Scuba Scuba!

So it's official.  We are both PADI Open Water certified divers.  We got cards and everything.

 We did several boat dives last weekend, on Sunday the 15th, off Catalina Island.  The conditions on the way out were a little rough, and April and I were both seasick as hell.  April puked.  I wish I could, I would have felt better.  


You wanna know a great cure for seasickness?  55 degree water!  Seriously, within moments of getting in the water, we both felt fine.  And despite the cold, it was an awesome time!

San Pedro Harbor, around 6am

April getting ready to go chase a Garibaldi

A Garibaldi!

April.  She ate the Girabaldi.  Don't tell California.

So I was just kidding about April eating the Girabaldi.  She ate the Abalone.

Kidding again.  April didn't eat anything, even this Sheep Crab.  We were in a protected area, which is why we saw so much cool stuff!

We went out on the Magician.  The folks than run this operation are solid.  They take great care of their divers, make sure that it's fun and safe, and get you back home happy and ready to go back out with them!  

We had a great time, and are looking forward to a few more trips before we head down to Key Largo this summer with Robert and Tia!

-jh

PS- As soon as I get it to work, I plan to upload some short videos I recorded. 

SCUBA!

April and I have been talking about geting our PADI scuba certification for a few years now. The Open Water Diver course means that you can easily rent gear and dive when traveling, as the renter and tour operators know that you have been trained properly and can dive safely. And their insurance will still cover them if you screw up and drown while wearing gear they rented you. Because you were PADI certified. So it's your fault!

Anyway, we started classes last week, and it has been a blast. April had a run-in as a child and almost drowned, so she has been a little apprehensive, but honestly she's taken to it amazingly quickly! We have been in the pool in full gear several times this week, getting ready, going over all the safety skills, like dealing with a mask flooding, running out of air and having to use an alternate source, etc.

But today it was time for the real thing... diving in the ocean!

We spend about an hour and a half diving in Malibu this morning. The weather was very calm, and the water was flat, but the visibility was awful-maybe 5-6 feet, so we didn't really see very much, besides a little bit of kelp and some other underwater plants.

Oh, and this guy:


This Pacific Harbor Seal showed up when we were on the surface, about a hundred yards off the shore, getting ready to dive. Apparently he trailed us the entire way under water. One of the dive-masters said he saw him a couple of times under water. I took this photo of him as I was getting ready to head to shore. He was only about 8 feet away!

So we have one more day in the classroom, one day in the pool, and next weekend we are off to Catalina Island for diving in the Kelp beds! The visibility should be much better, and hopefully we will have lots of photos to post!

Cheers!

-jh

The Story of Meow

This week we are observing Meow's 13th birthday. I say observing because we don't know her real birthday, just that it was around this time in 1999. My sister found Meow in the middle of the road that runs behind the old Cedartown Wal-Mart (now Home Depot). She was a little black and white ball of fur lying on the yellow stripe that ran down the middle of the road. Amanda stopped, scooped up the tiny kitten, and thus my life changed.

Meow hadn't been weaned. Her eyes were still blue. We had to feed her with an eyedropper every 2 hours, then massage her abdomen to help her digestive tract function. She cried constantly for days- and for a small kitten, she made a LOT of noise. I didn't have any expectations that she would live. She needed a foster mother, and no cats we knew had recently had kittens. But somehow, she did live. I was finishing my senior year of University, about to graduate. My sister was finishing her senior year of high school. And my sister couldn't keep Meow. She loved that little kitten, and I loved my sister, and to keep her heart from breaking I agreed to keep Meow - just until my sister could take her back.

There was only one problem. My then-boyfriend (now husband) Jay. He was allergic to cats (though to be fair, Jay is allergic to everything). What to do? Well....I waited until Jay had a business trip to Virginia, then went to Cedartown and brought Meow back with me to Athens. I picked Jay up from the airport with roses and chocolates, kissed him passionately, held his hand all the way home, and chatted about everything except kittens. I don't know what I was thinking; at first I thought I could keep Meow hidden in the spare bedroom and never mention her. Clearly not an option. But when we got home the problem solved itself. Jay walked through the door, flipped on the living room light. In the middle of the floor was a small black and white kitten wearing a big pink bow. Jay's first words were, "She's so tiny!" His next big mistake was letting her in the bedroom while we slept. We haven't slept alone in almost 13 years now. And my sister? Well, somehow Meow never made it back to live with her....but Meow does remember her. Whenever Amanda visits, Meow follows her around, rubbing on her, purring, and just generally being very loving. We're pretty grateful to Amanda in this house. Below is a picture of Meow the weekend she came to live with Jay and me.

Happy birthday to my fuzzy little girl!