All Things Seem Possible...Through Vacation

Brain cancer is...

 ...appreciating the familiar.

We are home, appreciating familiar sights (like our lanterns, above) with fresh eyes

Our Cayman vacation leaves us feeling renewed and optimistic about what we can accomplish in the immediate future.

One of the many factors for our vacation glow seems to us to be that we saw so many beautiful sights that are still wearing our vacation lenses.

Sure, you've seen our whimsical lanterns several times, but look at them again after viewing some of the Cayman sights, below.  Might our globes actually be some sort of sea creature, floating along the azure shores?

Queen Conch

Rock stack at the Blow Holes

Caymanian Parrot

Northern Curly Tailed Lizard

The trick is to not lose the vacation lenses after a few days a home, right Team D?

It’s Been Grand...Cayman!

Brain cancer is...

...just hanging out in first class.

Our flight out was not until 6 pm, so we had a leisurely island exit.  Andi and Beth had a final snorkel swim until a rainstorm brought us back to shore.  Upon we return, We discovered that the boys had an adventure of their own: scoping out the haps at the Ritz Carlton.

Boys!  We had one more lovely beachside lunch before heading to the airport.

What a trip it has been!  

Signing off from Dallas.  See you in LA, Team D!

Sunset and Cruise Day

Brain cancer is...

...a little sad that the sun set on our Grand Cayman Adventure.

Here’s a slideshow for our last day on the island (click here).  Fortunately we don’t leave until tomorrow evening...on the same flight.

Thanks for adventuring with us, Team D! 

The Snorkel Adventure Gift

Brain cancer is...

Serious (listening) Darrell at dinner (Real backdrop...not green screen, Christine)

...such a giver.

Today was Stingrays and Bust Day.  Geoff and Beth swam with the stingrays at Stingray City and enjoyed it greatly.  The stingrays gather at that spot to eat the treats that, originally, fishermen and now tourists share.

The stingrays are Southern Stingrays that only poke in defense.  They are very docile and seem to be social.  Geoff said they are like puppies.

To honor the stingray adventure, here are Beth and Geoff in front of stingray art after dinner.

Meanwhile Darrell and Andi busted.  We stayed in to avoid so much sun....and to work.

Given the view from Computer Station 3, life could be worse.

And now to the title of this post:  The Snorkel Adventure Gift.  Darrell and I keep working to learn to live Life 2.0, as horizons shift with time past diagnosis. We typically haven’t spent much leisure time apart, choosing to spend it together because work takes us apart.

Today Darrell gave me the gift of a long solo snorkel while he enjoyed the beach.  I felt like such an adventurer. Our beach is shallow, so I swam way out and way over.  I held still and looked at one spot for 10 or 15 minutes at a time.  I studied the coral. After some research, I learned that I spotted knobby brain coral (here).

Thank you for the adventure, Darrell.  I am grateful.

Here's to another day...here.

Tomorrow is our last full day:  Sunset Cruise Day.  Imagine how much trouble we can get into between now and sunset.

Happy Adventures, Team D!

Crystal Caves Day...and so much more!

Brain cancer is...

...happy to be back on the beach.

Here's a link to today's Animoto video* (click here). 
The Crystal Caves were great.  (Great, hot, and humid.)

Even greater?  The day held so many happy surprises.  The surprising thing is that every day has so many different and happy surprises.
 
Here are some from today.

Snorkeling Crew Captain says, "Cheers!" from ashore

The varied, highly detailed, cave formations:  Just one example (Each ripple is fingernail sized.)

Precious baby rat bats (zoomed way in)

Sea stars at Starfish Point

Kaibo:  Dinner, barefoot on the beach

Tomorrow is "Stingray City and Bust!"  (Two of us are going to Stingray City, and two of us are bust.)

We made it through Wednesday here in paradise.  Phew.  Happy Hump Day, Team D!

*Shout out to Gerard at Animoto, who fixed the login problem.

The Sun Sets on Turtle Day

Brain cancer is...

...grateful for yet another day on Earth.

The green sea turtles at the Center are approximately six feet long.  We were caught unaware by their majesty.  Here are two pics...above and below the surface.  We flipper-bumped the babies, and we saw endangered Ridley turtles too.

Also at the Center is an aviary where one can feed the birds.  Payback for years of bird hating was tough on Geoff.  Here he is with one of many scarlet ibises.  

Darrell swam today, for the first time since 2016.

Tonight is the pirate party.  Tomorrow is Cave Day. 

Signing off from paradise! Love you, Team D.

Car Day Success!

Brain cancer is...

...calling Car Day a success.

I am having problems with Internet and Amimoto, so here are some still

images (in order) and highlights.

1.  Darrell made a fruit and cheese plate for breakfast on the lanai.

2.  We swam and snorkeled on our beach.

3.  We mastered “driving on the left.” Geoff steers.  Andi navigates and says “look right.” Beth and Darrell manage the e-maps and count the round about exits.

4.  Lobster sandwiches at a dive spot, Macabuca.

5.  On to Barker’s Beach.

6.  After several failed attempts, we ended up in Hell.

7.  On to the East End, with Lover’s Wall, Tukka , and the Blow Holes.

8.  Happy Anniversary dinner and table side Banana’s Foster at the Beach House.

Tomorrow? Turtle Day!

Ours is a great swim beach, with very buoyant water

Macabuca, lobster sandwiches

Barker's Beach (Way North)

From Barker's Beach, Back on the Road to Hell

 

Hell

The Blowholes (East End)

Anniversary Dinner at the Beach House