4th of July

For the Fourth of July, mom, dad and I went to Black Mountain (a small town near Asheville) to see fire works. They were great until we got rained out in the end. There was a huge grand finale as they set off everything left at once. I managed to get a few good shots before the rain started.

Katie

Commercial Contest

I finished both my commercial entries to the "any way you like it" video contest to promote tourism in Asheville. You can see them both on you-tube.com just follow the links below.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Va5irZfuc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6Rc0T0ieH8

Katie
P.S. - Don't forget to give them a rating and tell me which one you like best.

Looking Glass Falls

For dad's birthday my family went to sliding rock and looking glass falls. It was only like an hour drive from home, but it rained pretty much the whole time. They wouldn't let anyone swim (or slide) at sliding rock because the water level was too high, so we walked around and put our feet in the water and were very tempted to "fall in." At looking glass falls there isn't anyone there to tell you not to go in the water, so me, mom and Rebecca went for a dip then I set up the camera and got a shot of us all standing by the falls. Despite the rain, we had a blast and I'm sure we'll be going back a few more times before summer is over.

Katie

Mystery Dinner Train

A while back I went with my family and Jack and Vickie on a Mystery Dinner Train outing. There's a place in Tennessee (Asheville is close to the state border) where they have an old steam train that does dinners in each of the cars that are served while the train makes its way through the near by towns and countryside. While you're having dinner and enjoying the ride, there is a troupe of actors dressed in 1930s style costumes that come and go through the train and act out a murder mystery at the end of which you have to guess who did it. Rebecca and I got all dolled up in vintage dresses and created quite a stir. The actors took a liking to Jack and got our table really involved in the drama. It was a lot of fun and a fantastic evening out.

Katie

Commercial for Asheville

I'm working on a commercial for a local contest. Follow the link below and tell me what you think of it so far. There is no sound yet, I plan on putting it to music.

Katie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUtUTahxNak

Dinner Party

We recently had Jack and Vickie Kitts-Turner over for a dinner party with our neighbors, the Robertsons. Jack was Rebecca's bassoon instructor from Florida and thus began a lifelong friendship between our two families. Jack is a fabulous bassoonist and together he and Vickie make a marvelous musical team.

It seems that each time we get together, where inevitably Jack, Vickie, Rebecca and I all play in an impromptu woodwind ensemble, the thing that is in greatest demand is not just the live performance, but Jack playing a recorder out of his nose. He obliged me and let me take a picture. I wish you could hear it as well, he's quite funny. The evening was a complete success and if there are any more musicians out there who would like to come over for dinner, you are very welcome, but be warned, you will have to play for your supper.

Katie

Selfportraits

I finally have some self portaits that I like. I put the first one on my account in the Internet Movie Database. The last one I already have on my web site in my biography. I don't know why I look so mischevious in that last shot. I don't think I usually look like that....


Katie

Asheville Wedding

I just shot my first wedding in Asheville all by myself. It went really well, I got some great shots. I'm a big girl now!

Katie

HGTV at Biltmore

The day before HGTV gave away the dream home, they had a really nice dinner at the Biltmore Estate for all their executives and sponsors. First they had horse drawn carriages take everyone to the house. Then they all had a private tour followed by cocktails on the terrace with a beautiful sunset. They had a five-course dinner near the stables and for a grand finale they had a huge private fireworks show. It was a fantastic evening.

Katie

HGTV shoot

I just got off a two-day shoot for Scripps Networks, which owns HGTV among other things. The first day we were out at Biltmore documenting an awesome private dinner party they had. I’ll send those photos later.

The next day I went to the live shoot where they gave away the dream home and documented all that. And though I tried to stay out of the way (and you have no idea how difficult that was on such a busy set) I got in the background of one of the shots during the middle of the show. If anyone watched it, I was the photographer in all black in the shot where one of the hosts sat on the interior designer’s lap.

Anyway I have attached a picture of the set with the house in the background, a shot of the view of Lake Lure from the house (oh yea and there's a guy on a crane with a giant sun gun, there were lights everywhere) my favorite room in the house, the winner in an emotional moment during the middle of the show (they managed to make all the contestants cry) and a shot of the host Mark Walberg...the other Mark Walberg.

Katie

Show at the Biltmore Estate

Two of my three submissions for the “Flowers, Farms, and Forests” show at the Biltmore Estate have been accepted. Anyone who happens to be going to Biltmore this June or July, go check out my work. They will be in the gallery at Deer Park. The farm picture is the one that didn’t get in. The waterfall and sunflower made it. Now I have to put a price on these. They are 16 by 20 inch prints that I’m going to mat and put in a nice frame. So how much do you think I should charge?

Katie

Doggie Cuteness

Here are some pictures of our dogs I’ve been taking with my new digital camera. These are in no particular order of doggie cuteness.

Katie

New Gig with HDTV

I have a gig coming up to shoot stills for the HGTV dream house giveaway. This year the house that they are giving out is at Lake Lure, which isn’t too far from Asheville. My photographer friend Ryan got me the gig for next Friday and Saturday. It’ll be nice to be on a real set again. So more on that later.

I also got a new digital camera. It’s a Nikon D200 and it’s really sweet. I’m having fun playing with it. I’m not abandoning film. I’m still keeping all my old gear. I am still a film snob at heart, but now instead of burning film whenever I have a whim, I will save it for special occasions. Plus digital is so much better for work. It’ll pay for itself in the long run.

I attached a picture of a ladybug just because.

Katie

Film Reviews

A friend of mine was surfacing the web and looked up my name to see what would pop up. He came across these reviews for movies that I’ve made that I didn’t even know where there. Here are some excepts:

Katie

Nolan's Pop Culture Review

By: Nolan B. Canova

...excerpt...

Just Due [Katie Damien] played at the 4th Renegade Film Festival (Saints & Sinners), but I missed it there due to hobnobbing in the lobby too long. The setting is the old west and two gun-slinging sisters are talking about how they're going to handle some tough business that day. Suddenly, a shout from an abusive landlord/boss awakens them...and us...to the fact that this just is a daydream. The two sisters are charwomen, scrubbing floors on their hands and knees for a drunken, redneck jerk. They escape this harsh reality by whispering little bits of their wild west fantasy to each other. As the abuse grows and tolerances are tested, the fantasy threatens to become reality. Highly recommended. (RT: about 10 minutes)

Vanity Mirror [Katie Damien] also played at S&SIV, but I only saw a part of it. This was a little bit more of an abstract experience for me, but still intriguing. A woman, seemingly haunted by visions of stalkers and self-mutilation, finally acts out some self-destruction via her broken mirror. Hard to follow in what can be the occasionally noisey atmosphere of the coffeehouse, so I'm afraid that's about all I got out of it, but still worth a study! (RT: about 10-15 minutes)

Coffeehouse Film Review for May

By: Nolan B. Canova

...excerpt...

The Mime Series by Katie Damien: Destiny and Marco won’t quit. No matter what situation they find themselves in, they refuse to speak. Three short chapters, end-to-end, all very funny. Leave it to Katie Damien to make mimes in movies a workable format! I love her work and have yet to find a Katie Damien piece I don't like. I don't recall ever meeting her, but I'd sure like to. Her other movies "Just Due" and "Vanity Mirror" left lasting impressions.

The Beauty of Western North Carolina

In Asheville there is such beautiful countryside all around you don’t have to go far to find these kind of marvelous sights. I took the shot of the waterfall at Chimney Rock State Park. It’s the bottom of the falls that is featured in the last scene of Last of the Mohicans.

The other shot I took at the top of Mt. Mitchell and I was so disappointed at the cloudy weather we encountered at the top. There was never a break so you couldn’t see the marvelous view of the surrounding mountains. Little did I know I would come across such a cool shot as the clouds almost cleared to reveal a lovely orange sun through the silhouette of the trees. Maybe next time I go back I will be disappointed that there are no clouds.

Katie

New Website

I’ve spent weeks working on redoing my website and finally after scraping everything and starting over a couple times, I’ve finished. Check out my new and improved website all pimped up with flash. Let me know if you have any problems with it or have any suggestions for making it any better.

www.katiedamien.com

Katie

Snowing in spring!

It’s snowing in spring! I can’t believe it. Here I thought that I was getting away from the cold and coming back just in time for the lovely warm weather. No, it’s snowing all the time now. It doesn’t stick, but it comes down in icy flurries. I braved the cold to go take some pictures as proof. Our outside dog, Honey, doesn’t mind the snow, in fact I think she likes it. Our two insides dogs stick close to the fire. That’s right we have another new dog. Rebecca got a little pug puppy named Silvia. She’s sweet and cute and full of energy. The only time I can get a decent picture of her is when she’s sleeping. I can’t wait for warm weather.

Katie

Self Portraits

The last self portrait I did was too somber for my tastes. I’m trying to get a new happier picture of me, so one afternoon I went out during magic hour and shot all these pictures on a hill at the end of the road I live on. Tell me which one you like the best.

Katie

The Oscar party

The Oscar party was a smashing success. I wasn’t able to include everyone’s photo, but here are some of my favorites. There was me posing as the official Oscar poster for this year. Dad was a gay cowboy from Brokeback Mountain. Mom was a Geisha from Memoirs of a Geisha. Tricia came as Rita Skeeter, the journalist from Harry Potter. We had a pair for smooching Penguins from March of the Penguins. And last but certainly not least Rebecca made an appearance as Dolly Parton. It was a great night, there was good food, good drinks, good friends, and good times.

Katie

Goodbye to the Zudierdam

My uniform with Holland America was great. It was just black pants and a black shirt. I took a picture of myself on the ship in St. Thomas so you could see. There's also a shot of the very back of the ship at sea. And a shot of the Zuiderdam docked in St. Thomas.

After a short flight, I find myself safely at home again in Asheville. This contract just flew by. Four months was perfect, I wasn’t tired of working on ships, but I’m glad to be home. The only thing I miss is Igor…I might miss the chocolate cake they served too, and having someone clean my room for me, and scuba diving, and midnight margarita parties…well the point is I miss Igor and the rest of my friends on the Zuiderdam most of all. Still it’s nice to be back on dry land and to see all my family and friends again. I still have a few more chronicles from stuff I did on the ship so I’m going to send them all now so that you’ll be caught up for the Oscar Party Chronicle which is happening tonight.

Katie

Flaming Spanish Coffee

Flaming Spanish Coffee, it sounds exciting and it is exciting. I saw that they were serving this drink in one of the lounges one evening on the Zuiderdam. I called a few crew to go try it with me. They all said, ‘that sounds great, but what is it?’ And I told them, ‘I have no idea, but if it doesn’t involve fire, I’ll be really disappointed.’

Well I wasn’t disappointed. It was so neat to watch the bartender make it. I decided I had to learn how. I asked the bartender all kinds of questions about what he was doing and what the ingredients were. So on Saturday in Ft. Lauderdale when I got to be the first one to see Aunt Janny’s new townhouse, I made her and Jessica Flaming Spanish Coffee.

I had to smuggle a bottle of 120 proof rum off to do it so Aunt Janny started calling me Katie the Rum Runner. Jessica took these cool pictures of me making the coffees. Aunt Janny didn’t want her picture taken, but she was a hand model holding one the finished drinks. I’m taking the bottle of rum home with me so anyone who would like to have Flaming Spanish Coffee served to them at the Oscar Party, just ask me and I will be happy to make it for you too.

Katie

Last Week Onboard

Only one week to go and still so much to do. For whatever reason the office sent my replacement two weeks early. Usually a handover lasts only a few days. This last week was like a vacation for me. I’ve already done most of my training and handover so this week will be even more relaxed.

Last week I went to the beach in St. Marrten with Igor and the other photographers. Then in Nassau we went to a European style café. They all has these little really strong coffees and I thought they looked so funny with the tiny cups so I made them hold out their pinkies for a picture.

Janelle was having so much fun she stayed on one extra week. Tim and Lisa left on Saturday to go to a different ship, but before they all went we got a picture together with Carsten, Janelle’s boyfriend, who also worked on the Century and Igor. It was a fantastic week.

Katie

Snorkeling with Sharks in Nassau

When we were in Nassau in the Bahamas last, it was a chilly day. Some people canceled their snorkeling tour so they had some extra room. Though most of you know how I abhor cold weather, I just couldn’t let that stop me from getting the chance to snorkel with sharks again. This time I went with Nyron the shore excursions manager.

We had such a good day. The water was incredibly clear and we went to even better reefs than we did the last time I went, plus there was a smaller group since most people had canceled. The place we went to offered us wetsuits, but I didn’t want to be a wimp. So I didn’t get one. Of course after I was sitting on the boat in the wind with my wet body huddled under a towel with my teeth chattering, I kind of wished I had wimped out and gotten one. Still the day was great and at one point one of the sharks got curious and came really close to the group, maybe only 6 feet away, and the shark must have been at least 6 feet long. I got a shot as it was swimming away. It was a very exciting day.

Katie

Josiah’s Bay, Tortola

Janelle was a dancer on my first ship, the Century. She was also an actress in one of the mime series movies. Her boyfriend, Carsten, is working on the Zuiderdam with me and she came on for a couple of cruises to visit him. Carsten wasn’t able to get off in Tortola, but Janelle, Igor and I were able to get out to the beach together. We went to Josiah’s Bay, which is the same place that I went surfing before. We had a great time playing in the surf and on the beach.

Now I know I have had plenty of pictures with various great looking guys who have always been just friends, I find it’s best to keep it that way when you’re on ships, but I just couldn’t help myself with Igor. Yes, we are dating.

He’s a Cinematographer and he worked as an assistant camera operator in broadcasting during the war in Bosnia, hence the exciting war stories. He had some really bad experiences during some recent productions so he went to work on ships as a photographer to get away from it all and see some of the world. And just for you, Rebecca, his birthday is May 17th. He’s only just starting his first contract and I am about to end mine. He’s from Bosnia, I’m from the US. I don’t know what will happen when I go. I don’t know when I’ll see him again. I only know that I want to.

Katie

Biking Ft. Lauderdale

Last Ft. Lauderdale I was able to get off and go biking with my cousins Jessica and Albert and his wife Corey (I guess that makes her a cousin in-law.) We biked along Ft. Lauderdale beach and went to the photo lab so I could take care of my pictures. Then we had lunch together and biked back to the ship. It was so nice to see some family and get away, even if it was only for a few hours.

Katie

Road Trip Tortola

On a dark and rainy day I went out in Tortola with the ship’s photographers. We rented a car and drove around the island stopping where we wanted. We went to Pusser’s landing and got some food then went to a beautiful beach and had a little pick nick in the car while we waited out the rain. When it stopped we went body surfing and enjoyed having the beach all to ourselves. So even though the weather wasn’t the best, it turned out to be a nice day. Igor, the Bosnian photographer and videographer, is featured in most of these photos. He has great eyes and he tells very exciting war stories.

Katie

Scuba Diving in St. Thomas

Sometimes once just isn’t enough. I had a second opportunity to go scuba diving in St. Thomas. This time my underwater camera worked without a problem. It was the assistant shore excursions manager’s first time and she and I had a great day. The water was even clearer and the current was calmer than the last time I went. This time I saw even more fish and coral. It was amazing and if I hadn’t waited so long to start I might have gone after my certification, but my contract is nearly over and I don’t want to risk being stuck on the ship with work and not being able to finish.

Katie

Swimming with Dolphins

There are a few things that one must do in one’s lifetime. Travel outside your own country, go skydiving, zip lining, wind surfing, add scuba diving to that list, whale watching (Don’t support Sea World either go see the real thing in the wild) hike up a mountain or two, go snow skiing, and before you die, swim with dolphins.

I had the opportunity to swim with dolphins in Tortola. I had been once before in Mexico, but this time was even better. The encounter that I did was not just standing in a row and petting them as they passed and getting your picture taken. There was also one point where the whole group went out to the middle of the holding area and the dolphins swam up next to you and did different tricks or swam by and let you touch them. Amazing as that was, that wasn’t even the best part. The best part was when you went out one by one in the water and waited while the trainer signaled the dolphin to go get you. They swam up next to you upside down in the water and waited for you to grab their two fins. Then they swam back to the trainer dragging you with them. It was the coolest thing ever. You could feel the dolphin swimming under you as they pulled you along.

I have had such an amazing trip this cruise, but this week has to be the highlight of my contract. I got some amazing underwater pictures of the dolphins when they were near. It was hard to get a shot because the water was a little murky, but when they were right next to me, I got a few good ones.

Katie

Scuba Diving

I got to go scuba diving for the first time in my life and I loved it. I got on a tour for a non-certified scuba dive in St. Thomas. We did a one tank shallow dive preceded by an overview of scuba basics with an instructor who led us on the dive. What an incredible experience. I was a little nervous at first. Scuba diving is just one of those things that I thought wasn’t for me, but after doing it, I can’t wait to get out and try it again.

First they gave us our gear then we stood in shallow water with the instructor and went over how to clear your mask if you got water in it and how to equalize. Then we got to put on the mouthpiece and breath the air from the tank. Once the group was comfortable with that we had to all sit on the bottom and just breath. The other woman in the group and I did perfect, but the guys had a little trouble. Once we were all sorted we went out following the guide.

I saw some incredible things in the reef we did the dive at that I can’t share with you. Unfortunately my camera didn’t work while I was on the dive. When I got to the surface I found out that the battery had come unseated in the camera and I was able to put it back.

I went back in the water real quick and got one picture of a long fish on the surface of the water and I had someone take a picture of me with the tank on standing on the beach and that’s it. I might be going out again next week with one of the shore excursion staff who has wanted to go, but didn’t want to do it alone. I graciously offered to accompany her.

Katie

Nevis

Nevis is a marvelous secluded island in the Caribbean. There’s one large mountain in the middle and it looks kinda Hawaiian to me. They have one Four Seasons Hotel and that’s where all the fancy pants people go. The island is about twenty miles around, which is about the size of St. Thomas. Nevis however, is much more unspoiled and has maybe a quarter of the population of St. Thomas.

Large ships never really go there. The island is not set up to accommodate big ships, there’s one very small dock so we had to tender. To top it off the seas were very rough that day so it was difficult to get guests into the tender boat from our ship. Getting to shore was so slow that they didn’t let crew get off that day unless they were working. So how did I get off? I was so incredibly lucky to get to escort a shore excursion so that they let me and only a couple other crew set foot on the island.

The tour I did was a hiking and biking tour up the woods and down and around on a bike. Nevis is part of the French West Indies and it’s right next to St. Kitts, which we unfortunately didn’t stop at, but I suppose if I had been able to go on a beach tour I might have been able to swim to the island, it was that close. And just beyond St. Kitts is St. Barts, which was our next port of call for the special jazz charter cruise….

Katie

Surfing in Tortola

The other day I went surfing in Tortola. I loved it. I had a small board, which made it harder to balance and the waves were pretty rough. I didn’t go out very far and I still got caught in an undertow. I did manage to stand up one time, but not for very long. Mostly I rode the waves in on my knees.

I went to a small beach on the North side of the island with some of the crew. Stephan went surfing with me. He’s Dutch and works on the bridge as a cadet. I also got a picture with Jonathan the masseuse after I was done getting pounded by the surf. Jonathan went surfing too, but he was more experienced than Stephan and me. He went out so far I couldn't get a good picture.

Katie

Willie T

Okay you guys, these are the only Willie T pictures you will get. Here’s the T-shirt I got for jumping. We are just finishing up a smooth jazz charter cruise. Special groups can get a bunch of people together and book the entire ship and that’s what this smooth jazz group did. There are all different kinds of groups that charter cruises. In a few weeks we are going to have a religious group on. Basically the group can make their own schedule and do whatever activities they want.

This group picked a different Caribbean itinerary from our usual one. We went to St. Barts, Nevis, and San Juan. They have also had really great concerts with some big name smooth jazz people. I didn’t know who any of them are, but they are all great musicians.

I like Euge Groove best, he plays the sax and when he comes out everyone yells his name, at first I thought they were booing. Wayman Tisdale is a gigantic bass player, he used to play basketball and he must be seven feet tall. Richard Elliot emotes too much for me. Brian Culbertson is an incredible pianist and trombone player. I think he’s the best showman of them all. Jeff Golub is a crazy guitarist who always asks for screwdrivers during the show and someone in the audience always buys them for him. Brenda Russell and Bobby Caldwell are the only ones who did songs that I recognized. The Canadian sax player Warren Hill, who I think is supposed to be the most famous of them, hosts the whole thing. It’s been an interesting week. The guests have all been great.

I’ve had to mix video for all the shows. It’s such a pain, I’ve been so busy, but you know I’d never let that get in the way of seeing some new places. I’ll show you the islands we visited in the chronicles to come. Stay tuned.

Katie

Tortola

As many times as I’ve been to Tortola already, you would have thought that I would have seen the island before now. But every time I’ve been there, I have either been too busy with work or I’ve gone to one of the other islands near by. I went to Virgin Gorda to the bolder filled beaches and another time I went with some of the crew on a catamaran to Norman Island and in particular to a bar called Willy T’s.

Apparently this bar/boat called the William Thornton is famous in the sailing community. It’s a boat that is anchored in a bay off Norman Island near Tortola and is only accessible by boat. There is a restaurant on one side and a bar on the other, but people go for more than just the food and drinks. It is reputed for having women jump naked off the top story of the bow. If you jump naked, Zeus, the bar tender gives you a T-shirt and yes, I collected myself a T-shirt. I didn’t take any pictures, though some of the dancers had me take pictures of them jumping. I’m sure there are pictures of me floating around somewhere, but I haven’t seen any, and even if I did I don’t think it would be appropriate for a Chronicle. So here are some pictures of Tortola from a driving tour I did around the island.

Katie

Dominican Republic

We were in the Dominican Republic one time only for Christmas Day, and I don’t feel bad about not going back. It reminded me of the Mexican Rivera. I’m sure there must have been nice places around there somewhere; I just didn’t really see them. The port we were in was small. If you wanted to take the short walk to town, you literally had to go through a hole in a chain link fence and go over some railroad tracks. Even though there were emaciated horses and wild chickens running everywhere on the small dirt roads, the people were all very friendly and I didn’t feel as unsafe as I thought I would.

Katie

St. Maarten

We were on the island of St. Maarten as a special stop for our holiday cruises. I went on a hidden forest hike on the largest private reserve in the Caribbean. It used to be a sugar cane farm and the current owners are now letting the forests grow back. Our guide, Phillip, took us on a steep hike to the top of a mountain where we had a great view of the French side of the island. St. Maarten is also the only island in the Caribbean that is peacefully shared between two Nations; France and the Netherlands.

Katie

I won the photo contest

I won the quaterly photo contest. Here is what was published:

e-Nieuws Wednesday, December 14th, 2005 Vol. 6, Issue 34 Winners of the Quarterly Photo Contest:

Sea-based winner is Katie Damien, broadcast technician, ms Zuiderdam for a sunrise at St. Thomas:

Ooh the Officers!

By popular request, here's a photo taken on Christmas night of myself, the Captain on the left and Cheif Officer on the right. Ooh! the officers!

Katie

Half Moon Cay Underwater

I’ve shown you the gorgeous beaches of half moon cay, Holland America’s private island. Now with my new awesome underwater camera, I can show you what it looks like under that crystal clear water.

Katie

New Years party

We had a great New Years party on the ship. I got a picture with Tim and Sarah, who I knew from when I worked on the Century. They are working as art auction associates now. It's so funny the people you see again and again when you work on ships.

Katie

Christmas Night

On Christmas night we had a nice dinner for the crew upstairs with wine and plum pudding and everything. The dinner was so great. I sat with some of the crew from shops and our senior assistant cruise director, but he had to go back to work and couldn’t finish the dinner. Later on the Chief Officer (2nd in command of the ship) and a friend of his from Holland came and sat with us. We were about half way through the courses, when the servers came by and cleared a spot and put out a bottle of wine and made everything really nice in the seat right across from me, and I thought what are they doing, the dinner is half finished. Then the Captain came and joined our table. He was so nice and very laid back. We talked all through dinner and then they were all going to the bar for drinks and invited me along. The Captain bought everyone drinks, I warned him that my laugh got louder the more I had to drink, so he got me two. Everyone rolled out the red carpet for us wherever we went. I had so much fun. It was a great evening. Katie

Merry Christmas from Norfolk, VA

I got an underwater digital camera for Christmas. I cannot think of a more perfect present. Be prepared for lots and lots of underwater pictures from now on. I didn’t take it underwater in Norfolk, VA where we were in dry dock. It was freezing most of the time. I had to go buy myself a coat. This dry dock wasn’t nearly as fun as the dry dock I had in San Francisco. I had to work for part of this dry dock, but it wasn’t too bad. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in the shipyard because there were a lot of military ships there. I did manage to get a night shot of downtown Norfolk and a picture of my cabin on the ship. The coolest part of dry dock came right at the end when we were leaving and we passed part of America’s North Atlantic Fleet. There were lots of aircraft carriers and big ships that I don’t even know what they are called. The neatest part was when we passed a submarine moving on the surface with people standing on it. I'm back in the Caribbean now. It's back to vacation...I mean work. Merry Christmas!

Katie

More snorkeling the Bahamas

I've just gotten back from Dry Dock in Norfolk and I can finally check my email. I'll tell you more about dry dock later. Before we went to Virgina I had a few more adventures. Here are some more cool snorkeling pictures from the Bahamas. There was a small plane wreck at this sight. There were also scuba divers in the water. I was fascinated with their bubbles.

Katie

Snorkeling With Sharks

Okay, snorkeling with sharks. Sounds a little crazy, maybe it is, but I did it. The tour I went on was in the Bahamas again. The way they managed to keep everyone relatively safe was to put a box of food down on the ocean floor and let the sharks swarm around it, then they let us all off the boat in a group and we just sat together on the surface watching the sharks below. So it wasn’t like we were petting them or anything, but still it was a little scary. The sharks were black reef sharks and they were big. It’s hard to get perspective from the picture, but there were some six-foot sharks way down at the bottom. Once we were all out of the water, the guides brought the food up and then fed it to the sharks on the surface. It was defiantly a unique experience, a little more intense than swimming with the stingrays.

Katie

Snorkeling in Nassau

I’ve done a lot of snorkeling in the Bahamas. It’s so awesome there. I never liked Nassau. The town is pretty gross for the most part. It’s smelly and overcrowded and it just looks dingy in places. It’s not the nicest port to visit, but the snorkeling there is amazing. I got a disposable underwater camera and took some pictures of all my underwater adventures and here is the first bit. The fish were all so colorful and the reef was amazing too. The next time I went snorkeling, it was with sharks. More on that, in the next Chronicle.

Katie

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Holland America has it’s own private island in the Bahamas called Half Moon Cay (pronounced key.) Some of the other cruise companies have their own islands too. The company actually doesn’t own the island. They are leasing it for 99 years from the Bahamas. So it’s still under Bahamian law and everything. I was able to get off for just a quick walk on the beach and it was amazing! The sand felt like satin and the water was so clear and beautiful. And yes those are my big footprints in the sand.

Katie