Comanche

Once upon a time long ago, in a land far, far away, a small girl dreamed of horses. Not just any horses but horses of golden color with flowing, blonde manes and tails. The small girl prayed for a horse of her very own but for several years this prayer was not answered. In the meantime she made amends with a large cart horse called Bill who, as he was the only horse around, was to her the epitome of beauty. She brushed and combed his scraggy mane and tail and groomed his lack lustre hide and promised herself that one day she would own a beautiful horse of gold.

Fast forward to decades later. This small girl grew up to have many horses in her lifetime, but none of the golden color with the flowing mane and tail. However she never gave up her dream and loved all the bays, grays, sorrels and blacks that entered her life. She lived in many countries and always found room for a horse or two. Those wonderful Quarterhorses of America, the dainty Arabs of Arabia, the Anglo-Arabs of Africa and the Thoroughbreds of Malaysia. That little girl with the dream of the elusive golden horse was me.

One day while roaming the cyber world which is now part of our everyday lives, I came across a very interesting individual who owned, trained and showed Peruvian horses. I had never heard of the breed although I had been aware of gaited horses, and my pursuit of knowledge about gaited horses had drawn me to this person. She listened to my questions about her beloved breed and she was never scornful of my ignorance. After many questions about the breed I hoped to find a Peruvian horse here in Malaysia, but soon discovered that they were unheard of here and there were none to be found.

One day my friend whose name is Marna, told me of a mare that she acquired. And yes, it was a pale golden color with blonde mane and tail. My dream horse! I soon became convinced that I had to become acquainted with this mare but there are many miles between Malaysia and the US and this posed a problem. After scheming and plotting for many months I devised a plot to get to Washington State to meet this mare and her owner.

When we had decided to spend our golden years here in Malaysia, we put all of our belongings in storage in the US, our original home. Now was the time to go back and go through all of these belongings, decide what needed to be kept and what needed to be disposed of, and then have the remaining items shipped to us here. And what better opportunity to get to meet owner and mare? A trip from Washington DC to Washington State would be well worth the time and effort.

I made my plans, deviously convincing my husband that I needed to go and reduce the amount of belongings for shipment. I mentioned in a very off handed way that I might, just might, make a side trip to Washington State to meet with friends and this aroused in my husband no suspicion of horse involvement. However he isn’t as dumb as I would like to think and I am sure he knew a horse was at the end of my trail somewhere.

I conscientiously went through our belongings in Maryland with the help of a good, and of course, horsey friend and bought my ticket to the West Coast. Upon arrival I was met by Marna, her daughter and some other horsey friends and felt completely at home. Marna gave me all sorts of Peruvian news and told me about the mare who is named D’Ora. I couldn’t wait to see her for myself.

She was, of course, in winter coat but still looked wonderful to me. As I had never ridden a Peruvian I was eager to try the gait. I made the mistake of calling it a trot and was gently corrected by Marna and told it was a gait and not a trot. Marna suggested I try her and I did. I have to say that the feeling of riding a Peruvian is out of this world. She was so smooth and I looked like an idiot with this huge grin on my face. I took her out on the trail and Marna took pictures and it was quite literally the best ride I have ever had on a horse. I fell absolutely and irrevocably in love. We gaited through mud puddles and rocks and along a winding trail and I never wanted this ride to end. What a wonderful feeling and how much in tune I felt with this horse. Almost as if we were one and not two individuals.

However I had to turn her back over to her rightful owners but I will never forget the feel of that sweet mare’s breath on my cheek. I wish I could say that the happy ending to this story is that she accompanied me back to Malaysia to introduce the breed, but this wasn’t to be the case. As very few horses make the trip from the US to Malaysia there is no way she could share a pallet with two other horses and thereby reduce the cost of shipping. But I shall never forget D’Ora or her owners and will continue to “push” the breed here in the hope that someone will be willing to take the chance and bring Peruvian horses to South East Asia.

Thank you once again Marna and Jordan. You made this old lady very happy and I will always remember you and D’Ora.

Filed under: Uncategorized on March 13th, 2011 | No Comments »

Yes…. UTM is holding their first Johor International Horse Show this weekend. The first two days have gone by in a flash and today is the final day. The centre has been in turmoil for the past few months as the facility has been building and changing. The new stables are up and looking very snazzy. The old stables will be renovated at a later date. I am hoping, hoping, hoping for some large grass paddocks for turnout but that may be at a later date. I shall keep campaigning!

Comanche, Monte Carlo and Yuma are all now installed at the new UTM facility. The daily activity there seems to keep them amused and Comanche and Monte Carlo are used for training by a select number of students. They are entered in the show and I was amazed at how they behaved. This was Comanche’s first venture and he did well. The young lady that rode him came out of the ring and cried because she was so pleased with him. She had thought he would be really naughty and that it would be a fiasco but he performed well on the first two days. Of course he needs a lot more training but I am sure he will get it now.

Monte Carlo seemed to remember all the training he received many years ago when he belonged to Matthew Davies. Of course he needs some polishing but he also looked good. Zak will take him in hand and although he had only been at UTM for 9 days prior to the show, he acquitted himself as though he had been there much longer. They may not be the smartest animals in the world but they never seem to forget. Several people approached his rider to ask who owned him and were surprised to hear that he was a TB and not a Warmblood. He does have that look as he is a big sturdy boy. However his rider wouldn’t tell anyone who his owners were and I think she may have been concerned that he would sold. Not a fear of that as he is Himself’s pride and joy.

Speaking of Himself…. his neurosurgery was a complete success and he is back to normal once again. Hopefully in the next few weeks he will be able to ride again. The fear was that he would never regain his balance but all is now well. His surgery was performed here in JB and I can only acclaim the surgeon and the hospital. They were fantastic and he was back at home three days after the surgery. It has been a very stressful three months however and I am happy it is now in the past. I had thought that neurosurgery may supply me with a new and exciting personality as a husband, but to tell the truth I am happy to see the old, grumpy curmudgeon taking up space in front of the TV.

So all is well at UTM and to tell the truth the youngsters there seem to rejuvenate me. And, most important of all, the horses are happy.

Filed under: Uncategorized on March 12th, 2011 | No Comments »

I just realized it has been almost a year since my last report. (Pulls covers over head.) It sounds much better to tell everyone that I went into seclusion, rather than to tell the truth and say I am just plain lazy when it comes to blogs. I have so many blog thoughts whirling around in my head and often think I should make a blog to EQ on that, but then it either goes “poof” or I get immersed in other things. My apologies to all concerned and my proffered thanks for your patience, Pete.

We are at another chapter in the life of Comanche. After the past few years with him I have gotten to know this horse pretty well and he is a delight to be around. No vices at all. However he did give me a “love nip” on my upper arm one time and left a small bruise. He got good smack for that and it never happened again. He is very happy to be around humans and will come to anyone when called. He doesn’t kick, bite or spook and stands patiently for any administrations. He goes well in both bit and bitless bridles but he needs very soft hands. He will do whatever you ask of him but he absolutely hates the trails. No amount of patience and training will change his mind and he comes back in from a trail ride covered in sweat and and thoroughly unhappy.

This may seem as though I am looking for a home for him but not so. He now has a job and is settling in well in his new surroundings. He is on lease to Zak at UTM and will be used in the arena for students and Zak’s personal use and as he hasn’t been there a week yet, this is his settling-in time. Zak has had him under his care before so I am sure all will be well.

I shall miss him of course. Funny how these animals worm their way into your heart, isn’t it? I know that given this opportunity he will be much more at peace and won’t have to worry about those dreaded bushes and trees with the horse-eating tigers hidden in the undergrowth. There are already a couple of competent riders eager to get time on him and hopefully he will do well for them. Still, it’s sad time for me not have him nickering to me as I get out of the truck.

We still have the dreaded and horrible Monte Carlo (don’t tell John I used those words) and our old and trusted friend Yuma. Yuma is still going strong and heading speedily towards his 30’s. People are always amazed when told how old he is as he still had no gray hairs. Either that or he has a Clairol sales person come in once a month to do a color job on him. He is sticking close to Monte Carlo now as Comanche was his “best buddy”.

I have to admit that I tend to malign Monte Carlo and most of what I say about him isn’t necessarily the truth. Yes dear reader, I have been known to exaggerate when it comes to that horse and my aversion to him is documented and very well known. Nevertheless John thinks he is the best thing since the invention of the wheel and treats him like a huge puppy dog. They actually go for long walks together as unfortunately John has been experiencing some health difficulties which have affected his balance, and he will probably never ride again. So that means that I have to take the monster out on the trails to make him earn his living. When I am riding him he thinks I am whispering sweet nothings to him when, in actual fact, I am calling him every nasty word a sailor or soldier ever heard. I even make some up!

On a lighter note…. my daughter and her husband are now living in Kuala Lumpur until the summer of 2012 when her assignment will end and she will move on to another posting. She is enjoying KL and they live in Ampang. She is well known for her tight clutch on her wallet and when they come to Kulai to visit she always makes comments about how much cheaper everything is here. Yup, kiddo. Maybe your old Mom isn’t nearly as dumb as you once thought.

I have to say that I really love living in Kulai. On one of our trips back to the US I remember meeting a Malaysian woman who had been living in the US for many years. She was originally from JB and was very surprised to hear that we were living in Kulai. She said she remembered that it was a very small town and “whatever did we do to amuse ourselves there?” I just had to tell her that we now had our own TESCO. Then I realized that I have truly become a small town person. Who else would recommend a town on the basis of its grocery stores?

I seem to be running out of steam so will try (not promise) to be more active on this blog in the future. If you got this far, thanks for reading.

Filed under: Uncategorized on November 14th, 2010 | No Comments »

There is an old American saying “barefoot and pregnant” that does NOT apply here. Rather I am about to expound upon the horse(s) who are barefoot.

Several years ago a farrier was working on one of my horses and caused his sole to bleed. When I commented on this the farrier remarked that it wasn’t a problem and happened frequently. I had never seen this happen to one of my horses before but went home and started to really consider shoes and feet - the equine variety of course. I did some research. Thank the powers that be for the internet as it has opened so many doors to knowledge for us all, but that’s a different blog. I read and re-read several good informational and international web sites of the then “new” barefoot idea that was slowly making its progress across other countries. It all seemed to make sense to me especially when I realized that the actual hoof should flex as it touches the ground and that the frog should make contact with the ground also in order to pump blood back up the leg. How can the hoof flex if an iron shoe is attached? Anyway I made a decision that day that I have not to this day regretted. I decided to try this “new” method and see how it worked on my horses.

I realized immediately that the horses would be “ouchy” when moving around on gravel surfaces and that I would not be doing much riding until their feet achieved the optimum health without the aforementioned iron shoes nailed on. I purchased several pairs of Easy Boots. Wouldn’t you know that all three of them took a different size? I intended to put the boots on when riding in the plantation as there are several roads with gravel. The gravel is the large and often sharply pointed type and I didn’t want to cause a stone bruise which could possibly turn into an abcessed infection.

I brushed the sole with iodine every day and then once a week I applied formalin to help toughen the feet. After a few weeks I could see the difference and was very pleased with the result. Monte Carlo, who had always had a problem with stumbling when being ridden, no longer stumbled although he has two entirely different front feet. How he ever won one race, let along three, is totally beyond me. He is big and chunky and looks almost like a warmblood. However he became very sure footed and all three managed to escape the dreaded stone bruise or abcess.

I scaled back on my riding until the feet were sound and strong and we have never looked back. The past 5 years have been a success story for the barefoot regime with my horses.

Of course, being the obnoxious mouthy person I am, I tried my best to interest others in this way of caring for the feet. Several farriers told me that they could do the barefoot trim but what they were using was not the original trim, but only a pasture trim. Therefore I had to trim the feet myself and teach the grooms how to do it too.

At my advanced and decrepit age I soon had the syces doing a passable job which eased the ache in my back. Now they are proficient in what the feet should look like but I still have to check them and make sure that all is well. Consider me a control freak!

I can heartily recommend Pete Ramey’s website www.hoofrehab.com for anyone hoping to achieve success in this field. Of course there will always be people that say they absolutely must have shoes on their horses feet because of conditions or other matters. But once we begin to really look into this method it makes more sense. Horses started to wear shoes during the dark ages because they were kept in stalls 24/7 and no one bothered to clean out the stall. Consequently their feet suffered from standing in wet straw and manure. The shoes helped keep the feet healthier in those conditions but today any responsible horse owner knows that the hoof is the most important part of the horse. However there are some cases where the horse needs shoes and I cannot dispute that fact. You have to try it for yourself and your horses to find out. A few weeks of “ouchiness” is to be expected and maybe even a stone bruise or abcess. A lot depends on the common sense of the caretaker of the horse.

I have seen several people here in Malaysia turn to the barefoot program and hopefully I have been a small part of that movement. However even if no one else ever seriously considers removing the shoes from their own horses feet, I know my three will remain barefoot and healthier and happier for it.

Filed under: Uncategorized on July 7th, 2010 | No Comments »

The holidays are upon us again and I have no idea how the world managed to fly by me with such lightening speed and whirlwind haste. But I hold tight to the fact that spring will soon be here and another year upon us again. Hopefully I can manage to achieve all those things that slid by me last year. Yeah right!

I recently spent an afternoon at a government-run equine facility. The surroundings were green and lush with plenty of open space and large trees for shade. A perfect place to keep a horse. But as I started looking at all the horses it crept upon me that they all were standing in their stalls with their heads in a corner and their eyes were dead. Except for a very few, they were no longer interested in their surroundings and could not be coaxed to the gate of their stalls for a rub on the head or a scratch behind the ears. This upset me quite a bit and I took a further look at the stable and location. There was a great expanse of green and lush grassy areas but no grass paddocks to speak of. These horses were kept in their stalls with little to look at or watch and practically no interaction with other horses.

I find it very hard to believe that anyone with any equine knowledge does not realize that horses are a herd animal and need to be moving and to be around their own kind. I also know I am extremely lucky to be in a place where my horses interact in large grass paddocks with all the other horses. It is healthier for them both mentally and physically.

I can understand someone who owns a very expensive show horse and is not willing to have them loose with other horses but even that horse should be turned out for more than an hour or two. It’s tantamount to us humans being kept in a small cell with no TV or other amusements and nothing to do but wait for the next meal to arrive.

I also realize that this is not just peculiar to this particular stable and that most horses in Malaysia do spend most of their day in their stall and it is something I have never come to terms with. I have always been used to my horses being loose in a pasture or paddock with grazing available all day long. And in fact most of the time they have been outdoors 24/7. I can remember on several occasions when my daughter used to worry about her Quarterhorse, Cherokee standing outside in the heavy rain and sometimes snowy weather. She would wrap up and put on her boots and walk out to him, put a halter on him and walk him into his run-in where he could be warm and dry. Then before she had time to walk back to the house, he would be outside in the cold and snow again. So horses do prefer to have room to move around and graze. We wrap them in blankets and keep them stalled in cold weather and we keep them stabled for “their own good” when they actually need the freedom to interact with other horses and find their standing in the group.

I have to admit I went back to our stable and told our horses how lucky they are but I doubt they appreciate that fact. In fact I could read their minds and they were yelling, “Where’s the carrots?”

Filed under: Uncategorized on December 26th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Yup I really haven’t gone on a long walkabout or on safari in the deepest jungle known to man. I am have been busy doing my own thing and not listening to clocks chiming and timetables squawking. Listening to the quiet times and enjoying the days that seem to roll along without thought of tomorrow. Does that sound like a good excuse? I hope so.

Actually I am embarrassed by the fact that I have no idea how to post a picture on this blog anymore. Ever since I got a new Apple ‘puter the old way no longer works and I can use some help. Can you hear me Zu, Pete, anyone else?????

We had a sad day when I had to make that final decision for my 15 year old deaf, blind and senile French Bulldog, Dixie. She had become so uncomfortable and her quality of life was no longer good. She had been deaf and blind for a long time but still happy and eating well. Then the day came when she no longer knew where she was or who we were and I had to make that awful decision. It was like losing an arm and I shall miss her a long time. However she had a great little life for a dog. She became an American Champion and then retired from the show ring to have her one and only litter of puppies.

She traveled the world with us, usually in the cabin as she was small enough to take on board rather than go by cargo. I remember my last flight out of Saudi Arabia. I had opted to travel Business Class and she came along with me. I made all the arrangements for her to travel in the cabin and when I got to the airport to leave it was arbitrarily decided by the powers that be that she could no longer be in the cabin. As she was traveling in a soft sided carrier there was no way she could go in cargo with the suitcases. I had a total meltdown and stamped my foot, held my breath until I turned blue and was about to lay down on the floor and kick my feet. I guess the officials must be used to pacifying angry women and they finally relented. She slept almost the whole 14 hours from Jeddah to Washington Dc and about every 3 hours she would poke her head out of the top of the carrier, look around and and signal with her eyes “Are we there yet?” I shall miss her for a long, long time.

Meanwhile the saga of Comanche and I goes on and on. There are days when he is a perfect angel and days when the hard headedness (is that a word?) comes charging through. I have found that stopping him and making him stand and the quiet does wonders. He seems to gather it all together again. But oh I long for those solitary rides and so far it hasn’t happened yet.

My daughter received word that her next assignment will be in Kuala Lumpur for two years. So she will be at the Embassy there. I am so looking forward to having her “just up the road a piece”. She arrives in August 2010. So if y’all happen to go to the US Embassy and run into Mika, ask her how her crazy old Mom is. She will know you are a friend!

We are off to Manila this week for about 10 days. Maybe that damned Comanche will miss me.

Filed under: Uncategorized on October 26th, 2009 | No Comments »

Out most recent adventure started in the Philippines where we decided to swim with the largest shark in the ocean - the gentle giant called the whale shark. When we exited the plane we spotted a nearby volcano with what I thought was a cloud around the head. I was quickly informed that it was actually a cloud of white ash and the volcano was presently “grumbling”.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/IMG_0906theactivevolcano-1.jpg[/IMG]

We then took a van into the small village of Donsol. This village is a fishing village but during the months of February through April the waters around the village are home to the whale shark which attracts eco-tourism. Upon arrival at our hotel we immediately changed into our swim suits and complete with mask, snorkel and fins headed for the outrigger canoe which would take us out to meet these gentle giants. I’m the one standing in the black swimsuit and my daughter and SIL are crouched at my feet. The man standing on the top of the outrigger is the look out for the whale.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/whaleshark5-1.jpg[/IMG]

“GO. GO. GO” shouted one of the guides and we jumped off the outrigger into the water. We were searching for the gentle giant, the whale shark. As soon as I got my bearings I looked around me and finally saw what looked like a huge grey school bus with white spots heading my way. It was the whale shark! This animal is the largest shark known and grows to about 40 feet in length. Fortunately for us it eats only krill, small fish and plankton which is scoops up with its huge mouth. The sight was awe inspiring.

In the following picture you can see the size of the massive head and huge mouth compared to the swimmer on the surface above,

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark5.jpg[/IMG]

The huge and gentle giants are usually extremely tolerant of the human spectators. They cruise just below the surface scooping up the plankton and krill. When an outrigger arrives and we humans tumble overboard they usually stay for about 5 minutes and then gently and lazily head for the bottom to lose us. We were lucky enough to find one that stayed top side for about 25 minutes and it was a great experience to be able to swim around and examine it at close range.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark2.jpg[/IMG]

The smaller fish are remora which feed on the parasites that attach themselves to the shark. I stayed very close to this shark and would swim up to the head and look into it’s eye and wonder what it thought of us all . Then I would drift back until I was at its tail so I could take a really close look. The tail waves very gently but with tremendous force.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark3.jpg[/IMG]

I swam beside the head and looked into it’s eye and wondered what it thought of us small creatures. We were very lucky to find one that tolerated us longer than they usually do.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark10.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark1.jpg[/IMG]

I would heartily recommend this trip to anyone. However the accomodations are rather bare and the food was not so good, but who cares after an experience like that?

Hope y’all enjoyed.

Filed under: Uncategorized on June 8th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Home again, home again, jiggity jig! Yup Comanche came home from his three month “vacation” from me. He looks absolutely spiffing! Is there such a word? He was clipped as soon as he got home and his syce trimmed his feet into a good barefoot trim again. Comanche has been glued to Yuma ever since he got back and you never see one without the other joined at the hip. I am glad to see him home and he still is a very sweet horse and loves attention.

The reason I have been absent for so long is that we had a rather nasty couple of months here. Our daughter who is with the Embassy in Manila went into hospital for minor surgery and it turned into a life threatening situation for her. After about three weeks of one medical fumble after another, the Embassy literally walked into the hospital there and kidnapped her and put her on medical flight to Singapore. After three botched surgeries and seven transfusion she was long overdue to be moved. Thank goodness the decision was made to medivac her as it saved her life. It took several more weeks of recuperation and care but she finally recovered and is now once again back in Manila on the job. Needless to say she will be very glad when her tour in Manila comes to an end.. Especially so as her next two year tour will be at the Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and this parent cannot wait to see her and her spouse here in Malaysia. She is getting quite close to retirement now and is seriously looking into places to settle. So far Malaysia is top of the list. I am hoping that the tour in KL will be a great one for her and she too will be overwhelmed by the kindness and friendliness of Malaysians.

She and her husband will be spending a month here in July and we have two trips scheduled already. One to Pangkor Laut and the other to Tanjong Jara. So if y’all run into anyone who claims to be my daughter, five feet tall and big brown eyes, please treat her kindly and don’t tell her I am still riding and participating in non-old lady stuff. She will nag me and remind me of my age. When did the parent become the child? It ain’t fair.

Not much this time but next time I have a trip to write about - complete with pics to enjoy. Meanwhile I am off to enjoy Comanche

Filed under: Uncategorized on April 30th, 2009 | No Comments »

What a busy month!  But such a delightful one!  We welcomed a friend for a visit this month and she has a really international background.  Although her passport states Elaine is Swedish, she resides for most of the year in South Carolina in the United States and for the remainder of the year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  She is also, of course, a horsey person.  Do I know anyone who isn’t?  I think not.  She flew into KL and we met her there and began chattering away to one another.  John said we didn’t stop the whole time she was here.  She was eager to see Comanche so that was an early achievement and as we were staying at the Palace of the Golden Horses, it was easy to accomplish.

Comanche is doing really well and when I called his name from across the paddock he was really animated.  I know he missed me or at least the bag of carrots I was trying to hide.  However there are only two more months to go until he is home again.  KL had been having a lot of wet weather as we could tell, but here in Johor the ground is dry as a bone.  The wet weather will work wonders for Comanche’s feet and he won’t be suffering like my other horses.  I have started using boots on the horses when they go out on the trail as the clay is so hard packed and there is now so much gravel that they really need some protection for their hooves.  Oh for a good ole fashioned gully washer – that’s American English for torrential downpour!

Our visitor took a tour of KL and as she is an ardent photographer she nabbed some beautiful pictures of that fair city.  During a tour stop at a temple she managed to gate crash a Hindu wedding and her photographs were outstanding.  I was amazed that someone didn’t throw her out but the usual Malaysian courtesy was extended to her.  It made a great impression  and she was charmed by my second home.  I think she actually was seriously considering moving here and I would be delighted to see it happen.

When we returned to Johor I took her out to the stable and we rode in the plantation.   She was fascinated by the palm oil trees and the methods of harvesting the palm oil nuts.  She asked many questions about the process and I am sorry to say that I had absolutely no answers for her.  But since then I have been doing my research!!!  We went on a shopping trip and she managed to fall in love with a small statuette of a horse – of course.  All in all she was really favorably impressed with Malaysia and plans to return again this year – with an empty suitcase and a husband who has stated that he will absolutely NOT hand carry shopping home for her.  Yeah right!

I do my best to introduce Westerners to this beautiful country and I want everyone to be as overwhelmed as I am with the people and the friendliness and courtesy that is extended to us matt sallehs.  Malaysia Boleh.

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 7th, 2009 | No Comments »

Playing with Stingrays.

Several years ago John and I were adventurous types. We drew a line at only one activity and that was rock climbing but we managed to fit in a lot of wonderful times despite that limitation. I should add that I also refused to have anything to do with sky diving, but as John was a paratrooper and Special Forces officer in his real life he didn’t mind too much. I never could figure out why he would want, and be able, to leap from a perfectly good airplane and hurtle towards the ground at break neck speed. But then I have to admit that I am not comfortable on the second step of a ladder. Big chicken – that’s me!

We were both avid scuba divers and decided to take a vacation to the Cayman Islands and partake in a dive and make a close up and personal visit to a pack of sting rays. You have to realize that this was before the death of the famous Steve Irwin, or possibly I would have re-considered that decision.

After our arrival and our usual amble through the hotel, that’s a “first thing first” in our book, we made arrangements to go out to the area where the sting rays congregated and try to mug the divers for food. It was on the famous North Wall and we were eager to get started. The next morning we met our dive master and boarded the boat that would take us out. The day promised to be a beautiful and perfect day with small, white clouds scudding across the sky and a hot sun burning down. As we were planning to be underwater and wet, we were not afraid of sunburn or heat stroke and I was ready to go! We were accompanied by a photographer who would be taking a video of the event for a keepsake.

As everyone knows I have a love for all animals and if I can get close to any wild animal then that’s a bonus in my book. I even admire the venomous snakes in our area and in fact recently came across a Coral Banded snake in our garden. With his bright red tail and head he was a beautiful specimen but extremely poisonous, or so I have been told. My son once had a snake for a pet when he was quite young and after a summer of feeding the snake he opted to return it the woods where it could hibernate and shift for itself again.

When we reached the dive site we suited up and dropped into the clear aquamarine water. We dove to the white sand bottom and waited for the appearance of the rays. After about five minutes the sting rays appeared all ready to eat their lunch. The females are much larger than the males and there were several of either sex in the group. We had some small pieces of food in our BVDs and held it out to them. Their mouths are on the underside and they scoop up their food with a sucking action. It felt rather strange to feel this vacuum-like motion on my hand but I couldn’t get enough of being in their midst and swimming with them. I played with them and I was told later that I looked like a pizza chef who twirls the pizza dough above his head in a circular motion. Then a large barracuda approached looking for a handout and I dropped several pieces of the food for him. He was probably the largest barracuda I had ever encountered on any of our dives and looked threatening with the fixed snarl countenance. However he wasn’t interested in us, only in the lunch we were offering. I imagine myriads of divers fed him daily and that was the reason he was so big.

After about 30 minutes John had seen enough but he couldn’t get me out of the water. I was having a blast. And in fact I spent 45 minutes below and finally had to come up as everyone was concerned I would run out of air and a not a few of them were a little annoyed that I had prolonged the dive. I realized that the dive boat operators have to make a living but I wanted to selfishly live the experience as long as I could.

We do have a great video of that dive and when we finally send for our storage items in the US I will be able to watch it again and re-live our encounter with the beautiful and graceful stingrays of the Cayman Islands.

Filed under: Uncategorized on January 1st, 2009 | No Comments »