Snorkeling in UAE

So, it's now November and my time in Manchester is a fond memory.  I have landed in the middle of sun and sand in the UAE about an hour and half west of Abu Dhabi in a small village called Mirfa also written as Marfa.

The Mirfa Hotel here is by far, the most comfortable and luxurious that I've stayed in with my husband who is working only 10 minutes away. In addition to soft pillows, cloth napkins at every meal, and beautiful interior; the hotel boasts its own private beach with a shallow swimming area that suddenly drops away to deeper waters. It is at this boundary, kindly marked with buoys that a small reef exists. I've snorkeled the reef for a week during the low tides and have been pleasantly amazed at the variety of fish I've found there. This is the first time we've been in a location so near a reef, so it's all new to me.

Fishbase.org is an excellent website that has helped me to identify the reef's citizens and all photos are from this site. Every day I go out, I see something new. 

Zebrasoma xanthurum

This guy above is very shy and darts under rocks and ledges whenever he notices he's being watched.

Colletteichthys occidentalis

This critter, if I identified it correctly, digs holes in the sand and guards it burrow with it's mate. Or at least that's what I assume, since I observed two of them in the same burrow. One looked as though it was on guard while the other brought up a mouth full of sand and pebbles. They are kind of shy as well.

Kyphosus vaigiensis

This pretty little fish occasionally shows itself to me. There are few about, but they are fast and hide well.

There are many more out there, and I go as often as I can, maybe I'll see a ray or a shark at some point, but will be very satisfied if I don't. That might be a bit more excitement than I actually want.

Fire Island Lighthouse, New York

Looking westward

Looking eastward

http://www.fireislandlighthouse.com/

You wouldn't know that just east of New York City there are a wealth of beaches and interesting (somewhat) rural communities.  Fire Island is a sand barrier island that is surprising in its simplicity and rich in scenic views. You can get to it by car for FREE using either of the two bridges that connect it to Long Island or by boat or ferry. (I emphasis free because I'm still realing from sticker shock when I first moved to Long Island from Georgia and only stocked my center console with change for the Toll roads. None of the bridges cost less than $10 to get across!)

The parking lot is located about a 10 minute amble from the lighthouse itself. It is free to park before Memorial Day and is only $8 during summer. The beach has a lovely concrete promenade that leads to the water and has playground and restroom facilities but it does not lead to the footpaths that take you to the light house.  I had to walk to the far end of the parking lot to find the paths. There is a wide wooden boardwalk leading through tall dune grasses that take you straight to the lighthouse, I chose to take the dirt road in hopes of catching nice views of the sea.  Walking on the Dunes is forbidden as "They" are trying to rehabilitate the natural habitat. I couldn't resist carefully stepping of the road to take a photo of this great fence! The boardwalk has several paths that wind around the lighthouse and gives you  sea views both to the north and south. There were many birds twittering about, particularly red-winged blackbirds,  and a sign that told me that if I don't see a white tailed deer that I'm not looking hard enough. While I saw many deer tracks in the mud, I never actually saw a deer. I guess I better go get my eyes checked.

The lighthouse's museum is located in two different buildings. One of them houses the original glass from the original lighthouse. The lighthouse you see today is a 2nd structure built on top of the salvaged stones of the 1st one. They now are the base on which this one now stands. The second building used to serve as the family home for the keeper and his family. It now houses old photos and exhibits of life saving apparatus and methodology of past eras.  The staff in the museum were so friendly and nice. They asked if you wanted to know about the items first and were very knowlegable and obviously loved presenting it to anyone that walked in.There is no charge to visit the museum, but you do have to pay a fee to walk up into the lighthouse itself.

All in all I had a lovely afternoon walking about and enjoying the fresh air of a somewhat warm spring day.

Breeches Buoy is a life saving device that was attached to a rope and pulley system to get passengers off of a stranded ship. I can't imagine that it was very comfortable, especially for men. The placard mentioned sometime two people would even go at the same time.

Original reflector that was given back to Fire Island from another museum, I think in Philedelphia. What made this reflector so special is that it could direct a beam of light 26 miles out to sea which is how far the horizon is.

The family home of the lighthouse keeper now houses photos and exhibits about life saving practices and the history of the lighthouse. It has a small gift shop with the usual books and souvineers. It also has lovely water color prints of various sizes of  the lighthouse and island. The stone patio is made up of the actual stones of the original light house that was built in 1826.

Gallery of Costume- Manchester

Last week I had the pleasure to go to the Gallery of Costume located in a lovely little manor house known as Platt Hall in an even more lovely park. It is only a half-hour ride from the city center on a bus.  The hall itself is a lovely structure and each room has clothing and accessories from the Tudors through the 20th century. The older fashions are on the upper floor and the newer fashions on the ground floor.

I purchased a few postcards to share with my mother who suggested the museum in the first place. The photo above is typical of what both my grandmothers and mom would wear decades ago. And the photo of the dresses below showcases some of the printed cottons that Manchester was known for making in the early Industrial Revolution.

The postcard on the right are two suits worn by the original owner of Platt Hall.

The museum is relatively small, but has a wonderful selection of fashions. It is organized well and has a load of information about the fashions, fabrics, and social significance. I particularly enjoyed reading the biographical information about the people that wore the clothes. Many of the dresses were originally used as wedding gowns before being reused as evening gowns. The two pictured are described as day dresses.

I highly recommend going to this museum if you have even the slightest interest in fashion.

http://www.manchestergalleries.org/our-other-venues/platt-hall-gallery-of-costume/

Public Art in Manchester

 There is a lot of public art works scattered around downtown Manchester. I've given them pet names as the artists have not titled their works, as far as I can tell. The above is a wonderful work that covers 3 sides of a building that I like to call The Canal. The artist obviously got inspiration from the canals and locks just two blocks away. I love that the early industrial age history is honored here. Indeed, many of the buildings in my neighborhood are old cotton mills that have been converted into apartments and office buildings.

 I call this one "Big Bird". I waited two weeks for a sunny day to come and take these photos. I'm happy that I did. I love the imagination and colors on this mural that covers the entire side of a three story building.

The "Industrial Dragon" is only a few blocks from the Arndale Center, a huge shopping center/mall in the town center. I was disappointed that the sun didn't reach all the shiny bits. It's quite difficult to describe, but is another fun and whimsical construction.