Saturday, April 4, 2015

Thank You NC !

Another fabulous trip for the North Collins Marine Biology Club.  I am always so proud of our students - we as chaperones again heard many compliments of how well behaved and polite
the kids were all week.  Kudos to you parents- your hard work shows in their manners! 
    The week would not run smoothly without the help of the other adults on the trip - Thank you again to Lisa and Randy Brosnick, Garry and Kathy Dole!
I have traveled many places in my life but wouldn't trade any of it for the great times I have had with students on the MBC trips.   
All my Love,   Miss Palmer

Friday, April 3, 2015

The Days are Just Packed


Bekah and Ashlynn here to talk about our last day in Paradise. The day started bright and early for some of us as Mr. Dole took Sam and Bekah to see the sunrise while others opted for the extra hour of sleep. The calm of the island and the beauty of the sunrise was a great start to the day. After breakfast, we went to Carambola Gardens. There, Bill (the owner) showed us the different kinds of trees native to Roatán. We saw cocoa and cinnamon trees (to name a few) and we were even able to taste some all-spice leaves and cocoa beans. We then hiked up the mountain (after taking a few wrong turns). The view was breathtaking (literally—we were all rather short of breath). From the top of the mountain we were able to see all of Anthony’s Key and Bailey’s Key—the place where the dolphins live. What was so cool about it was that we could see places where we previously snorkeled. The hike down was a lot easier and we all worked up enough of a sweat to be ready for some snorkeling. Our first snorkel sight was off the back of Bailey’s Key. The mooring was near a shipwreck called El Aguila.  JoJo and John threw bait into the water and huge groupers came and snatched them up. It was quite alarming and extremely cool. We swam around for a while looking at all of the fish and coral. After our morning snorkel, we went to lunch where we feasted on chicken wraps, homemade pizza, and fish. After lunch there was time for some powernaps before our afternoon snorkel. Miss Palmer requested we go back to Blue Harbor because she believes it to be the most beautiful place on earth. While in Blue Harbor, Sam got a chance to snorkel one last time because she bought special ear plugs. We saw some pretty neat things like a huge hermit crab living in a conch shell and a pair of sailfin blennies. Jake and Chris even saw a stingray! The boat ride back proved to be eventful. A flying fish decided to make himself known to us and jump into Miss Palmer’s lap. She decided to be a good neighbor and she threw him back into the ocean. Miss Palmer was the hero of today :) It was a sad last snorkel because this meant that we had to say goodbye to our pals JoJo and John.   JoJo and John taught us a lot about the water and the creatures that live there and they added some native spice to our trip. After our final snorkel in Roatán, we got some ice cream and then had time to go to the gift shop and buy some cool souvenirs. We then went to the bar where we  got some delicious drinks, listened to live music and watched the sunset with our education director Jennifer Keck.  We then had a yummy dinner. Chris went all out and got a seafood platter with crab, conch, and every possible thing you can imagine. We are now enjoying the peace and quiet of the island as we pack our things to return home. We’re collecting all of the extra sunscreen and bug spray and giving it to Jen Keck to give to the locals and other snorkeling groups.  It’s a bittersweet goodbye—sad to leave but ready to go home. Thank you to everyone who has been commenting. The comments always put smiles on our faces. This is Bekah and Ashlynn signing off for the last time in Roatán. Perhaps one day we’ll return :)

The group at the peak of Carambola Gardens
The ginormous groupers off of Bailey's Key
Saying goodbye to our new friends, JoJo and John

Seafood heaven
 
P.S. Thanks Mom and Dad for commenting and bringing me happiness knowing your thinking of me as much as I am thinking of you. I miss you guys so much and can’t wait to tell you my experiences here in Roatán, Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Love, Ashlynn

P.P.S. Thanks Katie and Mom and Lori and Amelia for commenting. I liked hearing from you guys, but my favorite commenter was Jocy :) I’m excited to see you too! Owen, I have the picture of the banana tree for you—it was the first thing I did. There’s one conveniently right outside my cabin. I love you all and am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night. Mom, you can expect me to barge into your room and steal Murphy so that I can have a snuggle bud to keep me warm! Love you lots, Bek

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Outback Dave and Professor Keppel venturing the high seas....CROIKEE!


The squad at the pool.

Professor Keppel and Outback Dave here to bring you the best blog of the century. Well, we started off with our usual breakfast of watermelon and pancakes (Professor Kep) and eggs, bacon, and ham (Outback).  Then, we ventured to the classroom for an amazing lecture on the many Mangrove areas within the Caribbean. After the lecture, we were on the boat again to see the Mangroves with our own eyes at Man O’ War Key. Despite being a little murky, it was a very unique experience to see all of the juvenile fish just chilling in shallow waters fit for their size; but the snorkeling didn’t end there. We took the boat a whole 50 feet out of the Mangroves into Blue Harbor, one of the most beautiful spots in the entire Caribbean. There, we not only got to look at the diverse selection of organisms, we were fortunate enough to collect them with our fancy nets. Upon our snorkel, we spotted the wild Miss Palmer doing the classic “King of the World” pose off of the front of the boat. Also we spotted an eagle ray and a flounder. Some things we collected are the mighty Queen Conch, Milk Conch, a Sea Biscuit, and Jenna caught a fish called the slippery-dick…she was the master fish catcher because no one else could do the hearty task. Within some of the empty conch shells and encrusted algae, little fish, baby octopi, baby shrimp, a flatworm, a segmented worm called the thing, and Mr. Krabs, straight from the krusty algae (a.k.a. The Krusty Krab). Then, we safely released all of these critters back into the wild, and returned for lunch. On the menu was a beef tenderloin sandwich, an entire fish (including the eyes), and a nice B.L.T. sammich (Dad we can serve these at Keppies’ Sammiches). We then played cards on the girls’ deck, and spotted the wild iguana. Carl decided to fight a bee on the way to the gear shack. The bee got some good shots in (Carl’s okay), but you shoulda seen the bee;).
                Our afternoon snorkel took place off of the back of Anthony’s Key, where we saw many urchins, a large barracuda the size of Manhattan, and a large variety of juvenile fish. On the way back in, Outback Dave and Chris had a memorable encounter with fire coral, while Professor Keppel, Jade, and Aurora watched from a safe, unfirey distance. Vinegar turned out to be a great cure, and we headed for the pool for some fun in the sun. Then, Outback Dave and Professor Keppel reunited as the volleymaster duo in some classic beach volleyball once more. Yesterday they fell short to the hometown boys by a mere two points, but that was not the story today… THEY DESTROYED, bringing their overall record to 2-1. All of this fun made us all hungry, and we headed for dinner, with great chicken parm, and Grilled Mahi Mahi (it’s a fish).  To top the day off Professor Keppel and Outback Dave gave the greatest presentations this side of the Hudson on reef health and climate change. Now we will finish the blog and upload everything so we can get some sleep. This is Outback Dave and Professor Keppel signing off. Have a swell night.

P.S. Hey Dad amd Mom, Jenna here. I miss you guys and hope you are having a fun time doing nothing in a quite house with the dog. Garbear, I hope your arm feels better. Love you guys!!

The Professor and Outback Dave


Lionfish at the mangroves.

Zach holding Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber

Chillin on the boat deck.

CORAL

Searching for critters in the algae.

"Jack I'm flying!"

Red-Tipped Sea Goddess

Thanks To Mrs. Brosnick for finding this beautiful Sea Goddess at the Blue Harbor back reef! Both the rhinophores and gills are tipped with red. This Nudibranch is uncommon in Central America which makes it an even better find. 

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

No Foolin'! We had a blast today!


It’s Wednesday and it’s the Brosnick duo’s turn to blog. We started the day as always with breakfast bright and early at 7:00. Apparently no one sleeps in on Roatan. After breakfast, we gathered our stuff up and hopped on a bus and headed to the intertidal zone. The shores were made up of fossilized coral and shells. Here the tide was low enough for us to see all kinds of life such as hermit crabs (Jenna’s favorite), snails, chitons, and crabs. Clinging to the rocks, these animals had the true wild life, trying to hold on against the onslaught of waves. As it started, to rain we ran back to the bus and headed into the town of West End. We had two hours to venture into shops selling all kinds of souvenirs and clothes.
The shops had very interesting items hand made by native Roatanians.  We’re sure you will see many of these gifts when we return!  Some of us were quick to master the ways of bargaining and were able to get “discounts” Roatan style.   I (Noah) bought a hand -made bongo.  Let’s hope everyone can sleep tonight!  The girls were on a mission to find dresses, while the boys ended up with hand-woven palm hats.  We finished our tour in town with a quick stop at the grocery store for ice cream, crazy foods only found in Roatan, coffee and vanilla.
The afternoon brought beautiful sunshine and a snorkel at Fish Den.  Holding true to its name, we saw lots of fish: a large school of grunts, several durgons, queen angels, filefish and at the very end a large hogfish.
After a few quick April Fools jokes about sightings of whale sharks we were on our way back to shore.  We were quick to change into our dry clothes and join our dive master John and his friends for a few intense games of beach volleyball.  We tried to do our best, but let’s just say us New Yorkers don’t know beach volleyball, or anything to do with a beach and warm weather.
Another quick change into our nice clothes and we headed to Fiesta Night.  The fun began with an intense crab race.  Both Carly and Rebekah had winning crabs after the first round.  We thought Carly’s was going to win, but the crab was directionally challenged and turned away from the finish line at the last moment.  Then everyone tried their hand at the limbo.  With an impressive showing, Chris was crowned “Limbo King”.  I (zach) realize now limbo is not for tall kids.  Miss Palmer, Clinton and Mr. and Mrs. Brosnick broke it down on the dance floor during the dance contest.  However, the native Garifuna dancers showed them up with their extraordinary tribal dance skills.  We think that playing the conch and the turtle are much cooler instruments than trumpet and viola. 

The real fiesta started when the dance floor opened to everyone.  Some of us found interesting partners to dance with, while others danced with Miss Palmer and Mrs. Brosnick.  Leaving us all tired, we slowly trudged back to our rooms to go to sleep.  You know we won’t get to sleep in tomorrow.







Group with Clinton at the fiesta!

Dinner for the night mmm

Local dancer, grooving at the party