Island Exploration

 

The picture above is a Bermuda moon gate the first piece of artwork I ever bought. I found it at a festival while visiting my father in Bermuda. My father lived there when I was a teenager and my brother and I would visit him each summer. We would explore all the nooks and crannies of the island and enjoyed the many wonderous wild plants and animal there.

            Many people think of the Bermuda triangle when they hear about Bermuda the true reason many ships have crashed there is the islands coral reefs. The British colonizing Bermuda can even be credited to the ‘Sea Venture’ ship wreck on these reefs in 1609.   At the time the island was uninhabited but rich with wild life. The reefs not only stop boats but, also protect the beaches from larger sea creature like sharks that can be found so far out in the ocean.  These reefs are truly beautiful and teeming with life and vibrant colors. While visiting one year we went on a boat tour and could see the reefs clearly through the crystal-clear water.  The beaches in Bermuda vary but many have pink sand from the tiny pieces of coral in the sand (see the photomicrograph below). Some of the beaches are covered in sea glass, weathered pieces of glass of all different colors cover these beaches. This glass is the result of the many glass bottles thrown in the water through out the years of the British navy and Privateers operating in Bermuda.  Other coast are more rocky and many caves once used for smuggling can be found scattered all over (perfect for adventurous teens but keep track of the tides). 

The left image is a photomicrograph of Bermuda's pink sand taken by Mario Errico and posted on "International Sand Collectors Society". The right image is me in Bermuda.

    My favorite part of Bermuda was the night sky. The air so far out at sea is so clear and free from city lights I have never seen a sky as big and illuminated as the Bermuda night sky. Bermuda has done a lot to protect the natural beauty and biodiversity of their island. There is no big manufacturing there to pollute the clear sky and water. They use to even have a law that no building could be built taller than the church steeple. Today they still have limits on the numbers of cars per house hold and provide public transportation for both natives and visitor to enjoy. My dad used to take an electric scooter to work and told us about “the waving man” he saw every morning. The waving man was Johnny Barnes a retired bus driver who spent every morning rain or shine at a busy round about waving at people on their way to work and school. He did this from about 1986 to 2015. Though he has passed on statue of him was built near the roundabout. This man's bright smile and friendly spirit is like the soul of the Bermuda islands. 

            I hope to someday return to the Bermuda islands and look forward to visiting my step-sister and my new baby nephew in the US Virgin Islands.  

Thank you 💙Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda/History

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sandcollectors.org/permalink/321614385518335/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Barnes