The Richter Scale^®

About six years ago, I helped launch Caribbean WebCams, LLC (CWC) - a company I founded with my friend Dan Senie of Amaranth Networks. The purpose of CWC was to develop WebCam systems for deployment in the Caribbean for tourism purposes.

There’s a bit more history later in this blog entry, but I’m pleased to say that after nearly two years of trying to find better WebCam equipment we could use outdoors, at a reasonable price, we finally came up with a hardware solution that met all of our needs, and have deployed the first in a series of new outdoor WebCams on Bonaire.

This new camera is called the DonkeyCam, and can be viewed in large form here and in the regular medium size at http://www.DonkeyCam.com. The DonkeyCam is installed at the Bonaire Donkey Sanctuary and funds to purchase it were donated by a Donkey Sanctuary Supporter - plus, CWC kicked in money as well.

Below are some pictures of the DonkeyCam.

So, a bit of history about CWC now…

The first demo system we developed was the Bonaire WebCams, which featured (and still does to this day) the world’s only open-ocean, underwater ReefCam. Sadly, as neither Dan nor I like to be sales people, and didn’t have a lot of time to invest in the project, we didn’t manage to sell any additional WebCam installations anywhere else (yet). To pay for on-going support of the Bonaire WebCams, we started a membership site where all captures since December 2000 could be perused for a small fee ($24.95/year) and better bandwidth could be had for viewing image updates (which occur every two minutes). We also found a sponsor in Eden Beach Resort a couple of summers ago when the cameras had to move from my rented home to another ocean front location because I was moving inland.

The Bonaire WebCams have remained stable over the years, until now, with 3 top-side cameras and one underwater one. Locations have changed with these base four cameras, but not much else.

However, now that we have the new equipment package figured out, we are in talks with several businesses on Bonaire to add WebCams at their facilities, which will hopefully lead to the introduction of a downtown KralendijkCam and a WindsurfCam by mid-year.

And one very nice thing about these cameras is that they can capture imagery in very low light conditions, making night time shots appear almost as bright as day-time - just take a look at the DonkeyCam in the middle of the night as an example.

Rainy season here on Bonaire occurs from approximately November through mid-January. We only get 20 inches or so of rain here a year. So, when it does rain, the water pools in natural “salinas”. And that attracts our native bird species, egrets and flamingos among them.

This morning I remembered to bring my camera with me finally, and on the way back from dropping my kids off at school, spent a bit of time enjoying one of Bonaire’s many special moments, namely our native Caribbean Flamingos.

Every year since 1986 we have had a big party at our house, where ever we happened to be living at the time. It started as the “Wing-Ding-A-Thon” (due to my affinity for Buffalo Wings), then evolved into the “Yeah! It’s Summer! Party” (held sometime during the summer), and then into the “Yeah! It Feels Like Summer! Party” here on Bonaire (held on January 1st each year).

The party - whatever it’s called - is a potluck event. We supply the BBQ, a vast number of racks of ribs in my special Indonesian-style BBQ sauce, 30 pounds of marinated BBQ’d chicken, cases of beer and wine, lots of non-alcoholic refreshments, and a place to gather. Our guests provide the rest. And the party is open to one and all - it’s been a great place and time to make new friends and see old friends too.

So, that said, should you find yourself on the island of Bonaire on January 1st of any year, come join us. The potluck BBQ party starts at 3pm and goes until whenever.

Last night we took advantage of a gift certificate a friend had given me for my birthday, and took the whole family to Bistro de Paris, a restaurant run by Patrice, a French master chef. While we have eaten there before several times, and always enjoyed our a la carte meals, Linda had read recently that Patrice had started offering “grill stone” tableside cooking and thought the kids might like that.

As we expected the meal to be big, we did not order any appetizers, although Linda did order some of Patrice’s excellent French onion soup as her main meal, while the kids and I committed to cooking our own food on the stones.

While we waiting for our meal to come out we were given bread with a sun-dried tomato spread - tasty. Patrice also brought Linda and I each a glass of Kir - a drink made with one part Creme de Cassis liqueur and two parts white wine (a Kir Royal is made with champagne instead of white wine). He explained that Kir is a drink named after the mayor of Dijon, Canon Felix Kir, who mixed his white wine with black currant liqueur to cut down on the wine’s acidity. Always nice to learn a little bit of history over dinner! It was a nice aperitif in any event.

Soon after, three plates loaded with thinly sliced beef, bacon, chicken, and pork as well as slivers of courgettes (small zucchinis), onions, and asparagus were brought out, followed by two alcohol-based burners and two very hot slabs of stone. Looked like granite, but I could not tell for sure. I should note we had to sit outside, as there was concern that smoke from the cooking could cause problems inside.

Patrice liberally sprinkled salt on the hot stones and explained that would prevent the meat from sticking (it did help a bit) and showed us how to best place the meat on the stones to cook. Accompanying the dish was a tray of sauces (a pink sauce similar to Russian dressing but without pickles in it which Patrice called “cocktail sauce”, a yummy garlic sauce, and sour cream) and a bowl of nice little potatoes seasoned with herbs and sun-dried tomatoes.

The stones cooked the meat very quickly, but even so, it took us the better part of an hour to cooking everything we had, and even them we took home ample left overs. The kids enjoyed the meal as well. And Linda polished off her soup too.

As it was getting late and both kids were tired, we skipped dessert, vowing to return to get some at a later date.

Cost for the meal was about $63 before tip, including 5 soft drinks. Very reasonable.

Based on this meal and past ones, I give Bistro de Paris an 8.5 out of 10.0 on The Richter Scale.

Bistro de Paris is located at Kaya Gob. N. Debrot 46 (that’s the road between downtown Kralendijk and the northern resorts). Phone is +599-7 17-7070, and e-mail is info@bistrodeparis.com.

We seem to be eating out a lot (or perhaps I am just writing about it more), but two nights ago, Linda and I were invited by a visiting friend of ours to enjoy a dinner at Capriccio, our favorite fine dining restaurant on Bonaire. Capriccio is run by two Italians with a passion for food and each other - Lola and Andrea (male chef). Both worked in the Los Angeles restaurant scene until about 10 years ago when they moved to Bonaire and started their restaurant here.

Capriccio has won numerous awards for their wine cellar, which has been labeled as one of the best in the entire Caribbean by Wine Spectator magazine, incidentally. I find that the number of wine choices is too great for me, so invariably I have Lola pick a bottle for me. And she never fails to find something interesting and perfect for the meal.

The menu at Capriccio is Italian, featuring a wide range of appetizers and entrees - traditional and non-traditional alike. For those with less adventurous palates a very nice thin crust pizza is available, as well as a variety of home made pastas. For those with broader tastes, a number of special entrees are available, in addition to things like the beef carpaccio appetizer.

My absolute favorite thing at Capriccio (in addition to the warm and personal service and great wine selection) are the desserts, ranging from a delectable tira misu to panne cotta and wonderful homemade ice creams and sorbets.

For our meal, Linda ordered the osso bucco, while I had the duck in a balsamic glaze. Our friend Kitty whose treat dinner was, had a carpaccio appetizer followed by a variant on penne paesana. Linda’s and my entrees came with salad, and we, as we always do, asked Lola to switch our garden salads for Caesar salads with extra anchovies. Hands down, Capriccio has the best Caesar on Bonaire, and anchovies which are just right - flavorful and not mushy in any way.

All of our dishes were excellent, and well presented. With dinner Linda and I enjoyed most of a bottle of a 2003 Morellino di Scansano from the Lohsa vineyard, which Lola explained in great detail to us as a trendy red wine from Tuscany which is made from grapes closely related to the Sanvgiovese grapes used to make Chianti. It was an excellent match to our meal. We took the bottle home with us as we could not finish it all without hurting ourselves.

I should mention that Kitty lived on Bonaire for about two years, and the last meal we had with her and her now ex-husband Marc was at Capriccio the night before they moved back to Holland. Amazingly, Lola remembered what Kitty’s favorite dish was and what she drank (apple juice).

After dinner our children joined us for dessert (a wonderful friend dropped them off after their school Christmas party), and as we were unable to decide what we wanted to have for dessert, Lola made us a “Grand Dessert”, which in this case (and much to our surprise) included one of every dessert on the menu. It was heavenly, but too much for three adults and two tired children. But we did well - there were only a few small portions left on the tray.

I honestly have no idea how much dinner was since it was Kitty’s treat (thanks again Kitty!), but do know that typically Linda and I will spend between $100-120 for the two of us at Capriccio’s for dinner, and feel that it is worth every cent.

On The Richter Scale, I give Capriccio’s a 9.0 out of 10.0. It’s a must when visiting Bonaire, and make sure to tell Lola that Jake sent you.

Capriccio Restaurant is located at Kaya Isla Riba 1 near the water front in downtown Kralendijk. Phone +599-7 17-7230

Last night, my wife and I had occasion to enjoy a meal at Le Flamboyant - one of our favorite restaurants here on the island of Bonaire. We had not eaten there in many months due to my extensive travels off-island.

At Le Flamboyant one can dine indoors or outdoors in a secluded courtyard. As we seemed to be rain free for the night, we opted to enjoy the open air. Mosquitos (due to our recent rains) were definitely present, but we wore long pants and sock and that thwarted most of them.

We found the menu had changed completely since our last visit, but still with many tantalizing items to choose from, and with a decidedly French flair.  The owners and operators or Le Flamboyant are Govert Strootman and Veronique Badet. Govert is a Dutchman, and Veronique is French, which certainly explains the French influence on the menu.

As we were heading to a friend’s engagement party later that night, we opted to eat lightly - no multiple courses, although it still felt like we had a lot of food. We started with a glass each of a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Rita) - inexpensive, but tasty and crisp.

Linda, my wife, opted for the Penne Flamboyant - a tasty pasta dish with chicken and mushrooms, while I selected a salad and soup as my meal.

The tomato soup I ordered was garnished with fresh basil and whipped seasoned butter, and was perfect. Rich without being overbearing, and very flavorful without being overly spiced or salted.

My salad was the Scallop and Parma Ham salad, and featured six small scallops tastefully arranged around a small green salad topped with crispy parma ham - almost like bacon but not so greasy. The scallops were exquisite, and the saltiness of the parma ham provided a nice counterpoint - in flavor and texture. The lettuce and vegetables in the salad provided balance between the scallops and ham.

We did splurge (stomach-wise) for the Petit Grand Dessert to finish the meal with (we did share it though). The Petit Grand Dessert featured a taste of every dessert on the menu, in miniature. There was a scoop of mango sorbet, a sliver of a rich chocolate cake, a piece of cheese cake, and some other chocolate-oriented dessert I could not expressly identify other than to say that it, and the other samples, were gone in a couple of minutes, accompanied by lots of Mmmms! and Aahhhs!

Without tip, the bill ran to approximately US$40.00. Well worth it.

On The Richter Scale, I give Le Flamboyant a 9.0 out of 10.0, and will add that it remains one of our favorites here on Bonaire. We were definitely not let down.

I would like to mention that Le Flamboyant also sports a cute gift shop inside the large interior space with all sorts of ecletic items, including hand made purses, fresh grind spices and seasonings, art work, and a variety of other unique items. So, in addition to a great meal, you can also do a bit of souvenir or gift shopping there.

Le Flamboyant is located at Kaya Grandi 12 - right in the heart of Kralendijk. Phone +599-7 17-3919.

A couple of weeks ago an early Christmas present my wife and I were giving to ourselves arrived with our latest freight shipment from the U.S. - a brand new bouncing (not in the traditional sense) baby Roomba Scheduler.

For those who have been in a cave for the last year or two, Roomba is the trade name given to a family of robotic vacuum cleaners by iRobot, the company which developed and sells the Roomba products. The Roomba products work on battery, and operate by bouncing (gently) around a room and cleaning in a pattern designed to cover most of, if not all, of a room. They purportedly work great on carpets as well as hard surfaces (we have no carpets, so I cannot attest to that part - but it’s great on the tile floors we have).

Simply said, we are very happy with our new family addition. We have two dogs, a cat, two hamsters (not free roaming though), and a native Bonairean parakeet (called a “Prikichi"), plus two children and dust laden winds, so our floors get pretty gritty in no time - you can feel it on your feet (yes, even in December we walk around on bare feet - take that snow-draped New England!).

I’ve been using the Roomba to clean a room or two a day, and what a difference that makes, especially in contrast to the more time consuming and tedious manual sweeping we had been doing before. And I can now tell my wife I really am doing my share of house work.

The Roomba is smart enough (well, equipped with enought sensor technology anyhow) to not fall down stairs, which is a big plus, and one can create “virtual walls” which the Roomba will “bounce” off of so that you can limite the area in which it should focus its cleaning skills. Plus, it goes under beds and furniture providing there’s about 3 inches or so of clearance. And one of the coolest things is that when it thinks it’s done (or when it’s battery is running low), it finds its docking station and self-parks to charge its battery.

I must say I have been remiss in not even bothering with the scheduling functions of the Roomba, but I find that it’s easy for me to pick up wastebaskets, isolate a room, and pick up floor mats and towels and then just press a button on the Roomba to tell it to clean. Actually having to program it to clean at a particular time seems wasteful when I can just start it up manually and leave the immediate area (and yes, I am a geek, but I try to be practical)

The only things so far that the Roomba seems to have had problems with have been floor towels (e.g. in the bathrooms - it chokes on them and then bleets for help), floor mats (gets stuck on them - half on, half off - and spins in circles, and concrete dust (too fine for it to pick all of it up - haven’t found a vacuum cleaner yet that does, either).

I also have one piece of furniture which the Roomba has gotten wedged under - easily remedied by putting something solid in front of the furniture that the Roomba would bounce off of.

All in all, these are minor things - I am very pleased with the unit, and I have started recommending it to friends here on Bonaire as a great way to deal with dust, dirt, and pet hair/feathers.

I give my Roomba Scheduler a healthy 8.0 out of 10.0 on The Richter Scale.

(As a footnote, iRobot has also recently started shipping the Scooba - a robotic wet mop. Definitely looking forward to checking that out at some point. If it’s anywhere as good as the Roomba I’ll be happy!)

I introduced a new series of artistic photographic images about a week ago. It’s the “Time For...” series, and it’s an open edition (meaning that it’s not a limited or numbered edition).

Take a look at the series and my motivation behind it in the Gallery section of my art web site.

A couple of the images from the new series are presented here - Time For Christmas I and Time for Dawn I, respectively:

Bonaire, the island I live on, is not a typically Caribbean island - it’s actually rather arid. Our primary native flora are cactii and other thorny plants. The terrain is more reminiscent of Arizona than the lush jungle one typically envisions in conjunction with “Caribbean Island”. We have no real big sandy beaches - it’s mostly iron shore or small bits of coralline rock here.

Part of the reason for the lack of “lush-ness” is the fact that our annual rainfall is only about 20-22 inches a year.

So, when rain falls (our rainy season is typically November and December, spreading outward into October or January on occasion), the parched soil does not absorb the water real well. Nor have the civil engineers who designed roads and other man-made structures taken rain much into account.

This is obvious by the 6-12 inch deep puddles on what we call major roadways here (ones that fit two car side by side with a margin for safety). And the puddles are everywhere after a rain shower.

Now, back in New England or Florida, when it rains, and there are puddles everywhere, what do folks do when driving through them? They make sure their windows are rolled up tight.

Not on Bonaire. This morning, for example, over half the vehicles passing by me heading in the opposite direction, while driving through these deep puddles, had at least their driver side window open. We drive on the “normal” side of the street here, so that puts their driver side window facing the center of the road.

Being trained to drive in New England, I find puddles a delight to drive through, and whenever possible do so at the highest speed I can. On Bonaire this produces rather unhappy results, particular when passing by someone with said open window.

But today, all those people who appear not to have a shred of self-preservation (at least with respect to puddle water) were saved by virtue of the slow vehicles in front of me. As for me, I make sure my windows are alway rolled up when hitting these puddles.

Last night we opted to dine out and try a newly opened restaurant here on Bonaire - it goes by the name Bambu and is owned and operated by Joyce, the proprietor of La Guernica, a one year old restaurant about a half mile north of this one.

With a name like Bambu we expected Asian or Asian Fusion fare, but instead found an eclectic blend of original continental fare and some variations on old favorites.

After being greeted with a bit of proscuitto wrapped melon as a welcome treat, my wife opted for the day’s menu, which consisted of a salad featuring warm apples and bacon wrapped goat cheese. The main course was rack of lamb in a yummy roasted garlic sauce with a haricort vert (thin green bean) bunch wrapped with bacon (and sauteed) and cheesy potatoes au gratin. Dessert was a chocolate brownie accompanies by a coffee and a home made chocolate bonbon (filled with a marzipan/coconut filling). Total price was NAF 57,50 (approximately US$32) for this menu. Everything on the menu was excellent (I was given samples of it all), even for someone like myself who does not particularly care for lamb or goat cheese.

My son opted to move straight over to dessert and had the lemon sorbet - two portions of it actually - one for his entree and another for dessert. He enjoyed it, and the small taste I stole was very good.

My daughter and I shared an appetizer of a duo of puff pastry - one filled with shrimp and the other with goat cheese. It was tasty - the goat cheese was mild, but the filo dough crisp. The shrimp filling was okay - more saucy than I expected.

For our entrees, my daughter had seafood fajitas as the bolletin of chicken and orange was sadly not available, while I had marinated tuna with salad from the appetizer part of the menu as my main course. The seafood fajitas were tasty and of decent size (and they made great leftovers too!), and the accompanying guacamole was excellent. Lacking was some sort of tomato salsa or pico de gallo, but in speaking with Joyce she promised to look into adding this to the presentation in the future.

My marinated tuna was marinated in olive oil, rosemary, dill, and perhaps a few other herbs I could not discern by taste. By itself the marinade was just there - but when eaten in conjunction with the so-called accompanying Caribbean salad, it was an excellent combination.

We ended the meal with desserts for all - the aforementioned chocolate brownie for my wife, the second helping of lemon sorbet for my sun, an orange creme brulee for me, and my daughter ended up with a berry laden coupe with vanilla ice cream. Again, all very delicious.

Portion size were just right in all cases - leaving us sated but not gorged. The presentation of all the dishes was artful and inspired - not something you usually see on Bonaire. And outside of the very minor nits I mentioned above, the flavor and taste of each dish was wonderful.

Total cost of the dinner, including several frozen fruit shakes for the kids, and a couple of Barcardi Lemon and Cokes for my wife and I, worked out to a bit over US$100 without tip, which is quite reasonable.

I give Bambu an 8.5 out of 10.0 on The Richter Scale. Well worth a visit if you have the time when next visiting Bonaire.

Bambu is located at Kaya C.E.B. Hellmund 17, in the location of where the Mai-Mai restaurant used to be, just south of downtown Kralendijk along the oceanfront promenade towards the Divi Flamingo Resort. Phone +599-7 17-4167.