September 24th 2012 Toronto. I think this will be my last ‘trip’ blog for now…I’m in Toronto and currently awaiting my flight home. I arrived early enough last night, to a clear sky, but gales of wind…and they were not warm. I did pack warm clothed and I’m glad of it now. However, yesterday I stood outside waiting for my hotel shuttle wrapped in a black and orange flowered sarong up top and a purple one below and I still couldn’t warm up. I guess the sandals didn’t help any. BUT, I’ve held on to that summer feeling until the last minute. Therefore I cannot have any regrets whatsoever. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and it’s Monday morning, a promising start already. Well, for me, the adventure continues. Going away and celebrating my 40th abroad in the sun, as desired, has done something. I wish to continue this…growth, this exploration, and this sense of contentment I have whirling within me. Sometimes life does surprises you in ways you didn’t anticipate. And changes are interesting, eye opening, and provide an opportunity to move in a different direction. All is well Diane Sunday September 23rd 2012 The morning came too quickly for one. And it was odd to walk into the airport, receive my papers, hug Aviva, exchange words of friendship, hug Aviva once more, and start my journey back. It has been such a wonderful trip for me. I feel that I have done more in one week abroad than I have done in one month at home. I am fortunate to have shared in Aviva’s family holiday with Michael and Marsha. I am fortunate to travel to Bonaire and to be introduced to its incredible blue waters with a stay at the Bellafonte thus making a Caribbean vacation seem like a living dream. I am fortunate to have taken the time to think twice about kite boarding and opting for a licensed scuba diving course offered just around the corner from our second home, the Dive Hut. I am fortunate to have met some incredible and fun people at Wanna Dive. This enabled Aviva and I to be and to feel a part of a group, to enjoy various conversations, and to partake in dining out a couple of times and having a good time. It really did feel like summer all over again. I am fortunate to have met Aviva a few years back in Nursing school. We traveled well in 2009 when we went to Italy. And we had a great time this trip as well. We have shared many new experiences, many laughs, and some good conversations, leaving each other to ponder a few things now and then. Yes, it’s been good. Terribly good. And this morning, I waited for my plane, not excited and not upset, I simply waited and I wondered what new adventures are awaiting me now. A young man came up to me and asked me for my boarding pass. I was asked to follow him past the crowd. To walk out through the doors and to head towards the plane. I said, I’m heading to Aruba. He said, yes we know. You are the only passenger. Enjoy the flight. I was greeted by the crew and I chose a seat. And I had a plane ride all to myself. Ha! Who knew! I think I’m off…to a great start!

Saturday September 22, 2012 Aviva had a kite boarding lesson today and I was able to join her, watch the beach come alive with avid kite boarders, and note the set up of a kite and the wrangling of harness and gear for this sport. Everyone is happy here. The athletes share equipment, comment on colorful kites and new models, congratulate novice boarders of their new achievements, and generally assist each other in whatever way is called for. I watched Aviva hold up her kite and we both saw if fly to life as it soared above our heads. Aviva’s instructor Lars, gave her the commands, and off she went, seaward with her kite. Aviva walked into the sea with the kite bellowing in the wind and soon enough she was being dragged out to sea, this is called Body dragging, while Lars motored the boat to meet up with Aviva and give her the board. In such little time and with our incredible fortune of having a huge wind, Aviva disappeared into the blue horizon. I could only note her kite from a great distance and I thought I saw some lateral movement on the surface of the sea and I hoped it was she, riding the board, for the goal of the day, over a 100 meters. At the beach, various others were entering the sea and being pulled into action within an instant. Soon enough, the talented started doing what they do, whipping by at fast clips and as if on display, heaved themselves high out of the water in what appeared to be awesome airtime. I can only imagine Aviva’s delight when it will be she who is mastering the art of catching wind and deciding which direction to go into. As for now, she is brand new, learning how to capture the wind and harness it’s strength to control the kite, but, it’s coming. Lars mentioned that it takes a good 30 hours to ‘get it’ and to feel the wind, to know your outcome, and to play with options. She is currently half way there and will have plenty of time to practice when her next friend shows up this week as she is not due to leave until the start of October. My friend came out of the ocean tired and happy. We spent the rest of the late afternoon at Jibe City, a little commune consisting of a restaurant/bar and wind surf paraphernalia. The water is a pale green, it is shallow, and you can sit/tan/mingle as though you were just going to the beach and hang out. And we did. Once home, the little feline cat followed us to our apartment, so Aviva let her in, and fed her, and she nested on our bed. The cat is nameless. So we named her Divi. It almost felt as though we were home with the little cat purring away as we changed and readied to head out for diner at Cite Café, for our last night on the town together. Indeed, Saturday was a very good day. Dd

Friday September 21st 2012 It is 0841 and Aviva and I are sitting at Gio’s Café enjoying a little coffee. And for this reason alone, we’ve had to order two in a row. I am sure we both will be buzzing out of here by the time we leave. It is early morning, the heat is increasing but the lifesaving factor working for us here is this breeze. A warm full flush of wind, it gathers around in your hair, around your arms, under your legs, and it feels like heaven. I’ve turned my chair parallel to our table so I can get that breeze head on while I type away. This is heaven too. At Gio’s the coffee ritual here is quite delightful. A silver tray is brought out to you with an array of things on it, two small cups of coffee, two mini shooter style glasses shaped like ‘ice cream Sunday-cups’ (alas I have no better words to describe these little vase-like devices) each sporting a little ball of hazelnut gelato (this is intended to be used as your coffee cream---genius no?), two glass condiment containers filled with whipped cream, sugar, and creamers, oh, and two shooters full of ice cold water. And then, it’s up to the coffee drinker as to how one prepares ones drink. Aviva pours the sugar in (1 packet), puts the ball of gelato in (for the first coffee and eats it on the second round) and refrains from adding the whipped cream. The shooter glass of water is to be used to freshen your palate after your coffee. But she makes fresh her palate as she prepares her coffee. I do the same thing except I do add the whip cream in (my diet perpetually starts on Monday so I am free to eat what I like, how I like, guilt free) and I do not lick my gelato on the second round, it goes in the mix. And the bonus here is, the coffee is offered with a slice of pie. For breakfast, we have enjoyed a coffee and a slice of apricot pie, followed by a second cup of coffee to do our writing. Yesterday was my last day of my scuba course. We had skills and one dive to complete in order to fulfill the requirements for the Open Water Diver Certificate. And yes I am capitalizing each letter because it is a Big Deal to me and soon enough all of this scuba diving will be ‘normal’ and familiar… to fly in the water, to breathe comfortably under the sea, to soar like fish…or better yet, to swim like a mermaid… and for right now, it’s very Special. As it takes me a small eternity to equalize my ears underwater and for the fact that there are two couples in my group, I was very happy to be paired with Andres, a Dive Master. Once again, diving reminds me that I very much have to be aware of my body’s ability to equalize, my breath, and my ability to be buoyant while we descend to the requested depth of our instructor Linda. As I do all of this, I cannot help but notice how quickly the foursome is already paired off and swimming along in behind the teacher. Meanwhile I am hovering meters above them all. My mind, like a small caged lion, is bouncing ideas in every direction, trying to figure out how I can fit in as quickly as possible. I try repeatedly to descend and my ear passages remind me that I am NOT listening. So, put my money where my mouth is, and do what is suggested to me by the instructor…to go at my own pace, embrace my progress, and descend at my own speed. In a short while I was right there with the group and I was able to fully appreciate the view, the boat wreck on the sea floor at 14 meters, and hover a foot above the corals and see an array of fish and sea creatures. The joy in my chest was overwhelming. What an incredible feeling to be able to just ‘do it’. Our instructor supervising our dive in the lead was pleased with all of us, signaling a large applause and raising a hand to her heart followed with a small bow of the head towards us all. Our group has bonded well together and we made plans to go out for dinner last night to celebrate our new successful adventure. I asked Linda to join us and we had a great night. Aviva has kite boarding every other day, so she has been able to meet everyone, hang out with us, and dive/tan/snorkel at Wanna Dive. Aviva is part of our group and it’s really neat to able to share this experience with her. Aviva showed up to pick me yesterday after my last scuba lesson. Her walk was slow, methodical, and she appeared tired. I inquired about her kite boarding as I knew she was nervous about going back. The last lesson left her sore, bruised, and exhausted. This lesson was a full on three hours in the sun, in the wind, in the waves and she states she gave it her all. Here are the pros and cons of Aviva’s lesson: Three hours of starring up at the sky without sunglasses on, landing on her face over and over, gulping tons of sea water, repeatedly trying to control the kite, and punching her instructor in the family jewels by accident. On the other hand, Aviva states better control of the kite, ridding the board for 10 Meters and able to feel what kite boarding is suppose to be like, and after a long day, enjoying her first beer ordered by her own will and thoroughly loving it. I must post and go. Dinner is being served by my friend Aviva. We must eat. We have plans with my Scuba group this evening.

September 18th 2012 Time is flying. And the days are going by so fast, we must stop, and acknowledge all that is happening here. First of all, there has not been one moment wasted. It seems we have not left this one stretch of road, and we've been hovering between between the North and South end of the strip. Aviva is in the South with her Kiteboarding course and I'm further North for my Open Water Scuba. We both started our courses on Monday. Aviva came back exhilarated, tired, and sore. Aviva learned about basic flying skills, kite set up, body dragging in the water (I think this is where the sore factor comes in) and body water starting (kite goes down and you can launch yourself from this position). Marsha and Michael enjoyed a day at the beach, watching their daughter catapulting in the air, landing in waves, being dragged behind a large red kite, and getting back up again, ready for another round. Naturally. I believe they also enjoyed some snorkelling. I went to Eden Beach Resort to participate in an Open Water Scuba certificate course. As the other instructor Linda had four students, I was set up with a young man of twenty named Boy. Blond, funny, and very knowledgeable he introduced me to my first experience with Le Scuba. We did some theory. We did some skills in the pool. And then, it was a little march to the ocean, with the weight of a small elephant on your back. But anyways. I managed to step into the ocean as I should. And breath as I should. Lowered as I should. And soon enough I was able to equalize my ears---a great fear I had---that I would be stuck to shore due to my inability to lower. But the ears popped, as they should, and before I knew it, I was already deeper than I have EVER been. With Boy next me, I felt safe, and I ventured past the sandy bottom near the sloping, descending floor of the ocean. I started to feel a tug inside my chest but the calm hand signals of my instructor lead me to breathe deep and slow. Carry on. Meanwhile Boy is trying to get me to move deeper. And I, on the other, am trying to move deeper by keeping my body on the 'shallower' side of the slope, so I was sideways---comfortable but sideways. My mind started. And I could not stop it. I no longer feared sharks, or whales, or any creature. I feared myself. I looked up. Probably my first mistake. And then I calculated how far I was from the surface and even though my math is terrible, I was suddenly able to add all this up in a jiffy. My lungs kicked in. And it was a fight from the inside. Stay calm. Don't panic. But I wanted to burst through the ocean like a rocket and get to the air, up there. Boy was encouraging and easy to work with. I went back for a second, and a third try. The third dive was incredible. I was able to swim and enjoy a huge variety of fish, sea creatures, lush sea life as far as I could see, gaze at the ocean and it's incredible size and relish the opportunity to be IN it. At the end of our session, I was pleased with my 8.9m descent and 30 minute time under the water. Today I was added to the group of four (all from Holland) and I am now with the instructor Linda. We did theory in the morning and skills in the pool in the afternoon. Aviva returns to kiteboarding Thursday. So in the meantime she will be diving at my site, Wanna Dive, tomorrow morning. While I do my scuba lesson she will go on a boat dive in the morning and in the afternoon. So we are set. Today Michael and Marsha flew home and Aviva and I went back to Bellafonte to pack up and enjoy one last dinner out on the dock. Aviva had been faithfully collecting apple cores and bits of fruit for Mr. BellaFonte and she brought her little bag of goodies for him in a hopeful goodbye. Mr. BellaFonte was underneath the massive deck, watching, but not moving a cold muscle. So, at the end of dinner, Aviva kindly left the fruit for him on a rock ledge. This was goodbye. So we are here now at Wanna Dive Hut. We immediately turned our air conditioner on, unpacked, and procured our groceries. It's quarter to ten and we are shutting'er down. We both have early starts so no staying up late. A bientôt Dd

September 16th My alarm rang at 0600 but I didn't hear it. Could it be that I am tired? Probably. But this is not something I allow myself to usually digest. Or admit. 0700 came around and I woke up, wondering why the sun was casting an inviting ray into our room. My accomplice slept. Good, no guilt! We donned on our work out gear, packed the camel back full of water, and hit the road like two happy kids on a walk about with a goal in mind, power walk to the Donkey Sanctuary a few friendly kilometres away. We walked and talked. The growing heat of the day slowly increased as we made our way further down the cactus lined road leading to 'the' sanctuary. I thought to myself, I couldn't imagine running right now. But I certainly didn't want to cut Aviva's workout short because I have been 'out of it' for a couple of months now. So I marched along with as much gusto as I could muster and when we arrived at the sanctuary, we decided to pass it and carry on a bit further. Ok. I looked at my friend, face flushed, sipping water more frequently, and thought, this is good, we are getting our work out in. Well. We had to turn around and wrap it up. Our walk was a whopping 40 minutes long and by the time we came back we were both spent. Ah Geese! Who knew a little heat and humidity could take it out of you! Once back at Bella Fonte, we decided to eat our breakfast out on the dock, in case Mr. BellaFonte (the Iguana) wanted to join us for some food. Aviva was prepared for this possibility. She saved for him the heart of her apple. How thoughtful. But he never showed. Marsha, Michael, Aviva, and I travelled North of Bonaire and decided to do two snorkel dives before lunch. Our first stop was at 'A Thousand steps'. Luckily for us, there were only about a hundred or so. Arms full of towels, snorkel and fins we gingerly made our way down the coral formed steps to the azure sea below. A gem was awaiting! The ocean, so inviting, made the ungraceful entry into its warm waters a haven. There is no sand here. Bonaire IS a reef, therefor the shores are often piled high with bleached bony remnants of coral. Beautiful to look at and deadly to walk on---barefeet. As you walk, the porous little things make the sounds as though you are walking on plates. Anyways, you make it into the water and its a treat to finally wear the mask and flitter your mermaid feet away into an imaginable graceful sway into the waves. Or at least, that's what I think of when I finally end the mishaps of getting in---as I nearly choke and rock back and forth with each wave while trying desperately to put on the flippers, which always seem smaller when you're in a hurry. No matter. You get in. Meanwhile, Aviva is already across the ocean, I see her little orange pipe sticking out of the waters. And her father is out there too, leading the way. Marsha is behind me. She's finished packing up the goods on shore and she's beating me into the sea. But the sea, Good GOD! It is simply Bliss. The first stretch of water is a clear blue, windex blue, and it's so clear! It's unbelievable. I've seen so many beautiful fish, micro, macro, and full on large. The sea life below, swaying to an unheard song, the creatures doing what they do, and us above, enjoying every minute of this incredible opportunity. I have never snorkelled before. Well Mexico does not count, I was only ten feet off shore! I have never gone this far from land before or seen depths like this. At first the waters are clear blue and there is a sandy bottom. I tried to swim underneath the surface and try as I might, my ears remind me that I am not accustomed to this sea-life. Meanwhile, my blond friend looks like a sea-gazelle, gracefully powering her way to the bottom of the sea floor to take a picture of some obscure creature beneath a rock. I am amazed. She makes it look so easy and so realizable. I try again, and I make it a bit further, and my body floats up like nothing to the surface. Meanwhile we are slowly finning our way further out and the depths increase, more coral and dense lush forms grow in dark clusters on the bed bellow. As I move forward, my eyes widen as I take in the blue, so much of it, all around me, and sooooooo far away from shore, but Aviva, Michael and Marsha are there too, so it all feels safe. But oh God, there is a new site, a deeper blue takes shape and the rocks and bushes disappear and suddenly, there is nothing below. Nothing. Just Blue. And it's beautiful and frightening all at the same time. I am tempted to look up, pop my head out of the water, look for fins (shark fins) yeah I know, like that would be helpful, but the thought exists all the same, AND back to my story, I don't do that...I didn't do that. Instead I just marvelled at it. And I saw my friend descend into it until she could descend no more and it was suddenly real. I am IN the ocean. And I am enjoying this. It was also special to see a family swimming together. Aviva and her father and mother, this trio spending time together, savouring moments like these as a family, as one. And I the observer and participant as well, invited to partake, and to witness life's moments. We went to two other dive sites today and soaked up the ocean. I love the sensation of moving my body in it's powerful waters. At one point, we were quite a ways out, when I spotted a white form afar. My heart froze. A great white. No. Bubbles rising. Of a great white. No. Bubbles rising from two divers! Ah what heavenly relief! Two divers below, faaaaaar below taking pictures of sea life. It was neat to be above them a few trillion miles up and seeing their shapes down there, pausing to capture a moment, and releasing a million bubbles from their air tanks. Now I know why my mother's fish like swimming in the little trap that lets out a stream of bubbles, it feels neat. The trail of the air tickles and makes sounds as it fizzes along your frame. I looked around and found my friend doing the same thing, Aviva enjoying a cast of bubbles. This reminds me, yesterday I think she scared a couple of divers. There they were, many meters below, minding their own business, when who shows up, an agile and experienced diver in a snorkel. She waved at them and was off. I would have liked to have seen their faces. I bet they were not likely expecting visitors. But Bonaire is known for it's diving, so....it's fair game. We came home tired and happy. Tonight we sat on the deck to watch the sunset. The skies a mix of grey and blue, the ocean a rich navy blue, the orange-pink sun the size of a planet sank beneath the surface with exquisite beauty. A perfect 10/10. Luckily, there is a breeze here which saves the day. So tomorrow! Aviva has high hopes of feeding Mr. BellaFonte (the Iguana) and she is saving all remains of her fruit for this reunion. We nearly had him today but we were called in for our excursion. I must add this, as she cooed to the giant lizard, another guest tanning, looked in horror at the beast approaching. As we darted off the dock I laughed and said to Aviva, you realize...that lady is not going to welcome Mr. Bella Fonte like you do! Ah Geese! We will see what tomorrow brings!!!!! Tomorrow Aviva begins her kiteboarding classes. And I begin my open water scuuuuba course. We are at opposite ends of the island it seems, but, we will have things to talk about for sure! A demain Dd

September 15th 2012 Well, the morning started out late because we went to bed late. We arrived at midnight last night and luckily for us, there was one taxi left in town. We were exhausted, but still in good spirits, and eager to get to Bella Fonte, our dwelling for next four days. Upon our arrival we had to wait for the staff to ready our apartment, so Aviva and I decided to check out the dock. We ended up running down the wooden ramp at 0030 in the morning, flinging our dresses off, and going for the most amazing swim ever! The skies were black, the little stars were out, the water was blue from the pale reflection of dock lights, and the water was ever so warm. We couldn't resist the lure of the ocean. It called to us. We heard it. And we responded. And then we slept like 12 year olds after a great day of fun. In search of coffee this a.m. we marched the streets of this little town until we found a spot that would offer us some java and a bite to eat. Breakfast included hot Dutch style apple pie and a minuscule cup of strong coffee. I have forgotten how the Europeans love their tiny cups and settled in for mini sips. I could of have four of these 'coffees' in less then a minute. However. Then onto groceries. I mean you get the gist, you need to stock up so you can enjoy yourself for the rest of the day! A few hours later after some galavanting, we made our way to our own dock and brought down our flippers, under water cameras, books, and towels and settled in for a few hours of fun and sun. Well, Aviva and I were greeted by a huge Iguana. So we named him Mr. BellaFonte. You see, part of the deal of having your Birthday is to at least crack open a cold one. But what do you do when a certain Mr. BellaFonte wants to be a part of the celebration and wants desperately to share what you're having? We snapped pictures of him and we were delighted to be able to get up close. But. We could not sit down to sip our festive drink and chat because HE wanted to get up. He kept looking at Aviva and then to me. Should you dare raise the bottle to your mouth HE was right there eyeing the prize. Well, at one point we got tired of moving around and Aviva stayed put. So, in order to get the prize he climbed up and up and up and soon enough HE was on her lap! Ah Geese! Then at the end of the afternoon we dressed up and the four of us went to a fantastic seafood restaurant. There was excellent company, good wine, great food, and a Birthday candle the size of a small rocket to remind me that it was indeed my Birthday. Well. I best get to bed. The ocean is in hearing distance and right now I'd gladly go for a late night dip...but...0600 will come quickly and Aviva and I have a power walking date to check out the Donkey Sanctuary before the heat of the day makes exercise un-bearable. So I will close with this. Sometimes life surprises you in delightful ways and you're left feeling incredibly lucky. Lucky to be blessed and blessed to be lucky. Swimming my way into my 40's was the best start I could have ever imagined. Ha! I'm going with the flow! And I go to sleep tonight with a smile on my heart and peace in my soul. Dd

It is still September 14th...

Well we've had quite the day. We took off from Miami and ten minutes into our flight we had to turn around. It turns out our landing gear indicated problems with the plane. So we came back and we were greeted by four fire trucks and emergency crews upon our landing. Thankfully for us, we didn't realize what was happening and everyone was really calm. No wonder the steward and stewardess were stressing us to be ready for landing with our seats upright and our gear stowed away. We were really lucky though, our flight crew were amazing and fun. We arrived in Curacao four hours later and we thought we would make our connection to Bonaire in time, which we did, but our plane was no where for us to board. In fact, the plane we are getting tonight is being outfitted for new tires. Well, here's my chance to sit down and blog---so fine! I must add this...the ocean is unbelievable! Leaving Miami it was pretty incredible from up high. Turquoise and cobalt blue water meeting up like huge pieces of a puzzle and miles and miles of sea to see---Ha! Truly a stunning view. Well, that's about it for now. This is all the excitement I have to report. Dd

September 14th 2012

It is early, 1000 in the morning, Miami! I am having the fun of starting a new blog, only, it isn't new exactly, I started this one a couple of years ago in the hopes of connecting with my family, near and far. And well, as you can see, it did not get used very much. However, now I am traveling yet again and I wish to share with my family and friends a few pictures of my adventure and to stay in contact in some way. So this is it, the first entry, and it feels good. My good friend Aviva is next to me, pouring over a book with her father, Bonaire, our destination has much to offer us and they are perusing the many options we are to have. So here's the first test of blogging! And here's to my LAST day of being 39!!!! yahoo. I'm getting that much closer to embracing the big, the fabulous, the mysterious, and the adventurous 4-0!!!!! Diane