Travels with Tam

Snorkeling in Cozumel…with the wrong lens!

July 30, 2014 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

Ah, I love being in Cozumel. I feel very at home here (except when all the cruise ships are in, then I stay underwater or away from town!). Next to diving, my favorite activity is snorkeling, so I headed out yesterday to check it out, and there wasn’t much happening. When I say that I mean there weren’t a lot of fish around. The current was quite strong, and the freshwater from the cenotes (underground rivers) were pouring into the ocean, creating cold water areas, and hot water areas. Not much to look at, really.

Today, I had a lovely massage and met with the managers of our property, then I decided to go out and play with my wide angle lens. I thought, not much going on out there, so I’ll just practice with the lens. Of course, whenever you aren’t fully prepared, you see awesome marine life.

There’s a small, open coral head that has been here forever, and I always look in it because I’ve found porcupinefish in there, and for a year and half, a small Hawksbill turtle made it his home until he grew too large. Well, it has a new resident: a 2 1/2 ft nurse shark baby! I couldn’t believe it! Exciting! I took photos, but of course, I had no strobe, no light, the wrong lens, so I just took a couple of photos (not that great) and let the baby sleep. So precious!

See the nurse shark's feelers and snout? They look like big catfish. — See the nurse shark’s feelers and snout? They look like big catfish.

The nurse shark's tail doesn't quite fit! — The nurse shark’s tail doesn’t quite fit!

From there I saw a couple of yellow stingrays, always pretty, a lot of fish, a lot of tiny silversides, and an octopus! Again, I certainly didn’t have what I needed to photograph it, but I gave it the old college try. I also saw an anemone crab in an anemone, and a spotted moray eel. Mostly I just practiced with the lens, but it was a surprisingly great snorkel today! You just never know.

My mission this year is to find a seahorse while snorkeling out in front of our house. I didn’t spot any today, but next time I snorkel I’ll have the right lens and strobe!

Diving tomorrow! Can’t wait!

Fab Photos Friday: Appomattox, Virginia!

July 25, 2014 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

A few years ago I went to visit my cousin who was, at that time, a Professor of Cellular Biology at Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA. Close to Lynchburg (a gorgeous town surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains) lies Appomattox Court House, VA, the site of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant. I was there during the fall, and the foilage was incredible. I also went to Monticello, Jefferson’s home, and the fabulous University of Virginia in Charlottesville…but that will have to wait for another fab photo Friday!

When one hears that Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, VA, they assume he surrendered at a courthouse. Appomattox Court House is actually a town, and the surrender took place at the plantation of Wilmer and Virginia McLean within that town. Lee and Grant met for about an hour and a half. The plantation is quite a bit smaller than it was in my imagination!

The Plantation of Wilmer and Virginia McLean in Appomattox Court House, VA

Lee's surrender happened here — Lee’s surrender happened here

A painting of Lee's surrender — A painting of Lee’s surrender

va 11 appo mclean room — Room of surrender

The Dining Room of the McClean Plantation

va 11 appo mcclean house kitchn — Kitchen at the McLean Plantation

The privy. Does not look too appealing, does it?

Room of surrender — The Nursery, Plantation life

We tend to forget the magnitude of the Civil War, or the War Between the States, or as the Confederates called it, the War of Northern Aggression. Over 630,000 died during the conflict (a huge number), and there were over 1,000,000 injuries. It was by far the bloodiest war fought on American soil. Want to learn more about it? It is a National Park! Check it out at http://www.nps.gov/apco/the-surrender.htm.

While in Virginia, I also enjoyed the Blue Ridge Mountains, and walks, creeks, and bike trails through Lynchburg. Just beautiful!

Beautiful, beautiful Virgina. I do plan to go back!

5 Reasons to Adventure Travel!

July 23, 2014 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” Terry Pratchett

Muslim Fishing Village and Mosque — Fishing Village and Mosque In Thailand

I love to travel, I love to meet new people, see new things, experience new cultures. I am curious about everything, and excitable. I have never become jaded…I seek that thrill, that little something extra which waits around the corner. I realize that not everyone is a traveler, but you don’t have to go far to find some adventure or a new outlook!

1. Adventure takes you out of your comfort zone. Your comfort zone is…comforting, but it does not give you the opportunity to stretch yourself, to grow. It is important to challenge yourself, see something new. When you step out you achieve something…instead of stagnating you are moving, you are active. (Your comfort zone really does not exist, you know. It is a comforting illusion.)

2. Adventure can help you conquer your fears. It doesn’t have to be a big adventure. Afraid of water? Learn to swim! Afraid of heights? Climb a hill, or better yet, go to a vista point at the nearest national park. Fear is paralyzing…so get up and move. If not now, when?

3. Adventure introduces you to new people, or at least gets you out of your zone so you can observe active, adventurous, or different people! Head to the nearest lake and watch boaters, paddle boarders, kayakers, picnickers! Have you ever gone on a hike? How about to an art museum? I live in Dallas, and haven’t been to the Perot Museum yet! Shame on me.

4. Adventure introduces you to different cultures and new perspectives. The culture you live in isn’t the only one, you know! Ever thought about doing volunteer travel, especially abroad? These trips are not expensive, and you usually get all of your meals plus a place to stay. Airfare is reasonable to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and many other places. Volunteer travels can be eye opening and have a major impact on your life by showing you how others live, think, and do things. These volunteer trips are becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. I went on a volunteer holiday to Tofo, Mozambique in 2012, and I can tell you I learned more than I thought I possibly could, not only about Africa, but about myself. In September I’m volunteering in Ecuador, photographing manta rays for identification and study. I am so looking forward to it! There are trips for every taste, be it teaching children or diving or digging wells or teaching people skills for making a living. There are many ways to make a difference!

5. Adventuring can be a little scary, and that’s a good reason to do it! We fear what we don’t understand. Travel can educate you and make you see the world in an entirely different way. It challenges you to learn about yourself, to learn the history of other countries or peoples, and learning to understand, even if you don’t agree, is the path to knowledge, and hopefully, wisdom.

The women — Fellow volunteers in Mozambique

My boys and I! — New connections at the Volunteer House in Mozambique

There are many ways to challenge your mind, body, ideas, and abilities. I have often traveled alone, but traveling alone to Mozambique was a completely empowering experience for me. I blogged about the trip in my blog categories Adventures in Mozambique and Dive Adventures in Tofo, Mozambique. Sometimes one sees things that are terribly upsetting, on my travels, and at home, I have learned how cruel the world can be. Everything is not always rosy, especially in the developing world. But there is beauty too…when you look. It opened my eyes, and also gave me confidence that I could achieve and go and do whatever I wanted to. Maybe a little travel, even if it is just an hour away, can do that for you as well.

Marcel and I, headed off to work, doing fish surveys and looking for whale sharks!

My cousin in Ohio told me once that he had never been west of Indiana. He had no interest, he said, what else is there to see, what’s the point? I stood with my jaw hanging open, because I really was confounded. What else is there to see? An entire world, that’s what! If you are reading this blog, you must enjoy traveling, or want to travel, so I’m sure you can understand my complete astonishment! I think Mark Twain said it best:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

I have some favorite volunteer travel agents and agencies such as All Out Africa, Kaya Responsible Travel, the Giving Lens (a great volunteer program for photographers)….there are just so many! Get out there on Google and google away! Start by googling this: adult volunteer travel programs. Why not see the world and make a difference at the same time?

Casey Kasem’s… Coast to Coast… American Top 40!

July 21, 2014 By Tam Warner 10 Comments

On our drive from San Antonio to Dallas a few weeks ago, we had an amazing boomer memory fest. For some reason, (probably having to do with the recent scandals regarding Casey Kasem’s illness and death) the radio was playing Casey Kasem’s Countdown, Coast to Coast, Top 40, from June 3, 1972. I was in 7th grade, my husband, Randy, a sophomore in high school. June 3, 1972!!! Talk about a flashback! If you are a boomer, you know Casey Kasem very well, because you tuned into the radio every Sunday you possibly could, to hear the Top 40 songs in the nation. The whole nation, coast to coast! Casey also let us know which songs were new on the top 40, and which slots they had come from, whether they had gone up or down.

Now, you want to talk about classic rock and roll, 70s style? From the ridiculous (Long Haired Lover from Liverpool (#39) by Little Jimmy Osmond) to the sublime (Old Man (#31) by Neil Young) to the crazy one hit wonders (Hot Rod Lincoln at #9 by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen…what the hell?), it was a really entertaining ride home as we sang along to the rock of our childhood/teen years. Let me give you an idea of the kind of music being made in the early 1970s!!! These artists, on the Top 40 during ONE WEEK in 1972 will knock your socks off:

Vincent by Don McClean at #38. Oh, I absolutely loved that song, and loved that it was about Vincent Van Gogh, who committed suicide. It brought tears to my 13 year old eyes!

Living in a House Divided by Cher at #37. She recorded it right after she and Sonny broke up, remember? We were all so broken hearted that the show was over!

Doctor my Eyes by Jackson Browne at #36. Talk about an awesome song! I always think it was his second best, after the roadie song, Stay.…

Hey, it was 1972, the year of the Godfather! At number #3 we had Andy Williams singing the Theme from the Godfather, Speak Softly Love. Randy didn’t remember it had words, but I sang them right through to the end! And Lean on Me by Bill Withers #26, and Taxi by Harry Chapin at #24! I had forgotten about Taxi, but I’ve downloaded it on itunes now. Oh, and at #23 Amazing Grace by The Pipes & Drums & The Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. No, I’m not kidding.

Rocket Man Cover (back in the vinyl days)!

Elton John’s Rocket Man was at #32; Paul Simon’s Me and Julio at #22; Diary at #16 by Bread (remember Bread???); the Carpenters, the Jackson Five, Song Sung Blue #12 by Neil Diamond; #11 was Last Night by the Fifth Dimension! Remember Aquarius by the Fifth Dimension? Their lead female singer was tremendous. I LOVED her voice. Cat Stevens, the Rolling Stones, and at #4 The Candy Man by Sammie Davis Jr!!! The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack! #2 Oh Girl by The Chi-Lites and……at #1 “I’ll Take You There” by The Staple Singers! Quite a list of artists….almost every song remembered (some reluctantly!), and memories of mid-western days of sunshine, cornfields, and piles of colorful leaves. Body shirts, bell bottom jeans, and blue eyeshadow. First dances, first parties, spin the bottle, and the first kiss.

Thank you, Casey Kasem. Your years of the Top 40 were the background music of my childhood…right up to adulthood. It was a gift to hear that wonderful voice again. Okay…so tell me: you remember these songs? Can you believe they were on the Top 40 at the same time? What do they remind you of? (x rated memories are fine! tell all!)

Fabulous Photos Friday: In the Blue

July 18, 2014 By Tam Warner 22 Comments

To celebrate my husband’s rapid recovery from A DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT (see the category An Unexpected Journey, Lung Transplant here on my blog!), his clearance to travel internationally, and to scuba dive (snorkel first, of course), I have decided to feature photos from our home in Cozumel, of our beloved ocean, above and below, and some of our wonderful friends! PS Our home, Villa Coronado, is on Vacation Rentals by Owners at www.vrbo.com/368692. I call Villa Coronado my Blue House, not because it is blue (it is not), but because of our view of the bluest water anywhere!!!!!!

The roof hammocks, one of my favorite places to hang!

cor 14 sunset from water — An amazing sunset in the making, taken while I was out snorkeling.

Gorgeous Octopus on Paradise Reef at night

Randy and I swimming with whale sharks!111111111111111111111111111111 — Randy and I swimming with whale sharks!

See the whale shark just behind us? — See the whale shark to the right?

Just a little fun on the sand — Wes loves to run in the sand underwater!

Hey, Randy's at Coconuts again!111111111111111111111111111111111 — Hey, Randy’s at Coconuts again!

On the Felipe! — That’s me, in the Felipe!

Wes running...Alexandra falling backwards. I don't know. — Wes running…Alexandra falling backwards. I don’t know how….

coz 08 jun dolph dolphin — A close, personal friend!

A beautiful sunset — A beautiful Cozumel sunset

Come and visit Villa Coronado in Cozumel! Villa Coronado, is on Vacation Rentals by Owners at www.vrbo.com/368692. Bienvenidos!

Randy’s been cleared!

July 15, 2014 By Tam Warner

Today Randy had “Clinic”, the once a month check up and testing follow up for his double lung transplant last September 10. He has been cleared to travel internationally…and to dive! Dive? I am beyond astonished….and I confess, it makes me a little nervous. When I think about it, it seems that Randy was probably more likely to get a lung injury BEFORE the transplant, but I still feel a little apprehensive. On our Socorro dive trip he burst his eardrum (again). I suppose the ear is more at risk than the lungs. It just seems so incredible….Randy is so happy he looks like he is going to levitate! So happy, he went off to meet with his golf buddy, Mark! Whether they will actually golf, I’m not sure. Randy has been practicing chipping, but as far as I know he hasn’t been to the driving range. It appears that confidence has returned and he is ready to get out there! Our Pacific Coast Highway Adventure and trip to Lake Tahoe helped him significantly, and now, Randy is ready for golf and diving (snorkeling first, I mean, why rush things???). Who knows what he’ll want to do tomorrow? Maybe we should schedule the Great White Sharks again!!!

RESTART! REVITALIZE! REVAMP!

Subscribe to Blog via Email