Recent boat tour of St. Paul's Bay

I've been back in Malta since May 8 and have ended up doing quite a few tourist-type things, partly because friends and I rented a place in Salina.  I took a vacation here in Malta, for once.  Yesterday we used the boat company Seahorse for a tour of St. Paul's Bay (Yes, this is where I lived for 10 months and I never took the tour).  Michelle Jarvie-Eggart and Melissa Martinie were with me.  The boat was a Luzzu, like one often finds around Malta.  We showed up and boarded.  To our great surprise and delight we were the only three passengers.  We thought they might cancel, but they didn't.  So, in effect, we had a private charter for 30 Euros.  What fun and what a beautiful boat.  The photos are of the boat, the statue on St. Paul's Island (where by tradition he shipwrecked on his way to Rome and then (for sure) converted the people then on Malta), and some pretty scenes.

Serious winter

After a low snow December and first two weeks of January, winter has come to the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan.  We've had about 186 inches (~457 cm) of snow so far.  There is no place to put it now.  We were worried about the lack of snow early in January and now we would all be happy for it to end.  Huge blizzard yesterday closed Tech and the university didn't open today.  This is extremely unusual for my university.  But, on Sunday I had a nice snowshoe in a state park that's on Lake Superior.  Attached are some photos.

Snowy photo of my back yard

Through most of December and half of January, we did not have much snow.  The local weather channel called it a 'snow drought.'  Then it really started up. I'd say we've gotten at least a yard/meter in the last two weeks.  Some of the snow was light, made of giant flakes.  Then the temperatures got very cold and the snow got tiny and dense--quite hard to move around.  Then it warmed up!  This photo is about the snow that came down on a rather warm day, so it was "stickier" than the other kinds.  I like how it looks like a tapestry and that it seems to be a black and white photo.

Ships in Malta

An island has lots of ships.  An island with a protected deep port has all kinds of ships.  Here are some samples.  I can't say what they all are.  But the top one is of the Malta Navy from our tour boat (whose name eludes me, but I will eventually report it here as it was a very nice boat).  The second is of a giant yacht moore at Birgu, The 3rd was taken from our boat while we were on the open sea of a cargo ship coming out of the harbor.  4th: Malta can take large cruise ships.  The last two are views of the harbor at Birgu (French Creek, I think...but I can never keep them straight).

Boiler shop 2

Malta Boiler shop 1

The Maltese are storing some old equipment from the dockyards for a possible future industrial museum.  It is a wonderful jumble at the moment.  The study tour people of the Society for Industrial Archeology got a big kick out of it.

Golden Bay, Malta

OK, I made it to Malta.  Here I am, happy, at Golden Bay. I am incorrectly dressed because my friend had just picked me up from the airport. She knew just what to do: Go to beach immediately.  Lovely time at her restored farmhouse. Now in the hotel and starting to meet the tour goers.  40 of them!  We begin this afternoon.