day 1: paradise calling

it's 3 a.m. several alarms erupt, but bear - our big kitty -  stays put. it's too early for him. we, on the other hand, have other plans and it involves pink sand and a 9:30 a.m. flight.

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since our 'ty ride' to the airport was called to san francisco, we had to find another way from farmington. suv or limo rental from athens clocked in at around $200 one way, so we discovered another option. long term parking at the atlanta airport marriott - as well as many hotels around the airport. who knew? for only $6 a day, we locked the jeep in a secure lot. the marriott even shutttles you right to the terminal. this is one of the best finds of this travel experience.

from home to the marriott through security check and to the international terminal: under 2.5 hours. remarkable. we lucked out with tsa's experimental screening which seemed to be a lot like the older days of travel and security. we kept our shoes on. len kept his belt on. nothing came out of the bags - no computers, no cameras, no nothin' . we screamed for joy since we didn't have to scramble and unload camera gear. piece of cake.

some three hours later which did include a short delay and a time change, we arrived in bermuda. the full plane included a 56-person wedding party who came from all over georgia to experience a wedding at the unfinished church on saturday. (by the way, we're crashing.) our pre-arranged taxi driver was a good soul and waited patiently through what was an eternal line in customs and immigration. butch the taxi driver gave us all we needed to know about the happenings on the island including some personal family information that we later decided was best that we not know. but hey, that's bermuda.

a quick drop off of luggage at the apartment and we're off to gather our ride. we were delighted to have scored new scooters from oleanders but soon found out that these newbies had sensitive throttles. it jumps forward way too quickly when i'm not sure that's my intended direction (i.e. big palm tree), so this will take a little practice. by the time we leave, we'll both have the hang of it.

stonehole bay

tomorrow is actually the full moon, but tonight it spoke just as magnificently. i think it sensed it was len's 56th birthday and he needed a little inspiration for the next year. we believe it succeeded quite nicely. we spent the evening on stonehole bay, even catching a glimpse of a couple exchanging wedding vows before sliding in the 1931 ivory model t limo. then, we waited and watched the moon rise and then it became star of the atlantic. it was a nice end to a good travel day.

landing in bermuda means getting your toes wet, spending hours on the pink sands and simply waiting while the tree frogs sing a lullaby and lull you to sleep. tomorrow is only a few hours away. and then we'll do it all over again. see you then.