In Tonga in 2001

Brandon and Kathy Jones

"Explorations"

Just after getting married at sea between Greece and Italy on May 12, 2004

2000 Belize and Cozumel

This is the home page for Brandon and Kathy Jones. We met in April of 2000 and were married in May of 2004. Brandon had lost his wife of 30 years in 1999. We were married in gorgeous international waters off the coast of the beautiful island of Santorini while on a cruise of the Greek Islands. It was a fitting setting as we planned to cruise the islands of the Bahamas during the winter of that year. The Greek Cruise was a celebration for Brandon and his four roommates (and their wives) from Rice University who had all recently turned 60!! We surprised everyone with the wedding, even our families, but that is the way we wanted it. Having our friends gathered in such a beautiful place to share in our celebration made it even more special, if that is possible. We only wish our families and other friends could have been there also.

We both retired from our jobs in the computer industry in July of 2003 and immediately drove to Mobile, AL to pick up the sailboat that we had just purchased for our cruising adventure. This web site began as a place to document our preparations to go cruising. Later it became a place to display our cruising log. You can read all about the beautiful islands we visited and the wonderful people we met on the SeaSpace Cruising Logs part of this site. The SeaSpace Cruising Log is replete with beautiful pictures of our wonderful 18 months on s/v SeaSpace.

Now that we are done cruising, we will be documenting our other travels.

We both love to travel and plan to do as much as time, money and energy will allow. (We do call this site "Explorations", after all.) As we complete each trip, we plan to add our travel journals to the site (these may be of interest only to family members, and maybe not even them). We have also added brief journals from some previous trips from 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Brandon is an avid scuba diver and underwater photographer so many of the journals will contain his underwater images. Kathy, on the other hand, tried underwater photography once and has a whole new respect for the art. She found that being underwater everything is moving - you, your camera and the fish or plants; and you are trying to see out of a foggy mask, push little buttons, breathe AND take a picture of a fish swimming by. Right!!

The website is up to date through mid 2022; there was no travel during 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. In 2022 we are begining to travel again.

We have just added a 2022 page: 2022 Journal.

Of course we do other things besides travel. In 2006 and 2007 Kathy and I did computer work for Habitat for Humanity in Houston. In 2008 we mostly worked getting the new house in Austin organized and furnished. In 2009 we did volunteer computer work for the Assistance League of Austin. In 2010 and 2011 Kathy did computer work for Special Olympics and I was the webmaster for the Austin Newcomers Club. In 2012 I was the Editor of their 20 page monthly newsletter; next I was the Treasurer and Kathy was the 1st Vice-President for Membership. Finally in July of 2013 we retired from the Newcomers' Board. Now we are heavily involved in the Newcomers' Photography Group. In February and March of 2014 we each had three of our photographs displayed in the Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus. These were photographs of Austin selected by professional photographers. Now Kathy volunteers teaching iPhone and iPad at Austin Group for the Ageing (AGE).

June 2015 UPDATE - I have one more time been talked into editing the monthly newsletter. I have just finished the July issue; and so I am on the Board for the 5th time. And Kathy has agreed to take over from me in preparing the photography group slide show each month.

January 2017 update - we are no longer on the Newcomers board. We are volunteering at Riverbend Church.

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The following quote is on the "Voyages of S/V Seaspace" page but it actually applies to the entire "Explorations" web site.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So
throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Attributed to Mark Twain, cannot be verified

The SeaSpace Exposition

I was a long time supporter of Seaspace® and its scholarship fund. My wife Judy was chairman of the scholarship fund at one time. During 2000, 2001 and 2002, the scholarship fund together with Judy's memorial fund sent six deserving young people to Sea Camp. In 2003, Seaspace again sponsored a Sea Camp scholarship. Visit the Sea Camp website for information on their programs. In 2001 Sea Camp won the Seaspace Environmental Awareness Award.

Unfortunately Seaspace and the Houston Underwater Club are no more.

Here are some of my photos that placed in the 1999 SeaSpace competition: The Food Chain, Red Whip Wall and Clown Fish.