More pictures of fish. Ian has discovered underwater photography, frequently shooting entire rolls in a single snorkeling expedition. He was the last one out of the water yesterday at Queen’s Bath; the vacationers we met there wondered why he was taking so long. “He really likes the water, doesn’t he?” “Yes, but he won’t come out till he’s finished shooting his roll of film.” “He’s got a camera?” Recently finished reading Rose Daughter, Robin McKinley’s second retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The entire book is a celebration of the magic of growing roses, and reading it is much like …
This morning, the sky gods played Kegel above the house. They took flash pictures of the tournament but did not cheer when the pins fell. I listened to the rumbling of the ball down wooden lanes and the clatter of pins but never knew who was winning. The rain, which always seems to accompany sky god gatherings, began early, woke me up. Now, the storm is fading, like they always do after sunrise; the rain has slowed to a sprinkling, and the feral chickens have begun crowing in some desperate attempt to catch up on the day’s crowing quota. By …
Enjoyed my best snorkel experience ever yesterday. I may have finally got some of this breathing-while-keeping-my-face-in-the-water thing figured out; I spent more time exploring than panicking. Saw Moorish idols, threadfin and several other types of butterflyfish, a Christmas wrasse (he’s green and red), a few humuhumunukunukuapua’a, and a whole number of other fish I don’t have names for. Small convict tangs often appeared right underneath me, and I swam through schools of trumpet fresh, quick and silver streaks just under the glittering surface. I may have discovered why tropical islands are such vacation destinations: They are not real. When you …
Finished reading The Merlin Conspiracy. A ragtag group of kids out to save a multiverse from a power-mad divorcee and a religious fanatic. Along the way there are many adventures including salamanders, an elephant, alternate earth-histories and an appearance by King Arthur. Light, fun, and thoroughly engaging. My copy of the book is an advance reader’s copy which I acquired when the GM of the bookstore where I used to work cleaned out her office. I remember her saying once that she loved to read young adult books but that she can’t stand children. Maybe children are better when they’re …
Our first guests! Everyone promised they would come visit while we were island-living, but the prize goes to Otis and Vincent for actually following through. The official reason for the trip is additional editing on their short, “What If In This Life,” but there has been more river-walking, waterfall-climbing, snorkeling and cow-pasture hiking than editing. We did an in-depth island-explore on Saturday, starting with snorkeling on the South Shore in the morning and watching the sunset from the North Shore. While snorkeling, we found a sea turtle snoozing next to a rock on the sea floor. Disturbed by the hovering …
At sunset yesterday, the rain began, slightly more determined than a mist. The sun passed a space in the clouds, turning the west briefly to gold before fading to a dull orange. At the beach, facing east, we stood on soft sand in darkening water under solid-seeming clouds. We watched the rain streaking the skies as it fell above the horizon. Then, just as we were leaving, a small gap in the clouds appeared, revealing moonrise. Just a day past full, she reflected the sun’s fading rays, appearing almost made of brass. She lit the clouds around her and painted …