Yesterday Erwin completed his computer course "Introduction to the PC, Microsoft Windows XP and Introduction to the Internet" and received his certificate of recogniton. He is very pleased with his achievement! Pictured are Junny Vos of PrivéPro and Erwin Muller.

Computer Lessons

Erwin is taking computer lessons at PrivéPro. http://www.privepronv.com/
His instructor is Junny Vos, pictured here in the photo with Erwin. Last week, Erwin received the wonderful gift of a brand new laptop computer from Dick and Barbara Stewart, who have been coming to Bonaire for years and know Erwin from diving with him. Erwin is absolutely thrilled with this fabulous gift. Thank you so much, Dick & Barbara!

August 2010

Last month Erwin and I went to Curacao for a week so he could get some occupational therapy, which isn't available in Bonaire. The week went very well and once again we were treated to great hospitality by Leo who graciously allowed us to stay in his home. Back in Bonaire, Erwin has started computer lessons and is doing very well! We lost our precious dog, Mokka, this week, after a car accident, and we are heartbroken over this.

Great Group

A group of divers from Wisconsin, that knew Erwin from previous dive trips to Bonaire, looked him up this week to see how he was doing. They invited us out to dinner at Richard's restaurant one evening but my back was acting up after an exhausting trip to Curacao so Erwin went with them on his own. He had a great time and I promised to rest my back so that I could make it to the dinner they were planning for two nights later. What a dinner! Sherman, who works at Toucan Divers, is also a great chef and he was in charge of the meal. Starting with a delicious seafood soup followed by a choice of either seafood pasta or beef stroganoff, both with homemade pasta. Then came the food from the grill...chicken, ribs, beef tenderloin and red snapper (with a fantastic salsa), potatoes, rice and... as if there needed to be more...all of this was followed by birthday cake and ice cream! A very enjoyable evening and it was great meeting new friends. Thanks again to Ed and all the Wisconsin gang!

Summertime

The beginning of June saw a visit to Bonaire from our good friend Dara Walter. Dara, Erwin & I went swimming in Sorobon on her first day here and over the next two weeks we celebrated her 50th birthday with a surprise party, went out to lunch & dinner, showed off our precious granddaughter and Erwin and our dog Mokka even joined us on a dive excursion a little farther a field than Erwin normally goes since his stroke. It was a fun 2 weeks! The rest of June has consisted of several doctor's visits for both of us, including a trip to Curacao on June 22nd.

Windsurfing Pioneer

The crew from the documentary Children of the Wind has been filming in Bonaire for the past few weeks. It looks like this is going to be a great movie, showcasing the amazing talents and accomplishments of the Bonairean windsurfers both young and old! Erwin was a pioneer in the sport on Bonaire, being the first Bonairean to try windsurfing and later winning numerous competitions but Erwin is probably best known for his long distance windsurfing adventures...including sailing from Bonaire to Curacao with a record time that held for twenty years! Erwin also windsurfed from Curacao to Venezuela and circumnavigated Bonaire. The photo shows Erwin just after his interview was filmed.
http://www.childrenofthewindmovie.com/the_film.html

More Sailing!

In the past two months, Erwin went out sailing a half a dozen more times on Sally's boat "Zahi". Last weekend Sally needed someone to sail her boat back to Aruba and our son Jason agreed to do it. Erwin was invited along on the trip. Erwin was so excited about this because in the old days he had sailed Sally's boat to St. Maarten, Aruba, Saba, Dominica and other islands in the Caribbean. They had a good trip over to Aruba and flew back two days later. A nice adventure to buoy Erwin's spirits!

"A calm sea does not make a skillful sailor"

Sailing

Erwin loves boats of any kind but his absolute favorite thing is sailing. Although we have gotten him out in motor boats several times, yesterday was the first sail for Erwin since he had his stroke. With the help of Linda and Martijn we got him aboard Sally's sailboat "Zahi" and they set off for a three hour sail. A very enjoyable afternoon was had by all. Thanks, Sally, Linda and Martijn!

Happy 50th Birthday!!

Today is Erwin's 50th birthday! Since his birthday falls on a Monday this year, we figured that yesterday (Sunday) would be a better day to celebrate the big event! The party was held on the beach at Sorobon and Erwin had a wonderful day surrounded by good friends and family, great scenery and plenty of delicious food. A big thanks to Jason, Marlene and her Mom and Dad who were a huge help in putting the party together and thanks to everyone who brought food and showed up to celebrate! It was a perfect day for Erwin!

I made a quick collage with some photos from yesterday. Click on photo for larger view.
Happy 50th Birthday to my wonderful husband, Erwin!! He has had the roughest year of his life but still has a smile for everyone! I love him so much!

Children of the Wind

Here are some links to the documentary, Children of the Wind, that I mentioned in the post on January 16th...
http://www.childrenofthewindmovie.com/themovie.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=-CDgYcd4bZ8

Saturday Swim

On Saturday, Erwin and I had a very nice swim with Linda. Molly and Jason joined us, too! Erwin even got to see a Frogfish while he was snorkeling! He was a happy camper :-). Click on photo for larger view.

A New Year Begins

First the good news...Erwin's friend Stewart is back on the island. He picks up Erwin every morning and takes him along on his dive excursions. Erwin really enjoys this. Erwin was also interviewed for a documentary on the history of windsurfing in Bonaire and participated in a rally " Boneiru Activo" which promotes participation in sports and fitness activities. The attached photo is from the Boneiru Activo ceremony at the sports stadium. This photo was on the front page of the Extra newspaper. Erwin is on the far right with the other representatives of the windsurfing contingent. Photo courtesy of Ibi Piar..
Now the bad news...Erwin's younger sister (49) suffered a massive stroke on January 7th. She is currently in the hospital in Curacao but will probably be sent back to Bonaire next week. From all accounts she is not doing very well. More on this later.