Day 25-26: Relaxing

With less than a week left of our vacation we looked at the list we have kept on the fridge and saw most everything had been checked off. Yay!
(because you all know how much I like my lists.)

So we spent the next couple days reading, catching up on work and hitting some of our favorite swimming holes.

Tyler has also been trying to get a few football workouts in - since his team officially started practice Aug 1st. Not sure what people think about the kid running around the island in a helmet!

We also had 'small' roofing project to complete. So, the big boys ventured to the Alker's House to help get things finished while the weather was nice.

We ventured to Prainha on Tuesday because we loved the black sand beach, snorkeling and calm waters for paddle boarding.

Unfortunately, the jelly fish were in full force that day! The kids still ventured out (carefully). Andrew (of course) chose today to show us how he could “body surf” without his life vest.

Jim spent much of the day trying to catch any jellies in the shallow waters. And we managed only one sting (Teah) that afternoon – and it looked painful!!

 

We enjoyed a late dinner at Club Naval – watching the full moon over the ocean. Beautiful!

 

Day 24: Whale Watching

A slow start to the morning after our late night at Festa. We sadly said good-bye to Ginger and Todd and wished them well on their travels back to California.

We had a 2pm reservation for a whale watching excursion so we packed up after lunch and headed to Lajes, on the south side of the island.

Since there was 10 of us we chartered the whole boat (they only seat 12 persons) and that worked out cheaper than paying 10 individual ticket prices. Perfect!

The company that put this together (Espaco Talassa) was very professional. They have a one hour presentation prior to heading out which tells you the history of the island, whaling industry, types of whales in the area, how they spot them (very old school) and current practices in conservation. Very educational!

After the presentation, we picked out a life jacket, grabbed our snacks and headed out for our 3 hour tour.

Whale watching was a blast! The boats are small and fast! You straddle your seat so it feels like you’re riding a horse (or kangaroo as our captain suggested). I think the kids may have enjoyed the boat ride more than the whale viewing!

We saw 3 beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens) almost right away. They stayed at the surface for just a bit before heading away.

Then we stopped for a loggerhead sea turtle (caretta caretta). How our captain saw this as we were flying through the water I have no idea. The organization is collaborating with a group in Florida on a turtle study, so we stopped long enough with the turtle to take pictures and measurements before sending him on his way.

Then we got the call there were 2 sperm whales in the area and off we went. The two whales we observed spend about 45 minutes under the surface. Then they come up for about 10 min before heading back down.

We watched the first sperm whale from a short distance away… so cool! We estimated she was 8-10 meters long. Then she did her big dive back down and we saw the flip of the tail as she went. We spotted a second sperm whale just minutes after the first one went down.

After the whales we spotted some porpoises. These were a bit larger than what we had seen on the fishing boat and tended to keep their distance from us as they surfed the swell.

Then a long fun boat ride out to a spot where the spinner dolphins were. These are smaller and quite curious so they come right up to the boat. The kids were thrilled!

3 hours later we were headed back in for a beverage and a recap from our captain. Great experience!

Dinner at John’s O’ Barbecue Sun night… and then a good night sleep!

Today’s photographer: Ashley Larson

Day 23: Birthdays!

Finally a day to sleep in and nothing on the schedule (yet!). Our dear (new) friends Ginger and Todd are heading back to CA tomorrow. We also have two upcoming birthdays to celebrate (Tricia, Todd), so we left  today’s plans up to them.

Got a visit from someone selling lapas this morning – only in the Azores do you get excited about someone selling something door to door! We bought 1 kilo of lapas for 7.50 euros and there must have been at least 75 in the bag. That'll make for a great appetizer tonight. Yum!!

We had hoped to make a trip back to Calheta – black sand beach and a great café. But it was a bit too windy for that pool. So we took a short drive towards Madalena and went to one of the swimming pools near that town.

Good choice! The pool was protected from the wind. Great fresh water bay (although a bit chilly!) and some great snorkeling on the ocean side.

Ashley was out again with her camera snapping lot’s of great underwater pics.

 

Once again we have amazing views of Pico Mountain.

 

 

Boys thought they would be funny today and dump cold water on Mom - although in the hot sun it actually felt good!

And of course a great café to keep the adults stocked up on Sagres and ice cream for the kids.

I’m going to miss this!

Ashley and Luke head in for a late afternoon snorkel.

Picked up pizza on the way home. Our new favorite – chorizo and onion! We also sliced up some tuna sashimi and Griff cooked up the lapas. What a feast!

Picked up a chocolate bolo (cake) at the store this afternoon as well. Quite tasty – german chocolate.

Finished the evening off with a trip down to our local Sao Roque Festa. An entertaining night watching Bang Bang Roses (a Guns n Roses Tribute band from Lisbon)!

Happy (early) Birthday Todd and Tricia!!