I took the tender boat to the pier at Roatan and proceeded to walk forcefully through the hustlers on shore. As I was heading towards some sort of town area a guy approached me from my left and offered to be my driver around the island. I asked how much, he said $40. I agreed and we took off on a magical mystery tour that I will remember forever and may have changed my life.

Everywhere we went, my driver was known. He want's to run for mayor, and he has my vote. He asked what I wanted to do and I said get high on life and see Roatan. We bonded instantly and took off through the busy crazy streets of Roatan dodging people and other cars with the deft skill of a professional driver.

We stopped at his house, we stopped at his brothers house and before long I was cruising out to the west end of the island high on life.

The west end is a divers paradise with bars and diving shops going on for miles. I see why this is your favorite place on earth, Brian.

We talked about life and people and how the island is made up of kind hearted real folks that have your best interest at heart and all along the journey I kept mumbling, I could live here.

Instead of dead-heading back to Miami as planned, I'm enjoying an amazing sunrise over Honduras and eating a great breakfast. Life is good, very good. Today I explore Roatan and maybe get some snorkeling in. Stay tuned...

Lucky number seven. I've talked to a bunch of cruisers on this boat who have made many sailings around the world but this is the first time something like this has happened to them. Hurricane Dorian had already disrupted our cruise, we were supposed to be in Perfect Day CocoCay today, but they shut it down and we were stuck in Cozumel for the day.

Turns out, Royal Caribbean has done a class move for the safety of their customers. Not only has the entire trip been extended by three days, to two new ports (Roatan and Nassau) but they have extended the deluxe drink package and internet access (of which I have both) for those days, comp.

A lot of folks couldn't take advantage of this and bailed today, flying out of Cozumel back home so they could do their jobs. I'm sorry for them, but that means fewer people on the boat, more food, more drinks, more internet, yea!

My friends back home have stepped up and Steph is covering my house and Melissa changed my flight from Sunday to Wednesday for me. Click the photo below for todays shots up to this point.

Well, my mind is blown, and it's not because of those cocktail creations last night with no dinner. Hurricane Dorian has really messed things up! We should have been in CocoCay today but we're still in Cozumel, which would have then be followed by a sailing day on Saturday and a Sunday morning arrival at Miami.

The new plan is to extend the cruise until Wednesday! Tomorrow we go to Roatan Honduras, Sunday and Monday we'll just be sailing around, Tuesday we'll spend the day in Nassau Bahamas and Wednesday back to Miami.

This is contingent of course with Dorian not wiping out their Miami pier at which point I'm not sure what the hell will happen. Some folks on this boat are really scrambling to get off and get home but I just checked with Steph and she's going to keep on house/cat sitting for me until I get back, whenever that is...

Update: The gossip onboard here is that everything is waiting on the captains final decision. The funny thing is that when the captain makes the announcement nobody will understand him (really thick Norwegian accent). Lots of stuff is up in the air here! Very entertaining to observe.

Update: Still waiting for the captain's annoncement but by the number of people stacked up at the reservation desk, I'm sure this thing is going down! Roatan tomorrow, Nassau on Tuesday. Stuck on a cruise boat in the Bahamas, whoda thunk :-)

Update: It's offical, the captain has speaketh. This eight day cruise is now eleven. The only questions remain are wether the drink and internet packages are extended as a courtesy. I suspect we will know shortly. Brian texted me and said our new next stop Roatan is his favorite place on earth. I'm going to hook up with new friends Ron and Cheryl and do a snorkling tour tomorrow.

It's official, CocoCay, R/C's private island water park, is a wash out due to Dorian. They're offering a one day cruise credit which is cool and we will overnight in Cozumel which is coming up on our horizon as I write this.

I've had my scrambled eggs, corned beef hash and fresh squeezed orange juice so I'm ready to make land and see what's up on this island (Mexico's largest). I might make it into San Miguel, the only city on Cozumel, stay tuned...

Update: We've docked at Cozumel and I grabbed some shots. To see them, click the control panel below:

Update: Mosied around the shoping area, picked up a couple t-shirts for the girls. Click below for more:

Decadence: Where you walk by the pool bar, make eye contact with the busy bartender, and your Tito and water is waiting for you when you saunter up, with no fruit and a straw without the silly little piece of paper on the top. You slide his tip across the bar and grab your drink as he says Hello Mr Jim and you continue on without breaking your stride.

Update: Some guy came into the pool area wearing a stupid balloon hat. I was enjoying exotic coctails so I took his picture and he passed the stupid hat over to me. So, I passed it on to others. Click below to see...

Update: Finished up the evening with a random chick wearing the stupid balloon, and a great sunset. Click below to view:

Passed this uninhabited island this morning as we swung around toward Belize. There is no pier there so the ship has to anchor off the coast and use tender boats to get us to shore.

I'm sipping a Tito's and water by the pool, on a cruise boat, off the coast of Belize. The weather is beautiful and the Reggae band is about to start. The scuttlebutt on board is that our main stop on R/C's private island (CocoCay) is about to get canceled because of the hurricane, in fact we're wondering if we can even make it back to Miami. Of well, bring it on I say!

Click the Belize sign below to see my excursion to town:

Some giant cruise ship was docked next to us all day and left before we did. I also had dinner in the dining room finally (escargot, some great fish and met two nice ladies from Pennsylvania) then hung at the pool watching the ship leave. Click the ship to see more...

For the fifteen years I lived at the base of the Grand Tetons I often factitiously used the phrase another day in paradise but this morning I speak the truth. I haven't been to Mexico for decades because I couldn't prove who I was but now my passport gives me that freedom.

We just docked at Costa Maya after a day at sea, the hurricane heading towards Miami is going to miss us, and I'm going exploring. Grabbed a few shots this morning, click the photo below to see them. More later...

Update: Explored Costa Maya, both the touristy pier and the actual town. Here's a story that sums it up: As I returned from town I heard a lady hustling a couple right off the boat for a 45 minute massage for $85 each. I took an $8 cab ride to town and they were pushing one hour massages on the beach for $20. The poverty downtown was striking but not unexpected and I can't imagine it before the cruise lines came to town. Anyway, there's seventy more photos in the set below if you're interested.

I just drank my morning coffee standing on the bow of the ship watching the lights of Cuba roll by in the dark. The Empress was one of the few ships they initially allowed to visit Cuba because of it's smaller size but nobody's going there now. Don't know why, don't really care.

This is a day at sea for us, not sure what to expect but I will update this post as it rolls along. In the meantime, here's the sunrise over Cuba:

Took a few shots, hung out with my new friends Ron and Cheryl from Canada, regreting not joining in the Sexy Man contest (bunch of lame dudes anyway) and the weather has been perfect. Click the photo below to see the rest.

Arrived in Key West this morning and left the ship for a bit to look around. It's touristy, quaint and artsy. Thers's a bunch of photos to see by clicking the ship below.

Made the boat! Miami airport was a zoo, took me twenty minutes to get curbside. Grabbed a cab to the Port of Miami, Terminal A. Started to board the boat when I realized it wasn't my ship, which was way down the road at terminal G. I thought I had researched this shit! Took another cab to my boat.

All was forgoten as I settled into life on a cruise boat. We sailed all night to Key West, where I am now, hunkered down in my cabin making this post and giving my already tanned body a break from a beautiful hot day here. Who say's this is hurricane season? More tomorrow, click the photo below to see thirty shots.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~Mark Twain

Yes, I took both these photos. Today, and 16 years ago.

Nothing like breakfast with the girls...

Sigma lens, meet my creek.

I've been enjoying my Sony zoom lens so much lately that my Sigma lens was being neglected, so I swapped her on today. Totally different lenses as the Sigma aperture ramps up to a f/1.4 with min f/16 vs the Sony f/5.6 to f/35. It's buttery smooth and I've worked out the cameras Clear Image mode so I can still zoom the Sigma digitally without losing detail.

Tonights nightly walk by the creek shots with the rig.

My 360° panning adaptor arrived today, completing the short tripod hand carry setup I've created.

I should be able to shoot some smooth panned videos with this rig.

I love walking down to my creek as the sun goes low in the evening. I was chatting with some folks this afternoon as they were tubing by the house and one guy said You're blessed to live here. I really am...

btw: This is the creek that flooded and wiped out David Crockett's local businesses which sent him off to the Alamo, where he died. Just sayin...

As I prepare to go on this cruise, genetics are trying to take over my body, but losing big time. I feel amazing and as I glance in the mirror I see a trim fit and tan man. I've worked hard for this moment, doing exercise repetitions that I couldn't even envision a year ago, and I thought I was in shape then. The tremors are internal and they are my energy. Let's rock on!

Went up to the tractor show this evening at the park, took a whole bunch of tractor shots and ate a homemade bologna sandwich with slaw. Click the one below to see the set (and the sandwich).

Terminal A at PortMiami is the largest cruise terminal in the U.S. It's new, and it exclusivly serves Royal Caribbean. I think I should go check it out.

This tree sits across the creek and I watch it from my office window, along with the groundhogs and the giant pre-historic type bird that comes sweeping down into the creek sometimes. All that's left to photograph now, is that bird...

Riley just sent me a shot of a $120k Corvette C7 that he's going to be doing about $20k in repairs on. This is why I love my old truck...

He's also working on a Tesla!

Update: Here's the vet broken down:

I figure I better make a post of this stuff so I can reference it on the boat :-)

Brian's picks:

• Vodka: Tito’s Handmade Vodka

• Rum: Bacardi, (Bacardi 8)

• Gin: Bombay Sapphire

• Tequila/ Mezcal: Patron (Pa - trahn) Silver

• Whiskey, Bourbon/ Rye: Makers Mark

• Cognac: Remy Martin VSOP

To try:

• Rolling Stone: Ilegal Joven mezcal, honey, lemon & cucumber juices, yogurt mix and basil leaves

• Baton Rouge: Captain Morgan Original Spiced rum, Hennessy Cognac and pear syrup with bitters and lemon juice

• Sandy Collins: Whisky - Crown Royal and maple syrup whisked with lemon juice and ginger soda

• Spiced Rum Runner: Captain Morgan spiced rum, creme de banana, blackberry brandy, pina colada, grenadine

• Teqmo: Jose Quervo Gold Tequila, agave syrup, fresh lime, mint leaves

• Strawberry Mezcal Pepperita: Del Maguey Vida Blanco Mezcal, Cointreau, strawberry rita mix, pinch of pepper

• Kentucky Burgundy: Maker's Mark, creme de classic, fresh lime, strawberry mix

• Long Island Iced Tea: Mount Gay Eclipse rum, vodka, gin, triple sec, sweet & sour, Coke

• Wildberry Margarita: Patron Silver, Island Oasis wildberry, margarita

• Mango Sunrise: Captain Morgan mango rum, Smirnoff Raspberry vodka, cranberry juice, lemon

• Shanghai Smash: The Macallan Select Oak, orange curacao, lemon and mint

• Vanilla White Russian: Absolut vanilla vodka, Kahlua

I've been such a health nut lately and my alcohol consumption is negligible, I hope I live through this trip :-)

I've created a cool video production trailer:

...and here's a little thing I whipped up called Walkin:

F/32, ISO 100. I think I'm going to have a good time with this camera on that cruise...

Lawrenceburg had a Jeep competition as part of their Second Saturday downtown event. It's only a two minute drive for me so I slid in the back way, grabbed some cool shots, and then back home to the blog. Click the photo below to see them.

I drove through David Crocket Park today to check out the Days event. It reminded me of the frontier event they used to have in Victor, ID, except everyone here has a Tennessee accent. Click the photo below for some more...

Lyla dropped by today to try out my resistance bands.

This is a single photo I took this afternoon, animated, just to teach myself how to do it.

Floating down the old sewer pipe...

I spotted a nice little lake nearby with my map programs and drove out there this morning. I couldn't reach it from the main road because the FCC had the road blocked due to a cell tower. So, I came in from the other side and discovered a maze of high class baseball fields. Turns out that Lawrenceburg has hosted the Babe Ruth World Series here several times. I used to be a damned good Babe Ruth first baseman with visions of pro ball dancing in my head, but instead I take pictures of cell towers.

This is Lawrenceburg's water tank, next to the Walmart. Hey, I think it's cool...

Piper's been pulling some all-nighters lately, heading outside around 8pm and coming back in when I get up at 5am. My camera bags were her prefered place to crash this morning.

I heard a ruckus on the creek today so I grabbed my camera and headed on down there. Floating into my viewfinder came the rare orange shelled Tubey and I was lucky to grab a shot before the rapids swallowed him up!

Drove out to Laurel Hill Lake today for a few shots.

The spiders around here drive me crazy with their damned webs. I'm always walking into them and then wondering if the spider got down my pants as I wipe the cobwebs off my body. I guess I should cut them some slack since they catch the flying things and they are my neighbors after all.

After securing his lunch, he sucked up some guts before hauling it up to his perch on the roof.