It must be that time of year again! I just saw my first Christmas Vine with its' stand out red flowers creeping over some native bush along the Venetian Road and near the villas at Harbour Club.
Every year as we head into December, I search the bush for these spectacular, showy red flowers. Sure enough there it was today…..the Ipomoea Microdactyla, also known as the Christmas Vine or Hog Potato Vine. Look around you as you are sure to sight it too.
Marta
Heading out of Harbour Club Villas and Marina for a day out on the waters of Provo's south side.
It’s another glorious sunshiney day in the islands with a gentle breeze blowing and calm clear waters. Pretty idyllic and just made for a boat ride. Just look at the beautiful colours of the water and this is what you can expect when you visit our stunning country. Book your trip today and we’ll see you soon!
Marta
Mike's photos of Harbour Club's newest resident.........a Caribbean Octopus
By the time I had run down to the docks at our villas…Harbour Club Villas and Marina….the octopus had disappeared. I was disappointed to say the least but left my camera down there in case our son Mike saw it again. Well, yes……..he came out apparently changing colours and with at least two foot tentacles. Mike was able to get the following photos.
You can see the distinctive blue-green colours with occasional mottled-brown markings
The Caribbean reef octopus is usually a solitary and are able to quickly change colour using specialized cells in their skin known as chromatophores.
Trying to hide in under the ledge of the rocks underneath the floating docks at Harbour Club Villas and Marina
Close up of the octopus' bulbous head
The Caribbean Reef Octopus lives in hidden, rocky lairs that are difficult to locate. Their lairs are usually created in shallow warm waters.
Its colour range is incredibly large; it can change from crimson to green, bumpy to smooth.
The Octopus is difficult to describe because it changes color and texture in order to blend into its surroundings. It can weigh around 3.3 lb or 1.5 kg.
It can move pretty fast but Mike got some amazing shots!
Beautiful colours and constantly changing !
It feeds on a wide array of animals including primarily crustaceans as well as small fish and bivalves. This octopus species often feeds by spreading its webbed arms to form a canopy to net its prey.
Thanks to my son Mike for these great photos of our new resident reef octopus and perhaps you’ll be able to see them for yourself when snorkeling or diving here in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Marta
Yummy.......... fresh conch salad for lunch at Harbour Club Villas.
Honeymooners Chantel and Rick enjoyed their conch salad today for lunch in the gazebo by the pool at Harbour Club Villas.
I was invited for a bowl of conch salad and it was delicious with a little zip to it.
Chantel prepared a delicious, fresh conch salad from green and red peppers, juicy tomatoes, conch of course, cilantro, onions, freshly squeezed limes and some of their own, favorite special spices.
A nice glass of chilled white wine goes great with a "fresh from the sea" conch salad
And to top it off, a glass of chilled white wine goes great with conch salad. I know our honeymoon couple, Chantel and Rick will more than likely enjoy some more conch salad appetizers this evening but they’ll be drinking some Dom Perrignon as sadly, this is their last evening at Harbour Club Villas and on our tropical island paradise.
If you are thinking of a honeymoon vacation, the Turks and Caicos Islands can’t be beat…..sunshine, stunning beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters. Our honeymoon couple can attest to that as they enjoyed three days of great scuba diving. Call us or email and we’ll arrange everything for you to make things easy.
Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com
Arriving at Taylor Bay beach on Sunday........wow, the colours were so vibrant.
Sunday we motored over to Taylor Bay. There were ominous black clouds with thunder in the distance but we hadn’t been out for a while so that didn’t stop us. We were the only people there in the early afternoon too so we had the place to ourselves for a few hours.
Little Malaika loved playing on the beach after having been in Europe for the past six weeks.
The ominous black clouds just hovered over us but there was still lots of sunshine and no rain showers.
Barry has a late afternoon float in the shallows while looking out at the boat which was moored in three feet of water.
A kayaker waves at us as we head for home as the sun starts to set.
We were treated to an amazing sunset in the marina at Harbour Club Villas.
Sailboat “Lig” rides at anchor at our dock as the pink and orange after glow of the sunset lights up the skies.
Another perfect afternoon on the water. We hope you’ll be able to visit us soon and enjoy the beaches of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Marta
Panoramic view from Jim Hill overlooking the villas at Harbour Club and Cooper Jack Bight
A long day of preparation as we made sure everything is secure at Harbour Club villas for Hurricane Earl and Fiona coming right up behind. We spent several hours running extra lines on the boats in our marina. It’s now 11 pm and strangely quiet with little wind. Earlier and for much of the day , we had a brisk wind and white caps on both Flamingo Lake and the ocean. I’m sure the wind and rain will come but we are hopeful Earl will pass by relatively quietly with not too much of a fuss.
Marta
I looked up and straight ahead and saw a small hummingbird nest with two beaks sticking up in the air.
I was taking in the laundry today and all of a sudden I heard the humming of a hummingbird………..Barry had told me that he had seen one frequently out back of our cabin. I looked up searching for the tiny bird and to my surprise, I looked directly at a nest that was in our Poui tree. I could see two little beaks pointing straight up in the air.
The two baby hummingbirds were snuggled side by side in the nest.
The nest is made out of soft materials like moss and lichen, cotton fluffs, soft plant pieces, dryer lint, and leaf hairs. Items are brought back to the nest a little at a time and glued together with spider webs……..there’s loads of those here at Harbour Club!
I wanted you to see how this nest is cradled in a tri-fork of a Poui tree.
The Mama hummingbird looks for a place that is well off the ground to prevent predators such as ants, snakes, and predatory birds finding the nest. It must also be sheltered from wind and the heat of the sun during the main part of the day. She found a really good solid base in our Poui tree where three branches had grown from a knot.
The two baby hummingbirds are so sweet and almost look like they are getting too big to fit both of them together.
I’m thinking these two little ones will be flying the nest pretty soon as they seem to be really squished in there together.
A beautiful twosome.........I'm hoping if I watch close enough, I'll see them trying to fly really soon.
Here's a closeup of one of the babies in the nest.
And so, I’ll be watching the babies and hoping to get a few photos as they learn to fly. The positioning of the tree and the nest may make it difficult as I don’t want to scare them. We’ll see………hope you enjoy these photos.
Marta
The Queen Angelfish is one of the most beautiful and colourful fish found in the warm waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Such amazing colours….electric blue speckled with a bright canary yellow body, yellow tail , fins and a face that has blue highlights around the eyes and mouth. The Queen Angelfish stands out in a crowd because of all that colour but this too works perfectly so that this fish can hide and blend in with the surrounding vibrance of the coral reefs in our area.
Queen Angelfish have a speckled, blue ringed spot that looks like a crown
The royal title comes from this distinctive marking. It is a blue circle on the top of its head, known as the “crown” that gives this fish its name.
This shy fish feeds on the sponges, algae and soft corals of the reef.
They are quite large for reef-dwellers and can grow up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) in length. The Queen Angel has a rounded head and small beak-like mouth. They have these long upper and lower fins that stream dramatically behind them. Although I love the Queen Angelfish best, The French Angelfish is also among the most beautiful of all the reef fishes.
The French Angelfish.....it's scales have bright yellow edges, making a vibrant pattern against its dark blue body.
A big thankyou to our Harbour Club guests Brian Gatt and Connie McEgan for their spectacular photos of the French Angelfish. I don’t dive (only snorkel) so I have to rely on others for underwater photos. The Queen Angel photos were taken by our son Mike on some of his regular visits to Provo.
The French Angelfish has a light blue face, gray/white mouth, and yellow highlights on its eyes, gill plates, and fins.
I’m sure you’ll see these exotic fish as you snorkel at Smith’s Reef and the Bight Reef at Coral Gardens. For those that scuba dive, our coral reefs and walls are some of the best in the world. Come to the Turks and Caicos Islands for your next dive vacation and stay with us at Harbour Club Villas. Dive boats leave our Marina every day and if you don’t dive, snorkeling is great here too.
Marta
Another one of our glorious sunsets at Harbour Club Villas. Cocktail hour or two sitting on the benches over looking the Marina.
A wonderful way to relax after a busy day. We go up on the hill and just sit enjoying the view as we watch the sun set. I sure missed this while in Miami for all those weeks.
Marta
Wishing Moms everywhere a sun shiny day filled with love and laughter and a rose or two. Our Desert Roses here at Harbour Club Villas seem to be thriving in the dry weather we’ve had of late. They are loaded with beautiful pink and deep pink blooms.