I at the First Term party.

The drink was VIRGIN, no one freak out.

I know it's terrible. I know. But how cute WOULD it have been if it had turned out?? VERY.

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Last but best, a few pictures Lianna snapped of me getting trashed by the ocean:

just call me Jacques Cousteau

My beautiful sand-filled Panasonic camera is being repaired or replaced right now and we won't get it back until we go home for Christmas. So to use in the interim, we bought a cheaper Fuji that is sand-resistant and WATERPROOF up to 10 feet deep. Hooray! Now when I finally see that sea turtle I've been hunting since we first got here A YEAR AGO I'll have evidence. Someone I know that just got here three weeks ago has already seen one. Life isn't fair.

Enorm anchor. Probably 6 feet from end to end.

Cannon

Needlenose gobies

Blueydot skipjack

Sharptooth cyclid

Cutest little beach bum

Looking at a tiny hermit crab. Look at her little pose!!

Oh my gosh. Funniest picture ever. So I was trying to take a cute picture out in the water with Jon, but the waves kept knocking us around:

This boat got washed up on the rocks during Hurricane Earl a couple of weeks ago. Jon and I barely missed it by a couple of days but it did a lot of damage to our little beach. The sand is returning day by day, but now there's ANOTHER hurricane coming, and this one is even bigger (but is supposed to turn north and hopefully mostly miss us). Anyway, I'll cry if all the sand disappears again.

(Taken a few inches under the surface of the water)

Totally posed. But I still love it.

My favorite dog on the island and her little puppies (she's just a puppy herself! Sad.)

The Rope. A note on The Rope: It’s at least 500 years old, covered in slime and barnacles, and runs from the shoreline all the way out to sea. There is no worse feeling in the world than accidentally stepping on it. Etiquette dictates that if a member of a beachgoing party does step on The Rope, they are to let out a warning cry of “ew, the ROPE!” while fake gagging and dramatically paddling away.

The most GORGEOUS day ever. Omg. It was so sunny and clear and beautiful.

Coral arch

Stupid-face puffer. Not to be confused with the Cute-face puffer (sadly, unpictured)

Sneak camera attack!

Local man spear-fishing. Awesome. (Saba in the background)

Communal snorkel gear

Longest post ever. kthxbai.

oh so tiny

This is super overdue, but I took a million pictures so better late than never right? Right?? It was so awesome to see my new niece Scarlett the day she was born. Fresh from the womb. I just kept staring at her and thinking, "You were swimming in a uterus ONE HOUR AGO". Ridiculous and beautiful and mind-blowing.

Congrats you guys :)