In this light, I'm going to share, again, my family. I so wish to have been able to spend as much 'in person' time as I have wanted with my Brother and his family. However, distance has always seemed to be a factor in that. I take in all the words I get and think of them so often it's almost as *if* we are together in person. I love them so much.
Bill writes:
"One more! It's tiring, I know, but I have to share this!
This is Wendy, Alaina, Tori and I on the dock at Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We traveled the Caribbean in this ship, the 978 foot long Enchantment of the Seas. I can spend hours telling you about the ship. But for now I'll just say there is absolutely nothing in the world like being far out at sea on a really big ship like this. We've seen dolphins, sailed through channels in a barrier reef (that was SCARY- a huge ship surrounded by coral in crystal clear water!).
The second picture is Tori on the deck, as we sail hundreds of miles from the nearest land. The water in the Caribbean is thousands of feet deep, yet completely clear- we could see the shafts of sunlight extending down until they just faded out- the longest sun shafts I've ever seen.
The third picture is us in front of the Enchantment at Key West, our first stop on the cruise.
BTW, Jamaica is an extremely beautiful island, and we want to go back. It's also a very scary place to drive- very narrow roads, driving on the left, little or no traffic rules (honk your horn and go!). Lush green forested mountains, coral reefs, waterfalls, and the most colorful people anywhere. Even though the people are poor compared to us, they seem very happy. There is music everywhere, and people sing and dance all the time. We could learn from them!
To say I could live the rest of my days in complete happiness on the Enchantment of the Seas would be completely accurate- I love my ship, and the places she goes!
Hope you like it!
Bill"
So...here I would like to share one more set of pictures with you. I think they should be collectively called "where intrigue meets the ocean" simply because they are reflective of a few of the passions this family has.
Love you Sheldens!
Bill writes:
"One more. These are zoanthid colonial anemones. Like corals they contain symbiotic algae (mostly in their digestive track, believe it or not). So the colors you see are pigments in the animals, not the algae. Like most of the other things in my tank, I have not fed these guys- they get most of their nutrition from the by-products of photosynthesis (sugars), and absorbing nutrients from the water.
And it gets weirder: the algae are actually photosynthetic dynoflagalettes. The kids may have fun looking that up! The are incredibly minute- millions and millions of them live in tiny coral animals the size of a pin head. They are ingested by the anemones and corals. Sunlight is intense enough to penetrate the bodies of the animals and allow photosynthesis of the algae. Incredible!"
Bill: "Hey there! I have been sending you picturs of small things. Here a couple of REALLY big things. REALLY BIG! Look at the size of the people compared...
One of our favorite things is going to the Port and watching the ships come and go. This one, the Mariner of the Seas, is 1020 feet long, 16 decks tall (about 200 feet above the water line), and weighs a whopping 190,000 gross tons!"
I can feel the excitement in his words...and that enhances my life! I want to see and hear more and experience the wonder. Thanks, Bro, for being you and for letting us share a touch of your life!
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