Back to Work

Well it was back to work today, and it was a busy day. The worst part was waking up at 5:30 in the morning. Ouch. I would rather be in the picture above....

The big news was that Kayla had her first professional modeling shoot today. They put make-up on her, dressed her, and posed her playing a piano, reading a book, etc. for a kid's milk advertisement. Tika said she was a real ham in front of the camera flirting with the photographer. Suposedly, she will be on some posters and flyers in grocery stores...the photographer was very impressed with Kayla.

Last Day of Vacation

Well, that's it....back to work tomorrow. It has been a great vacation, but all good things must come to an end, and more money must be earned.

We spent the day roaming the mall with Kayla, and then Tika and I saw a movie. I must get to bed early because it is going to be a shock to the system when the alarm goes off at 5:30 tomorrow morning....yuck...the worst part about going back to work...gettin up out of bed.

Working on Photos

I don't think Tika liked it much, but I have been on the computer all day today going through the 1136 photos I took in Papua. I am quite proud of the one above. I have some other shots that I will be sharing in the next few days. I need to try to finish tonight so that I can spend time with my family tomorrow.

Bali Bird Park

On our last day in Bali, we headed up to Ubud to the Bali Bird Park. It was a gorgeous day, and very few people were at the park. Kayla was able to pet a white Cockatoo, and was very excited to see the pretty flowers and birds around the park. We are headed back to Jakarta...always sad to leave Bali.

Dads and Daughters at the Pool

Today was a day at the pool for the Dads and day of shopping for the Moms. Of course, I am always taking the photos, so never IN them....oh well. We had a nice dinner last night at an Italian restaurant on the beach. Very nice. I sure wouldn't mind living in Bali...gotta figure out what I could do for a job, and live here.

Gators Are National Champions

The Gators did it....and not "just", but totally demolished Ohio State. I love it.

We were all sitting around the pool very upset that the game was not on TV out here. Then a friend of Butch said that the game was on TV at a sports bar in Kuta. We called them first, and they said the game was on. We rushed over to the bar, but when we got there, the game was NOT on, and the guy looked at us like we were from Mars when we asked him why he told us on the phone that the game was on and it wasn't. So, I called my good friend, Tom Beams, who was in Jakarta. He was watching the game at the American Club via the Armed Forces Network. He was able to message me on the phone after every score. I couldn't be a more happy Gator fan, and can't wait to see my Big 10 fans when we get back to school. They were all convinced that Florida did not belong in the championship game...the Gators stole the number 2 spot from Michigan (who got slam dunked as well)...the Gators had a weak schedule....the SEC all play weak teams...the Big 10 was the best....blah blah blah....well the proof is now on the table....I can't wait to see their faces....ha ha ha....

Back to Bali

I arrived from Papua on Sunday night, and Monday morning, we flew to Bali. We went back to the Sofitel Hotel where we joined our good friends the Koltais, the Murnames, and Tom Bartlett. Kayla was sick most of the day running a fever which took away from most of the excitement of being in Bali. She was sick for a few days, but returned to her happy self. I will finish updating posts tomorrow as it is getting very late, and I need to hit the sack. See ya.

A couple more interesting shots

On my last day of diving, we visited a site called "The Passage" which is one of the most unique dives in the world. The dive is between several large limestone islands with caves and swim throughs. You feel like you are diving in a river as there are trees that overhand the passage through these islands. It is real wild. The current is very strong, but if you duck into the protected alcoves, you can avoid the current and get some very cool macro photography shots like the ones above.

Some Reef Shots

The sun managed to break out today, so I went to one of my favorite reefs twice today to take some wide-angle photos. Here are two good shots. The coral and fish life was just amazing. There were so many fish that at times I thought a cloud was passing over, but it was schools of fish. Man, just amazing.

Ghost Pipefish

Today it rained almost all day. Since the sun was not shining, I focused mainly on macro-photography underwater (small stuff). On my last dive of the day, I spotted this ornate ghost pipefish. They are really tough to find, but a very unusual looking fish. Cool, heh?

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. I started out the year at my favorite dive location, the Raja Ampat Islands. I took over 1000 photos while there. I stayed at the new Sorido resort which was luxury compared to Max's other resort (Kri Eco resort)...I had AC, a big room with a camera table, and cable TV....it was awesome.

I am writing this post on the 12th of January, so will enter a few more like I was doing it live....

Good-bye 2006

Well, our internet is back in service...just in time for me to make my trades for fantasy soccer. Yes!

I will be spending new year's eve in transit to Papua, so this will be my last post for the year 2006. See you next year.