After writing this blog I decided to go back to the beginning and give you a short prologue… this blog is wordy to begin with, but then there are lots of photos, So hang in there!
Chris and I love Saint Martin, but after being on the island for long stints of time it is really nice to get off the rock (as we say). When people ask me what I miss about the states the most my reply changes. Sometimes I say it is the way that in the states people actually respect time schedules, or maybe it I will say that I miss being cold and snuggling up next to an open fire place, but more often than not I will say that I miss driving for an hour and not ending up in the same place! In Saint Martin if I drive for an hour I am either stuck in traffic and not moving at all, or I have just done a full circle and ended up back in Grand Case. Well, if that is what I was looking for then we have certainly achieved that in Arizona.

It is truly beautiful here, and we haven’t even gotten to the Grand Canyon yet! I am so excited. However, just looking out he car window, seeing the hills and mountains in the distance with all the funny looking cacti sticking up between us and them, it is almost over stimulus for my eyes and my brain.

So, I should start on day two. To be honest, It is just day three now. I have woken up early and can’t get back to sleep. Chris is still a log (he can sleep for champions) but I am drinking the hotel coffee in the room and filling all you good folks in on yesterday’s events, they are pretty funny, so stay tuned! If you are new to the blog and looking for some fun diving anecdotes, skip back a few entries. In fact, writing that makes me think that perhaps you don’t all need a running commentary on our southwest adventures? I mean, I can always justify writing my blog as a way of keeping my parents up to date on my Saint Martin life, but I am traveling with them at the moment… oh well, I can’t get out of practice? Right? (That sounds pretty poor)

Anyway… we woke up on day 2 pretty early, as we are 3 hours ahead of Saint Martin in Phoenix. We went down to breakfast and of course Chris and I were the last to arrive. We didn’t really take advantage of the breakfast that was included in the price of the room. (Chris and I aren’t really breakfast people). But not to worry, my mom did. My mom has planned this whole vacation to the T. There is no deviating from the plan. And that is something that Chris and I are thoroughly enjoying… not having to make any decisions or plans in the slightest. So, my moms plan yesterday was to have a picnic after visiting a state park. So, while we were nursing our coffees my mom was shoving food into her bag for the packed lunch. For example, 6 bagels, 6 oranges, 6 boiled eggs, some cream cheese and some butter. Her justification (which I totally agree with) was that we could have eaten a bagel, an egg, an orange and some cream cheese for breakfast, so really, why couldn’t we take it for lunch? We all made fun of her, which made it much more entertaining, but the funniest thing was when these two ladies came down for some breakfast and there was basically nothing left. We had wiped it clean! I did show them how to make a waffle, we left the waffle machine and batter, couldn’t really fit that in mom’s bag. (By the way, she would probably be mad at me if she knew that I wrote this, so please don’t tell her.)

Then we bundled into the mini van and I captured this brilliant photo of Chris…

Then we headed to Fort Verde State Historic Park, one of the oldest and most well preserved forts in Arizona.

It was fun walking around and just imagining what life was like back then. Chris was excited when he found that I was actually in the museum…

This is due to his pet name for me… his “ball and chain.”

I got excited when I saw this water fountain, I haven’t drunk from one of these in ages, and I just love that it is there! I mean, water, just flowing, for all to enjoy! We don’t get these in Saint Martin…

Then we walked around a bit, trying to capture the whole experience…

Chris found an old excavator that wasn’t even part of the fort that was the highlight for him.

Dad broke into the building somehow and when I looked behind the glass into the soldiers quarters, expecting to see old guns and horrible itchy blankets, all of a sudden I saw my dad!
He got kicked out just after! Chris made friends with a man from Arizona who has never been to Saint Martin, but may visit now. He snapped this photo of us, where I am the same height as Chris!

Then it was time to head off in the mini van to our next destination. Now, I will spare a second here to explain that we have two navigators on this trip, there is the GPS and then there is my mom. Now, sometimes the two navigators fight amongst themselves. Normally my mom wins, and sometimes what she likes to do is shout out the directions before the GPS says anything…”Alright, she’s going to tell you to turn left and then immediately turn right.” And then the GPS does just that and she says “See.” All with a triumphant smile.

We then went to visit the Montezuma Castle. This an amazing structure, built in the 1100′s by the Pueblo people, cuts into the limestone cliffs high above Beaver Creek. The castle is so high, you can’t imagine climbing up and down everyday just to maintain everyday life! We strolled along and I took photos on the way. Here is the castle below…

Chris and I by the castle, You may notice that I am on my tippy toes (in order to make myself look taller compared to Chris, but Chris also went on his tippy toes just to sabotage my plans!!!).


We stopped to eat the lunch that my mom stole that morning (I mean that she rightfully took because we didn’t eat enough at breakfast). My mom had all the gear, plates, glasses, even a table cloth, and even though we made fun of her that morning, and later that day, and today probably… we all enjoyed it!

Talk during lunch was entertaining. My mom explained how amazing it was that every single man on the earth had a dad that didn’t die before he was born! After we all peed in our pants laughing at the most ridiculous statement in the world, I took a photo of mom trying to explain herself further…. To be fair she was making an interesting point while we were talking about survivors of the first and second world wars, but still!

After a funny lunch we went to the Montezuma well (this is a natural well formed when a limestone cave collapsed and it has a natural underwater source of warm carbon dioxide rich water), where we took some nice photos. Photo one is of the well, and photos 2 and 3 are my parents just being themselves.


Alright, I realize that I have truly exhausted your patience with all these anecdotes. We are in the Grand Canyon over the next 3 days, so I’m not sure how often I will be able to blog, but thanks for reading, hope it was of some entertainment value, I know that I have fun sharing.

Speak soon
(Sally wrote this blog. )

Well, as some of you may know, Chris and I are taking advantage of the low season to take a little break from Saint Martin, do some routine maintenance on the boats, compressors, etc and are currently on vacation in the great US of A. We (Stuart, Chris and I) all needed some time to let our bodies recuperate from a busy 2009 – 2010 season, so that is what we are doing. As I am writing this Chris and I are staying in Flagstaff, Arizona in a Hotel called “Little America.” Our plan was to blog everyday on our vacation, as although we want to be able to share with you all the great diving that we are doing… well, we can’t do that as we aren’t diving! So, we thought that the next best thing we could do is share what we like to do on our vacation time!

Stuart is in the wonderful NYC at the moment with Jen and Mark. He is staying in Brooklyn but going into Manhattan and exploring all the amazing things that New York has to offer. After spending almost every day with Stuart for the last 10 months, it is good to spend some time apart, but to be honest, we are missing him a little bit. Just a little, just maybe his laugh but definitely not his smart remarks about me being vertically challenged!

So, I am a day behind, but I will try and catch up.
Firstly, we flew to NY to meet my parents and then spend the night at their house in Westchester, New York. It was light when we arrived, and pleasantly warm. I was afraid that the cold would hit us like a brick when stepping out of the airport (like it normally does) but it was a nice crisp temperature. My dad met us, and after the quick hugs and kisses we set off home from JFK. After a quick dinner and then an early night we headed to Westchester airport to fly to Pheonix Arizona (via O’Hare in Chicago) very early the next morning.

After the first leg of the flight we had some breakfast in O’Hare airport. This airport is huge, HUGE. But easy to navigate. Here is a picture of my parents and then Chris and I as we had breakfast in the airport.



We then had a sleepy flight to Phoenix, Arizona where we met up with my parents friends Bob and Marg. Bob and Marg are from Australia, and have been friends with my parents since the 70s when my dad was a professor at a University in Oz. My sister is named after Marg… Then we headed to the hotel, dropped our stuff off and then headed out to the Hearst Museum in Phoenix. This museum is filled with all this amazing art and information on the Native American’s that lived and live in the SouthWest. We got there kind of late and as we had all separated inside, we met in the garden… well, all except my mom. The museum closed at 5 PM and my mom didn’t make it out until 5:15! As she finally made it out the doors, she explained that she was lost inside! This is typical of my mom, she even got lost on the airplane (but don’t tell her I told you that!). Here is a photo of her when she finally escaped.

Now, it was finally time to eat! We found, just for Chris, this old English Pub, Restaurant type place so we went in (it was actually my mom’s idea). Here is a picture going in…

As we walked in we noticed that there was a post on the front of the place that said they didn’t have a liquor license. We got really worried…

We went in anyway…

Inside, it was all English decor, which is fun as we were with my mom (British) and my husband (British). Chris was able to drink a Fullers ESB, which happens to be his all time favorite British Ale! And although we were suspect on the way in, we actually had a great night. Chris beat me 3 times at pool, but I will get him next time!!!

So, that leaves us in Phoenix for the night, and as I explained earlier we are in Flagstaff. So I am a day behind, but I will fill you all in tomorrow of what we did today. But there is just too much to write about.
Don’t worry, I am still online (obviously) and answering all emails, so if you need anything, don’t worry, just ask. So, off to bed now. It is only 10:30, but it is 3 hours ahead of St. Martin, so it feels a lot later! So, stay tuned for more info!
(Sally wrote this blog )

Well, I just sent out a newsletter to everyone. I hope that you received it and appreciated it. If you didn’t, and you would like to sign up then just put your email in below (fingers crossed that this works).

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

I will also try and put it up on the website somewhere, so it is easy to subscribe. Now you may be thinking what is the difference between the blog and the newsletter. Should you sign up for both? Well, this is something that you have to decide on your own, but I think that you should sign up for both.
The Newsletter is only going to go out once a month, where as I try and blog at least once a week, sometimes more and sometimes less. Also, the blog is kind of a spur of the moment, Sally rambling on as usual, nothing particularly important, probably boring but hopefully amusing. Where as the Newsletter is going to be more formal, letting everyone know exactly what is going on with us, what are upcoming events, etc. I also am putting in a “Photo of the month” and also a “Diver of the month” section in each newsletter, so maybe that could be you!
That is all for now, just wanted to let all you faithful blog readers (and by that I mean my parents as after every blog my dad sends me an email telling me what grammatical errors I made) that there is also a Newsletter.

Well, September has been a pretty quiet month for us. Quiet in terms of divers, but not quiet in terms of activity. We have still done some certifications. For example last weekend we certified Arash, Dave and Kassi. Here are those fine looking divers below…

They did a great job! Stu and I team taught the course, and I really had loads of fun working with Stu. I can’t remember the last time we did an open water course together, but I loved it. As an instructor it is important to see what other instructors do, or say. Do they show skills differently, or explain something in a different way?
We have standards that are set by the Professional Association of Diving instructors (PADI) but then it is up to the instructor how they specifically teach a skill. For example, teaching the skill of breathing from a free flowing regulator, Stu likes to teach it a different way then I do. Or weight removal and replacement. If I like the way that Stu teaches it, I can steal it for later. Or vice versa. It is kind of like we are chefs and we steal each others recipes or cooking techniques along the way.
Anyway… it was loads of fun.
We also have had some great dives, like the dives I did yesterday with Doug and Donna, Jason and Alexis and Steve (aka Philip). Stu took the Reynolds family out yesterday morning for a private charter. They are no relation to my family, who are also Reynolds, but nobody is perfect!
We are closing in October, well… on this Monday the boat comes out of the water, so October 4. Even though we live in paradise and most of you are coming to see us on your vacation, Chris and I need a vacation as well! It seems like we are living the dream, and for the most part we are, but this can also be a stressful industry to work in. And honestly, sometimes St. Martin can be a difficult island to own a business on as well.
Here is a small example. When first arriving in St. Martin it is difficult to figure out the whole currency situation. If you have read some of my blogs in the past you will see that there is a whole blog concerning currency. Finally, I feel like we have it all figured out now. But wait. Hold the Phone (as my 7th grade English teacher was so fond of saying). It isn’t over yet. On 10 October 2010, Sint Maarten will become a separate self governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Before this, the Dutch side was part of the Netherlands Antilles, however this is being dissolved at the end of next week. There is talk, not sure how much of it is that accurate, or using the East Caribbean Dollar here, which would mean that there would be 4 currencies on the island at the same time. The gilder (which they will probably phase out eventually), the euro, the dollar and the EC dollar. Phew! I’m scared already.
That is just one example. But at any rate, we are looking forward to some well deserved R & R!
I do feel bad emailing all of you to say that we won’t be open when you are here. Especially Randy, who I certified last year, and also Aaron and Anne who did a discover scuba dive with me last year, and planned to come back to get certified with me! Randy even posted on Facebook that he thinks that the divers should decide when Chris and I get to go on vacation, but I don’t think that would work…
I will post about our travels and put up photos, so if you are interested in what we are doing, then keep tuned in.
So, where are we going, I hear you ask? Well, first we are flying to NY and meeting up with my folks. Then we are all flying together to Phoenix, Arizona where my mom has arranged a week touring the Grand Canyon (yeah!!!). Then we are heading to San Fransisco to stay with some great people that we met through Octopus. They were our divers and quickly became our friends, John and G. So, we are really excited to see them and spend some time on the west coast of the US. Then we go back to NY to see my parents again and will stay there for a bit.
So, if you are in any of those areas and you would like to meet up, just give me an email. We will be checking email daily, so don’t worry about that. We already have dinner plans with Malcolm and his wife from Scarsdale. My parents live in Croton, Westchester, by the way. So we will be in that area. We have had a lot of divers from NY, so don’t be shy if you want to go for a drink or something while we are in NY. Do I post too much about myself on the blog? That is because it still feels like the only people that read the blog are my parents! You now know that I grew up in Croton, and my family name was Reynolds before I got married. You probably also can figure out my birthday and my age. However, I will not blog my SS #, that would just be silly.
Oh… I have a random question for everyone. I check our website statistics to see who goes on our site, what they are doing, and also how they got there. Of course, I am always interested in looking at the key words that people search for to get to the site. Well, one of the most common searches that leads people to www.octopusdiving.com is “Chris Luty Scuba.” Now… Chris Luty (or Luty as we called him) was working with us for a couple of months earlier in the year. So, I blogged about him, he had a staff page for a bit. It just seems really strange that people are searching for “chris luty scuba” and getting to our website. I asked Luty about it, and we agreed it must be someone stalking him. Any thoughts on this? Seems really strange.
Alright, I am going to tidy up the shop, we’ve got divers and the season isn’t over yet!
If you do feel like you want more interaction from us, and the blog isn’t enough, then just go to Facebook, search for Octopus Diving, and we are there. So far we have 447 fans, but I want to get to 1,000 before 2011… I write little anecdotes there, post photos, and more!
Ok, over and out!

(Sally wrote this blog )