Tuesday, March 5,2013

I am typing this post from the airport in North Carolina.  Yesterday the Internet was not working at our house.  Our last day was a busy one.  The weather was beautiful of course.  We enjoyed every minute of our time.  We got a call from Marc at Blossom Construction and he sent the guys over to work on our place at 1:00.  We had an area with a bunch of leaves that we wanted cleaned up.  They did a wonderful job.  We were busy cleaning equipment and putting bikes away and washing our kayaks. 

I fed Ellie one last time.  She is so friendly. I took my bike on one last big ride. Richard and I went out to the Hungry Iguana for dinner and it was a really nice time. 

This morning we got up early and packed up and closed the house.  Mike and Linda said they wanted to pick us up and take us to the airport. 

When we woke up today the weather was perfect for fishing.  Boy was it hard to leave.  Our flight was at 9:15 and it got later and later.  We called Mike and he was out fishing.  Linda was going to pick us up and unfortunately, she forgot.  I went next door and Bruno was kind enough to run us over.  When we got to the airport Patti was there to see us off and Linda was there too.  I felt bad for her, as it is hard when you forget someone.  We had a fun sendoff.  Karen went to Grand also and we had lunch with her.  Janet and her hubby were on  our flight too.

I took this photo earlier with my cell phone.

This is the last picture of the beach and house.  This shows all our hard work on the beach.  We did lots of stump removal and will work on the left side next year.

Now, we are in airport world.  Until next year, when January rolls around again and we return to Little Cayman.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Today we got up at 5:00 A.M. again as Richard went fishing with Mike.  It didn't seem windy here, but when they got out past the breakers, the sea was super rough.  He came back home at 7:00.  Luckily, he saw the bone fish were feeding out front of the house.  He hurried out in his kayak to catch a few. 

We enjoyed beautiful weather here today.  The sky was clear with a few passing clouds occasionally.  It was in the low 80's.  Very comfortable.  Today I washed the bedding and it dried super quick.  I sat around on the beach a lot today. 

After lunch Richard and I went to SCC and the grocery store to pay our accounts off.  Now we are broke!  We must go home.  Tomorrow will be a work day.  We have to get everything put away.  Our flight leaves at 9:15 A.M. on Wednesday morning.  We don't get to DesMoines until 9:30 P.M.  Then we still need to get to Ames.  The reason it will take so long is because we have a 3 hour layover in Grand Cayman and then another 3-4 hours in North Carolina.  I better take a good book to read while sitting around.

Late this afternoon Marc, with Blossom Construction, came by.  He is going to check our grounds once a month and keep everything from growing back.  It will look nice when we return. 

We will make the most of tomorrow, our last day.  I am going to soak up as much warm sun as possible.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

This morning it was mostly cloudy most of the day.  The wind was blowing off and on.  It was a perfect day to get some work done around the beach.  I moved rock while Richard did serious stump removal.  He dug down around the stumps and used the chain saw to saw them out.  What a job.  The beach looks great though.  It is so exciting to watch the transformation.  I managed to do two loads of laundry today.  With the sun and wind, they dry in a hurry.  Tomorrow I'll do sheets and that is it until next year.

Richard didn't get to fish today.  It was weird having him home in the morning. 

Tonight we are invited to Mike and Linda's for dinner.  They are a fun couple who stay for three months on the island.  I am trying to use up all our food before we leave the island.  Richard will have to eat very hardy tomorrow.  Hope he'll be hungry. 

Saturday, March 2, 2013

This was an exciting day at Little Cayman.  Richard left super early again to go fishing in the deep sea with Mike.  He said he would be home by 10:00 if nothing was biting.  He still wasn't home at 12:00 so I was hoping they were having some luck.  He arrived around 12:30 with a big smile and fish.  It was very exciting to hear the fish tales.  They had quite a time!  Richard caught a Mahimahi or some call it a Dolphin fish or a Dorado and a Red Hines.  They were both huge.  The Dorado was 36 inches plus and the Red Hines was about 18 inches.   They also got three Trigger fish.  What a day. 

Of course, I fixed fish for supper.  We had some of the Mahimahi and the Red Hines.  Boy, was it yummy.  We found out, if the fish are frozen, we can bring them home.  We will do this. 

The weather this morning was very still and cloudy.  After my breakfast and exercises, I headed outside to enjoy the beach.  Then I moved three or four loads of rock.  About 10:00 a slight breeze came up from the water.  By noon it was actually windy, straight from the north.  We still have a wind and the temperature is 73 degrees.  It will be a nice sleeping night.  Actually, I have slept perfect every night.



Here is Richard with his Dorado.



Richard with the Red Hines he caught.



We re-arranged the furniture on this side.  Now the sofa bed faces the windows.



The other sofa bed is still in it's same place.  Boy, we sure love our place.

 This afternoon we worked outside a little and burned our burn pile.  Glad that is gone.  We have started getting in the mindset of leaving.  Our new storage garage is ready and we are organizing where everything will go.     

Friday, March 1, 2013

Today we got up at 5:15 A.M.  Richard and Mike went fishing for Wahoo again.  They wanted to be out there before the sun came up, in the hope that Wahoo would want to eat at that time.  They came back empty handed.  They don't give up easy though, tomorrow they are trying again. 

I accomplished a lot while Richard was fishing.  I read my book for about 1/2 hour and then had my breakfast. ( I had made Richard his eggs but I waited until later to eat myself).  Then I put a load of wash in and did my exercises.  After hanging the laundry, I walked on our beach.  It was so beautiful out.  I sat in my beach chair about 45minutes.  It was the most beautiful morning you could ever imagine.  About 9:30 I headed to the airport to see about changing our flight time on Wednesday.  I wanted a later flight but nothing is available.  I'll check in a few days again.  On the way, there was Richard at Mike and Linda's.  They just finished fishing.  He followed my bike on his scooter.  After the airport, I stopped at the grocery store for a couple items.  Richard took them home while I did a little gift shop shopping at LCBR and SCC.  It was sure a fun morning. 

After lunch we went to the north side to snorkel.  Conditions were fabulous!  We had a great time.  Once home, we got cleaned up and re-arranged the furniture.  Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the new look.  We had an OK dinner.  Turns out they have gluten free pasta available at SCC now and this was pasta night.  I just found out AFTER dinner.  The menu was outstanding.  I hope they offer it next year also.  I must speak to the chef!

This is me snorkeling with a Horseyed Jack.  He circled around me and tried to bump my leg.  He was very large.  Wow!

This is a giant Angel fish.  The photo is at a bad angle.  It was so colorful.  It was about 2 and 1/2 feet long and 2 feet high.  What a find! 

Thursday, February 28, 2013

It was another perfect day at Little Cayman.  I woke up early and finally got up at 6:30.  Richard doesn't want me to get up early because he is on vacation and needs his beauty sleep.  There wasn't even a breeze and the water was smooth.  The water is forever changing.  I could just stare at it constantly.

 Richard hurried to the Tarpon Pond and had success today.  He sure seems to enjoy that place.  I did my exercises and then took my bike out again.  When I returned, I took my kayak out on that perfect water.  Boy was it peaceful.  I noticed Bruno was in their screen porch so I stopped by to say goodbye and wish him well in Aruba.  He leaves Little Cayman the day after we do. 

After lunch I exercised my hammock and then Richard and I headed to Point of Sand to snorkel.  We enjoyed the beautiful coral there and many colorful fish.  I am still waiting to find a turtle this year.  I don't know why they are avoiding me.

While I made dinner, Richard went out with his kayak and tryed to find us a lobster for dinner.  No luck.  Last year we found them on the reef but not this year.  This is the last day they could be taken.

Late evening now and the cool breeze is barely blowing.  It is nice and warm.  We don't need a darn winter coat!  The low temp. now is at 77 degrees.  We are going to have another beautiful day tomorrow.

We hung our beautiful mobile, a gift from Ginny and Sue, in the new bathroom.  After I paint the room a bright color, it will show up better.  Everywhere else we hung it, there was too much air movement from the fans and windows.  The air in this house is never still, it turns out.  What a beautiful piece of art!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

We woke to a beautiful day here at Little Cayman once again.  The water was totally flat and  no breeze.  I was getting breakfast ready and the phone rang.  Did Richard want to go fishing for Wahoo in the open sea?  We hurried and ate and off he went.  I did housework and my exercises and then took my bike on a long ride and walked the beach again.  When I got back, I took care of my hammock.  Richard returned with no fish.  Sooner or later he will catch one of these elusive fish.

After lunch we went to the north side and snorkeled.  It was fantastic.  I just don't see how I can leave this place.  They got over 10 inches of snow in Ames today. 

This evening we went to SCC for Wet Your Whistle Wednesday.  We also stayed for dinner.  The evening is so beautiful.  It is so warm and the stars are so thick, I just want to stay outside all night.  What a lovely end to the day. This just can't get any better.

Here is a nice shot of our hammocks.



An updated shot of the house from the beach.



Our burn pile is showing on this shot of our beach.  This is our second one.  We already burned the first one.



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Today we woke up early, six A.M., because Richard went fishing on the north side.  He and Mike took the kayaks out.  I love getting up early before the sun gets hot.  The weather was perfect again today of course, and I was outdoors all day. 

Tonight we had ladies night at Southern Cross Club.  It was fun.  I had lion fish for dinner.  There was a lot of talking going on and I got home late.  This blog is very short as I am heading to bed.  It will be a good sleeping night tonight.

Monday, February 25, 2013

We awoke to another beautiful day at sunny Little Cayman.  Today we did lots of jobs around our house and property.  Richard started installing the new tankless water heater we bought last year.  We are going to have it all ready to go in case our current one dies.   One has to be prepared when living on a tiny island.  A trip to the store was needed of course.  There are always people to meet when you make a trip to "town".  I moved some sand on the street side this morning.  We have the biggest crab (like monster, record size) that lives along the drive.  He digs huge holes in the sand and piles it up next to the holes.  I moved his sand to new spots. 

After lunch I worked on the beach some more.  Nothing heavy.  I seriously  spent time in the hammock today.   The day was just so beautiful, I wanted to soak it up as much as I could.

I checked our water supply.  I removed the lid on the cistern and shone the flashlight down into it.  I caught a cute little frog by surprise.  He was hanging on the side just out of the water.  I think he was blinded by the sudden light.  It is interesting how much water we use while here.  If we had a lot of company or stayed a lot longer, we might have to be conserving.  We should be able to make it easily 6 months, just the two of us.  It is 16 thousand gallons of water. 

Ellie, the female iguana comes to visit every day now.  She has become very tame with me.  Now that Emily is not here, Winston stays away.  Ellie knows her name.  I never would have thought they would act so domesticated.  They look prehistoric. 

The sunset was absolutely beautiful tonight and the moon came up big, beautiful and full.  This is like a fairy tale place. 

Sunday, February 24, 2013

What a day!  We had clouds when we woke up this morning.  There was no breeze and it got hot in a hurry.  I did my work out and Richard went back to the Tarpon Pond to recatch his fish from yesterday.  Turns out the camera had the setting wrong and his pictures of the fish he caught didn't take.  Today he caught one and the photo is a little blurry.  Good heavens!

I did some beach work.  We have started clearing the jungle on the side of our property and it is quite a job.  I worked about an hour and called it quits.  I recovered in the hammock.

 After lunch we decided to work on the jungle again.  This was a mistake.  Richard and I are both on the injured list.  He was pulling on a bunch of vines when he got stabbed by a stick on the back of his knee.  It is a pretty good puncture wound and he has a big knot to go with it.   Ouch!  I cut a tree with the reciprocating saw and was pulling it out covered with vines.  Suddenly it broke and I went down.  Of course there were tree trunks in the way and a bunch of rocks.  I've got scrapes and a nicely sprained ankle.  As the time goes on I have bruises and sore spots all over.  We should have gone snorkeling and we would be pain free now. 

We are in a great place to recover and enjoyed another beautiful sunset tonight.  The moon is full again and it is so pretty.  It shines so bright on the sand.

Today Bruno, the kite surfing instructor next door, informed us that he got fired last night.  He will leave early March.  He got a new job right away on the island of Aruba.  Good for him.  He is a very nice guy and a good instructor.  We wish him well.  I'm glad we got to meet him.  He is originally from Estonia.  Who gets to meet someone from the country of Estonia?  We do!

Another day comes to a close on our beautiful, tiny island.  Every minute is precious to us here. 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

It is another beautiful, sunny morning here at Little Cayman.  After a good nights sleep, and an early breakfast I am off and running.  Richard went to the Tarpon Pond again in the hopes of catching the tarpon and getting some good photos of them.  I did my workout and then took my bike to SCC and walked up the beach and back.  I just love doing this.  When I got home I sat on the beach.    A lady from next door came by to visit.  She is from California. 

After lunch Richard and I went to the north side to snorkel.  We had such a relaxing, beautiful snorkel.  The water was calm, clear and full of frolicking fish.  Did I just type that!  Good grief!  There was a lot of people over there with the same idea we had.  One did not want to get out of the water, it was so much fun.  Man, I love being here. 

When we got home, we decided to work a little clearing some more of our jungle along the side of our property.  It is hard, hot work but somebody's got to do it.  We lasted a very short time and got cleaned up.

I grilled bratwurst for dinner.  We had potato salad and a green salad with it and Belgium chocolate ice cream for desert.  What a feast!  The potato salad and ice cream were left over from last night when we had Pattie and Tom over.  After eating, we sat out on the porch.  There was the most beautiful breeze blowing.  It was hard to come back in. 

I can't resist posting pictures of some of the fish we saw today. 

Note:  There is something wrong with my computer blog program and it is making some of my photos gigantic.  Darn!!

This is a grouper.  A nice big one.

Here is a nice big mutton snapper.  He is very good to eat.

These are called grunts.

A snapper and some tangs.

This huge parrot fish was at least 4 feet long.  He was very pretty.

This guy is a squid.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Awoke to another beautiful day here.  Sun is shining brightly, the water is glistening and I am thrilled to be here.  We had a nice breakfast and started our day.  Richard headed to the Tarpon Pond again.  He loves that place.  I "played" on the beach.  The afternoon was busy just doing jobs around the grounds.  The Night Heron was on the water close to shore later this afternoon.  It is so fun to watch her hunt for crabs.  She seems to live right along our driveway.  I see her everyday each year we are here. 

 Tonight Tom and Pat came for dinner and we had a great time visiting.  I am heading to bed, sorry to let this day go.  My blog post is short tonight as it is late but that doesn't mean my day wasn't full.  I am trying to make the most of every minute.  Before I know it, I'll be back in Iowa, where the snow is falling.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Another beautiful day on Little Cayman.  We had a hardy breakfast of pancakes and eggs so we are ready for some fun.  Richard hooked up his kayak to the scooter this morning and went to the Tarpon pond.  This is actually the first time he traveled with the boat behind the scooter.  In the past it was always behind the bike.  He said it went really well.  He caught some big tarpon but no photos of them.  While he was gone, I did my workout and laundry and read a book on the beach.  I had a fabulous morning. 

After lunch we went to the bank and "hardware" store.  It is in the back of the grocery store.  Of course, we went on the scooter.  My bike needed to get out, so I took it on a ride to the north end.  The waves were coming in.  It was just beautiful.  I walked up and down the beach.  It was very peaceful.  I think I'm in love with this island.  I worked up a good sweat peddling there and back.  There are actually a few hills to traverse getting across the island. 

I turned on the computer when I got back home as I had to check on bill paying.  There was a really nice breeze blowing through the house cooling me off.  I made quick work of the computer as I had hammock duty.  There is nothing more comfy than a hammock.  I had serious trouble staying awake.  I fixed chicken and baked potatoes on the grill for dinner.  I'm here grilling in warm, sunny weather in the middle of winter while it is snowing and cold back home.  How lucky is that!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Same old story!  I woke up in paradise!  The weather couldn't be more perfect.  Beautiful sunshine and a slight breeze.  Too bad Emily has to leave today.  We ate breakfast and met Bruno as he presented Emily with a certificate for her kite surfing.  Her flight left at 9:15 so we headed right to the airport.  We managed to do a little shopping as we waited for her plane.  There were a few cute sun dresses and cover-ups at the liquor/boutique store.  Emily bought a new pair of flip/flops.  I am not kidding, they have a little clothing for sale in the liquor store.  We heard her plane arriving so we ran back to the airport.  We had to say goodbye. 

Richard and I turned in the rental car and headed home on our scooter to enjoy the beautiful day, even though we were feeling a little sad.  The fish were calling to Richard when we arrived home.  Off he went in his kayak.  I put in a load of laundry and cleaned up the house a bit.  That always keeps me busy after the kids visit. 

After lunch I took my bike down to Southern Cross Club and then walked the beach to Little Cayman Beach Resort and back.  I could make a habit of doing this.  When I arrived home I took my kayak out to find Richard.  There he was, paddling back with his missing fishing pole.  We can't believe he found it.  The poor thing was a little battered from the waves beating it but he cleaned it up and look out fish!

My beach chair was waiting for me when I parked my kayak so I relaxed awhile.  The hammock got jealous so I had to lay in it awhile too.  Then I remembered it was Wednesday and we had to get cleaned up and head to SCC for Wet Your Whistle Wednesday.  All the fun people were there at SCC so we had a good time.  The weather this evening is absolutely lovely.  It is very comfortable in the house.  What a day!

Emily fell a little in love with Winston the iguana.

Waiting for the plane to arrive.  Posing in front of Little Cayman's fire truck.

Emily heading to her plane.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Here we are still in paradise and it is Emily's last day here.  We made pancakes for breakfast.  She is kite surfing this morning and we are going to Point of Sand in the afternoon to snorkel.  Lots of exercise. 

Our snorkel was great!  We got back home and cleaned up.  Emily wanted her last dinner at Southern Cross Club.  It was fabulous as always.  Tons of people were there so it was really fun.  Now we are home and Emily is packing to leave in the morning.  It was a busy week and it went really quick.

Here we are at Southern Cross Club for dinner.

We are ready to be served.  The food was wonderful.

Monday, February 18, 2013

We had a beautiful, cool night for sleeping last night.  Emily was supposed to kite board again this morning but the wind was coming in gust form and Bruno said it wasn't good.  The gusting continued throughout the day so she will continue her lesson tomorrow. 

Emily and I went to a little boutique on the island and she did a little shopping.  It was fun, she made some neat purchases.  Emily and Richard took the kayaks out to the reef and walked on the reef.  They were hoping to snag a lobster for dinner.  We had beef tenderloin steaks and baked potatoes and salad.  Sadly, no lobster. 

I did some reading in my hammock and on my beach chair.  What a day!  I also did a little freshening up of the sand, but nothing serious.  One could almost say I was lazy today.  Tonight we are playing games.  We have a good collection here at the house.  Maybe we'll try Skip Bo tonight.

Sunday, February 17,2013

Today we woke to a cloudy day.  This is rare.  It was a perfect work day but we didn't.  Emily decided to try kite surfing today.  Bruno, the instructor said this was a perfect day to try it.  The clouds would make it cooler and he knows best!  Emily has a pretty mean sunburn from yesterday so a break from the direct hot sun was good. 

She did really well kite surfing and will proceed to the next lesson tomorrow.  Emily loves high adventure.  She rock climbs, parachutes out of planes, water skiis, snow skiis. You name it, she'll try it. 

Here is Emily learning to kite surf.

We took Emily on the "tour of the island" drive today.  The road goes completely around the island. We  viewed the barge area and also we pointed out the houses of all the people we know here.  There are many beautiful homes on this island.  After the tour, we ate dinner at Little Cayman Beach Resort.  Of course, it was a fabulous meal and we all over ate.  This will be a good sleeping night.

Saturday, February 16,2013

This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunny day.  We were ready for fun.  The wind was way down and the water was calm.  We got a kayak for Emily from next door and paddled to Owen Island.  It was a nice easy paddle.  We took our gear with us to snorkel over there.  Last year we saw a lot of lobster and we would sure like some this year.  We found all  kinds of critters but no lobster.  We spent a lot of time in the water.  When we finally emerged, there was a big black cloud system off to the South.  The wind got very strong .  We had quite a time getting back home.  Lots of good exercise.  There seems to always be some unplanned adventure popping up here.  By the time we got home, the wind was gone and things were sunny and calm again.

We got cleaned up and decided to make a bike trip to "town".  Emily wanted to shop.  After shopping we had dinner at The Hungry Iguana.  It was a nice long relaxing time.  The food was spectacular.  We had Wahoo and Conch Chowder and many other yummy things to eat.  We rode home in the dark on our bikes.  Thank goodness for the exercise.

Emily and I relaxing at The Hungry Iguana (Iggy's).

Paddling out to Owen Island.

Emily found an empty lobster shell.

Richard in his kayak, coming in.

Friday, February, 15, 2013

Today we had our alarm set for 6:15 and around 5:30 it started to pour rain.  Up we jumped to close windows.  This is the strangest year for sudden night or early morning rain showers.  There was no going back to sleep.  The sun came up on time and it was a gorgeous, perfect day.  This was the big dive morning.  Emily's first time to dive.  I'm posting lots of pictures on this post.  It was quite a day.  Of course, she loves diving.  We think Emily is actually part fish.  She is very comfortable in the water. 

She got a bad jelly fish sting on the front of her neck.  Very huge one.  Luckily, she took Dramamine before diving in case she got motion sickness on the boat.  I guess this also helped with the effects of the sting.  When she got home she took Benedryl.  Now it is all better. 

This afternoon, I made a nice long bike trip.  I stopped at SCC and took a long beach walk from there.  The sand is so deep it is actually a work out.  I met up with a few short timers along the way.  It was a nice relaxing afternoon. 

Note:  There is a big long strange picture shows up after the following first photo.  I don't know how it got there and I can't remove it.  It just must be ignored.  Darn.


Emily took this picture when she was down under today.



Here she is on her first dive.



Emily petting Winston.  He closes his eyes when being petted.



Emily and I lounging at Southern Cross Club.



Emily and I at Wet Your Whistle Wednesday.  We sure have a good time there.

  

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!  This morning we woke up to a beautiful day.  Emily slept good on the sofa bed in the bedroom area.  It is a good thing as we needed to be at SCC for her dive instruction at 8:30.  I made breakfast and beds and did Emily's laundry.  She had winter clothes that she wore to get here that needed to be done.  She did a great job at her instruction session.  She is a fish!

This took a lot of the morning so after we got home we ate an early lunch.  We spent the whole afternoon snorkeling.  Conditions were perfect.  We saw many beautiful fish, scenery and nurse sharks and rays.  What a day.  We all got cleaned up and I made a valentine's supper.   Following are a lot of fun photos.

Here is Emily all suited up for her training class to scuba dive.



This is a picture Emily took of Ellie.  She was feeding her.



Emily took this beautiful photo with our underwater camera. 

Check out this grouper.  All the fish were busy feeding on the bottom this afternoon.  He is a good looking fellow.

These are nice sized nurse sharks.  What a find!  Click on these photos to enlarge them.

Hi Emily!