Monday, March 5,2012

We woke up around 4:30 A. M. to the sound of a rain shower. It was a pretty good rain. There was a front coming through and they said we would have some wind all day. I jumped out of bed to close windows. It was just about 5 to 10 minutes of rain. It was windy all day though. It felt good. We did some last minute work. We chopped down a lot of trees and hauled them out. I moved some more rocks on the beach. I also managed to read and relax on the beach and Richard got some nice bone fishing done.


This is our last night on Little Cayman this year. Our flight to Grand is tomorrow at 5:50 P.M. It was so much fun to be here this year. I feel I made the very most of every minute here. I know how lucky I am. Tomorrow we will eat supper at the Wharf Restaurant on Grand Cayman. The next morning it is off to airport world. Hopefully we can have a nice long stay again next year on the island. I have my list of things to bring from home started for next year. The one thing I'll probably never forget again is my face wash. What a riot!

Today we looked up information on the little green lizards we see here that are so cute. They are called Anolis. They are only found on Little Cayman. Nowhere else in the world. How cool is that? When I talk to them, they cock their heads at me. One could have them as a pet I guess if here long enough.

We will get through Spring, Summer and Fall and before we know it, we'll be back on Little Cayman. Next year I'll blog again.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

We were up late last night and the party music was blaring until 2:00 A.M.  We slept great right through it.  That is what this environment will do for you.  There was no wind all day today and it was very hot.  It was a perfect day for the water.  Richard went to the tarpon pond and caught tons of tarpon this morning.  He said it was the last time for this year.  I watered the coconuts and went on a nice long kayak ride.  Then I laid in the hammock and started a new book on my Kindle.  Before I knew it I was eating my lunch. 

After lunch we snorkeled again.  We so enjoy it.  Conditions were just perfect.  Sometimes we would go through some very cold water spots.  Mostly the water was very warm.  The cold spots would be super clear also.  Almost weirdly clear.  We encountered some super large lobsters, nice stingrays, beautiful coral of course, and I could go on and on.  This is probably it for the year.  Tomorrow is going to be windy they say out of the northeast.  We'll see.  Our flight out is at 6:00 Tuesday evening.  Then we overnight in Grand.  We had a nice long time here this year but it is never long enough.   

Saturday, March 3,2012

It was another gorgeous day here on the island.  We had a nice morning trying to soak up every memory we could.  We still had the scooter luckily as I discovered I didn't have enough butter to make it to the end of our stay.  We made a quick trip to the store.  When we got back Bruce was here to pick up our scooter.  Perfect timing.  Now we are back to bikes only. 

We had our neighbors over for a visit this morning.  They actually didn't have any guests at their little resort this morning.  It was nice to get to know them a little better.  After lunch we headed over to the north side to snorkel.  It was fabulous conditions and tons of fun.  I enjoyed riding our bikes again. 

After getting cleaned up we enjoyed the beach awhile.  Then Tom picked us up.  The Columbia's had us over to dinner tonight.  We enjoyed a nice visit in their beautiful home.  Pat could be a professional cook.  What a feast!  We didn't get home until 10:45.  Johnny Johnson was having a big party at his place with a big bon fire.  We headed over there to the music and drinks for awhile even though it was 11:00.  This is a late night.  Might need a nap in the hammock tomorrow.   

Friday, March 2, 2012

We had a really fun day today.  We were up and running early.  Richard took off on the scooter and I figured he would be back much later.  He rushed back to let me know the water was nearly flat on the north side.  By 9:00 we headed out to snorkel.  We forgot our underwater camera and just when we finally found a turtle.  He was so adorable.  He seemed to enjoy our company.  We swam together for a long time.  At 11:30 we finally got back home. 

After lunch Richard fished a huge bone slick out front of the house.  I took some photos of him out there.  He had quite a time.  Then we headed out on the scooter.  We stopped at the Trust and the liquor store for a bottle of wine.  We paid up our bill at the grocery store and Southern Cross Club.  Now we are poor! 

A lot of hammock laying was done today.  We are truly enjoying just being here.  I am trying not to do any work. 

Thursday, March 1, 2012

This photo shows our beach from a different angle. That is the water in front of our property too and the brush pile that we will burn probably tomorrow. The brush pile is right above the kayaks on this pic.

The rocks you can see in the bottom corner here will hopefully be moved by machine while we are gone.

Another glorious day in paradise. I woke up early and just walked around and looked out every window of the house. It was so pretty outside. Richard went with Tom this morning to fish. He wanted to learn to fly fish. I raked the beach and took some photos of it. It will be nice to see if it looks different from last year. We cleared more jungle out so it should look different.

I finally got my Cayman National Bank account set up on-line. It was a big deal here. They seem to be very slow with this kind of thing. They have been working on it all these 5 weeks. Good heavens. I wanted to have my power bill on-line but it isn't even available. Maybe some other year.

Robin Fite (a builder) came by today to look at our roof and some other things. He is going to get us a price to replace our roof and do a few other jobs around our house. While we were waiting for him I practiced driving the scooter. They say it is like riding a bike but I find it quite different. I am getting the hang of it. I think Richard prefers a scooter to a car.

This afternoon we went to "town" to get a couple things and pick up our debit cards at the bank. They now have them and an ATM on Little Cayman. When they got the ATM there was a big party with a ribbon cutting and everything. Go figure.

I am trying to lounge around more now. I worked just a little on the beach this afternoon and tried to lay in my chair and read. Richard took the scooter to the North side to fish. I guess I could get the hang of this relaxing. I washed all the paintbrushes today and put them away. I never want to paint again. Never say never!

February 29, 2012 Wednesday

What a day! Of course it was beautiful weather again. After breakfast Richard went fishing again. I did some things around the house and then Bruce, the scooter guy, game with our rental scooter. We thought we'd try one out to see if we like it. It is O. K. but I would prefer to get a cheap small car. He stayed awhile for a visit and then I watered coconuts and moved some rocks. I may quit doing that now, but you never know.

After lunch we took the scooter to the Trust and Deb's new shop and checked on getting a 5 year drivers license for here. Once back home, I worked a little on the beach and then decided to give the cabinets in the bathroom another coat of white paint. They look pretty good. Next year when we return, I'll hit them with a final coat.

The middle of the afternoon, Richard spotted a bone slick out front of the house that was huge. He raced to his kayak to fish. I got my snorkel gear and snorkeled right in front of our house. I saw a cute, good sized silver fish right away. Over in front of Johnny's place I saw a lot of good sized fish and then I saw a three and a half foot barracuda that was right in front of our house. We almost ran into each other. They are kind of spooky even that size. I was hoping to see a turtle but no luck. We don't have any coral in the water right in front of our house. There is mostly all sand so we get stingrays, turtles, star fish, nurse sharks and sometimes other more ominous sharks. It is so super cool to just jump in the water right in front of your own house. In a caribbean island no less! This is unbelievable. I hope I get to come again next year.

We got cleaned up and headed to SCC for Wet your Whistle Wednesday. It was fun to visit with everyone again. I had a mudslide for my drink. Boy, was it good.

Tuesday, February 28,2012

Another gorgeous day today. In the middle of the night we awoke to a rain shower. It lasted at the most 5 minutes. It was a good one though, I had to close some windows and wipe things up. The smell was intoxicating. That fresh rain washed all the salt out of the air. Not to worry though, the day was nice and hot and sunny all day. Richard and I both worked on the beach this morning. We are still clearing out jungle and moving rocks. What will we do when we don't have all this work to do?

Richard had some computer work to do this morning too for work and I had a little bill work on my computer this morning too. After lunch I opened the door to bring in my sun tea and there stood Richard the Builder. What a surprise. We showed him the new bathroom he built for us. He liked our new paint colors. He is going to do some more work for us when we are gone again. We are having some cement work done on the front (water side) and some rock moved there too. Also, we are having cement poured in the back so I can have an area to set some colorful chairs and give a better "first impression" of the house when you drive up. Ah projects!

I attacked the bathroom cabinets after Richard left. I painted them white. It is the first coat and I love it. Now I have to make it look decent. Then it was back to the rocks again. It is pretty hot work but I want to keep at it.

Suddenly it was 4:00 and we needed to get to the grocery store. Boy was that a hot bike ride. Coming home was very difficult as the wind was pretty strong against us. Richard said that is it, next year we will have a vehicle. We made it home and I started supper right away. One gets pretty hungry on this island. I dashed out on the beach to read while supper was cooking.

After dinner we relaxed on the porch again tonight. There was our little "immature Yellow- Crowned Night-Heron. We first found him last year living on the back side of our house in the trees along our driveway. He is adorable. This year he is in the trees between us and Sunset Cove Resort. I was down on the beach after sunset standing on the edge of the water looking out. He flew down to the middle of our "yard". Then I went back on the porch. He proceeded to walk to the waters edge, right where I had been. He stood there looking out just like I had. He would turn his little head back and forth while gazing out. He is about 14 inches tall. He makes the funniest noises. He seems to have attracted a little friend tonight too. They are a territorial bird.

Our fun continues. We are still very glad we bought this place. I think I am getting ready to spend longer times here. It is sure nice missing Iowa winters.

Monday, February 27,2012

Another beautiful day for us here at Little Cayman. I spent the morning on our beach. It is starting to look pretty good. I float from my chair on the beach to the hammock on the porch facing the beach to the hammocks on the other side of the house under the coconuts. What a life. I have to be honest here, I did move some rock too. This morning I found a coconut resting in the middle of my hammock. Luckily, I wasn't sleeping there when it landed. Ouch! I don't understand why we have beds. Why not just have a hammock to sleep in. They are the most comfortable thing going.

Richard, of course, went fishing this morning. He was very lucky at his favorite spot. He seems to have really figured out this fishing here.

This afternoon we biked over to our snorkel spot but the water was too rough. So we came back and I hit the hammock again with a book and Richard did some rock work and then spotted a bone slick out front of the house. He had to fish it. He was really catching them.

We ate an early supper tonight so we could take the kayaks out on the water for the sunset. It was so peaceful. Turtles are out and about in our water right now. We spotted a few while out tonight.

A vehicle may still be in our future for getting around here. We are thinking of a scooter right now. We would be able to get to a lot of other snorkel areas and fishing areas. It is a lot of bike riding to get to some of these places. Those bikes are great exercise though. One has to keep in shape even if in paradise.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

It is almost 11:00 at night and I am finally typing my blog. This was the Academy Awards tonight so we went to Southern Cross Club. They do a big party and decorate. They had a VERY fancy buffet and we ate under the stars (not celebrity stars). People dress in very formal wear. Men, only a couple, even wore Tuxes. There was a red carpet to enter on and they give awards. The coveted Golden Conch Awards were presented by Peter Hildebrand. We had a good time.

I spent a lot of time on our beach today. Richard and I went snorkeling this afternoon, but the water was pretty rough. The wind came up around 1:00 and it was amazing how quick it affected the water. We got a picture of a fat barracuda. He was hovering pretty close to shore.

This day is done. We are getting ready for bed as we must be ready for another day in paradise tomorrow.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Hello paradise! The day was perfect once again. We did some things around the house and at 9:00 A.M. Karen from Mangrove Manor and Tom Columbia, and Mark Ortner arrived to pick us up. We headed out to start island cleanup day. We started at Rock House and worked our way towards Johnny's place. This was about one half mile. We had 27 super large black garbage bags full. There were also people working on the North side and Point of Sand. It was an enormous undertaking. This stuff gets washed in when there are big storms. Totally amazing. There was tons of flip/flops, bottles and everything you can imagine.

When we were finished we all gathered at Point of Sand for a big barbecue. It was a lot of fun. There was around 50 people.

Once home again, I had to relax in my hammock. After my rest, it was back to painting. I am happy to report that I am completely finished painting now. I am so glad. It is looking very good. In the future I will leave the painting to the professionals.

Tonight the wind has died way down and the tide is out. We had a gorgeous sunset and the water is totally smooth again. The white egrets flew in to the mangroves to roost from the breakers. This time they flew very close to the water. I love how every morning they fly to the breakers to fish and every evening they fly back. They do this right in front of our beach.

While Richard and I were sitting on the porch tonight we had a couple really cute lizards crawling on the wall eating bugs. Thank you lizards!

We will sure sleep good tonight. Actually, I sleep good here every night. Must be because it is paradise.

Friday, February 24,2012

Today's weather was a carbon copy of yesterdays. It is pretty fantastic. I spent time on our beach this morning, did a load of laundry and painted the bedroom cabinet/shelving. I could have finished it off tonight but Richard and I are going to play a game of cribbage yet.

I spent some time in the hammock and also later afternoon read my book on the beach. This afternoon we had a tiny baby iguana on our steps. He wasn't frightened of us at all. I was worried he was too tiny to get down the steps, but he did fine. I put some lettuce scraps out for him tonight. Richard was in the kayak fishing in front of the house this morning and saw a huge sea turtle. His head was the size of a softball. They are going to be coming in soon to lay their eggs. This is why we are having a big island beach cleanup tomorrow. We are working on the areas that they will use. Jamaica dumps their trash in the ocean and some makes it here with the sea current. Not too nice of them.

Richard worked on clearing some of our jungle on the north side of our property. We are making good progress. There are a few trees that I would like removed on our sand that I am not sure he really wants removed. I don't care for these island grape trees at all. We have more than enough of them on both sides of our property, we don't need them on the beach too. They are the ones that get leaves the size of huge dinner plates.

Time for cribbage in front of the breezy window.

Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012

Here is a nice permit fish we saw today.

This shot is of a Grouper that was resting on the bottom.

Today was the most wonderful day on earth. I hope someone doesn't wake me up from a dream and I find this is not real. What a day! This environment is so up my ally. I love it. There were a few clouds this morning early but they quickly left. The whole day was completely cloud free. Boy was it nice. I sat on our beach and tried to soak it all in. I washed my clothes and hung them to dry and then tried my hand at a little decorating in the house. Every little change is fun. Then I gave in and started painting the built-in cabinet in our bedroom and finished the two doors I had left. That built-in is going to take some time as I am removing the shelves to do it right.

Richard went fishing again this morning and had a good time. Right now I am sitting at the island in the kitchen. The breeze is blowing in the entry door so nice and cool. I can hear the breakers in the background. If it was daylight, the coconuts would be swaying in the breeze.

After lunch we went to Bloody Bay to snorkel. The water could not have been more wonderful. We were in the water over an hour and a half. We so enjoyed our time there. We do not always snorkel at the same dive sites. It is several miles long over there. We are still trying to find those turtles. We did see a grouping of squid, a very small octopus, a two and a half foot (plus very fat) permit and a large barracuda hiding under a ridge way out on the outer side of the wall. What a time!

When we got back, I watered the little coconuts and sat on the beach for my sister Peggy. I hope she enjoyed it. It was spectacular for me. Boy was it hard to go in to start supper and take a shower. I fixed tenderloin steaks, that I brought from home, on the grill. They were tender like butter.

This was a day to put down in the record books or a blog! Yes!

Below is a video of a really large porcupine fish we saw today. It is very unusual to see on not in hiding.

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012

Here is a picture of Richards bike set up to pull his kayak. It is quite a system.

This morning we woke with great anticipation. We knew there would be no painting! Another perfect day to enjoy. Every single day perfect is just hard to imagine let alone live it. I felt very relaxed.

Richard took off fishing and had a successful time. I washed the sliding glass door and one bathroom window and the bathroom blinds and put them back up. Then I proceeded to move rocks. It was so wonderful to work outside again. Moving rocks is my weight lifting workout here. It is good for the soul.

After lunch I worked for awhile and Richard put new screen on the entry screen door and fixed the chain saw. While he cut some trees I laid in my hammock to read. Time flies, it was time to get cleaned up for Wet Your Whistle Wednesday. We left a little early to pick up a few items at the store again first. There were a lot of people at SCC for WYWW. It was so much fun to visit with everyone.

There is talk that soon we will be allowed to use a golf cart here on the island. That would be perfect here. We are very excited. We would all get together as a group to order them to save money on the barge shipment.

Saturday there is a big island clean up planned. Forty four people are signed up to help. There will be a barbecue lunch at Point 'O Sand for all the hard workers. We are glad to be here and get the chance to help with this.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

What can I write different? Everyday we wake up, it is perfect. We are definitely in paradise. The wind was blowing a little early this morning but it died down by 1:00. We are experiencing the most wonderful weather anyone can even imagine.

We painted pretty much all day today doing trim work. I also washed window blinds. The living room ones were terrible because of the sheetrock dust. Everything is painted and clean in here now. We are putting things back together finally. I still have one side of the bathroom door to paint and one side of the bedroom door to do. The built in shelving/cabinet needs to be done yet. I will do that when I get to it. I certainly am not painting my cabinets this year. There is a limit to my madness. Tomorrow I may not stay in the house for even one minute. This has been very rewarding work though. Our place looks great. Tonight when we took out the garbage I felt like I had escaped. Boy is it dark out with no moon. Luckily the stars are bright.

We have been having the most beautiful sunsets and tonight was no exception. The water was very smooth again this evening and it reflects the brilliant pink colorful sky. I could stare at it forever.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Here is Richard's bone fish. In the top right hand corner of the photo is a pineapple that was lying there. I should mention, if one clicks on the photos on my blog, they will get larger for viewing.

We awoke to another perfect day. The water was totally flat. This is the most peaceful, quiet place you can be. I could stay here forever if the groceries weren't so expensive.

Richard went fishing early in the morning. He was very successful and was home by 11:00. He hooked 7 tarpon and managed 2 to the boat. He also went bone fishing and got 4 hooked and got one in. Both of these are not for eating. He releases them.

After doing my morning work, I started painting again. We are finally finished with the walls and are now working on the trim. It looks great and will be totally finished soon. I may be changing my mind about painting the kitchen cabinets white. Painting is just not what it is cooked up to be. It should be called work.

After lunch we took our bikes to "town". We went to the bank and grocery store. The bike ride was very warm so we enjoyed the time at the air conditioned bank. They keep it good and cold in there.

Once home from the store, we started painting again. We only have two weeks and a few days left here. No matter how long one is here, it is hard to leave.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

A bunch of little fish and a few medium size.

Hello Hecktor! How adorable is this little guy! Actually, he is quite large. The picture doesn't do him justice. He is a Porcupinefish. He kept looking at us with those darling eyes. He was like he was trying to decide if he should come and play with us.

Here is a Grouper feeding on some coral.

This is a shot of a fish and some very pretty coral. It was very colorful.

This fabulous fellow is a Queen Trigger Fish. What a beauty. We saw several of these today. This and several other fish today kept moving their eyes and tilting around checking us out. I have never seen their eyes moving so much. I usually think their eyes just stay still. But they don't. Now I feel bad about eating them. They are starting to seem so personable.

It was a very warm day today with barely a breeze blowing. The sky was clear, the water was almost flat. This was our day. Richard, of course, took off fishing immediately. I did a few things around the house and watered the thirsty little coconuts. I got stupid and started painting. I just want to finish it.

We had lunch and as quick as we could gathered our snorkel gear and took off for Bloody Bay. It was a hot bike ride over there. The water sure felt good. The water was so clear, before we even got in, we saw two stingrays while standing up on the beach. The ocean water is 82 degrees here now so it is like getting into a bathtub. We saw some pretty decent fish and coral but never did find those two stingrays again. I have yet to snorkel with a turtle this year. I keep looking, but no luck.

After getting cleaned up we had a nice dinner. Then we walked on the beach. The sunset was gorgeous tonight. I helped Richard haul his kayak up from the beach. He is going to travel it behind his bike in the morning for fishing. Richard landed in the hammock on the porch after this so I took a chair and we relaxed watching a gazillion stars. What a life.

Saturday, Feburary18, 2012

A shot of the parade. There were about ten floats in the parade. A few were trucks.

Another parade shot.

Richard and I on the left with some friends from Little Cayman.

Parade entry.

Another perfect day on the island. Totally lovely. We got an early start on our painting project. We want to get this over with. It is looking great. We worked very hard until 3:00 and then quickly got cleaned up for the Mardi Gras celebration.

The parade was very good. Each resort entered a float and then there was judging afterwards. The theme for the floats this year was The Royal something (I can't remember exactly). It was really a lot of fun. Of course, the food was fabulous. The band was called Hi Tide. Two of the guys are from Cayman Brac and the other from Grand Cayman. We bought one of their CD's.

There was about 50 to 60 people there. After dinner more showed up to listen to the band and have a drink. It was fun to see everyone.

Tomorrow is supposed to be super calm waters so we want to go snorkeling for sure. I don't know how much painting will get accomplished.

Friday, Feb. 17, 2012

Richard standing proud with his tuna.

The adventure continues. Richard left at 5:45 to go deep sea fishing. It was dark out and he had to take the bike to SCC to get picked up at their fishing dock. It was worth it though. He had a great time and they caught five Tuna and one Barracuda. We had tuna for dinner tonight. I fixed it on the grill. We will have a few more meals of Tuna also. It was quite tasty. Fresh from the ocean.

After he left in the early morning I read my book for awhile and then did a load of laundry. While it was washing, I sat on the beach. It was so still and peaceful. After I got that load hung to dry I started painting. I did edging so we can just use the roller and move right along. Oh my gosh! There was so much edging to do. I am just exhausted. The kitchen was pretty much all needing to be done by brush. I was climbing all over the counters. The first bug that lands on my freshly painted walls better look out. I never want to paint again. Tomorrow we will start very early on this and then it'll just be the bedroom and bath to finish. They hopefully won't take as long. It will be so beautiful when finished.

While I was grilling supper, I discovered a huge container ship out front of the house. It looked like it was on this side of the breakers, but it couldn't have been. It is always exciting when a big ship goes by.

I did manage to lay on my hammock for half an hour in the early afternoon today. Cannot miss out on that. It is such a treat.

We are still talking about the name of our place. We are pretty much sold on Gecko Shack. Other ideas were: South Side Shack, Hammock Haven, or Hammock Landing. One of these days we must make a decision on this.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

We awoke to a beautiful blue sky today and a slight breeze blowing. Lovely warm temps begging us to come out and play. We had breakfast and started painting. The ceilings are now finished. In the afternoon I started putting the house into a slightly livable fashion and then headed outside. I read a little in my hammock and also enjoyed the beach. Then I took my kayak out on the water. All day the water was a beautiful green shade today. It is always changing colors. The sky was super blue but the water was green. I am trying to soak up this environment and remember it for when I get back home to winter.

Tomorrow Richard is going deep sea fishing early in the A.M. again. I will start painting the walls. First I guess I will edge paint. The quicker we get this job finished, the quicker I can have fun again. It will be so nice to have the walls all freshly painted.

Saturday is Mardi Gras here. It will be at SCC this year. First there is a parade and then dinner at SSC and then a local live band will play. It is all a fundraiser for the National Trust on Little Cayman. We are looking forward to attending.

The moon has been pretty much gone now at night so we have been star gazing. It is crazy how many stars are in the sky here. I could reach up and grab one.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012

The weather was totally perfect again today. What is one to do. We took our bikes at 9:00 to the store and picked up our paint and turned this beautiful day into a painting day. Of course, we took George's (our painter back home) advise and started on the lids. He calls the ceilings, lids. How cute is that. Now the house has a certain smell to it, but not bad. Turns out, Richard prefers to paint alone. This was fine with me. I watered the little coconuts and moved rock on the beach till I was called to a hammock. There is always a good book to read.

Late afternoon my little turtle came to visit again in the water right close to our shore. He plays around and then takes cover in the mangroves just before sunset. We don't want a shark to get him. I see him every day. The little geckos are so cute too and I have a little green lizard that I see every time I go down the steps. He is adorable. If I talk to him, he'll cock his head at me. The next thing, I'll see him on a T.V. commercial trying to sell me something. I should try to get a photo of him. I could be his agent!

The temperature is so nice in the house tonight. It will be another good sleeping night for us. Let the good times roll!

Tuesday, Feb. 14,2012 Valentine's Day

This was my large prawns on sugar cane skewer. It had pinapple chopped very fine with red peppers etc. and rice.

My salad was roasted beets and grapefruit with goat cheese and greens. Served in a cocktail drink glass. Fun!

Richard and I ready for our meal.

How about this stingray.

We took this pic. with the underwater camera and it doesn't give one much time to get on location for timed photos.

Another grueling day in Paradise! What a life. It is just plain unbelievable. I pretty much spent the morning on the beach. I moved rock for exercise and then relaxed. We have been spending a lot of time on paint color decisions. We are accumulating a lot of shades of aqua blue/green. What will we do with all this paint! Will we ever make a decision?

We had lunch and went snorkeling. It was fantastic. It is fun to get to know the various landscapes under the water. I'm starting to know where I am at by the different coral formations. Certain fish are becoming my friends! Good grief!

We got home and discovered we had been gone longer than we thought. Time flies when you're having fun. We got cleaned up and headed to Southern Cross Club for our Valentine's Day dinner. It was wonderful. Once again, they did a great job feeding us. It was very special. They had decorated really pretty too.

Our trip home was very peaceful, with the stars so bright as we peddled along.

Monday, February 13,2012

We slept with most the windows closed last night and all the fans turned off. It was perfect sleeping. Today the weather was perfect. It seems to be very low humidity today. The breeze was stronger in the morning. I washed some sheets and boy did they blow around. They were dry lickety split!

I worked this morning moving a lot of rock on the beach. We are going to get rid of these rocks if it kills us. Richard saw a bone fish slick out on the water. He got his gear ready and grabbed his diving booties from the porch. He stuck his foot in and got bit by a scorpion. This was a big tan colored scorpion that is native to the Caymans. It was not one that is big and black. It was very ugly though. It hurt pretty bad. I gave him some Benadryl and he suffered awhile. But it wasn't long and off he went fishing. He caught one nice bone fish, but didn't have the camera for a photo.

After lunch we decided to start painting the inside of the house. Turns out the color we thought was perfect, was totally wrong. We called Kevin and he brought the paint sample book back and we are trying again. Sure is easier to just paint everything white.

I fell asleep in the hammock again this afternoon for awhile. Most of the day I tried to work on rocks and just be on our beach. It is really taking shape and I just love being out there. This weather couldn't be any nicer.

I fixed my meat sauce and spaghetti for supper tonight. It was very good. We were both starving. Tomorrow I don't have to cook, as we are going to SCC for their Valentine's Day Dinner. They do a super job and I am looking forward to it.

Sunday February 12, 2012

During the night a big wind came up and we woke to a cloudy day. The temperature was nice and comfortable all day. The wind slowed down as the day went on but it stayed a little more breezy. It was a perfect day for working on the beach. We cut and hauled more trees and shoveled and raked rocks. Hard work.

Richard did a little fishing early in the day, but no luck. I took a little walk on the street to do some exploring. It is the only rode on the whole island. I am looking for some driftwood to make a sign for our yard.

We made a bike trip to the store and brought back our painting supplies. We got small containers of paint to start just to make sure we like the color. We are still trying to get in the mood to paint. Richard took the finish off one of the drawers in the bathroom vanity to get a look under it. Now it really looks bad in the bathroom. We will have to do some changes in there too eventually.

I made my potato salad today and it turned out pretty good. We seem to be eating an awful lot here lately.

Tonight we walked around our beach in the dark and then sat on the porch. We had all the house lights off, so it was very dark. The moon seems to have disappeared tonight. It is getting smaller and will maybe come up a little later. These circumstances gave the stars a chance to show off. Boy, were they brilliant. More stars than you can ever imagine. I don't remember them looking like this at home, even at the farms where we have no light. It is a beautiful evening. So quiet it could hurt your ears.

Today I told Richard that we need to get up earlier and stay up later so we have more time here. The days just fly by. We hear it has gotten very cold back home. I'm glad we are escaping that.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Here is a picture taken way out past the breakers in the open ocean. You can see our roof right in the center of photo. Our property starts at the first mangrove tree next to the Sunset Cove (formerly Blue Lagoon). Notice the wave and how the reef keeps our water nice and calm. The dark blue water is 100 ft. deep and then another 200 yds. out is 1200 ft. deep water. The light blue water is 15 ft. deep and less in places. The deepest spot around Little Cayman is 26,000 ft. deep. This picture makes it look like our house is hidden in the trees, but it is the angle of the shot.

This morning we got up at 5:30 a.m. as Richard was going deep sea fishing at 6:00. It was still dark out but for the moon light. It was kind of fun being up so early. It was like a work day at home. He didn't catch a Tuna or Wahoo like he wanted but he did get a Yellow Tail Snapper and a Mahogany Snapper. I fixed them for supper on the grill and boy were they tasty. The Yellow Tail was small so we ate them all gone.

While he was out fishing he took some photos of the house from out on the water. It is fun to see another view.

Don, from the store, brought us the paint sample book today. We spent some time making a decision on our paint color for the inside of the house. Not as easy as one would think. It will be nice to have everything freshly painted. Another fun project.

We have been working on our grounds today again, of course. There is an awful lot to do but it is a labor of love. I am very tired tonight as I did a lot of work. Good exercise too. I did enjoy several times sitting on the beach in my wonderful chair with my Kindle also. Overall, this is a day I will fondly remember.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Here is a picture of a parrot fish feeding on a brain coral. He is at least four and a half foot long. This photo is deceiving on the size image. We think this is the same one we saw yesterday. It was sure fun to swim with him.

Here is a cute "cleaner" fish. He is call a French Angelfish. He is a juvenile Notice also the conch at the bottom of the photo.

Here is also a parrot fish with lots of red on him. He is called a Stoplight Parrot fish. Laying on the bottom in the sand is a grouper.

Here is cool shot of a fish called a Mutton Snapper in the juvenile phase.

We think these are called Blue Tang fish. I love how they smile at me.

Here is a huge fish that we think is a type of snapper. We think it is a Mutton Snapper.

This is a beautiful Grouper.

Here is a shot of the sunset tonight taken from our deck.

What a wonderful day! We awoke to a beautiful, calm, sunny day. Perfection once again. After breakfast, Richard hurried out to fish. I watered all the new coconut trees. Then I raked the beach and sat around. It was time for a kayak ride. The water was smooth and clear of course. I saw Richard out fishing. He caught one bone fish today. We decided to have an early lunch so we could get over to our favorite snorkel spot.

We arrived at Bloody Bay and the water was gorgeous. The water was so warm, there is no adjustment getting in. We saw that giant parrot fish again. This time he was feeding.

I saw a giant stingray just laying on the bottom resting. We went over to a different spot on the wall and the coral was so huge and colorful. We were looking for turtle, but found none. Then this evening there was one right in our "boat landing" in front of the house. He was there last night too, only on the other side of the mangrove.

There was a beautiful sunset tonight. We were enjoying it while I was fixing the chicken from hell. The little bugger would not get done. Never again! He was tasty after all. We wanted to go to Karaoke tonight at the Beach Resort. Then Richard decided we would be too late as he is going deep sea fishing tomorrow at 6:00 A.M. We will do that next Friday night for sure.

I always feel that I should type more. There are so many little details that we experience that are so meaningful to our day. Just being here is such a gift.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Here we are waking up in paradise again. This full moon has been beautiful at night and we seem to be sleeping really well under it. It is a very warm, calm day here again. Just what one expects in the Caribbean.

Richard went bone fishing this morning and I did a load of laundry and hung out on our beach. I am just way too relaxed. What has come over me! Around 10:30 we headed to "town". We had to pay a Port Authority bill at the bank and go to the grocery store. We needed a few items and also picked up a new bike tire for one of the bikes. We had brought plenty of inside tubes for the bikes with us, but we needed the actual tire.

This afternoon, Richard fished again but I took to the hammock and I swear I had the best sleep of my life. I was trying to read but sleep overcame me. I needed to hang around the house some this afternoon as I was making a pork roast for dinner. The meal turned out great and I have three more easy meals of "left overs" for the future.

Richard found a very nice size coconut tree when he was fishing. It was larger but still perfect for transplanting. We now have five nice ones planted on our beach. They have a lot of growing to do though. Ten years from now they'll be huge, if a hurricane doesn't take them out. We also have five on the front side of the house too. They are huge. We think it is cool to have five on each side as there are five of us in our family.

Tonight is cooling off nicely. The sunset was beautiful. The water was pink even in places reflecting from the sky.

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012

We have been here two weeks now. Hard to believe how fast the time has gone. Our first week was so fun with the kids here. That week was a little windy though. Today we woke to a very still day. It is so quiet here. Yesterday and today you couldn't here the "breakers" at all. The water is so calm and clear. I wish it would have been this way the week the kids were here. This is how it normally is most every day we are here.

Richard went bone fishing this morning and I took my kayak out. I found him at his "favorite" spot. I saw a small stingray while kayaking. He was so cute. The water was clear like a bathtub so it is easy to spot things.

After lunch we went over to Bloody Bay to snorkel. The waves were up over there. I don't quite understand this but they were. We rode back to the house and worked moving rock on the beach. Then we got ready for Wet Your Whistle Wednesday at SCC. There was a whole different crowd there tonight.

We met a guy whose first name is Russ. I can't remember his last name. He is a hedge fund manager in Canada. Then he said he plays music with some guys and started naming famous people. Gordon Lightfoot is one of them he mentioned. This Russ says the music is his but Gordon sings it. I asked him to write this down for me as I am old and forgetful, but neither of us had paper or pencil. I will try to find him again and take notes. You meet a lot of interesting people on this island. He is completely taking apart an old house on Grand and had it shipped here on the barge to Little Cayman to be rebuilt. Very interesting.

This turned out to be a very relaxing day with unbelievable weather. Will we ever get anymore work done?

Tuesday, 2/7/2012

Photo of stingray with Jack.

Me snorkeling. How about that!

This shows the two fish (one is a Jack) feeding along with the stingray. He was a very big stingray. His barb was at least four feet long. Quite impressive. You can only see the front of the ray on this photo though.

Today the sky was clear and sunny and absolutely perfect. It was 90 degrees with just the right breeze. A perfect day to have a house on the beach on the Caribbean. Richard went fishing at the tarpon pond again this morning. This time he got some photos of his catch. I sat on my teak chair by the water and read my kindle book.

Early in the morning LeRoy Brown stopped by. I'm not kidding. Actually, he works for the quarry here at Little Cayman. We are thinking of putting some ground coral rock in our driveway. We also need some cement work done. Richard was gone fishing so he didn't meet him. We have such famous people here. There is a Fidel Castro, Michael Jackson, Elvis, and now LeRoy Brown. How fun is that.

After lunch we worked up a sweat on our beach for a minute and then headed to the North side to snorkel. With no wind, the water is nice and calm for several days now and the clarity of the water is spectacular. I'm sure tomorrow it will be even clearer. This time we went to the east of Bus Stop. We saw a couple really huge stingrays. One had a couple big "Jacks" on him, feeding with him. It was a fun time. We had the underwater camera with us and took some photos.

We will have to hope for some windy days ahead or we may not get our projects done this year. As long as the weather is so perfect we will be playing.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Right now it is 7:46 p.m. and I am sitting here typing with all the windows open to a beautiful cool breeze (mid 70's). The full moon is shining after a beautiful sunset. The weather today couldn't have been more perfect. I do know how blessed I am to be here and hope I will always remember it.

Richard went to the Tarpon Pond with his kayak trailing his bike this morning. His system works great. He caught four Tarpon, one of which was almost three feet long. It jumped six feet in the air and took off and broke his line. These fish jump right over your boat. They're really something.

While Richard was fishing, I took my kayak out and had a beautiful paddle. The water was nice and calm. I put in in front of the house and paddled south and then due east. I didn't see any critters though.

After lunch we got our snorkel gear and took the bikes to Bloody Bay. The water was calm, the air temp. perfect, and the water was warm. One has to wonder how it can be so perfect. We were out at the "wall" and saw the biggest parrot fish ever. Richard said he had never seen one that large even diving down 100 ft. This fish was at least 4 ft. and his head was so huge that I can't begin to describe it. The head was the size of my square ottoman in the family room. He looked right at me. I swam over the top of him. We saw lots of other gorgeous fish but that one really took the cake! We lingered a long time in the water and just took in the perfection of it all. The bike ride back even was lovely. I'm trying to remember the feel of it all and every single leaf on every tree and bush we passed.

Back at the house we cleaned our supplies, took showers and moved on to preparing supper. I sure work up a hunger on this island. We took a walk on our beach this evening in the moonlight. Tonight will be another good sleeping night. Can a day get any better.

February 5, 2012 Sunday

Another beautiful day on the island. The breeze is still blowing but not bad. We worked some on the beach and then getting Richards new system for hauling his kayak behind his bike. Got it all fiquired out and he is excited to use it.

I washed my clothes and hung them out to dry as this breeze does such a good job. About noon the breeze started to die down. By two o'clock it was dead still. Around 3:15 it started to rain. I had just gotten my clothes in luckily. By 3:30 it was a torrential downpour. The temp dropped to the mid 70's and it rained hard for hours. Boy was it fun. We have never been here for that before. This being Super Bowl Sunday, everyones outdoor movie screens and plans had to be moved indoors. SCC picked us up, which was very nice. The rain stopped around 9:00 so at 10 when the game was over, Richard and I walked home. It was a very pleasant walk indeed.

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012

Saturday was a big day. We transferred all the food to the new fridge and put it in place. The kitchen looks so different now. Next we will paint the cabinets white. That will really change it. Bausur ( I am sure I spelled his name wrong) came with a helper and took our old stove and fridge. He was very glad to get them. He will fix the burner on the stove and the fan on the fridge. He is super handy with repairs. He works at our power plant and repairs diesel engines even.

Richard worked on the beach moving rocks and I pretty much just messed around. I scrubbed the floor as it was really dirty. I'm not kidding. It actually had piles of dirt and debris. RJ also installed the ceiling fan in the new bath. We are now set to go.

At 7:00 we went to a full moon party next door. Tons of people from all over the island were there. It was a BYOB event and every one was asked to pay $10 each to help cover cost of food. They had a barbecue with burgers and hot dogs, and some large trays of piata. One was vegetarian and the other with sausage. There was a huge bonfire.

Sunday is the super bowl party at Southern Cross Club. We are just partying all the time here.

February 3, 2012 Friday

This is what our entry looks like now with the new bathroom. We like it a lot.

A shot of the new bathroom shower area.

Another photo of the bathroom. It has a pocket door.

This is what you see if you come in the sliding glass door on the water side of the house. The new bathroom wall is there on the right.

Living room and dining to the left on entering the sliding glass doors.

Would be bedroom on the right of sliding glass door. We didn't put a wall to block off bedroom. It is the open look!

Another shot of sofa beds. We can handle a crowd.

The appliances arrive.

The day started normal enough but boy did it get exciting. The very first thing we did was arrange furniture. I was fortunate Richard was able and willing to help me. It was fun. We had to change things because of the new bathroom. I have posted photos of the new arrangements.

Richard got all three bikes up and running now. The one had a blow out earlier. We worked hard on our beach today clearing out more jungle. I got into fire ants twice. They are unbelievable. We also moved a lot of rocks to make a sand entrance for our kayaks.

While working, I felt something crawl quickly up my arm. I tried to get it but it made it into my sleeveless shirt. Suddenly it was in my bra and bit me. I got it out. It was a brown recluse spider about the size of a quarter. I'm glad I got a good identification. What a devil.

We finally were exhausted from working, Richard announced he was done for the day. It was about 3:30. At that very minute appeared the guys from the grocery store with our new stove and refrigerator. They picked it up for us from the barge. How nice was that! Richard, Kevin, and "the other guy" (sadly, I don't remember his name), hauled them up our steps and into the house. They would not accept payment. That is the kind of people who are on this island.

Kevin called a guy from the island power plant who is coming to pick up our old appliances tomorrow. I guess he is really good at fixing things and is glad to get them.

Tonight I made supper on my brand new stove. It was just like Christmas here. Tomorrow Richard will get to install the new bathroom ceiling fan and the new tankless water heater also. It does seem like we are just replacing everything around here.

The wind was still blowing here today so it was a perfect work day. Sunday it is supposed to start calming down so next week the work will end. The temperature has been in the mid to upper eighties everyday and the 70's at night. We have been sleeping very good. This is the good life they sing songs about.