I be limin'

Short hike

2012-01-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

We went for a hike on the weekend... It was a relatively short hike....just 45 minutes to our destination. I hadnt paid much attention to the sign at the road (I took the picture after we got back to the truck). I knew we were going through the Bamboo Cathedral. The Bamboo Cathedral is just 10 minutes off the road. We had been there before but we hadnt ventured up the trail beyond that. Along the way, this little critter fluttered by and landed just long enough to get his picture taken. We came up on the North Coast. There was this lookout point----actually a rest stop on this uphill hike for us elite athletes. Just another kilometer up the path we came around a corner and voila, there was...just what the sign said...the (satellite) tracking station. It hasnt been used in quite some time. We walked around for a bit. It's a cool spot. While were up there we noticed this guy on the top of the dish...

On the walk back down, he came up behind us riding his mountain bike. We had a nice chat. I gave him my business card - he wanted a picture of himself up on the dish. Easy walk - 45 minutes up and 20 minutes down....and a 3 beer lunch afterwards.

New Year's Day Walk

2012-01-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

With little ones at your New Year's Eve fete and two pregnant women (Kelli & Katie) there as well, you dont stay up too late - it meant we had a full New Year's day to enjoy time with everyone. We went for a nice long walk with the whole gang. The weather was perfect - no need for all-wheel drive on the strollers.

Jake with Kelli and Sienna..Devin & Katie with Rebecca and Cooper....
Fathers with daughters: Devin with Bex - she does love her pipe. Jake with Sienna...Rebecca and Sienna are great pals and hugs are popular. So are smiles...B.

Trinidad - an industrial island

2012-01-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Or......Safety First?
This was my seatmate on my flight to Houston on the way to Calgary before Christmas. Yes, that is a hard hat he is wearing.

B.

2011 Year End 'Letter'

2012-01-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

While flying back to Calgary for a white Christmas, I am penning this note. I have received several year end/Christmas letters and I enjoy reading them. If you dont, read no further....

It has been an interesting year for Mimi and myself.

Trinidad has grown on us. Nothing much surprises us anymore. When the international press reported that an assassination plot on the Trinidad Prime Minister and 3 of her Ministers had been foiled, we thought it was just another Friday in Trinidad (BTW all 16 people arrested for the plot have since been released). When someone stole $1 million worth of cashews from the port, it got a bit of chuckle. We know that unfortunate things happen in the rest of the world but with 3 tabloid national papers here, it is front page news here with a splash every day.

This year, we have been through a State of Emergency and a curfew (9 pm to 5 am) which did put a crimp in going out for dinner as restaurants had to close at 6 pm so the staff could get home. It also meant that Mimi had to cook most nights! There were reasons for the State of Emergency (I think). It was alleged that a drug war was about to break out and the SoE was put in place to deal with it. I did have a curfew pass for work (Mimi didn’t) but I didn’t have anywhere to go so it wasn’t of much use.

My own work milestones have come slower than anticipated (dont tell my boss) but now as we end the year we have traded some delays with some other successes - we have imported a new drilling rig from Canada, commissioned a new service rig and we expect the arrival within days of a big rig to drill our deeper wells. The industry here had been in a bit of slowdown and we are still the only company to have drilled exploration wells onshore in a number of years. In February, we tested the first onshore oil discovered here in 50 years. Not bad. As I have grown the office here, I am no longer ‘indispensible’ and have left others in charge of the operations so I could get back to Calgary for Christmas. We are still exploring for oil here but the approval process has been more difficult than the actual drilling for the oil. I (ok, Mimi and I) have signed on for another year here. I want to be here when we get the regulatory, operations and production all aligned and working.

Mimi and I have learned more about being expats and we both now have Canadian passports that have been issued outside of Canada, Mimi’s in Buenos Aires and mine now in Port of Spain. I had to get a new passport early because I had run out of pages.

We have seen a bit of the Caribbean and as you probably have guessed, I have taken more than my share of photographs. The kids have been great about sending us photos almost daily of Rebecca and Sienna. I think we have received about 700 photos of them as they have grown. It is a treat for us. We have two more grands on the way as Kelli and Katie are both expecting in June. Skype video has been a godsend for us. The babies do recognize us (ok, they recognize Mimi more so than me – she works hard at it).

I have not kept up on my blog (www.ibelimin.blogspot.com) but every so often, I do several entries in a row. I think my stories might becoming stale. We need to get away from Trinidad a bit more often and find more stories to share.

My commute to work is still 75 minutes each way (I cant believe how many new cars get imported into Trinidad each week) but now when I leave the office, I dont turn off my computer. I write emails on the drive home and when I get home, the internet reconnects and they all get sent. We are 3 hours ahead of Calgary now so the office is still open on my drive home. No, I dont text and drive. This is the last place on the planet to do that – a recipe for highway disaster for sure. For the last year, I have had a driver in order to get more work done on the commute and to come home a little less tired each night. The highway wrecks here are truly spectacular (in a negative sense) made worse by the lack of car seats for little ones.

As we start year 3 in Trinidad, Mimi and I are changing apartments. We are moving into one that has an office. It will give me space to spread out and not be underfoot as my old ‘office’ was set up on the kitchen island. Mimi has been a really good sport about it for two years.

We have switched from accumulating Argentine wines to developing quite a collection of rums. Everyone here has a favourite so having them all on hand when friends drop by is a good idea. When I last checked – we have Angostura 1919, Single Barrel, Mount Gay Extra Old, Ron Zacapa 23 yr old (and a lovely bottle of XO), Ten Cane & Black Label – they are all quite good. We only really drink it when we have friends over. So the supply has built up significantly. Trinidad is a big scotch drinking country. I haven’t acquired a taste for it (yet).

The raining season this year (July – December) has been particularly wet. Flood damage has been significant across the country and it regularly wipes out houses and businesses in a single rainstorm. I often have to suspend conference calls because the sound of the rain pounding on the office roof makes it impossible for anyone to hear.

I am scheduled to officiate at a FIS race near Ottawa in February. I am timing the trip to meet with the Trinidad High Commissioner to Canada. It will be an interesting mix of reasons to travel. I am looking forward to getting back on snow. I will have to bring my gear down here with me so I can take it with me to Ottawa. I will rent skis when I am there but I will be hauling boots, ski pants, jacket, gloves, toque through Trinidad Customs.....I am sure they have seen far stranger things. We get CBC down here so I was able to watch the Lake Louise World Cup Downhills.

After 2 years, we are now seeing old friends leave and new friends arrive in Trinidad. Mimi is very much the welcoming type and has made entry into Trinidad easier for several new expats just as others have done for us in Argentina and Trinidad. Mimi is staying busy with the Canadian Women’s Club Welfare Committee where she does fundraising and directs it towards local charities. Her book club reads some interesting books and she has become very good at Canasta.

At this time of year as hectic as it is, we just wanted to check in, say hi and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mimi & Brian

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

So much fun getting together for a family New Year's Eve fete.

We traded scarlet ibis for pink flamingos. It may not be a Trini Carnival theme but the palm tree looked perfect. Nothing like having a loonie store in the neighborhood to pull a theme party together in no time! Devin, Rebecca & Katie saying 'Happy New Year'!
The boys did dress up...
Sienna like the hula skirt, the lei not so much. Rebecca liked a big hula skirt herself.... Jake celebrating with Sienna...
Sienna enjoying her evening...
Gran with Bex....so much fun. From all of us to all of you - the very best in 2012!
B.

Christmas morning

2012-01-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Always good to start Christmas morning with the same hairdo's....Rebecca and Sienna had the same pyjamas on for Christmas morning - not a grandparent conspiracy in any way!

Christmas morning playtime!

Ipads for the big ones and Leaptops for the little ones!

Christmas with the little ones was a treat.

We are pretty lucky.

Yea! It's Christmas!

2011-12-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

Sienna and Rebecca are excited about Christmas.
This was Christmas Eve dinner at Jake's. And they havent even seen what was to be excited about yet.

B.

Flying the Maple Leaf

2011-12-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

We have brought a new rig into Trinidad to help with our exploration drilling program. We are just commissioning the rig on location.
In this area, we name our wells after snakes, this well is known as Mapepire 1. A Mapepire is not a very nice snake, but we hope it is a very good well! I was out on location and was quite proud to see our Maple Leaf flying on the top of the derrick.B.

Cuban curiosity

2011-12-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

I 'stumbled' into a full blown security detail here at the Kapok hotel here this morning.
Cuban President Raul Castro is here for a conference and was refused accommodation at the Hilton because the Hilton is a U.S. company - so he ended up at the Kapok. In fact, they had to move the conference as well because it was being held at the Hilton. It was a bit of a PR stumble for Trinidad resulting in an apology from the TRinidad Prime Minister. I was at the Kapok for an industry meeting.

My meeting ended 15 minutes before the security team escorted Castro through the lobby on his way out to start the day's itinerary. They were all waiting around for him to come out of the elevator.

I was conspicuous by my presence in the lobby. Profiling might suggest I could be a disgruntled US businessman out to settle a score with Cuba (or the Jack Ruby type). My briefcase looked too similar to the security team 'briefcases'.

Regardless, as far as they were concerned, I looked out of place. I ended up with two guys (really big guys) standing next to me while Castro came through the lobby. I kept my hands where they could see them and I resisted taking a picture (so this might actually be the first blog post I have made without a photo).

Given that guns attract guns, I should probably have moved away from the area but I was curious. My observations - Raul is much shorter than his brother, Fidel; he looks a lot healthier...and his security team are the guys in suits and white sweat socks.

B.

Our next exploration program

2011-11-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

If we are unsuccessful exploring for oil here in Trinidad, I think I may have found my next exploration program - searching for valuable items on the beach.

These two were up at Maracas Beach recently.

B.

Knollys Tunnel

2011-11-20T10:58:00.001-08:00

We were out scouting a new drilling location a few weeks ago. On the way out there, we went by the only man made tunnel in Trinidad. It was built in 1898 for the train line from Cunupia to Tabaquite. At this time, Cocoa was King and the cocoa estates in the Tabaquite region were heavy producers. As a result, the railway system was extended to allow these estates to move their produce to market.

Knollys Tunnel was named after Acting Governor Courtney Knollys and operated until 1965. We drove through the tunnel and it was in remarkably good shape AND full of bats!

A fishy trade agreement with Canada

2011-11-20T10:47:00.000-08:00

Located in the local grocery store...... B.

Meet out little Flames fans

2011-11-20T09:37:00.001-08:00

Hockey season has begun.

Both granddaughters, Sienna and Rebecca are ready to cheer on the Calgary Flames.
Sienna likes the cozy sweatshirt look..... and Rebecca goes for the 'pants are optional' look...

Just over the wall

2011-11-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

My office in Marabella is tucked into a mixed neighborhood - businesses, residential and retail. Over the wall of our parking lot lives this little guy. He is tethered but he does get around. He is also very cautious so I needed a telephoto lens to get his picture. Cute little guy.

Tropical growth rate

2011-11-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

The rate at which things grow down here is incredible.
You even have to be careful about where you place your billboards as nature can overwhelm your message.... B.

Getting ready for Christmas

2011-11-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

Petrotrin's Pt a Pierre refinery all lit up for the Christmas Season......

.....and every other night of the year.

B.

Remember Kes?

2011-11-20T05:40:00.000-08:00

As the country starts rolling out the costumes for those that play mas here at Carnival, the popularity of Mimi's favorite Soca artist is apparent all over the country.

He is bigger than life on billboards everywhere....
B.

Rainy season flooding...again

2011-11-20T05:14:00.000-08:00

Time to get back to blogging.....

We went off to Maracas Bay for a bit of a break on Saturday. After a quick trip to PriceSmart (the local Costco) to buy a new microwave for the office, we drove up to Maracas. The rain had started but the weather can often be very different on the other side of the Northern Range so we continued on to Maracas.

When we got there, the rain had stopped but there were dark clouds off in the distance. We lasted about an hour when the rains came. We packed up our stuff and drove back to town. While were at Maracas, Port of Spain got hammered by a huge rain storm.

The rains had left quite a mark on parts of the the city.

This is a 15 ft wall that was built just 6 months ago along the back of the Country Club (an old club owned by our neighbor). The flood waters from the rains pushed the wall over onto the road. It happened maybe 30 minutes before we drove by.

A bridge near our apartment was damaged resulting in gridlock that took us 90 minutes to drive what usually takes 10 minutes.

Along the way, there were stalled cars that had gotten flooded out and lots of folks out inspecting the damage. Locals said they hadnt seen flood damage like this in 35 years. As we drove past the collapsed wall, the streets had water running across them. This is the access to the parking lot of an RBC bank. The security guard is there to prevent anyone from driving in to use the ATM. The parking lot had over 2 ft of water in it.

We woke up Sunday to a beautiful sunny morning. The newspapers were full of flood damage homes, roads and....walls. The raining season continues for another 6 weeks here. It has become a soggy place to live.

The damage to the wall has actually become very political. It's design was initiated by the previous government, built as part of the redesign of the busy intersection around the corner by the current government and now the blame game begins - was it poor design, poor construction or just a nasty flood that would have knocked down anything in its path?

A lost homing pigeon

2011-06-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

We were preparing to BBQ when we noticed this guy on our BBQ. He thought he was home.

He was not afraid of us....until I tried to 'shoo' him with a broom. That's when I scared the crap out of him....all over my BBQ cover.

Kes and the Stanley Cup

2011-06-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

It is the Stanley Cup finals - game 5. I have two guys here from the Calgary office. We went to Trotters (a local sports bar where we had watched the Olympic Gold Medal Hockey game).

There was a big cricket match in town that day (India vs West Indies) at the Queen's Park Oval and Trotters was full of post-match beer drinkers. We got a table in the back and we had 4 of the TV's showing the Boston-Vancouver. All good.

We noticed a couple sitting a few feet away. Mimi recognized the guy immediately.

We mentioned it to our server, who knew who he was as well. She asked if Mimi had a piece of paper that he could sign. We didn't have anything so he came over, introduced himself, signed a strip of paper from the cash register and then sat down with Mimi to chat for a few minutes. The reason Mimi is holding her phone is that her ringtone is Kes' Soca monarch-winning song 'Wotless'.

He is up on Digicel billboards here in Trinidad but he impressed all of us with his graciousness with Mimi that night.

What was even funnier was that she ran into him last week having lunch where they exchanged "Really, I am not stalking you" comments.

Trini J'Ouvert

2011-06-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

You cant explain it, you just have to experience it....

Friends from France, canada and the U.S. enjoying the allnight adventure called J'Ouvert.

A very wet dry season

2011-04-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Our first year here, in the dry season, it didnt rain for over 90 days straight.

We may be close to halfway through this year's dry season and it has rained most days. Occasionally, it really rains.

On the weekend, when we went golfing at Moka, the 4th hole was at the confluence of two rivers.

Testing his candidacy

2011-04-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

There is noise in the news that Donald Trump may run for president in the U.S. He may be test driving his popularity here in Trinidad by partnering with Angostura and promoting Single Barrel & himself. He is pretty good at that.
B.

Maracas Bay fishing

2011-04-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

When visiting Maracas, we always walk the entire length of the beach.
At the western end of Maracas Bay, you will regularly see the fishermen bringing in their catch and their nets.
There are many fishing communities in Trinidad where this hard work is repeated every day.

Kindle Bliss

2011-04-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

...is reading a book on your Kindle in the shade at Maracas beach. Of course, I dont read much so there is always the opportunity for me to have bake & shrimp (or for many, bake & shark), beers for TT $10. and body surfing.

Wine bottles dont bounce

2011-04-26T18:19:00.001-07:00

We bought a bottle of wine at an auction at a Canadian Women's Club function. Unfortunately, we never got to enjoy it.
The bottle slid out of a lower cupboard in the kitchen and tapped twice on our white tile floor before turning the floor a lovely shade of red.
(I know you are thinking it but...) no matter how good the wine is/was, we did not wring out the roll of paper towels it took to clean it up, into wine glasses and drink it.

B.

Flat Stanley visits Trinidad

2011-04-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

A friend here in Trinidad received a Flat Stanley from a youngster in the U.S. I offered to take Stanley to work and to tour a wellsite where we had drilling operations underway.
Stanley got his picture taken in front of the drilling rig..... With a couple of our drill bits.......

On the drill pipe rack.....And with someone who is smaller than he is....I think Stanley enjoyed his day with us.

Trini Sunsets

2011-04-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Our apartment terrace faces west so we see some nice sunsets. We have always enjoyed the summer sunsets in Calgary but in the last month or so, the Trini sunsets have been quite spectacular.
Here are a few of them... This one does look a bit sinister...This is a sunset in Tobago when we were there for a few days.......
B.

Sunday afternoon lime 'down the islands'

2011-04-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

There is a chain of islands off the north west coast of Trinidad (in the direction of Venezuela).
If you head out to that area - whether it is to anchor your boat in a secluded bay or stay at a cottage/house on one of the islands - it is called 'going down the islands'. We quite enjoy it. It is a social afternoon - folks bring cutters (aka snacks/appetizers), there is usually a well stocked bar and music. Friends with boats come and go.
There is usually a BBQ fired up...and some of the guests get fired up as well. It is one of the great experiences of living in Trinidad. Going down the islands is a treat for us. We meet new friends each time we do it and it is a fun time for the two of us to spend some time together.

At the end of the day, we cruise back to Port of Spain. B.

Fetes - a cultural staple of Trinidad

2011-04-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

Carnival may be calendared for just 2 days before Lent but the Carnival season essentially begins after Boxing Day.
During that time period there are fetes scheduled almost every week. Some nights there are several fetes. They are basically big outdoor parties that are all-inclusive. Your ticket gets you access to open bars, numerous food kiosks and a large stage with several entertainers. Some fetes are huge with thousands of people attending while others are a bit smaller. We went to a couple this year including the smaller Victoria Gardens fete which is hosted in a park within the community. It was a great fete for us.Tequila was popular that night. This was our friend John's turn to stand in line for the Margaritas. Kes performed that night so Mimi was right up front for his performance. Here is a clip of Kes performing......

The crowd had a lot of fun.
B.

Soca Monarch Finals

2011-04-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Soca music is a huge part of Carnival. There is Groovy Soca, Power Soca and Chutney Soca.
We went to the Soca Monarch finals, where they crowned the best Soca performers in the Groovy & Power categories. The event was held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium (Crawford won 100 m at the '76 Olympics in Montreal)The Power Soca Monarch winner recieved TTD $2 million (~USD $300K) and the Groovy Monarch winner got TTD $500,000 (USD $80K). The event was an all inclusive - it included food, your drinks and sponsor stuff (mugs from bmobile, bandanas and vuvuzala noisemakers. The show kicked off with some great fireworks at about 9 pm. Each finalist performed one song. It went on until after 4 am in front of 30,000 fans. We lasted until about midnight. Mimi's favorite, Kes won the Groovy category with 'Wotless'. She has it as her cellphone ringtone now. We were in the VIP section but this special unit was available only to those in the VVIP section.
The D'John Executive Mobil Washroom - available for rent for the next major event you want to host!
B.

Skype with the grandkids

2011-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

We work hard to stay part of the kids lives back in Calgary. We know that Rebecca & Sienna are growing up quickly. We have regular skype calls with them so they will remember our voices and if they can see us on the video, I can make silly Granda faces for them.
It is a treat when they recognize us.
B.

Training day

2011-04-23T09:53:00.001-07:00

Mimi and I occasionally go to the Hyatt Hotel for a drink or dinner. The sushi there is quite good. The terrace lounge looks out on the Gulf of Paria and you can watch the Fast Ferry from Tobago or the Water Taxis from San Fernando come and go as well as the occasional cruise ship. On this occasion, the staff were doing a customer service assignment and our picture ended up in their powerpoint presentation.
B.

Tourist Smackdown

2011-04-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

This poor British tourist got off a bus and then, when he was crossing the street, he was hit by the bus that pulled out to go around the stopped bus.He lay on the ground waiting for an ambulance. Finally after 30 minutes, two policemen bundled him into their police car and took him to the hospital where is recovering.
His condition was upgraded from Serious to Stable and they needed to post security at his room so the media wouldnt get into talk to him.

We dont walk very much around here.
B.

Port of Spain Panorama

2011-04-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

There is a lookout on Lady Young Road where Port of Spain is visible below you. The photograph doesnt do the view justice but you do get an idea for the layout of the city on the Gulf of Paria.

Visit to Barbados

2011-04-22T18:03:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a long weekend in Barbados back in February. We stayed at a place called Accra which worked out great.

We took the early morning flight and we were on the beach by 10 am.

We ate too much, enjoyed the beach, played tourist, met some nice people. It was a great break.

Note, this is not the Accra hotel - this is just a old house enjoying the tropical aging process.There is a promenade along the beach near our hotel....it attracts a large number of folks doing their morning walk or run. We walked it every morning.

We went into Bridgetown for a walkabout and lunch. It is a pretty laid back community.

The resort was set up very well and was that busy that it felt crowded. However, they were selective about where you put your feet up...

The local police force... have pretty cool police vehicles on the beach....
We treated ourselves to some nice dining (and drinking) while we were there.

I checked the local beer as well - Banks. It is very good.

I am not sure how many motorcycles they sell but the do have a Harley dealership on the island.

We are looking forward to going back.

Cooking show ideas

2011-04-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Baking a potato - a simple concept, eh?
It's not necessarily a new idea that warrants being highlighted on the cooking channel but it did. The latest update on how to bake a potato is that dont poke holes in the skin before you put it in the oven.

Bad idea.
We baked a couple potatos a couple of weeks ago and blew the *ss out of one of them and shot potato all over the oven.Ina doesnt what she is talking about. She can drop by anytime and help clean out the oven.

B.

Pan yard tour

2011-04-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

In advance of Carnival, the pan bands are practicing constantly. One evening a bunch of us went on a tour of a few of the pan yards including Desperadoes and the Renegades. You can get up close and watch them practice. The larger pan yards usually have a cash bar and sell souvenirs.
We skipped the souvenirs but we did have a few beers.
It was just a practice but here is what one of the bands sounds like...

When we headed home, we noticed a small sign above our maxi tax driver's head... I guess tapping him on the shoulder is a no no.

A different word for everything and its still English

2011-04-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

There is a book called 'Cote ci Cote la'.
It is a dictionary of local slang and sayings. The book is very diverse because of the cultural diversity of Trinidad.

One word that isnt in the book is 'wrecked' (probably because its not that strange a word in the Commonwealth). I like the word.

This is an ad that was in the paper awhile back.
It doesnt mean they take your illegally parked car and trash it - although there are a lot of cars on the road that should be.

It is because tow trucks down here are called wreckers.

B.

Parex Pooch

2011-04-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

We have a sea container storing equipment in our office parking lot. Recently, we noticed a puppy that was living behind it. My staff started feeding him and we started to look for a new home for him. He is now living on a lovely farm with lots of open spaces to run around in.

Seriously.

Good luck sign

2011-04-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

I dont think you get to see rainbows that go all the way around very often.

We do have a pretty view off our apartment balcony .
B.

Bugs and other creatures

2011-04-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

There isnt a frosty winter to slow the growth of bugs here so you do get a few biggees. This moth is 6" long...... This guy is on our terrace wall...And this guy lives behind the potted plant on our terrace as well.For the record none of these guys were found IN the apartment....
This guy's antennae are about 5" long.

Christmas 2010

2011-04-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

Christmas morning was a flurry of visits time in several houses as the kids spent time with their inlaws but we did all get together for a sunny Christmas Day walk. Rebecca enjoys a convertible and Sienna likes a nice windscreen.
The girls are starting to bond nicely. I think they may be pals for a very long time. B.

Celebration time!

2011-04-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

A Work-Life balance is important (even in year one of our start up). I was able to get away from work in December in time to be part of Rebecca and Sienna's christening in Calgary. It was a noisy, busy, fun family day. The girls had beautiful christening dresses which will start a family tradition for future christenings.....including Sienna's bonnet. Rebecca and Sienna were blessed are so are we.

B.

Back to the blog!

2011-04-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

I need to catch up on this blog....about 4 months worth.

I could jump ahead to what's going on today but since this blog is a record of our time here in Trinidad but I will fast forward through those 4 months.

Mid-December: Preparing for Christmas in Trinidad when it is 35 C outside - always a treat. The staff decorated a great Xmas tree and this was the picture that was part of our Trini corporate online Christmas card. B.

Just another commute to work

2010-12-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

This morning there was another fender bender.

Here is the first car.... Here is the first truck..... There three more cars involved.

Just another Thursday commute to Marabella.

Justice on Time

2010-12-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

Here in Trinidad, there is a shuttle service that is very efficient. It has a police escort, runs all traffic lights and those that sit in the back get to where they are going on schedule. Nope, it's not for the local politicians. It would for be the prisoners on their way to and from court.

B.

Ants

2010-12-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

Mimi is concerned that we could have an ant infestation in the apartment. I am not allowed to drop crumbs when I eat (so I dont eat). It is a fact, I have hole in my mouth and I do seem to leave a trail (or pile) of crumbs around but I dont think that's the reason we have ants. Its because it is easy to buy or rent them here in Trinidad.

B.

Back to Tobago

2010-11-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

Boys weekend (Ok, free pass for 18 hours).

Booked a tee time, booked a flight (it is only a 15 minute flight) and booked a rental car.

Flew over on the 10:30 flight. Had a 11:30 tee time. Pretty much had the course to ourselves. It was a classy course - a silver ice bucket for the beer.The Tobago Plantations course has a sugar mill in the logo. They really were windmills that they used to crush the sugar cane. Those days are long gone but there are a couple of remnants of the sugar mills on the course.Nice rental properties on the course too.

Brought a couple of Flat Stanleys (here on business from Canada).....There were still remnants of what Tropical Storm Tomas pushed up on the beach on the Atlantic coast.

Tobago has a bit of a goat story to it - they recently built a brand new goat racing track. But to get there, the goats have to take the bus.

And this would be the last photo I took that day because I dropped my camera in the ocean two minutes later.

I was able to salvage the card but the camera is a bit iffy at the moment. it might dry out, it might not.

Great day trip away from Trinidad

Sunday afternoon at Maracas Bay

2010-11-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Note: the beer bottle is only there to provide perspective to the size of the beach.

I am permitted a couple of 'small bottle' beers and one Bake & Shrimp from Vilma's on the Sundays we go to the beach. I am getting a bit too sedentary (ie chunkier) for more than that these days. The famous local fare is Bake & Shark from Richard's but I enjoy the shrimp from Vilma's - its good, its closer and the line up is shorter!

B.

Tomas touches Tobago

2010-11-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

Ten days ago Tropical Storm Tomas was heading towards Trinidad and Tobago. The day before it was to hit, I sent the staff home early to prepare for some significant flooding and damage. Within hours of being forecasted to hit here, it veered north and made a big mess in St Lucia and other Caribbean islands.
Before it headed north it just 'touched' the island of Tobago. We had scheduled a couple of days in Tobago this past weekend. We called and they said there wasn't really any problem so we flew over.
The island is not that big so we rented a car with the intention of driving around the whole island. The car rental folks didn't say a word. The first 40 km were very nice. Beautiful vistas looking down on great beaches....including Bloody Bay. We then saw signs that Tomas was not so kind to Tobago. It has been a particularly wet season so a Tropical Storm can smack an already saturated island quite easily.. As we drove further north, the signs of Tomas' touch got nastier.

A slump here, a collapse there, a downed tree.

Then there was a 'bit' of a wash out of a road. We figured if we got past that we would be ok....nope. Just 300 meters past this tricky bit of four wheeling, we came upon a landslide that had completely wiped out the road. No signs, no barriers - nothing. The only evidence of a problem was the complete lack of traffic coming the other way....and the slumps, the collapses, the downed trees and the washed out road we had already driven by.

I am not very observant, am I?

We turned around and retraced our steps and stopped at the Glasgow Bar overlooking the Parlatuvier Bay and as Mimi said 'enjoyed an ice cold one'.

We cut across the middle of the island and caught a part of the Atlantic Coast, Scarborough and a great little spot called the Shore Things Cafe near Lambeau - we highly recommend it.

A reflection on the passengers in your vehicle...

2010-11-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

or the quality of the roads? Or both?

I am sure you have seen the 'Baby on Board' stickers on vehicles. Here I found a unique sticker that lets everyone know there may be a 'Barfer on Board'. The roads here can be quite circuitous and oncoming traffic does come into your lane when going around stopped cars, potholes and landslides. The sticker is appropriate.

We saw this one on a car in Tobago on the weekend.

B.

No twist offs here

2010-11-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

Another solution to not having a bottle opener for the beers that arent twist offs here (that would be all of them)....Just rent a car.

Natural security

2010-11-03T19:19:00.001-07:00

At the office, we have a sea container full of equipment. It is locked up with a conventional lock and key but it also has a unique security system.
A vine grew over the wall from the neighbour's yard and nicely intertwined itself in the latch mechanism. It works perfect. All I have to do is look out the window and see if we have a problem.

B.

Tropic Hauling

2010-11-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ever be driving down the highway and wonder what was inside a large truck? Down here, many of the trucks arent enclosed. It might take the mystery out what's being hauled but hey, even wheelbarrows need to be shipped around too. Lots of them.

Small island...small world

2010-11-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

Licence plates in Trinidad are quite basic. Large white lettering on a black background. No reference to the country...no reason to. They have three different series - those plates that start with a P (Personal), those with an H (for Hire ie taxis etc) and T (for Truck). We were out for dinner last night and Mimi notice a Lexus in the parkade. Not a big deal, there are Lexussesses here in Trinidad but not with plates from elsewhere.

Small world.

Tipos...I mean, typos......

2010-11-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was always a tricky word to spell - when you were 7 years old. Not when you produce a national newspaper like The Guardian.

I noticed this job ad in the paper as well (a different national paper - The Express). Under 'Other Skills' it requires a proficiency in Excel and a Microsoft product I hadnt heard of before. Check out the last line of the ad...in Trinidad, we also have a unique communication system here - known as 'amail'.

Bottle openers

2010-11-03T18:27:00.001-07:00

Local Trini beers, Carib and Stag come in bottles that are not twist offs.

So I bought a couple of bottle openers.Seriously.

Just avoid stepping in something inappropriate.

It gives the beer a poopy taste.

Millenium Golf

2010-10-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Golf really is 'a nice walk spoiled'.
The local Millenium course is quite beautiful.
On the course there are large areas of lotus flowers. There are also lots of lily pads. Lily pads mean lots of water....not good for my game.The two signs say 'Next Tee This Way' - they really do want to spoil your walk! My game sucked and I lost 6 golf balls but it was a lovely walk in Trindad.

Canine Update

2010-10-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

This pooch is named Danger. He belongs to friends of ours who have a place in Collins Bay. He watches over those that go for a swim.

These dogs are our security team at the office.
They remind us to close the gate to the parking lot otherwise they come in and crap all over the place.

B.

Chicken on De Way

2010-10-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

If this truck full of chickens drove down the road in Canada, it would be frozen chicken pretty quickly. Here its half-cooked after a couple of hours on the road.

B.

Firemen on Parade

2010-10-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

I was in Port of Spain when I saw bunch of firemen in full gear just walking down the street. I grabbed my camera out of the bag in the backseat and I dropped it. I took the picture anyways. I looked at the image and wondered why it was a little blurry......... This would explain why. When I dropped the camera, it landed right on the lens.

Luckily it was just the lens filter that broke.

Lantern Festival

2010-10-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

We went to a local celebration. Given the size of the island - when any kind of event comes up, you check it out.

It was the Lantern Festival and Chinese Que - what's a Que, you ask? It's short for Bar-B-Que (now you know).

Lots of lanterns hanging from the ceiling but then there were the ornate designed lanterns...

Farmers planting rice...

Dragons............

Monkeys......

Budha....

Shut up and drive

2010-10-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Trinidad hasnt yet instituted no use of a phone will driving. But Digicel, a local communications company has an awareness campaign going on at the moment.

If there was a place where texting and driving is a really bad idea, it is here in Trinidad. You would end up driving into someone's back seat in a heartbeat if you arent paying attention.

The new government should have legislation in place by the end of the year.

B.

Maracas Road Block

2010-10-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

About once a month we head up to Maracas Bay for a couple of hours at the beach. One Sunday, on our way home it started to rain - a classic rainy season storm. About 5 km from the beach we got stopped in a traffic jam. After about 15 minutes of not moving, I got out of the truck and walked up ahead. When I got to where the problem was, there were 8 guys all wielding cutlasses (what they call a machete here) chopping away at a tree that had fallen across the road.
For a few minutes, I helped pull debris out of the way but with all those guys whacking away with cutlasses, I figured I would step back.
Finally, a fire truck showed up to clear the tree away.
Here, I am thinking they would have a chainsaw. Nope. Three firemen starting chopping with their own cutlasses.

B.

Recycling

2010-10-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

There is not a lot of recycling here in Trinidad but I did find one example.

This would a hospital bed now being used as a cart by a scrap collector.

B.

World Cup

2010-10-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

The World Cup came to Trinidad this year. It was for U-17 Womens Soccer. Canada had a team competing. We went to their game against Brazil. The game was held in the Manny Ramjohn Stadium which is 5 minutes from my office in Marabella.

Mimi and some of our friends took the water taxi down from Port of Spain to San Fernando, where I met them. We went to Soong's Great Wall Restaurant for dinner (yes, chinese food) and then went to the game. They lost the match 3-0. Brazil was quite good. The celebrity in the stands was retired NHL'er Russ Courtnall. His daughter was playing for Canada.
That's her being carried off by her teammates at the end of the game.

B.

NAPA

2010-10-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

NAPA is the National Academy for the Performing Arts here in Trinidad. We havent been in it yet. The building has been open for more than a year but the website for it is still 'under construction'.... so you cant find out what events may be scheduled inside it.

Too bad.

Office with a view

2010-10-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

Out the side windows of our office is the view of the Petrotrin Refinery. It is currently going through some upgrades. Hopefully the upgrades will reduce the amount of gas they are flaring. I count 8 flare stacks all burning off natural gas.

B.

Canadian Cricket

2010-10-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Cricket in the rainy season is subject to the weather. It is also the most popular sport here in Trinidad.
We tried to watch Canada play a cricket match here. They were here playing in a 20/20 cricket tournament. This match was against the Leeward Islands. A 20/20 cricket match can be played in ~ 3 hours instead of Test cricket which takes 5 days or something. Well, it wasn't raining when we got there but when it started, it never stopped. The locals are very patient when it comes to cricket. A deck of cards can come in handy. The match was cancelled.

B.

Scaffolding 101

2010-10-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

Adjacent to our office there was some house painting going on. They had set up the scaffolding. I am pretty sure it is supposed to be parallel to the ground (and not parallel to the roof line) but I would be more concerned with someone opening the door on the right and having the whole thing come tumbling down. The painting was completed without incident.

B.

Peacock Moth

2010-10-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Along the wall of the campus of UTT... there are large signs showing off some of the local exotic flora and fauna of Trinidad. One of the signs shows off the Peacock Moth. It is about 4" across. Lo and behold we had one drop by our office and stayed on the window for most of the afternoon.

B.

Banana

2010-07-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

Remember those marshmallow strawberries and marshmallow bananas?
I ordered a Solo here (when you order a Solo it is usually apple juice - real juice). They were out of apple juice. So I got banana instead. I'm in the tropics - they grow bananas here, why not?
Wrong.
It tasted exactly like marshmallow bananas. 20 ounces of liquid marshmallow bananas.

Yumm!

Maracas Bay Day

2010-07-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

A sunburnt pooch looking like he isnt having a good day...Fishermen are done for their day....Quiet day on a World Cup weekend.Local vendor flying local flags and selling local wares everyday....The required artistic shot of the day...

BP is very big in Trinidad. They produce half the oil & gas production in the country and provide about 25% of the entire country's revenues.

They have a pretty big Corporate Social Responsibility program.

On the way home from Maracas Bay, I went by this sign....

(Chuckle of the day)

Pic 'o the day

2010-07-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

I have asked the kids to take at least one picture of Sienna and Rebecca each day and send it to me. It is not the same as being there but it is nice to see them everyday. They send camera phone pictures through the day. Often more than one a day.

The pictures are a nice break in the day.

Bex is ready for her first Stampede. This week, Katie & Devin are out at the lake with Devin's family - I think Bex likes the lake. Sometimes they sneak a pic of Mimi in there - excellent. Sienna is getting caught up on her sleep most of the time.... but when she does open her eyes, she lights up a room.
and she looks pretty comfy after bath time.

Cooper like to get his picture taken too!

I am a pretty lucky guy.

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sienna is looking pretty comfy in her Canada Day sleeper.

North by North East

2010-06-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

I went for a drive this weekend. I thought I would go to one of the 4 corners of the island. It was a trip to the North East corner. The community of Toco is situated in the NE and the Galera Point lighthouse is at the very corner of the island. It was built in 1867. It is now a picnic area (or an area to lime). Note the new antenna part is new. The road along the coast doesnt have a lot of spots to park. I drove through the communities of L'Anse Noir, Grande Riviere, Mission, Monte Video, San Souci and at the end of the road, Matelot.If you want to stop, you just find a spot on the shoulder and pull over. The road is very windy and quite narrow (and the bridges are even more narrow...or narrower). There were a few times that I had to pull in the mirrors on the truck not to hit vehicles along the side of the road. I went by the Toco Fishing Centre and I also went by beaches where men were sitting on the beach with their individual rods set up.In the country, there are some busy beaches but in this part of the country - there are some very quiet areas.The country has some beautiful coastline.

You do have to to share the beaches occasionally.......... Speaking of narrow roads, this road will eventually get much more narrow when the Leaning Wall finally falls over.

Trini Boot

2010-06-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

I came out one morning and found a neighbor's vehicle 'parked' in the apartment lot. It was in one of the laneways and not in a parking spot. What was different about it was the Trini Boot (the local version of a Texas Boot) locked on the wheel.

Attached to the window of the vehicle was a note saying 'Please contact apartment security to pay a fine of TT$100.' (about 15 bucks) to get the 'boot' removed. I think the embarrassment in front of your neighbors cost more.
B.

Meet Miss Sienna

2010-06-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

Mimi has been in Calgary for the last week in anticipation of this great day.

On Friday, June 11 at 9:18 am, Sienna Grace Henderson was born. Kelli, Jake & Sienna are doing great. Mimi and I are pretty happy about it too. A second grandchild in 4 months. Wow! They have been keeping me informed with texts, calls and cameraphone pictures.

When asked to comment on the news of her new cousin's birth, 4 month old Rebecca let out a loud smile! Here in Trinidad, what did I do to celebrate Sienna's birth? I enjoyed popcorn & bubbles - what else? Jake is looking forward to his first Father's Day.

Miss Sienna (and Miss Rebecca) will be cherished.

Election update

2010-05-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

The ruling party, the PNM was defeated by the People's Partnership, a coalition of the opposition parties, led by the leader of the UNC party who will become the first female PM in Trinidad & Tobago's history. We will see what the future brings.....

B.

End of the road

2010-05-24T09:02:00.001-07:00

I drove out past Maracas Beach and just kept driving along the North Coast Road that turns into Paria Main Rd......until the road ran out of road.
It is a pretty (and windy) drive. You drive through small communities along the coast and through bamboo 'forests'. It is a long way from the 8 ft long bamboo 'poles' we used to set up spectator fence at Lake Louise. At the end of the road, there is one of two spring bridges in Trinidad. It crosses the Marianne River. You can continue past the bridge on a hike.

On the drive back through Blanchisseuese (french for 'washer woman'), there is fisherman's depot. The fishermen had landed their boats for the day. Ok, the pink boat was still out there. This is a very lush country (especially in the rainy season), things will grow anywhere.

The TwiLite in it's twilight

2010-05-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Near my office in Marabella are the remnants of the TwiLite Drive In. I have no idea how long ago it showed its last movie. I am amazed that the large parking area hasnt been developed. A grass fire went through the area a month ago. What it did was expose what was in the parking area and in the last couple of weeks, someone has recovered/recycled all the posts that held the speakers. That would have been a lot of metal.
You can still see the left upright covered in vines that held the screen still standing but the rainy season lush growth it is quickly reclaiming the Twilite. B.

Election Fever

2010-05-22T16:40:00.001-07:00

Election fever here is an understatement!
On the drive back to the apartment today, I was stuck in a traffic jam for an hour. The crowds were heading to political rallies. In the last month there has been an assault of speeches, newspaper articles & ads and countless election promises...

There are lots of big signs.... Most of the ads on the radio are political messages and the sound trucks drive through neighborhoods all day long playing speeches and political party songs....

The opposition has lots to say about the current ruling party (and vice versa).

The billboard signs were relatively safe but anything closer to the ground was subject to being torn down or destroyed. This sign near our office is actually protected with razor wire after it had been torn down twice.

The $2MM flag is quite something and has been a lightning rod of ridicule against the government. It is located at the Hasely Crawford Stadium (and I believe cost the Minister of Sport his job).

Election day is this Monday and yes, when you vote they dip your finger in dye so you don't vote twice.

B.

Bits and BOP's

2010-05-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well , what are we doing in Trinidad? We are exploring for oil and/or gas.

After being here just 5 months, we have just started our 2010 drilling campaign. In the first field, we have named our wells after hummingbirds.

Our first well is called Firecrown. There has been a lot of talk about BOP's given the unfortunate BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. BOP's are Blowout Preventers. They are used to control a release from the well.
Here it the one we have installed under the rig floor.

Here it is removed from the rig.
It is made up of 3 major closing components and on the rig we are using, it stands about 11 feet high. Note the reason it has been removed is that we have changed the size of equipment we are using as we go deeper so the associated BOP need to be changed out as well.

Our operations continue 24/7 with crews on rotation. We are entering the rainy season here but it wont stop our activity - things might get muddy but they wont stop.

Drill bits come in many sizes and a number of designs. Depending on the diameter of hole we want to drill or the type of rock we encounter that will decide which kind of bit we use. Here are some of the ones in our inventory.....

Drill pipe racked waiting to be used as we drill deeper....

We have a ways to go yet on this well but things are going well so far.

Day at the beach

2010-05-16T18:25:00.001-07:00

We went to Maracas Beach today.
The rainy season officially started on Friday so it was no surprise that we got rained on at the beach today.

Mimi was well protected during the first rainshower.
Later on with each short rain shower, we would scurry to a tent next to one of the Bake & Shark vendors. The rent on staying dry under the tent was that we had to buy a beer.....such a good deal.

Another good deal was the cotton candy being sold on the beach. Followed closely by the ice cream vendor.

Beers at the beach are a popular item.

So is littering.

Making up for lost time....

2010-04-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have been able to spend a bit of time with Rebecca this week. She is quite delightful to hang out with. I think I have taken about 350 photos of her so far. To be successful, she will need to learn the ways of the world. I will be her teacher. She is a quick learner.

B.

What is up with this?

2010-04-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

It is April 29th.....and this is what I woke up to...I am definitely not in Trinidad anymore!

I am in Calgary for meetings and it snowed overnight......BUT I also woke up to spend some time with this person.....Rebecca, my granddaughter who I met for the first time this week!

Pretty cool.

Car wash

2010-04-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a very dry - dry season here. Ninety days without rain.
Last week, I got a taste of what the rainy season will be like......we also found out that our parking lot is the low spot in the area. In the future, I need to take the parking spot closest to the office door or I will need to get some rubber boots....or my golf umbrella could get a lot of exercise in the coming wet season...which isnt supposed to start for a couple of months.

This was just a spring shower.
B.

Eye in the sky

2010-04-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

There is an election scheduled here in Trinidad for May 24th. The ruling party has been doling out some treats lately. I don't think I have seen so many road paving crews in my life as there are at the moment. They do a pretty good job.
There is also a push to step up the fight against crime. We have seen the Security dirigible cruising around a lot lately. Rumor has it the the cameras on board don't work but it looks good puttering around even if it doesn't have a Snoopy painted on the side.

Meet the Bar Manager

2010-04-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Please meet our Bar Manager......or let me re-introduce him.
He held vigil over the bar at our apartment in Buenos Aires and he has now re-surfaced here in Port of Spain....ok, he got new batteries!

We had friends over for a BBQ and to watch the Senators/Penguins hockey game and he was lit up all night....kinda like the goal light behind the Senators' goalie!

Fun night and it was great to see a hockey game again.

B.

Memories of home....I think

2010-04-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

I am learning more about Canada while we are down here.....like the fact that Canadians use Gotu Kola in salads. I have never even heard of Gotu Kola!

B.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday started out with a beautiful sunrise Easter service just across the river from the apartment. For the past week, there have been people selling kites at intersections all over the island. It turns out that here, Easter Sunday is a big kite flying day.

We went out to the Queen's Park Savannah this afternoon to see the kites. It was great. When we got there, there were already a couple of hundred kites in the air. Little kites and some very big ones.

It was a real family affair with both young....and old flying kites.

We did find evidence of penguins here on this Caribbean island. They were safely tethered to the ground.

In hot water!

2010-04-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

We have been watching some renos going on at a house across the street from the apartment. They are adding a bunch of square footage and a new swimming pool. The pool has just become the talk of the island.
We woke up Good Friday morning with the neighbor's house plastered all over the front page of the paper.
The country is in a severe drought. It has been a very dry dry season. WASA, the national agency responsible for all drinking water supplies is scrambling to keep up with producing drinking water while the country's reservoirs are slowly running out of water....and it hasnt rained in 75 days.

So when a WASA water truck showed up in the middle of the night to fill up the swimming pool with drinking water, it caught the eye of one of our neighbors who passed the information along to a Guardian reporter and voila - front page news.

The most interesting part of the story is that the renovations are being completed on the house so the new president of WASA can move into it.

He hasn't started his new job yet but when the renos are done, he might have the whole country coming over for a swim!

It may be a small island....

2010-04-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

...but you can find beers from all over the world.

Even Quilmes from Argentina. B.

St. Patrick's Day

2010-04-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day at J. Malone's Pub here in Port of Spain, Trinidad. There was some green beer, shepherds pie......some really big leprechauns.....who dont like their picture taken!

There was some great Irish tunes played by a band down here from New York....

Even Mimi enjoyed the beer......two at a time.

Actually, it was how we collected our souvenir beer glasses.

The leprechauns did get carried away. Even proudly flying their Irish flags. This would be Morris, from Belfast who proudly cuts loose at this event every year.

This would be our friend Ernie, making sure that his Ferrari was ok in the parking lot. Notice he has his collector beer glasses in his left hand. The real owner of the Ferrari was keeping an eye on us....making sure we didnt spill green beer on his red car.

Grandfather gear

2010-03-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Mimi returned to Trinidad this week. She came bearing gifts.
I received some Olympic logo'd stuff from Whistler but I also got my new grandfather garb.

I especially like the over-the-glasses sunglasses. You will find me in my new outfit....after my afternoon naps.

Thanks Peter - I hope you got a grandfather outfit for yourself as well.

B.

The hills are alive....

2010-03-11T18:24:00.000-08:00

...with fire.

Just another smoky day in Trin.

Amidst this smoke is a house.... (yes, tucked in next to the highway billboard).

No one will fight the fire - there is no extra water to fight it with. You just hope that it burns around the house.

The next night, looking out the balcony towards the west - there was a hazy sunset and another line of fire in the hills.

There is lot of time left in the dry season here.

Flower power

2010-03-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

We have moved from a country where flowers are very inexpensive to a country where flowers are not cheap. Getting them delivered from the snowy climes of Canada might even be cheaper.
B.

Fire Island

2010-03-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

It's getting dry here. Very dry.

There are grass/ground fires daily. This one was on the way home from work last week.

Combining a very dry, dry season with this heat and a systemic water shortage is creating problems. Forgive the pun but the water authority here is taking a lot of heat.

This afternoon, I could see these two fires near the apartment.

Some fires start with the flick of a cigarette and dont get put out, they just have to burn out....there isnt sufficient water to use on the fires.

This one got worse as the night wore on.

I think it started burning more than just grass.

Mall Cops

2010-03-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

Trincity Mall is one of the bigger malls on the island.
It has a reputation of problems...smash and grabs from parked cars, bad guys following you to your car and robbing you. The police set up one of their 'Eye in the Sky' units in the corner of the parking lot. You make a point of parking near it...so when you get mugged, it gets caught on video.