Hitting the Beach on Grand Bahama

"Beach Colors" Port Lucaya, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/340 sec, ISO200
“Beach Colors” Port Lucaya, 2016

Today we visited Grand Bahama and docked at Freeport, then took a taxi to Port Lucaya to shop and hang out at the beach. 🌊 There were plenty of water-sports 🏄 to take part in, but several of the family decided to ride the Banana Boat. They said it was super-fun! I decided to just relax on shore, and swim 🏊 a bit. It was a hot day and the water was nice and we saw a lot of relatives who made the journey over to the same beach.

Back at the ship 🚢, we showered and then went to a family get-together in one of the lounges. 🍹 On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons we reserved the Outrigger Lounge for a couple hours and the family members passed around the mic  and everyone introduced themselves, mingled, and listened to some family history. It was fun, funny, and touching, because we also took pause to remember the family members who had passed away recently (and no-so-recently). 🙏

One fun activity we enjoyed was a “Family Trivia” game, where you had to answer questions about family members, and get signatures. For instance, one of the items was “Who has the longest hair in the family?”. You can see in one of the pictures below one of the kids measuring my mom’s and my cousin’s hair. It was a good activity for the younger members of the family to get to know everyone. 👍

After the gathering, we all headed to the Crossings restaurant where we had dinner each night as a large group. The food was pretty good, and we ordered double-appetizers and entrees! It was fun to visit with the immediate and larger family. After the meal, it was time for karaoke 🎤 and then dancing 💃 at the Dazzles night club! I think we may have hit the Sky Club Casino 🎲 as well, but don’t quote me on that. 😝 And then midnight buffet anyone? 🍔 Of course!

When I arrived back at my cabin, there was a cute towel-animal waiting for me. A nice surprise and a good way to end a wonderful day.

"Bahamian Sunset" Atlantic Ocean, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/220 sec, ISO400
“Bahamian Sunset” Atlantic Ocean, 2016

Note: This post was written on 8/3/2016

Cruising

"On the Ship" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/11, 1/400 sec, ISO400
“On the Ship” Miami, 2016

Today we began our cruise aboard the Norwegian Sky. 🚢 It’s one of those massive ships that seem to have every amenity on board. This particular ship has an open bar… so it is affectionately known as the “Booze Cruise”. And yes, I did have a few drinks! 🍹🍷🍸🍻

"Let's Go!" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/340 sec, ISO400
“Let’s Go!” Miami, 2016

This day was pretty much a half-day aboard the ship but it was really fun. It began with lunch and a welcome dance up by the pool. My extended family were all wearing the same blue reunion t-shirt so we pretty much took over that deck. I think there were around 200 of us! And this family loves to dance. Besides the nightclub on the ship, just about every other family gathering had dancing. 💃 It was so much fun!

The rest of the evening was spent taking a huge group photo, a dip in the pool, dinner, karaoke, gambling at the casino, and dancing at the nightclub. And probably a visit to the midnight buffet. 🍔🍴 It was a great start to the cruise!

"Distant Clouds" Atlantic Ocean, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO3200
“Distant Clouds” Atlantic Ocean, 2016

Note: This post was written on 8/3/2016

Baseball in Miami

"At the Marlins Game" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
“At the Marlins Game” Miami, 2016

Hello! How’s it going?

Today a few of us decided to catch a Marlins game while we had a free day. The Mets were in town visiting and we got some great seats on the right-field side. I had forgotten that Ichiro played for the Marlins, but when we got to our seats we noticed there were a lot of Japanese fans in the seats. Then I realized that we had the chance to see the great Ichiro!

Unfortunately he wasn’t in the lineup… All the Japanese fans were bummed, I’m sure. But happily, in the 8th inning Ichiro came up to bat as a pinch hitter. He ended up striking out, but it was cool to see him play at least a little bit. ⚾️

I’m happy I have gotten to see some great ballplayers during my lifetime. Besides Ichiro, I have seen Derek Jeter, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Piazza, Tony Gwynn, and Ozzie Smith among others. Hall-of-Famers!

It’s so fun to visit the different MLB stadiums around the country. This was the 7th MLB stadium I have been to, and I’ve been to 3 in Japan.

In the end, the Mets beat the Marlins 0-3 but we still had a fantastic time. I’m so glad we went!

"Baseball Panorama" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
“Baseball Panorama” Miami, 2016

おやすみなさい!

– B Barron Fujimoto

Note: This post was written on 8/1/2016

Hello from Miami

"Ready for Take Off" Miami, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/12 sec, ISO3200
“Ready for Take Off” Miami, 2016

こんばんは!Hello, how’s it going?

Today I am writing this to you from Miami, Florida. I have started my vacation!

The flight from Austin went through Atlanta, and it was a nice trip. I sat next to a young man who is in the midst of his pilot training and he told me a lot of facts about commercial aviation, including some of the history of McDonnell-Douglas, models of airplanes, and also some of the shop-talk and nicknames of planes. It was quite fascinating! I hope he can achieve his dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot! ✈️

I arrived in Miami safely and was picked up by relatives and then we all had a nice catch-up dinner with family at my cousin’s house where we are staying. It was especially nice for me because I only see my parents and brothers once a year at most, so seeing them as part of our larger (100+ people) is quite a treat! I’m looking forward to the rest of the week.

Tonight’s photo is of the younger generation showing everyone a drone. One of the boys just returned from Jamaica, where they used the drone to take aerial photography as part of their activities. It was really cool to see one in action! Fascinating to say the least!

I hope you had a great day, and we’ll see you tomorrow!

おやすみなさい!

– B Barron Fujimoto

PADI Turtle

"PADI Kame" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/40 sec, ISO3200
“PADI Kame” Cedar Park, 2016

Hello!

Today’s photo is of my PADI diving certification card, which I received waaaay back in 1996, while on our honeymoon in the South Pacific. I have the card with me because I am starting my vacation tomorrow in Miami! 🌴 Most of the time we’ll be cruising in the Caribbean, so I honestly doubt we’ll have the chance to scuba, but it’s good to be prepared, isn’t it?

Well, more from Miami if I can fit in the time to blog!

Take care,

– B Barron Fujimoto