Sunset Moonrise

Each month, we and several other expats gather on the beach for sunset and moonrise.  It's the time that the sunsets within 10 minutes or so of the moon rising.  We gather at a narrow, flat part of the island so that we can see both from one location.

We do a potluck that began as just appetizers and has grown to be a full meal buffet.  Everyone brings a special delight from their kitchen and we all enjoy the company with drinks and a show from mother nature.

July's event was spectacular.

The Sahara dust has been very present on the island for weeks.  The dust blocks the sun and the moon from showing but does give us spectacular colors at sunset.  July's sunset was clear of dust and clouds.  The moonrise almost looked like daylight even though it was around 7:10 pm.

Our friends in Saudi Arabia (who used to live on Bonaire) provide us photos of their moon rise a day before we get ours.  It a way to share a special event even though we are thousands of miles away from each other and in different time zones.

We had a special treat this month with a swim by of dolphins.  They were following a bait ball and slapped the water with their tails to get the ball back together for capture. Several leaped out of the water showing us their full bodies.  We saw mommas with babies, hunters and we think there were about 15 or 20 in this pod. 

Although there is a pod that seems to live around Bonaire, it is a rare sighting to see so many so close and so active. Truly a wonderful and spectacular sight.

Thank you to B. Shelton for taking this photo and capturing such a magnificent creature..
 

Planting Palms

The big palm trees that caused us such aggravation are now gone.  This left a huge blank space in our landscaping. We went tree shopping to fill in the area.  Our criteria was: palms that don't need trimming.  We also had several small palm bushes in pots that needed to go in the ground so we used some of them as well. 

Our friendly and expensive nursery, Green Label, delivered our new palm tree.  This palm drops leaves all on its own without having to trim it or climb a ladder. All we have to do is pick up the palm fronds and put them in the trash. 

Our landscaper dug holes down to the coral bedrock which is not very deep. Apparently, large trees can grow and thrive in shallow soil.  The landscaper hacked off about two inches of roots, put the tree in the ground and called it good.  Rick ran a drip system to each plant.

Now we have plants surrounding the cabana that will grow to about 8-10 feet and create a tropical  feel for us on this desert island. It another project in the books to create a low maintenance garden.