Reminiscences - Tom and Ann

This blog started as a means to let friends and family know where I was and to let them see, through the eye of my camera, some of what I was seeing.  It has evolved into something with more of a photography emphasis.

Before I retired, I managed to capture some nice shots, ones that I think are worth sharing.  In lulls between shooting and sharing new photos, I have decided to post some of these reminiscences.  Many of these have stories associated with them.  One such is about Tom and Ann.

I used to own a timeshare on Bonaire, a small island in the southern Caribbean near Aruba.  Being there the same time every year, I got to see the same people over and over.  One such couple was Tom and Ann.  To me, then, they were an older couple.  I did not socialize with them but we would smile and say hello when we met.

My thing on Bonaire was scuba, underwater video, and photography with a photo emphasis on (can you guess) sunsets.  Every evening I was out with my camera.  I noticed that every evening, Tom and Ann would be sitting on the swimming dock, holding hands and watching the sun settle into the sea.  One evening the sky was rich with color and I set up my shot using them.  They are the couple on the right.

The next day, I went on a dive boat with friends and did a morning dive.  When we returned to the resort, we heard that a diver had had a heart attack while on a dive.  His wife brought him to the surface and he was raced to the island's hospital, but there was nothing that could be done for him - he was probably dead before being brought to the surface.  It was Tom.

I didn't see Ann after that, but when I got home and saw the photo, I was moved by the realization that this was probably the last photo of the two of them.  It became (and still is) one of my favorites.  While I had a home, it held a prominent place on my wall.

Sometimes chance or fate gives us the opportunity to do a good thing.  The next year, I was delighted to see that Ann, now with her brother and sister-in-law, had returned to Bonaire. I got her address and sent her a copy of the photo, matted and framed.