Bermuda

Tobacco Bay, Bermuda. A fairly typical scene along this island's coastlines : warm clear water, nice coves and beaches, good snorkeling, and sunbathing weather in November. And a rum bar about 10 feet behind me.

John Smith's Bay, Bermuda. This type of outing seemed to be a big part of the Bermuda lifestyle for the locals: throwing together a party / cookout on a beautiful beach with good friends, good food, good drink. Come to think of it that's our lifestyle back home too !

Long Bay, Bermuda. Just digging' on the sun and sand and snorkeling right at the resort (the pink buildings in background). Bermuda is like a little piece of the Caribbean out in the middle of the Atlantic, just a little pricier.

The sand in Bermuda really is pink. But don't try to bring any home - Customs will take it!

Cambridge Beaches Resort, Bermuda. On this trip we did something we almost never do - stayed put in the same room for the entire vacation. Our "room" - a house actually - was pretty sweet. Located on a narrow strip of land, the top pic is the view out the front door, for sunrises over Mangrove Bay and the rest of the resort, and the bottom pic is the view out the back door for sunsets over the Atlantic. With 4 beaches, 2 pools, jacuzzi, spa, croquet, several bars and restaurants, you can't go wrong here at Cambridge Beaches Resort. A lot of famous people have stayed here over the years, now they can add us to the list!

Bermuda is small enough that you can stay put in one location and cover the island pretty well with a rented scooter. It takes about 45 minutes to scoot from one end of the island to the other.

Bermuda. This might be the only wetsuit in Bermuda. At least it's the only one we saw. At around 72 degrees, Wendy thought the water was freezing, but it didn't seem to bother the Europeans at all. But they have a lot more insulation than us..

As far as shallow-water snorkeling goes, Bermuda rates pretty highly. All of these pics were taken right off the beach and the visibility was always decent. There were lots of critters everywhere we dove, including many sea turtles and some of the biggest parrotfish I've ever seen anywhere.

Crystal Caves, Bermuda. There's more to Bermuda than just sun & fun & rum. Go underground at Crystal Caves and its twin, Fantasy Cave. They're short tours, but we thought it was worth the trouble to get out of the sun for a while and to see a different type of island scenery.

Questionable fashion statements.

Above: Bermuda shorts really are a common thing over here - part of the accepted corporate look. But I doubt this would work anywhere else.

Right: A new look for Wendy.

Cambridge Beaches Resort, Bermuda. One of my favorite selfies. See our shadows in the center of the photo next to the tree?

Bye-bye from Bermuda!