Ahhhhh...Band Trip Memories

I mostly wanted to post a few band trip pics so you could see how the crazy girls greeted me each night for room checks. 

For the band students...

You should have received your band camp packet.  In a few weeks, I hope to post a little more information, so please continue to check Perry & Smitty Blog after I return to Oklahoma.  What you need to know is the following:

• August 2nd is the day festivities begin. (I know you guys cannot wait to see me!) On Monday, August 6th, we will all travel to Camp Bond for a day of rehearsal, team building, swimming, food, and fun.  The cost for this day is $10/person.
• I did forgot to list that new students will need to pay approximately $50 during the first few weeks for their polo shirt & marching shoes.  Former students, you should have your shirt & shoes.  We do have a box of used shoes.  Anyone may look through these on a first come, first serve basis.
• Please do NOT let a lack of money keep you from coming to camp.  If you are in need of financial assistance, please talk to me when camp begins.  :)
• Tryout is the school song (Our Director) MEMORIZED and the chromatic scale for the full range of your instrument. 
• There was a question asked about $500 that was listed on one of the pages in the mailer. I have no idea what that refers to. I have looked through the letters I emailed our band parents to place in your packets, and my original does not show any large sums of money.  All students are welcome to bring me $500 for my shopping pleasure. However, my guess if that does exist on your copy it is a formatting difference between my document and Mrs. McGaha's. 
• You may contact me AFTER July 13th if you need to check out an instrument to practice.  If you already have an instrument--PRACTICE!

American Tanker

On Sunday, Ashley & I went on a boat dive. It was a two tank dive. First stop was American tanker and second stop Barracuda Rock.  Sadly, my hose on my regular started swelling and leaking when I hooked everything up for the second dive, so I got to do cannon balls off the boat while everyone else went diving.  (I am attempting to post a video at the end. If it works, my diving is a little off b/c I'm trying to figure out why my tank keeps moving around.)

Diving

After the treasure hunt (where I found no treasure--but got a cool t-shirt...and a jar of honey which was random), Ashley & I had air in our tanks, so we went diving with a half of tank. (Hey, I don't have much money this summer, so I'm squeezing every penny out of everything.) 

 Above:  One can even show allegiance to my 'boys under water.  Here is an underwater GO POKES!  (If you notice, I'm missing a glove.  I lost it on the way out to the dive site.)

 Above:  This is me saying, "Where are we? I'm lost. Are we going to die?"  Actually, it's kind of impossible to get lost on this dive site.  I don't really know what I was doing. 

 Above:  Nemo left the band bus and is in Guahan.

 Above:  Until tonight, when I'd upload the pics, they blogger site would flip them for me. I don't know what it stopped. But I think I look better at this angle anyway. 

 Above: I was doing my best to pretend I was sleeping on the floor of the ocean. But, the silly fish kept swimming in front of my face. 

Above:  Ashley & I at the end of our dive. 

Which meal would you choose?

Old Man By the Sea.

I took a little hop back to Saipan for a couple of days and a couple of friends and I went hiking down to Old Man by the Sea.  (See rock formation below that looks like an old man.)  I was hoping to find treasure, but nothing that will keep me from working next year. :)  It had recently been raining and it was a very muddy hike down and back. Thankfully, over the years, some hikers have added ropes that we could pull ourselves up without have to swim the mud cliffs.

Brown Tree Snake

My friend Ben is off-island so we are feeding his cats.  As Ashley was locking up, I said I'd go throw the food container in the dumpster.  As we were pulling out of the parking lot, the lights on the van caught something move under the dumpster---a brown tree snake.  For those of you like me who grew up in Oklahoma, snakes aren't that big of deal. Sure we don't like them (or at least my dad and I don't), but it's not as if the world ends each time we see one.  Or if one is spotted, it doesn't make front page news.  On the islands, snakes are a rarity.  Most islands are snake free.  The brown tree snake was introduced into Guam in Guam in 1952 from either PNG or AUS and was responsible for taking out almost the entire bird population.  On surrounding islands (like Saipan) they have the no symbol (the circle with a line through it diagonally) and a brown tree snake in it.  Saipan checks every plane landing from Guam for snakes.  After I had braved the great outdoors from the van and took a pic of the snake under the dumpster, we were about to drive off, when the headlights caught another glimmer of something.  TWO more snakes were in the fence.  I have seen 6 brown tree snakes total. one was in a cage at a tourist attraction. One I ran over with my car in my yard...and three were in fences with a fourth next to a fence.  Perhaps Guam should just take down all the fences.