Dominica day 3

Today we enjoyed 2 beautiful dives & had a nice nap, we settling right into the islanders lifestyle.

Our first dive was called Scott's point and the second, Champagne. Champagne got it's name due to streams of bubbles that rise from submerged volcanic gas, fumerole. We saw all kinds of exciting sea life including rock fish, puffer fish, spotted eels, moray eels, lobster and even a sea snake at the end of the dive. Here are some pics....



Spotted eel




Rock fish



Seascape with fish corral, shrimp & sea urchin




Puffer fish




Flounder
















Bristle worm


Filefish




See the bubbles, some even had vents and we very hot



Here is Sean swimming through the bubbles.
At the end of out dive we saw a very cool sea snake! My camera died, so this is from the Internet, but it looked just like this and was even in the sea grass!



Between dives we stopped in a little village called Sibouli.







As the sunsets in Dominica, we say goodnight. There are many more adventures awaiting us tomorrow :)

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Location:Victoria St,Loubiere,Dominica

Dominica day1

Day 1
Well we arrived in Dominica! After a windy ride through the beautiful mountains of Dominica, we arrived at our hotel, the Castle Comfort. They were extremely hospitable.

After settling in we met a great family, Dianne & Robert & their granddaughter Becca. They are from Knoxville & were visiting Dominica as a high school graduation present for their granddaughter. Seeing them together made me reminisce of trips with my grandmother, what a wonderful gift! They told us all about the diving & informed us that Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed here! (pretty cool!)

We also explored the town, had delicious food, drank ginger wine, then went to "Beer Fest" and observed the local culture :).



View from our restaurant, as I drank ginger wine and Sean drank local beer.

Day 2:
Today we had the opportunity to go on our first diving trip!! We saw lobster, reef fish, bristled worms, a turtle & a Pygmy sperm whale!!







TURTLE!!!!







Squirrel fish, sponge & lobster (big enough to eat)


Golden crinoids



Bristle worm ( aka fireworms)


Filefish


On the way back to our hotel, the scenery was beautiful!! We also saw a dolphin, then a pygmy sperm whale! The are very rare, he just poked his head up for a minute, then back down. Below is a sketch.


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The Adventures of Oli

Oliver, or Oli for short is my sisters new beautiful lab pup!



He seems sooo sweet and innocent.......but just like any adolescent male he likes to have a little fun :)






Mmmmmm is that champagnes? I think I might try a little of that!








Hmm thing are getting a little fuzzy



Maybe it's time to rehydrate, Grandma got that great hangover drink, I think I'll have some of that!


Ahhh much better

Memphis

Back in March, I had a great opportunity to go to Memphis with one of my collegues for an osteopathic pediatric conference.  The conference was good and I have definitely incorporated many things I learned into my practice, but the best part was the people!

My collegue, Hope was a great roomie, that was a wonderful travel companion.  We drove from VA to Memphis together, then roomed together at the Peabody hotel.  The Peabody is an old historic hotel and is know for it's ducks.... live ducks in the lobby!  It was pretty crazy, but they were very cute :)

I met up with several of the now 3rd year OSU pediatrics residents, now pediatricians!  So proud of those girls, they are all wonderful and will be such great pediatricians!!  We had a great time catching up, I was amazed how much their children changed in such a short time and there were even new editions!   One of my dear friends, Nicole was there with her hubby and we had all kinds of fun catching up and shopping ;)

I also got to catch up with one of my favorite pediatricians, that was very influential in my path to become a pediatrician.  Whitney and Benji Latham with their little boy Atticus.  It was my first time to meet Atticus and it was such a pleasure.  Isn't he adorable!!

Not to mention that I got to see many of my old attendings and catch up.  I am so very thankful for the excellent training they provided me with during my residency.
 

The ducks in the lobby of the Peabody hotel.  They sleep on the roof (in a special room), then ride the elevator, yes elevator down to the lobby where they spend their day swimming in the fountain!  They even have their own little bodyguards :)

Nicole, me and Hope shopping for sunglasses

Fried strawberries!!

Anderson, eating all the whipped cream off the fried strawberries..ummmmm

Atticus and his dad :) 

Hope and I at the Mississippi River the day we headed home.

The OSU peds crew, gosh I love those guys!!  

Night life on Beal Street was actually comparable to New Orleans!  

Overall it was a great trip!