December 6: The Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the fort built by the Spanish in the 1500s to guard the entrance to San Juan harbor in Puerto Rico.
December 6: Yet another Caribbean sunset, photographed a couple of weeks ago from the Island of Dominica.
December 5: Church on the Island of Dominica, photographed from the sea.
December 5: The island of Dominica, photographed in monochrome a couple of weeks ago.
December 4: Cruise ship leaving the island of Dominica near sunset, photographed recently from the town of Roseau.
December 4: Don’t worry, guys, the cops won’t tow this car until morning. Puerto Rico is in mañana land.
December 3: “Yes, you can call me Newt. Just not Gingrich.” Photographed from our hotel room deck during our recent stay in Roseau, Dominica.
December 3: Business property for sale on the island of Dominica, photographed recently. Recommended by TripAdvisor.
December 2: Schoolkids waiting for their ride home, photographed on Nov, 22 in the town of Roseau, Dominica. As an aside, the national Kubuli beer advertised on the billboard es muy bueno!
December 4: The most incredible creature I saw during our recent trip to the island of Dominica was the frigate bird. I photographed three of them one day, soaring overhead as we returned from a scuba and snorkeling expedition. Frigate birds often fly for two months without setting foot on land, seldom flapping their wings and allowing the air currents to do the work of lifting them as they fly. They feed by plucking small fish from the ocean . But since for all practical purposes they can’t swim, the birds never set down in the water. Isn’t nature amazing?
December 1: Taxi ride in town of Roseau on the island of Dominica a few days ago. This street happens to be one-way, but those allowing two-way traffic are not much wider. Generally, Dorette and I walked the mile or so from our hotel to the main business district, rather an adventure after dark.
December 1: Our gang exploring the Old Town neighborhoods of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 23. I liked it a lot and would enjoy seeing more of the country some day. On this trip, it was a stopover on the way to and from the island of Dominica, which had its own charms.
November 30: A handsome Caribbean rooster, working the streets of Roseau, Dominica. I first saw this breed of chicken in Key West, Fla. There they are feral birds, descendents of Cuban ancestors imported for cockfighting until that barbaric sport was outlawed. Today, the birds are tolerated to amuse the tourists. In Dominica, they seem to be domesticated, free-range chickens, returning to their coops at night. Sort of the way my parents raised their much less colorful flock on the farm in North Dakota.
November 30: Caribbean sunset, photographed Nov. 23 from the island of Dominica.
November 29: I shot this photo in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 19. It’s an example of the kind of “street” photography I’ve been drawn to since my dad bought me my first camera at age 17.
November 29: A waterfall photographed Nov. 21 during a trip to Dominica. Our bus driver took us here and then on to an even more spectacular falls elsewhere in the island’s mountainous rain forest. Breathtaking scenery, and I’m not referring to the woman who wandered into my shot (a model working with a professional photographer). On most devices, clicking the image will provide a larger view.
November 28: Charter boats on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean transport scuba divers and snorkelers to some the best underwater locations in the world. But plenty of spectacular fish and sea creatures could be seen right off our hotel’s dock in the town of Roseau. Here, Scott Dusterhoft’s 12-year-old daughter, Avery, already a certified scuba diver, enters the water for a quick look-see. As for me, I took a course in swimming at the University of North Dakota after getting in trouble in high school at the Sheyenne River swimming beach in Harvey, N.D. The lifeguard, the sister of one of my best friends, rescued me, much to my embarrassment. A decade later, I nearly joined the fishes permanently when I was caught in an ocean undertow off La Jolla, Calif. No, it’s best for me to stay out of water deeper than my bathtub.
November 28: A young sperm whale diving near sunset near the island of Dominica a few days ago. Experts rank Dominica as a world-class location to view whales. The animals live about 50 years, grow to nearly 70 feet in length, and are capable of diving more than 7,000 feet. Dorette and I last saw sperm whales in the nutrient-rich waters off New Zealand, where young males were said to migrate to “beef up” for several years, so to speak, before returning to their pods near Hawaii. I always feel excited and privileged to see one. Melville’s “Moby Dick” is a favorite novel, so I sometimes give in and yell, “Thar she blows!”
Dave Vorland recently returned from a trip to the Caribbean, which included stops in the island of Dominica and Puerto Rico, where he took these photographs.
