Sunday, February 28, 2016

We woke up this morning to the hum of our air conditioner running.  Yesterday we had a really bad infestation of gnats!  We were invaded by them.  They were getting into the house and Richard said he wanted to close up.  We were expecting guests that evening for dinner and we couldn't have bugs everywhere!  I vacuumed in the morning and we vacuumed again after closing up.  That is how bad they were!  Other people on the island also have these gnats so we are not alone.  We have never had this problem before in all the years we have been coming to Little Cayman.  I wonder why it happened this year.

Today we did some work at the house.  Richard trimmed back some trees.  We are planning ahead for how fast they grow back for next year.  I took the time to figure all the costs on the boat and get all the receipts together.  It is good to be organized.

Tonight, in the dark, Richard is going with some guys to "walk" the reef.  They are looking for lobsters coming in from the deep sea.  He took a big light and a kayak to get there.  I don't like this idea at all.  But a lobster would taste good.

Another day is coming to a close.  This is sure a special place.

Friday, February 26, 2016

It was another beautiful day on the island.  In the middle of the night the wind picked up and it was a much cooler bike ride and beach walk than yesterday.

Richard went out early to do some boat fishing finally.  He didn't even make it through the cut, though.  The fuel line broke!  He smelled something and went back to check the motor and sure enough!  Fuel was leaking.  He slowly motored back home.  Luckily, they had what he needed at the store here on the island and he was able to fix it.

This afternoon we went out with the boat and planned to get some lobster.  Tom came also.  We got to the area but the water was just too rough for us to jump in and snorkel.  At least the boat motor performed perfectly for us.

The day was very enjoyable, but it sure went by quickly.  Every day just flies by it seems!

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Last night we slept with the air conditioner on.  Yesterday the wind died way down and it literally stopped in the evening.  The temperature was up and we were hot!  We had friends over for dinner and it was just too hot to not use the air conditioner.  This morning was dead still and hot and sunny.  I love it.  Just perfect to be in the water.

Richard went fishing with the guys and afterwards tested out his finished motor on the boat.  It is working perfectly.  Finally!  He is very happy.  I went on my bike ride and beach walk this morning.  I went early but I still got sweaty!  We ate early and then headed to the north side.  We had plans to go lobstering.  We snorkeled along the breakers behind Marcia and Marks place.  The water was so warm and we had a great time.  No lobsters though.  The coral is so pretty there.

Projects are getting completed here lately and we seem to be getting very relaxed.  This is the life!

Richard all happy because his boat is out at the dock again!

We saw this beautiful fish today while snorkeling.  Dark blue with irredescent light blue spots.  Check out the yellow tail!

Richard just got the boat parked at the dock again.  Let's get some fish!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

I woke up to a beautiful, sunny day here in paradise.  Today I took my bike early to the airport to send off Linda.  She is heading back home for awhile as she has two grand babies on the way.  How fun is that!  She will be back on island again, but not until after I leave.  After the airport, I rode to SCC and went on my beach walk.  It was glorious!  The sun was hot so when I got back home I had a glass of ice water on the beach.  What a fun time I am having!

Richard worked on the boat motor for a bit this morning.  He got back home and we were ready for an early lunch at 11:30 only to discover the power was out!  It didn't come back on until almost 2:00! There is just such a strange feeling when you know the power is gone.  I take it so for granted.

I made a trip to the grocery store.  Once home, I got right in the water.  Today an egret discovered me while I was out there.  It flew three times over me and caw, cawed at me the whole time!  I flailed my arms at him as he was diving at me.  I guess he wanted me to feed him.  Crazy bird!

The weather was perfect for outdoor eating of course and tonight we even got to linger as the little bugs did not show up when the sun went down.  Last night we sat out on the beach late.  We had the Tiki lights lit and it was so lovely.  This place is the greatest!

Monday, February 22, 2016

It was another beautiful day on Little Cayman.  Richard left at 6:00 in the morning to go fishing with the guys.  He was happy to finally get out in the open sea!  He worked in the afternoon trying to fix his motor again but there is another problem.

I took my bike out after breakfast.  I rode to SCC and parked the bike and then did a nice long beach walk.  It was so wonderful!  When I got back, I landed in a hammock to read.  That is right when Richard got back from fishing.  We both took a rest and then had lunch on the porch.  What a life!

This afternoon I spent in the water.  It was a perfect day for it.  I had to lay on the beach under an umbrella to dry off.  Luckily, I have a good book to read.  This will be my wonderful memory when I get back to Ames after being here in paradise.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Above is a photo of the kiteboarders on the way to Grand Cayman!  It was fun to watch them get started on their journey!

The weekend has been busy here on the island.  I enjoyed the weather, as it was beautiful.  Yesterday I spent on the beach and in the water.  While out in the water at the house, I noticed a lot of kite surfers.  I counted eight of them!  They are so pretty.  Later, Mike and Linda said the kiters had taken off from their place and there was eight of them!  The group was doing a fund raiser for Cancer and were planning on leaving from Little Cayman and kiting all the way to Grand Cayman.  The trip was scheduled for today.  They planned on leaving as soon as the sun came up.  We decided to cheer them on as they took off for Grand.  This is quite a feat!  I trust they made it safely.

Last night we went to friends for a wonderful dinner.  We had a fun time visiting with everyone and the food was unbelievably yummy!  I am going to need to improve my cooking skills if we are going to keep up around here!

Today Richard got the boat out of the water in order to do more repairs to the motor.  Brian was helping and they used his ramp.  The boat got stuck in the sand and it was a nightmare!  They had to shovel it out and tied both trucks together to pull it out.  I am getting disenchanted with boats!  Is this an adventure!?

Here are a few of the kites.  They look like pup tents on the sand.  So pretty!

Friday, February 19, 2016

 Today we started painting the bathroom.  The color is great!  I thought it would take a short time but we will get there.  It was a good day to do it as the wind was blowing today.

Boat parts arrived on the plane again today.  Richard is going to try to fix it himself before flying the mechanic over from Grand.

It is now time to beat Richard in a game of cards!  Ha!  

Thursday, February 18, 2016

I woke up today and I am still here at Little Cayman and loving every minute of it!  It was a beautiful day of sunshine and warm temperatures again.

We are still eating our meals outside on the porch.  I have a dishpan of fresh water there and the tiny little yellow bananaquit birds have decided to use it as a place to drink and take a bath!  They are just adorable!  Tonight while we were eating dinner, one flew in.  They are not shy of us at all.  The little guy proceeded to get a several drinks.  He loved it so much, he decided to take a luxurious bath!  This water is 3 to 4 inches deep at least!  He lounged around in it and sometimes would splash up a storm!  He would fly away for a minute and come right back and do it all again!  One cannot pay for this kind of dinner entertainment!  Tomorrow I will empty this water onto one of our young start up coconut trees and fill it again.

Last night we went to Wet Your Whistle at SCC.  We had a nice time there visiting with friends.  Afterwards, we went to Beach Resort for dinner.  They had Trivia Night.  There was a lot of people there and it was tons of fun!  I enjoyed not cooking dinner.  Tonight when I made our food, it was so much easier after having a night off.    

We worked on our beach sand today again.  It is really looking good!

Richard is still trying to get the boat running.  Progress is being made but there is additional trouble.
It turns out this motor is a high performance motor and requires special care.  He is getting more parts in and we will have a maintenance man fly here from Grand to help with it.  By the time we leave island this motor will be purring like a kitten!  I think we need to rename this boat.  It will be called $$$ Made of Money$$$!

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

We had beautiful weather today in paradise.  I did my work out and tried to stay outside all day.  The water felt especially great in the hot sunshine!  In the afternoon while on my floaty I noticed the sand was disturbed beneath me and I looked over and there was a stingray.  He was just splashing along with me enjoying the day.

Richard is still waiting on his boat.  This saga has turned into a nightmare!  The poor guy!  It took days for the prop to arrive as Cayman Airways Cargo on Grand just left it sit there and kept saying they sent it over!  It finally arrived but was missing parts.  Today the parts arrived but are the incorrect ones.   It has been really great fishing too and he is missing out.

When the guys come in from fishing, they clean the fish at Brian's dock.  There are sharks and tarpon that swim up to eat the waste thrown into the water.  There is also a big heron that sits on the dock when they arrive and waits for the guys to throw it some fish.  He has gotten so used to the guys.  They have named him Big Bird!

Here is a shot of Big Bird waiting at Brians dock.

We think Big Bird is looking like he is older.  

I was in a beach chair after swimming.  

Trying to dry off after a swim. I was reading my book!  Where is my rum punch?

Here are the Frigates coming in to grab some fish the guys throw into the air.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Happy Valentines Day!  I'm celebrating in paradise!  We have had a busy, wonderful weekend.  Yesterday, Richard went with the guys and tried to get a lobster.  No luck but we still had a special dinner with special friends.

Yesterday I washed all the white painted porch railings on the house.  They were getting mildew on and it just didn't look good.  I used bleach water and it now looks just like fresh paint!  I am going to investigate for better paint.  Next year I will repaint all the porch railings again.

We picked out a pretty color to paint the new bathroom so this week I may get started on that.  It's about time!  We just have had it white since they built it.

Today we drove to the north side to look at the huge waves crashing in.  It was so beautiful.  We had a high wind today and it made for rough seas.  We could have gone surfing over there today!  I am loving this beautiful blue sky and nice warm temperatures.  I love skipping winter!

Friday, February 12, 2016

I am sitting here eating a dish of chocolate ice cream!  Earlier at lunch I had potato chips!  I never eat like this at home.  This environment makes me do crazy things!  I love it!

Today was a lazy day.  I did a load of laundry and hanging it outside is just like a clothes dryer here.  The wind was blowing at a good clip and the sun was heating up the clothes.  You could not tell they were line dried!

The grocery store was out of milk and eggs and many other things today.  The barge has not come in as the sea has been rough.  Luckily, I plan ahead.  Tonight I grilled and we ate on the porch and relaxed.  How lucky am I!!

This is a short post.  We worked on the boat today.  Progress is being made but still no fishing.  Poor Richard!

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Today was another great day here on Little Cayman island.  The wind was up so I did yard upkeep and enjoyed every minute of it.  Who can complain while working on a beach in the Caribbean!  I did some serious relaxing also.

Richard spent some time today investigating how to repair his boat motor.  We keep hoping it will be something that is not so expensive.  He finally decided to play cribbage with me again and I won!!  He is just not having good luck lately!  First the boat and now loses at cribbage!  It is kind of fun to win, I must say!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Today was the day of the boat!  The parts to fix the hydraulics in the boat motor arrived early this morning and Richard got right to work.  I had barely settled onto my beach chair when he arrived home and needed help getting the boat in the water. We headed right there and hauled it to the public dock.  It was half way into the water when I said better check if it starts!  Sure enough the batteries were dead!  All the working on everything had drained them.  So, out came the boat!  What a bummer!  We have a trickle charger but that would take all day.  Luckily Mark had a charger but we had to get the batteries out and charge them.  So we went home and ate lunch while the batteries charged.

After lunch we finally went back and proceeded to put the boat in.  The tide was out but conditions were good.  He backed the boat down and suddenly I noticed how slick the ramp was and sure enough the truck was sliding to the water!!!  I yelled for him to stop and he tried to go forward but continued to slide back.   I was supposed to drive the truck out once the boat was in but that was not going to happen!

I ran for help!  After a few tries, I found the District Officer at his home!  Talk about luck!  He brought his truck and a rope and tied it to our truck.  Richard got the boat in so there was less weight.  Mr. Scott pulled our truck out and we were finally in the water.  What an adventure!  There is just so much moss or whatever with the salty waves crashing on the ramp.  I guess this happens to people here and some have lost vehicles!  Good grief!

Richard motored off and I proceeded to take the truck home.  I wanted to get there and take a photo as he pulled up to the dock at home.  He didn't show up and it just got later and later!  Turns out the motor had more problems.  It worked great at first but all of a sudden died.  He almost got thrown into the breakers!  He finally managed to get it slowly running and took hours to get here.

Tomorrow we will take it back out of the water and try to spend more money to fix it.  In the meantime there are fish out there waiting to be caught!  I may try taking a pole and fishing from the dock where we put in.  There were some nice fish there and it wouldn't cost a fortune!

We went to Wet Your Whistle tonight.  It was great to get away and visit friends and have a drink!  What a day!  At least it is a warm and sunny and beautiful place to have boat trouble!

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Another day in paradise!  Time is passing by.  How can I slow  it down!  Yesterday was cooler here at Little Cayman.  There was a Nor-wester came by.  Could this be why we slept so good last night!

I could write about every little thing in my day, but it may be boring to read.  Waking up and realizing I am still here, making breakfast and eating it on the porch, making the bed in the sunny bedroom while looking up to see the beautiful water.  Every detail makes it so special to be here.  I do my workout while looking out at the Caribbean waters!!

Today I worked at cutting a few more branches of the jungle away.  This stuff grows like crazy!  I also raked some rocks to get ready to move them.  Of course, I worked on stickers!  If I ever completely eradicate them it will be a miracle!  I spent the majority of my day today in my beach hammock!  I can't deny it.  Later in the afternoon, I put up the umbrella and read in a beach chair.  It is the most enjoyable life I am living here.  Very relaxing!

Richard was feeling disappointed today that his parts for the boat motor didn't arrive.  They will show up tomorrow morning.  They only had one plane flying in today so there wasn't room for boat parts.

We have been playing cards in the evenings.  He won't play cribbage with me anymore as I beat him again!  I still play Sushi Go with him even though he almost always wins!

All three meals were on the porch again today.  We sure love to eat outside!  Even in the summer, we never eat outside at home.  I guess that is what makes it so fun!

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Have just a minute, but I am doing a quick post here.  Of course, another fabulous day!  I went on a bike ride to the north side this morning and watched the waves.  It was so beautiful!  We ate an early lunch and then went to Point of Sand to snorkel.  The water was so calm and we had so much fun!  Lynn and her brother were out too and afterwards Susan and Joe showed up.

Saw lots of purple and yellow coral!

We are heading to the Super Bowl in a minute!

Saturday, February 6, 2016

What a wonderful day!  I enjoyed it to the fullest!  It was busy and fun!  I enjoyed the beach this morning as the weather could not have been more beautiful!  I got a call from Cost U Less in the morning that my order was ready to ship.  They are on Grand and I had e-mailed them a list of things I wanted.  They charged my VISA and shipped them via the plane instead of the barge.  It cost $50.40 CI using the plane.  It would have been way more via the barge!  This way I also didn't have to wait so long to receive my order.  I got giant sizes of everything.  It will last me at least two to three years!  I got laundry detergent in a super size, hand soap, dish soap, toilet paper, and lots of stuff!  All of it in humongous sizes!  Next year I won't have to bring it in the suitcase as they charge a fortune for checked bags now.  I had been trying to find a new way to get things here and I think I figured it out.
Richard was finally successful getting the boat motor opened up.  He is ready for his parts to arrive and get to work fixing the motor.  He went to Iggy's to watch the ISU basketball game this afternoon.  I went swimming and used my floaty instead of watching the game.  The weather is just too perfect for me to be indoors!  I had such a fun time!  A turtle even came to check me out! After that I took my kayak out and there was Richard back, so he came kayaking also!  The water was so calm and beautiful!

Tonight I made ribeye steaks and baked potatoes on the grill and salads for dinner.  It was extra yummy!  Even my cooking tastes better here!  When we were finished, we went down on the beach and watched the sunset.  It was a beautiful sight!  

Tonight's sunset

After cleaning up the kitchen, I finally got to take a shower.  Boy, did that feel good!  Last Saturday, we were still waiting for the girls to arrive.  It has been a whole week already.  They are enjoying Cuba.  Tomorrow is the Super Bowl Game and we are going to watch it at Iggy's this year!  Should be fun!

Missing the girls again!  Here we were at Little Cayman Beach Resort.

Friday, February 5, 2016

It was a beautiful day in paradise again today!  Not a cloud in the sky and I made sure to enjoy it.  Today I finally finished all the laundry from when the girls were here.  It took awhile because I don't have a clothes dryer and my clothes line is not the longest.  It is so fun to hang the clothes out in the sun.  Makes me feel like a pioneer woman!

I hurried through my morning chores and workout to get out on the beach.  I raked up some island birch tree leaves that came down and then I landed in a beach chair.  I was in the shade and a breeze was blowing so I struggled to stay awake.  Richard arrived and woke me up!  He was getting back from putting the new Bimini top on the boat.  Soon the motor parts will arrive and that work will begin.  Let's get that boat in the water!

The afternoon was spent in the water.  It was glorious!  Twenty degrees back home and I am here where it is in the 80's!  Life is good.

Today we ate all three meals on the porch.  I just love eating out there!  There was not a cloud in the sky and I had wanted to see the sun go down into the water.  We decided this would be a good night to see it.  Leaving the dishes sit, we raced to the barge landing to catch the sunset.

And that's a wrap!

Thursday, February 4, 2016

What a day this has been!  I don't want it to end!  This weather is unbelievable!  This morning was busy with some errands and calls and paying monthly bills on-line.  After lunch I did some snorkeling and then took my floaty out.  I love that thing!  I was out in the water a long time.  Then I layed on the beach chair and relaxed.  It was the most wonderful experience!  I had to force myself to shower and make supper.  This day will be remembered forever.  I am grateful for it for sure!

Last night when I was getting ready for bed, I noticed a cute little frog on the bathroom window and I turned around and there was one on the bedroom window also!  Talk about cute!  At lunch today the little anoli visited us on the porch.  If he could talk, he would say, oh, don't mind me! I am just looking for a few bugs to eat.  Then Winston, the iguana, wandered onto the driveway while I was grilling.  He kept his eye on me the whole time.  What a character!  The wildlife here is so different than at home.

Richard is still working at getting the boat in the water.  Progress is being made though.  The new bimini top has arrived on the barge.  It cost over $500.00 and the barge shipping is over $300.00!  Amazing!  Parts are being flown in to fix the hydraulics on the motor at a cost of over $3500.00!  This boat is a money pit!  We now are half owners of this boat!!  Richard "cut" a deal!!  These will be some expensive fish if he can catch them!

The girls made it to Cuba!  They are having the greatest time according to a text message from Natalie.  Last night they went salsa dancing and tons of guys asked them to dance!  I am very relieved they made it and thrilled they are having fun!  They are living life to the fullest!  I should have went with them, I guess.  I like to salsa dance! Yes!!

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

We just got back from Wet Your Whistle Wednesday at Southern Cross Club.  We had such a fun time!  Lots of visiting and fun on a beautiful evening.  The weather is fabulous!

When we got home, we sat out on the beach in the dark.  The moon is not up and it is pitch black!  There was a nice little breeze and I could just sleep out there tonight.

Today we planted some more coconut trees.  A couple along the driveway and one nice one on the beach.  I hope they all make it.  I did a good workout this morning and some laundry and did some beach clean up so that was enough work for me.  I spent plenty of time relaxing on a beach chair and in a hammock.  What a life!!

We have not heard from the Cuba travelers yet.  It is like the 50's there so they will not be able to call and we are not even sure about Internet access.  Hope all is well with them.  I was so sad yesterday that they were gone but I got up this morning feeling better.

Richard and I are going to play Sushi Go now.  We don't have TV here so we have to find other means of entertainment!  TV?  What is that???

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Another beautiful day in paradise!  We awoke this morning with a lot of things to do as Natalie and Laura were leaving on the 10:45 a.m. flight to Grand Cayman.  They headed directly from there to Cuba!  They were very excited!

They finally made it to Little Cayman on Sunday at 3:30 in the afternoon.  That is the time they were supposed to arrive on Saturday!!  They certainly enjoyed their stay on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman but it was money they didn't plan on spending!  I was so happy when they finally arrived!  On Monday morning we snorkeled on the north side in perfect ocean conditions.  Boy was it fun!  We saw a couple turtles.  One of them I was able to go right up to and I could have touched it.  He just was so relaxed!  After lunch, we headed to Owen Island in the kayaks.  I think Natalie enjoyed showing Laura all the great spots on the island.

The girls seemed to enjoy the beach and the warm, sunny weather after leaving cold, wintry Minnesota.   We spent our evenings going out for desert drinks and playing euchre.  Turns out Laura loves to play!  We are converting Natalie!

I feel very sad that they are gone.  We had so much fun and there was so much more I wanted to do together!  They will come back next year!  Laura said she will come spend three months with us and will "work" on the beach for her keep!

I had rum punches ready the minute they got to house!  

Natalie being cute under the water!

Of course we kayaked to Owen Island.  It was hot and sunny but we are covered up to protect our skin from burning!

And there they go!  Off to Cuba!