Bridgetown, Barbados 1-31-09

Kathleen found Spongebob Barbados style and we loved the local color for houses!







We had the opportunity to dive in a submarine and explore the coral reef off of Bridgetown. We went to 143 feet deep! The 45 minutes went by way too fast and we all wanted to do it again...next time. We saw fish, coral, plant life, eagle rays and a ship wreck, all of which were fantastic.

Roseau, Dominica 1-30 -09

We spent our day in Roseau, pronounced Rose-O, on our own. We walked around the town and had a delightful Welden Family tour. We poked our heads into several shops and Nicky was determined to get a lady to tell him everything about every coin on their island! He finallly got $2.00 woth of their money for his collection and we thanked the gal for her patience and off we went. A t-shirt, a local chicken scratch game, a flag, a lapel pin and we were set with our purchases. The town is alive with stalls that are decorated with colorful tarps or coverings and the people are much the same. The are colorful and vibrant. They are not pushy with their goods and are genuinely concerned that you have what you want/need and don't want/need a ride someplace. Very unassuming folk for sure. Loved the music that seems to smoke it's way through all the streets/alleys. Sometimes just a small boy playing a drum to a loud island band stirring up the crowd. A good day and a good place to stop.

Roseau, Dominica 1-30-09

This stop was new for us.

St, Barth's Explanation!!

Let me first say that there are no skyscrapers in St. Barth's. Secondly, that is not our vehicle in the ditch! Thank goodness! The skyscrapers are on the blog and I cannot delete them for now. I don't even know where they are??!! The vehicle in the ditch was for the people that know the island down near Le Toiny hotel. If you have not been to St. Barth's, save your money and take a quick lesson in french! It is and continues to be as validated on our stop just two days past, one of the most beautiful places in the world. The beaches pristine. However, I can say that Saline Beach has changed since we last visited which has been 14 years ago!! YIKES!! That's what happens when children take over. Anyway, Charles and I both remembered Saline Beach to be very deep and crescent shaped. It is still crescent shaped but much more narrow. Either hurricanes have taken a toll or global warming warms up even the warmest spots on earth! Still one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. A trip to St. Barth's will make you press your nose against the glass of the airplane, or hang your head around your balcony getting your last view wondering when you might have a chance to return. It is intoxicating. So happy we were able to flip all over the island and show Kathleen and Nicky one of our favorite places in the world.

St. Barth's 1-29-09 Beautiful!!

What are we looking at?

Snow tables out the "back door" when the wind sucked Nicky and me like a huge straw from the Antarctic. A goodbye evening sunset. Patti from California. Our new family member. Hope to see you soon, even if you have to come to Alabama!

Can you stand a few more of Antarctica??

Sea Day 1-28-09

We are at Lat 19 21 41 North and Long 66 41 39 West right now. At the deepest southern spot we went in Antarctica we were at Lat. 64 50 South and 62 33 West. Get out globes and give it a look! We have travelled a LONG way! We will be on the beautiful island of St. Barth's in the morning. A French island where every meal is good, the people are beautiful, the traffic jams are few, the beaches are serene, the wind is high, the vistas are many and the high hopes for a return visit abound! We (Charles and I) have not been there since Kathleen was born. We hope to take them to some of our old favorite spots and maybe find some old French friends that are fixtures to the island. Need a quick lesson in french tonight! More tomorrow.

Cape Horn, a sight to behold!

Photo gallery comments

The photos you are about to see may not make any sense at all. However, a family of four from Alabama in Antarctica doesn't really make much sense at all either. Here we go. Swimming. The pool is like a large hot tub. However, it was too HOT for the kids to get in at first and they added water straight out of the Southern Ocean!! YIKES, is right, WAY cold but it managed to cool things off quickly and everyone had fun. The kids swam with a couple from Switzerland, a great guy from Texas and a funny lady from the UK! Thanks so much!! We met a great couple from Atlanta. A really good looking and smart AUBURN graduate, David. He and I had our picture made together at the top of a summit. A wonderful future Auburn tiger photo and one AU grad, some family of four photos, Kathleen wanting a snowball battle, snow angel, sunsets, hiking, penguins, all kinds, all shapes, all stinky and wonderful. Leopard seals, ICE, icebergs, glaciers,....fantastic. There are too many photos to post. We will keep sorting and give you some more glimpses of our trip of a lifetime.

More Antarctica