There are areas in GTMO where antique bottles wash up on shore and get buried in the mud. Many residents spend every weekend hunting for such bottles. We have been here almost a year and have never gone. It was high time to find out what all the fuss was about.
These are dead Mangroves. I had lots of luck finding bottles in this area. I had to get out my stick and dig them up.
Every now and then there would be one right on the surface.
I love this piece of coral. It looks like brains. And look, an old Cuban beer bottle sitting right next to it. Lucky me.
I have never seen a cactus like this. It was so strange. It looked like a weird tree. Anyone know what it's called?
Yikes, a giant termite mound. I have only seen one of these. It was on National Geographic. You know the one. Where the villagers knock over the giant termite mound and start grabbing the termites and biting off their heads. Tastes like chicken. I like chicken but will pass on this mound.
I hit the jackpot with this bottle. We were walking back to the car and I saw just a speck of purple sticking out of the mud. It was in an area with lots of broken purple glass. I almost walked right past it but something told me to stop and investigate. I began to dig it up and was delighted to find a perfectly intact purple bottle. With the help of Google I learned that this bottle did not begin its life purple. Apparently, manganese was added to glass to make it clear. Over several decades and exposure to the sun the bottle becomes more and more purple. Purple glass is very desirable among collectors. For those of you scratching your heads manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It also has the atomic number 25.
I could really use some help from my readers. On the bottom of my bottle are the initials ET. I have done several searches and google has really let me down. I can't find this company anywhere. The bottle has air bubbles in the glass and the seam where the glass is fused together does not go all the way to the top. I have been told this helps you date the bottle. Everyone seems to think it's old.
We found about 30 antique bottles on this hunt. I will post pictures when I get off my lazy bum and clean them up.
This is Stub. Yes, that's really her name. She hangs out at Marine Hill where Jerry works. I see her almost everyday. Someone ran over her tail a few years back.
She's normally laying in the grass, in the middle of the road, or under someone's car. You would think she would learn, but no. 
She's giving me attitude now. Shaking her head at me and telling me to back off.
Normally Nala would pull until she passed out. Wearing the pack actually worked and she was pleasant to walk. She carried her own water and bowl. Look how proud she is.
This is a Pygmy Owl. They are really small. About the size of a dove.
While walking back to the house we saw a group of buzzards off in the grass. Jerry being the male that he is had to go and investigate. This is about a 7 foot boa. A tasty treat for the buzzards.
It's defiantly spring in GTMO. Even though it's very dry these wild trees have started to bloom and my sneezing has begun.
These are dead Mangroves. I had lots of luck finding bottles in this area. I had to get out my stick and dig them up.
Every now and then there would be one right on the surface.
Yikes, a giant termite mound. I have only seen one of these. It was on National Geographic. You know the one. Where the villagers knock over the giant termite mound and start grabbing the termites and biting off their heads. Tastes like chicken. I like chicken but will pass on this mound. 
I hit the jackpot with this bottle. We were walking back to the car and I saw just a speck of purple sticking out of the mud. It was in an area with lots of broken purple glass. I almost walked right past it but something told me to stop and investigate. I began to dig it up and was delighted to find a perfectly intact purple bottle. With the help of Google I learned that this bottle did not begin its life purple. Apparently, manganese was added to glass to make it clear. Over several decades and exposure to the sun the bottle becomes more and more purple. Purple glass is very desirable among collectors. For those of you scratching your heads manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It also has the atomic number 25. 
Here is what it looks like when you get to the top. There is a very nice manicured trail and breathtaking views of the bay.
Many year ago some Commander dude, that was a avid hunter, brought over some deer. They have been running wild ever sense. I have seen a couple on our hikes. Jerry found these nifty antlers.
However, it is almost spring and the wildflowers have started to pop up all over. They are very beautiful but make my eyes itch. 
This shark is one of two sharks the Marines have caught in the past couple of weeks. Jerry is thrilled. He loves shark meat. I haven't eaten any yet. I'm afraid I will eat some and then go to the beach and somehow the sharks will know what I have done. Again better safe than sorry.
What was most impressive about this encounter was the manatee was just as curious about us and actually swam toward us. At our closest point we were less than three feet away from the manatee until he decided we were pretty boring and swam off.
He actually closed with us. 
I am just out of frame and actually facing the manatee in the photo below . This was a challenging shot as we were not on compressed air yet and had to pop to the surface for a breath and back down without scaring our new friend.
This shot is not zoomed, the photographer and I moved together and the manatee swam close enough for us to pet. Again, all this done on breath hold and without startling the little fella.
we hung out for about 5 minutes before the manatee decided he had betters things to attend. 
We didn't get anyone in the shots to give a frame of reference on the size of this animal. That said he was about 40 ft long, prove me wrong.
Maybe not quite 40'
Jerry almost stepped on this baby stingray. 
Yes, this picture is totally posed. That shell is about the size of a mouse. 
Another beautiful day in GTMO.
