Finally on the Boat Friday, March 25

The girls relaxing on Saddleback Key after lunch

Ethan and Kim back at it again. It was a very bittersweet day here at Forfar Station, Bahamas. We were finally able to make our way out into the ocean along with our snorkel gear and our very helpful guides, Tyler and Ricardo. After leaving at 9 a.m., our first stop was at Rat Cay and it was a great one for sure. Not only were there French Angelfish, juvenile Butterflyfish, Rainbow Parrotfish and Squirrelfish, but there was an oceanic blue hole as well! That makes 5 blue hole visits since arriving on Andros Island! Our next stop was at Three Sisters and we saw several stingrays, Sea Walnuts, Comb and Upsidedown Jellies and Lionfish. We learned that Lionfish are the Bahamas only invasive (nonnative and harmful) fish species, so whenever we spotted a lionfish while snorkeling, Tyler would actually spear the fish and bring them back onto the boat with us. Finally lunch time came around and we stoped at a local island, known as Saddleback Island, to enjoy sandwhiches and some shell searching. When our lunch had settled we set out for our last stop, Turtle Reef, which was part of the main barrier reef. There we saw a Nurseshark, another Stingray, a Moray Eel, and massive coral! Our boat trip was cut slightly short around 3 p.m. because of some dark clouds and steady winds, but we saw so many great things and we wouldn't have wanted to spend that last day doing anything other than snorkeling! When we returned, we took some time to shower and then walked to Ms. Annie's a little bit down the road to pick up our baskets if we didn't finish them before, and also do some last minute shopping. She was so sweet, we really will miss her and her singing while teaching us to weave baskets. We came back to the lodge and enjoyed a delicious dinner of chili, veggie burgers and cornbread,  and followed that up with a closing presentation and a haunted tale about the station and its founder, Archie Forfar. You'll have to ask us about the story when we return home because for right now we're still a little spooked. Finally some packing before bed on this rainy night and resting up before our big (and early) travelling day tomorrow! More pictures to come!

Ethan and Kim ready to start snorkeling!

Stingray at Three Sisters

Staghorn coral at Turtle Reef - great to see it so healthy!

Nurse shark hanging out under a coral head

Gabel Familia, I miss you so so so much and I can't wait to see everyone. I have some pretty gnarly sun poisoning on my hands I'm sure you'll get a kick out of. I've looked everywhere to find a sand dollar too but I guess they were just all hiding on me. Goodnight I love y'all! :)

Thursday March 24  

Greetings to everyone in the 716,

Dinner at local establishment 

Although the weather has not been cooperating like we had hoped, our very nice intern staff at ForFar have always had a backup adventure waiting for us. After a solid breakfast we sat in on an invasive species lecture prepared by one of the interns, based on lionfish. Following the lecture, each of use were given a lionfish to examine and dissect. Our intern, Tyler, prepared the specimens by removing the venomous spines found on dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins. We carefully observed the anatomy of the fish while keeping the fish's organs intact. So not being able to snorkel due to not particularly high winds ,but unsafe boating winds, we ventured to the vans with our female interns Dale and Allison. The whole group with the exception of Miss Palmer didn't know where we were going. Our mystery adventure was a nice hour long hike to Rainbow Blue Hole. In the blue hole, we swam down to catch a view of some underwater caves and got our feet nibbled by mosquito fish. Mosquito fish feed on dead skin on our feet. On the hike back, we took a side path towe a shelter that was featured in the show Naked and Afraid. When we got back, before dinner, we sat in on a lecture by Dr. Derek Peterson from a group called Secore , which works to reproduce coral. In his lecture he explained coral reproduction and hopes to make coral repopulation in the  Bahamas as successful in thier native Curacao. Following the lecture we went to a local cusine, MJ's for traditonal  Bahamian meal. The food was delicious consisting of conch,chicken,red snapper and a square kind of mac and cheese. Stuffed from dinner, we headed back to listen to Ethan and Kim's presentation of Blue hole and National parks. Following Ethan and Kim,Jake and I gave our sick presentation on island devlopment in Andros as well as expressing our opinions on the matter. It was an action packed second last day. Signing off at 9:56pm.

Keepin' it cool with Daddy Cool

Chris not naked but afraid

Windy Wednesday March 23

On Somerset Beach 

     The double trouble "twins" Sarah and Savannah back again for an overview of our day of adventure today! After breakfast, we took a drive down South to Summerset beach. We walked along the shore and collected shells that we came across. Our friend Allison taught us all about the different types of plants, invasive and native, on the island, including our favorite: mangroves! 

    After our fun in the sun, we paid a visit to the lighthouse club. We walked along the docks and observed the abandoned lighthouse there and a shipwrecked ship in the waters. We even got to see actual cannons that have been discovered by divers (pirates?!). 

    After taking some pictures of the gorgeous views, we got together for lunch on the docks. Then we traveled a short distance to Androsia, home of the only batik factory found on the island. We learned all about the process of making the patterns and fabric. After our tour of the factory, we went into the shop to purchase some of our own Androsian fabrics.

   We left Androsia and got the opportunity to take the plunge into Captain Bill's blue hole. The jump from the diving platform to the water was nearly 25 ft! We all took turns jumping in, surprised by the distance. This blue hole was much bigger than the one we visited yesterday in both diameter and depth. The boys even decided to swim all the way across it!

   When we came back, we had plenty of time before dinner, so we took it upon ourselves to relax on the shore. Some of us even did a little exploring on a nearby island. Soon, we sat down for dinner: chicken and rice. Then, we took a walk to the nearby shop, Mirley's, and Ms. Palmer treated us to ice cream! We relaxed outside and cooled off with this tasty treat and then headed back to Forfar. 

   Since it was still light out, some of us played bochi ball while others relaxed and wrote in their journals. We ended the night with an interesting video describing the mystery behind blue holes. We found it very eerie to hear what some divers have found! 

   Madre and padre: feeling a bit under the weather lately, but you both know I was sick before I got here. Nothing to worry about, it's not hindering my experience any! Madre, we are all pretty sure you have commented on these things the most out of everyone (good job, I guess?!). Love you both and will see you soon! ~Sarah

Ethan & Jake about to cross the tidal flat outside our rooms

Candace, Savannah, Sarah, Kim & Jake in the Androsia stamping room

Aurora, I am glad to hear there's not much that I am missing up there, except for the Walking Dead (which thanks to Mrs. Brosnick I heard it's a good one!) I'm curious to know what this surprise you have for me is to. Try to get the rest of the fam to comment if possible or I at least hope their reading these. Liana, please give kisses to the kiddos for me and I hope that Aidan has a good party. Can't wait to share all my experiences with you guys at Easter! Love yous ~Savannah

The Today show visited and did a feature at the Androsia Factory

At the Androsia fabric factory.

The gang on Somerset Beach

NC girls enjoying Church's Blue Hole

Our intern Allison showing us where they stamp the Forfar logo on shirts

Carrying lunch back from the beach at the Lighthouse Club

Candace jumping into Charlie's Blue Hole

Tuesday, March 22

Hey Everybody! Horse girls here to bring you day five in the Bahamas. We started the chilly morning        (60) with a delicious breakfast.  Followed by a lecture on the history and culture of Andros Island and the Red Bay community. After Dale's lecture we started our journey to the Red Bay area, it's hard to believe such a civilized group of people can keep hidden for almost 200 years. It wasn't until a hurricane hit in 1927 that revealed Red Bay and the people living there. Our first stop in Red Bay was to the famous wood carver, Henry Wallace and his lovely family. Henry Wallace has had his carvings displayed in the Smithsonian! His wife, Eldita, carved wood into different figures including turtles, a parrot and a beautiful box. She also wove baskets that varied in color and sizes. One of her baskets was big enough for Savannah to sit in.

At Henry Wallace's wood carving studio

 After learning how to weave baskets last night we are able to appreciate how much time, patience and effort go into completing these masterpieces. Their son, who is following in Henry's footsteps, also carved a box with beautiful designs. Henry was in the process of making a bonefish, we had the privilege of watching him carve something simple into a masterpiece. Our next stop after lunch was to visit Wilton Russell, another wood carver and musician. After looking at his wonderful wood carvings we sat down and listened to his stories as he played beautiful music accompanied by his grandsons on the drums. The music was something extraordinary and we were glad to have the opportunity to listen.  One of our last stops in Red Bay was to the late Miss Marshall's residence where we got to purchase baskets made by family to who she had taught her trade. On our way out, we stopped at another local Red Bay residence. Otis is a fourth generation sponge farmer. Once we left Red Bay, our last stop of the day was to Charlie's Blue Hole, a 300 foot deep hole formed when limestone erodes. Legend has it that it gets its name from  a diver that died in the hole and his body was later discovered in the caves of the blue hole. The water was chilly but refreshing. After we returned to camp and had dinner we finished the night with more lessons from Miss Annie on basket weaving. The day was full of new knowledge and experiences.

Mr. Wilton Russell

Dear Mom, Dad and Scott
  I am having so much fun going on all our adventures this week. We have so many more fun activities to come. I never want to leave the weather is beautiful and the people are so nice. I love and miss you all. See you soon. Love Ashlee
Dear Mom and Garrett
   I am having a lot of fun with everyone and everything. I am really bummed that I missed Giborra. I hope the filly is healthy and adorable. I miss all my boys and you guys I guess! Can't wait to come back and see everyone again. Love Candace

Monday March 21

Ethan and Kim coming to you from another fun filled day at Forfar Field Station! The rain came again last night but it held off all day for us to do some hiking and have some one-on-one time with a bunch of very cool animals! Before going out on the town, we all sat down to some delicious scrambled eggs, sausage and corn bread, and then followed breakfast with a very intriguing lecture from one of our counselors, Tyler, about invertebrates. Did you know the world is made up of only 10% vertebrates (with a backbone), and a whopping 90% invertebrates (without a backbone)?! After the lecture, we packed up our water shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen and water bottles and hopped in the van to head to our first stop, Morgan's Bluff. The view from the little cliff and the sound of the waves crashing against the break wall were incredible. We then took a stroll over to Captain Henry Morgan's caves and even took the dark crawl to the other side! Legend has it that Sneaky Captain Morgan would tie a goat to the ground and then attach a lantern to its neck, and as it began to walk around in circles, ships thought it was a lighthouse and port. When they would sail in, they would get caught in the bluffs and the pirates would raid the ships, hiding the loot in the cave. Next, Tyler drove us to Captain Morgan's Regatta which is a little beach and picnic area for a lunch of deli meat or peanut butter sandwiches. We let our lunch settle with a little shore searching to see what shells and other things had washed ashore. It's a shame to see the different plastic and other garbage that makes it's way to the beaches. Ethan, Jake and Chris spent a little time trying to dig up an unknown piece of metal that they declared the plane-car-boat. Tyler also enlightened the boys by showing them where termites lived, and then eating a handful! We then drove to Money Point for low tide and searched through the tidepools for different invertebrates. We found many different species by looking under rocks.  We found hermit crabs, decorator crabs, mud crabs, brittle sea stars, flatworms, chiton, sea cucumbers, snapping shrimp, spiny sea stars, cowries and sea slugs. On the way back home, Mrs. Brosnick and Ms. Palmer treated us to ice cream at a local convenience store. Then we returned and enjoyed a delicious dinner of turkey and mashed potatoes; just like home! After dinner we enjoyed a presentation from Candace and Ashley about Bahamian Culture and Arts, and another presentation from Savannah and Sarah about the different folklore and mythical creatures of Andros Island. The end of the night was filled with a visit from Ms. Annie and her daughter, and they took the time and patience to teach us how to weave our own baskets! They basically had to push us out of the lodge to go to bed because we wanted to keep basket weaving, but no worries, we will continue tomorrow night. Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!

Mom, Dad and broskis: I hope you're all enjoying the snow! There's a dog that hangs around my cabin who we call Cow-dog and it looks just like Dolly! I still miss her though, along with all of you. Bug bites are forming constellations on my legs and feet...never been so itchy in my life. I love you all!! -Kimby :)

Ethan eating termites!

Donkey dung and a seastar (with Kim and Ethan of course!)

Ice cream in town!

Birds are Awesome!

Good Morning!

   We just have to share the amazing experience we had last night!  Bird expert and author Dr. Joseph Steensma was here on Andros and gave us a private lecture.  Dr Steensma is an ornithologist by hobby and has spent his entire life studying birds.  His enthusiasm and love for birds shone through his talk.  We were very impressed with the depth of his knowledge.  His book, "A Guide to the Birds of North Andros Island", chronicles the native and migratory birds of the island.   When we told him we were from Buffalo, he was very excited and proceeded to tell us how important our area is in bird migration.  He considers Buffalo-Niagara one of the best birding regions in the world!  That's because most every migratory bird starts here on Andros or other Carribean islands and travels north to our area to nest.   The main destination is Long Point, Ontario.  At 36 miles is the longest fresh water spit in the world and it is right in our backyard.  It's mind-blowing to think that the beautiful birds we see here we can also view back home.  Joe encouraged us to visit - do I hear field trip? 

~Miss Palmer & Mrs. Brosnick

Sunday March 20

Ashlee, Candace, Kim & Sarah

Day three in the Bahamas coming to you from the horse girls. We started out the day bright and early with a delicious waffle breakfast, followed by a snorkel orientation through the creek surrounding Forfar Field Station. We saw so many cool sea creatures in the short time we were in the water. The very first animal we saw was a sting ray hiding in the sand. It was only one of the many creatures we saw while on our adventures today. We also encountered a baby spotted puffer fish and a few blue tangs. We even saw a Queen Angel fish.
After our first time in the water we got to relax for a little while before heading to a Baptist church for Palm Sunday. The experience was so different from home. The entire service was put on by a woman. There was a lot of singing involved.  The people were extremely nice and welcoming to us and it was such an amazing experience to see. When we got back to the camp we had a quick lunch before launching into a fish ID lecture done by one of the interns, Tyler.
After our ID lesson, we dove into the water for out first snorkel in the open water. The ride out to "Dave's Patch Reef" was a smooth ride.  When we got to the reef we flipped in for an amazing view of an underwater world.  We saw so many different types of fish- everything from porcupine fish to fairy basslet and even saw a trumpet fish. After our snorkel in Dave's Patch Reef, we went to "Blue Hole Key" where we experienced a whole different variety of fish. There were so many conch shells at the bottom of the blue hole. We saw a lot of starfish as well as a couple of Finger Coral. Towards the end of our trip Dale, one of the other interns, spotted a Scorpion fish that is extremely poisonous, luckily she shooed us all away before it noticed us hovering around it.
To end the day we had a wonderful bird lecture by Joe Steensma who wrote "A Guide to the Birds of North Andros Island". The day was fun filled and action packed but now its time to hit the sack.

Saturday March 19

           Day 2 coming from your favorite twin duo Sarah and Savannah! We woke up this morning after getting a much needed rest at 7:30 for breakfast. Afterwards, we said adios a La Quinta and our driver, Gui, drove us to the Executive Center "airport" in Ft. Lauderdale.  The airport was just a small room much like a doctor's office waiting room. We spent nearly 2 hours waiting to board our charter, but we got to play with two very large Great Danes named Deana and Bailey. 

         When we were finally able to leave, our large group was split in half to board 2 different seven passenger charter planes. For an hour, we flew just barely above the clouds, watching in awe as we could see bright, clear turquoise waters awaiting us. We could see the reflections of the clouds and the edges of the coral reefs. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience! 

        We landed after an hour of travelling and quickly passed through customs. We left our luggage with the custom officials and got into taxi vans to drive to Forfar. Very quickly, we learned that they drive on the left side of the road, sometimes even the right side or on the shoulder to avoid the gigantic pot holes. The drive astounded us as there is not much around here as far as buildings. We did notice some forest fires as we passed by. 

      We finally arrived at Forfar and we met the incredibly friendly staff that we will get to know over the week. We couldn't snorkel until our luggage arrived from customs, so instead we did some exploring, played volleyball, took a short hike to see some of the small locally-owned shops, and got eaten alive by the bugs. When we returned, our luggage was here, but it was too late to snorkel. Instead, we checked in to our cabins which we appropriately named "Petit a La Quinta." 

    We ended the day with a taco Saturday dinner followed by an informative coral lecture by our friend Dale. Before heading to bed, we played ping pong and headbands. We are excited to see what tomorrow holds.

    Madre and padre, love you both very much. Everything is going well here, I'm having a great time! My ears aren't very plugged any more. My underwater camera also works well, can't wait to use it! I've already taken lots of pictures. See you in a week! ~Sarah

    To the knuckleheads back home, I've been taking lots of pictures and I am greatly enjoying the warm weather out here. The water is beautiful and the breeze is amazingly comfortable. Hope you guys are doing okay, have fun in the snow ;) ~Savannah

    Your favorite twin duo will be back to blog on Wednesday, hope you enjoy reading about the rest of our trip's experiences!

7 Seater!

Approaching Andros

Our gorgeous view from the lodge.

Day 1: Florida

                               

  So here we are a year later, the marine bio terrible two and the only the veterans of the group. We started the day off at around 3 in the morning, loaded up and went to the airport. Our flight left from Buffalo to Atlanta at 6:00am. During our first plane ride, we experienced slight turbulence as well as a man who spilled hot coffee all over himself during the bumpy ride. After all that excitement, we landed in Georgia, played some cards, got some coffee and took a long time trying to find "smoothies". In the midst of all the food and fun, our gate got switched. So we reconvened  at the correct gate and were on our way to Fort Lauderdale. Around 1 pm, we arrived in Florida. After unloading our gear at "La Quinta" we grabbed a quick lunch on our way to the Anne Kolb nature reserve. This reserve is set on a 1,500 acre mangrove wetland which we hiked and explored for a few hours. Our bus driver "Gui" took us back to the hotel for a few hours of R&R at the hotel pool. Finally we cleaned up for a amazing feast at T.G.I Fridays with endless appetizers and tasteful entrees. So very tired we came back to the hotel to pass out!  Love, Jake and Chris Peace Out!

Leaving North Collins at 3:45am.  Eager to get to the warm weather!