This morning’s message by Pastor Baran at International Bible Church was from Revelation 2 on the church at Thyatira. In Sunday school we viewed and discussed a video bible study by Dick Woodward on the book of Romans.

For dinner we had left-over Nasi chicken, again with mango chutney because we liked it so much.

This afternoon we decided to take a drive up the west coast of Bonaire. Our drive took us past the Dutch World Radio (Radio Nederland) shortwave broadcasting station. TWR relayed some of Radio Netherlands programs from 1964 until they built this facility about 1974.

Since BOPEC is a high security facility with a pier for loading and unloading oil tankers, we had to skirt around their perimeter fence to get back to the west coast road to the north. It is hard to get a good photo

of BOPEC, but I saw a small break in the cacti. By chance, and by holding my camera way over my head, I happened to get a photo of the tank that burned after a lightening strike in September. This road ended only a few kilometers north of BOPEC at Playa Frans, where there a couple of houses belonging to fishermen. It is a rather unique place to travel with some fairly rugged coast line.

I am always on call, especially after the transmitter goes on the air at 5:30pm. By retracing the route taken, we figured we would be back home

about 5:30, but, about half way home (time-wise), we encountered a ‘detour’. Only upon seeing the ‘do not enter’ symbol on the sign post on our anticipated return route, did we realize that part of the road that we had previously traveled is now ONE WAY going north. This was not the case 40 years ago, and, both times we have taken part of this route in the past four weeks, we returned another way. The only way we knew to get back was through Rincon, then to the east coast and back to Kralendijk. We got back about 6pm and the transmitter was OK.

It was raining when we got back, so we decided not to walk or swim [we might get wet!]. Actually a breeze is still blowing from the west and the surf is very rough.

We checked at the salt pier this evening and noted that the third of five holds was being filled. We also stopped by the office and called my mother.

NOTE #1 — Click on the highlighted ‘Playa Frans‘ above, or here, to see an amazing panaroma. Also click on this one –> Nukove and see how calm the waves usually are on the west coast of Bonaire.

NOTE #2 — To see a bigger (and in some cases, expanded) version of any of the images, just click on the one you want to enlarge.

Saturday morning is the one day of the week that we can sleep in an extra hour or so, which we did. I was just getting up when someone called from outside to say I needed to move the car out of our driveway. They were going to pour a new gate post and were letting us know that it would be trapped inside the yard for the weekend.

This morning, Virginia wanted me to repair the gas dryer in the outside utility room. With high humidity the past few days, it has been difficult to get things dry. The dryer drum belt was missing (apparently broken) but there was a replacement belt on a shelf beside the dryer. I popped the top up, took two screws out near the

top of the front panel and lifted the front up about a 1/4″ to gain full access. That part was amazingly easy, then I saw the idler pulley assembly laying in the bottom with no screws and wondered where it was supposed to go! Fortunately a drawing on the package for the belt showed a typical installation. From this, I figured out that one end of the assembly fits into a slot in the bottom panel of the dryer and the tension of the belt holds it in place.

I put all the panels back on and started it, only to hear a ‘thump’ on every revolution. This was resolved when it was discovered that the plastic bearing surface attached to the front edge of the drum had slipped out of place. Some of the plastic clips that hold it in place were broken, but when put back in the correct position the remaining clips held it OK. Now, after again replacing the panels, the dryer was up and running great.

We planned to do some sightseeing after a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ice tea, but rain began to pour down during lunch. Now Virginia was really glad that the dryer was working! As the rain kept up for quite a long time, with water running

everywhere we decided to take the opportunity to work on updating our blogs. We heard later today that Curacao, around 40 miles west of Bonaire, received the equivalent of its annual rainfall in one day! Glad it was not that bad here.

After the rain let up, we went shopping. Some of the things we were wanting were missing and in their place were empty shelves with a sign apologizing because Hurricane Tomas had delayed their shipments. Some of the things we noticed missing were spaghetti, cheese and butter.

Weather was looking pretty good after shopping, so we decided to see what the ‘new’ road from Belnem going across the island to Sorobon was like. Before doing so, we elected to make a detour via Salt Pier to see how loading of the United Tenorio was progressing.

On the way, we noticed that waves were really crashing against the east shore which is usually very calm. This precipitated a stop at Bachelor Beach, where we used to frequently swim, to take a photo. This was much worse than the effects of Hurricane Tomas — must be from the storm that passed through earlier.

Moving on down to Salt Pier, we noted that the second of five holds was now being filled. At this rate, the United Tenorio will spend at least two, maybe three, days at Salt Pier.

Since we were near the transmitter site, I decided to run a test of the security system by switching it off, then later coming back after the auto-arming programmed time to verify that it had indeed armed itself. On our way into the site, we noticed that the water had risen even higher and was over the paved road. Fortunately, it was not more than a couple of inches deep. I entered the building, disarmed the system, then locked the door upon leaving,

We now began our trip from Belnem to Sorobon. This must be the straightest road any where on Bonaire. With all the black marks seen on the pavement, it looks like it is also being used for a drag strip! It definitely seems to be the fastest way straight across the island east/west. When we got to Sorobon, there was a big group having a party on the beach. We also noticed that there were a lot of cars, most of them rented, at the Naturist Resort.

We came back the same way to Belnem then went to the site to check the security system. It had auto-armed as it was supposed to.

Due to the high waves, Virginia and I took a short walk tonight along the shore, then came home for a supper of nasi chicken. ‘Nasi’ is the Indonesian work for rice. We used some mango chutney on it, which really gave it an excellent flavor.

With the men mixing concrete outside for the fence and the need to keep all the windows closed to keep dust out of the house, Virginia has been accompanying me to the office and to the site. This morning on the way to the office, we noticed another cruise ship, the Sea Princess, was already at the dock and tourists were already on the streets.

This morning, I updated the ‘Security System Notes’ with the additional information gathered from programming and testing it yesterday. I then submitted a draft to Joe Barker as a Word document. It is usable in this form, but will have additional minor changes before I can say it is done.

On the way home for lunch, there was another cruise ship, the Star Flyer of Star Clippers, at the second dock. This one was unique in that it is a sailing tall ship called a clipper.

After a quick lunch of sandwiches, we headed for the site. On the way, we noticed that the tanker, Alice PG, delivering jet fuel was still there. We took a photo of it from one of the most popular beaches, Playa Palu di Mangel (or Airport Beach), of Bonaire, with the Sea Princess in the background. Note the enclosed life boat mounted high on the back poised for a quick getaway. When we talked on the phone later in the evening one grandchild asked why it is taking over a day to deliver the fuel. My reply was that the big tanks must have been very empty, or they were using a very small pump, or both!

As we went on to the site, we could see Salt Pier and observed that the salt ship was gone. It took just under 2 days to load it. Driving into the site, we noticed the water was higher, due to the rain a few days earlier. To park the car in the shaded carport behind the building we had to drive through some water that was not there a couple of days earlier.

Today, I first programmed the security system for one-button review of the time and date. The reason for this was preparing for the next step to program the system to automatically ‘arm’ itself in the event that anyone left after work without ‘arming’ it. I then tested these and more features. About 4pm the TWR staff who normally have access to the site arrived and I gave them training about disarming and arming the alarm. I also demonstrated some of the emergency features, just in case they are ever needed.

At this point, one of the men wanted to hear the siren go off, so we obliged. Joe then mentioned that only one had worked. Being unaware of a second one, Joe showed me the wiring for it. I noticed the output of the system was limited in current capability and decided to verify whether it could handle both sirens. A quick test of the one that was not connected revealed that, even by itself, it required more current than the system could handle. I then checked the one that was connected and noted that it took about 80% of the allowable current. It looks like we will need to install a relay and another 12 volt supply for the higher power siren. I found a relay and socket, so all that is needed now is a 12 volt supply capable of handling 1 amp.

As we left the site this evening, the security alarm was fully armed for the first time (except for testing). Joe had told me this morning that the system was installed several months ago, but that nobody was able to take the time required to get it to work. I am grateful to the Lord for answered prayers for wisdom and feel better now about what seemed like a steep ‘learning curve’ for me to get it going.

Looking out the front door earlier (about 3pm), I noticed a large ship head our way and then turn south toward Salt Pier. Also noticed a tugboat accompanying it. On the way home at about 5:45pm, we noticed that this ship, the United Tenorio of United Seven, was moored and preparing to load. There is a blue obelisk (built in 1837) at this pier which is a marker used by salt ships of the 1800s to indicate where they could land safely to load.

We did not go swimming this evening as it is Friday night and the Flamingo Resort parking had overflowed onto the area along our front fence. Instead, we walked along the sea front towards town and watched the Sea Princess leave right at sunset. Looking from the back, it looked like a huge rectangular box and we commented about similarities to what Noah’s ark much have looked like.

We then walked on into town and took some photos of the Star Flyer at dusk. Since it is a sailing vessel, it must travel mostly during daylight hours.

For most of the day, we had seen a large barge and tugboat about a mile offshore. From shore, it kind of looked like an

airplane floating on the water with its tail fin sticking up in the air. As the Sea Princess was leaving, we noticed that the tugboat began to move the barge toward shore. Moving it into its final position took place after dark at about 6:45pm. During this whole time another tugboat and a pilot boat ‘hovered’ around the barge, the former just in case it was needed and the latter to give instructions and help attach some of the mooring ropes. We had a ‘front row seat’ as we were able to stand on the dock where it tied off and let down a ramp (the ‘fin’ that we had seen) for loading and unloading. The name on the barge was ‘Caribbean Pride’ from Kingstown. It obviously was carrying hundreds of tons of material for use on Bonaire.

For supper tonight we had leftover Japanese chicken and rice from last night. We also used Skype for an hour or so talking to the Etheringtons and our son Allan and family.

NOTE — To see a bigger (and in some cases, expanded) version of any of the images, just click on the one you want to enlarge.

This morning I drafted a document titled “Security System Notes” to provide a one page summary directed to workers for operating the site alarm system and two additional pages for the person maintaining the system to know what features have been changed from default, with instructions for things might normally need to be changed.

Last night, I discovered that the way to overcome a wrong code entry, was to ‘stop, press * and start over again’. This was found in a one line statement in all 100 plus pages of three manuals for the system. I found it by downloading all three manuals via the internet and searching for ‘entry error’, ‘wrong’ , etc., until a search for ‘mistake’ found it. When I tested this ‘error correcting’ procedure, it worked, but was confusing. When a mistake was made and the * key was pressed you often would no longer get the ‘beep’, which is typically given as each keystroke was ‘confirmed’. This must be a tactic of the system to ‘fool’ an unauthorized person into thinking the keypad has been disabled (like it was doing to me for a while!). If you persevered and continued the entry without becoming rattled, it would usually work. This information will now be incorporated into the ‘System Notes’.

On the way to the site after lunch, I noticed a ship at the airport dock. It must be delivering jet fuel for the storage tanks there. Getting closer to the site, I noticed that the ship was still loading at the salt pier. This time they were filling the middle of its three holds. This must mean that after almost a day of loading, they were half filled.

At the site, I continued reprogramming the security system to the specifications that TWR Bonaire wants, then, where possible, tested each change to make sure it worked. Also made notes as reminders to incorporate certain features into the ‘System Notes’. One of the programmed features added was one-button access to the Time/Date of the system. This was needed in preparation for reprogramming the system to AutoArm at a specific time. This will automatically arm the system if someone forgets.

Upon leaving the site, I noticed that the salt ship’s bow was about 2 feet lower than it was shortly after noon. They still have the front hold to fill.

We went for another refreshing swim this evening, but this time with the huge Emerald Princess berthed not far away. Passengers were streaming back on board in preparation for departure. The cruise ships tend to leave about sunset to make the journey to the next location. This one is headed for Aruba.

After taking a shower to wash the salt water off, we decided to go back to the beach to watch the Emerald Princess leave.

[An interesting fact — the Emerald Princess like most large cruise ships do not need tugs to maneuver them into or out of port. They have rotatable pods under the ship that allows them to move any direction, even sideways!] Her departure was ultra-slow to prevent a wake that could damage the beaches, or boats. When close to half mile from shore, she slightly in increased her speed, which caused a few waves that were slightly higher than normal to reach shore.

For supper we had a Japanese dish of chicken and rice. Anyone noticing a theme here?! NOTE to Nathaniel Simone — you would love the food here! 🙂

NOTE — To see a bigger (and in some cases, expanded) version of any of the images, just click on the one you want to see.

This morning we went to the office. Along with other prayer items, we prayed for Haiti and the effect that the storm Tomas will have on them. They have had a lot of suffering this year. Pray for their health and safety, but mostly pray for their hearts. Pray as God’s word goes out into that country in their language, that hearts will be ready to hear and accept God’s salvation.

On our way home at lunch time, we saw that there was a cruise ship, the Emerald Princess, in the harbor and our normal route home was blocked. (We usually drive along the sea front to enjoy

the view until we are just a few houses from our place.) This ship is huge! It is longer than down town Kralendijk. It is about three times higher than the highest building in town and can be seen from many miles away. There are a lot of people that get off for the day.

I decided to visit the vendors that set up shop in the ‘park’ or ‘town square’, and see what type of gifts they had for sale. The vendors make their crafts at home and then bring them to town when a cruise ship is in. The vendors

are quite an international bunch. I don’t think I spoke to one who was a ‘true’ born on Bonaire, Bonairean. They all claim to be Bonairean because they live here. I also found a lot of nice people with whom friendships could be formed. In talking with some of the people, I found out that there will be another ship tomorrow and three more next week and then a six day break before the next one.

NOTE — To see a bigger (and in some cases, expanded) version of any of the images, just click on the one you want to see.