Thursday, January 31, 2019

It was a beautiful day in paradise today!  I enjoyed every minute of it.  Just hanging out a load of laundry is a joy here.  A couple of tiny bananaquits finally located our water pan on the porch.  We enjoy what peeks they let us have of their vigorous baths. 

Early this morning we worked cleaning up seaweed that had washed up onto our waters edge.  I put my suit on and spent time in the water. 

Today I have been making calls to find food supplies to be sent over.  It is the hardest thing to get food here.  Grand Cayman doesn't even have what I need. 

Our Murphy bed is installed except for the hydraulics.  That is next.  We ordered a mattress to be sent from Grand.  Soon I will be painting it.  I hope I can continue helping him with the heavy lifting.  I worry he should call help in for this.  He has done a really great job on this bed construction.  I'm excited for it to be finished and stand back and admire it. 

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

We enjoyed a beautiful day here on Little Cayman.  This morning after breakfast I headed out on a bike ride.  What a lovely ride!  Boy, did I enjoy it!  I hadn't been out for awhile so it was extra special.

I started a new book down on the beach this morning.  As I write this, I discover I pretty much just goofed off all day.  How great is that! 

The Murphy bed is moving along.  This afternoon, Richard and I moved furniture and brought the base pieces of the bed up.  So far, so good!

We had our dinner of fresh caught tuna and grilled vegges on the porch tonight while watching the beautiful sunset. 

Monday, January 28, 2019

Hello paradise!  Boy, am I glad to be here where it is warm.  Temps are plummeting back home to an actual temp of -23 F.  Today, we had rain and some wind.  It was an actual storm!  Our cistern is happy. 

Today, I feel like I am leaving that nasty virus behind.  What a relief! 

Richard has been enjoying catching tons of fish.  One day he actually caught 14 fish!  It has been fun, we gave fish away!  His perseverance with that boat motor paid off. 

We have been waiting for the tiny bananaquit birds to find our water on the porch this year.  Only two have visited us this year so far.  Where have they gone? 

Progress is being made on our Murphy Bed.  Richard has been busy.  He already burned up his saw and luckily was able to borrow one.  I guess that is what we will be stuffing into a suitcase next year!

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Today was a really beautiful day!  I am so lucky to be here to recover from the cold from hell!  Any day now I should be well enough to jump in the gorgeous, Caribbean sea.  I have perfected the art of laying around.  House cleaning and laundry are anxiously awaiting my return I'm sure.  I am cooking to keep us alive! 

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Another day in paradise!  Today was very windy.  It was a perfect day to work outside.  I took the opportunity to do some clearing along our driveway.  It is still jungle on one side but we are making great progress.  I have a rotten cold, so I medicated and only spent an hour at the most outside working.  The rest of the day I spent in a hammock reading and sleeping.  One cannot recover in a more perfect environment. 

Monday, January 21, 2019

Today I took it pretty easy.  What a relaxing day in paradise!  Our lumber arrived on the barge, so I helped Richard load it into the truck and unload it here at the house.  We are building a Murphy Bed so our guests have a comfortable place to sleep.  Sofa beds just aren't the best.  We bought new mattresses and still we weren't pleased. 

I did little things around the house and the beach but nothing major to report.  I am making serious progress on my reading.  I'm on my third book and have only been here a week. 

Time to play a game of Sequence.  What a life!

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Overnight and this morning we had absolutely no wind.  It was very strange!  The water was like glass.  Then there was the full moon.  So pretty!  Richard finally got to go fishing this morning.  Mike went with him.  Richard was the only one to catch a fish this morning.  I could tell he was pretty excited. 

I tried to take it easy today as I caught Richard's cold. Still it was a busy day.  The store finally received produce, so I shopped.  Then we had a beach clean up event.  There is no end to the plastics that wash up on our shores.  Very sad!  We ate dinner at Iggy's as Richard wanted to watch the football game. 

When we left Iggy's it started to rain.  Unless this clears, we will not see the eclipse tonight. 

Saturday, January 19, 2019

I have been in Paradise a whole week already!  Every minute has been wonderful.  I am so glad to be here where it is sunny and warm.  Back home, as I write this, it is 9 degrees F.  This morning I went on a super long bike ride.  I rode about 16 miles.  That's a lot for me.  I saw one vehicle the whole time.  It's like I'm alone in the world!  After I got home, Richard and I lounged on the beach until lunch time.  I am being really lazy lately. 

This afternoon was spent goofing off!

Friday, January 18, 2019

Just a quick update on life on my tiny island paradise.  Today I rode my bike down to the grocery store to discover empty shelves again.  So sad that we have nothing in our store.  Luckily, I had placed an order with Fosters on Grand and it arrived by plane today around 3:00.  We can eat!  I ordered several large bags of potato chips.  Each one arrived burst open!  Darn!  This order was three boxes and cost $68.00 US to ship and the items were $139.00.  The bananas arrived terribly bruised.  Sad.

I had a nice relaxing day.  A load of laundry, read on the beach, relaxed in the hammock and in the afternoon cut down a bunch of new tree growth. 

My big event of the day was the arrival of my sunglasses.  Boy am I happy to be reunited with them!
We had to pay the district officer another $5.00 to get them from him.  What a riot! 

Tonight Richard and I took the boat out on a sunset cruise.  Yesterday, he discovered the battery suddenly went dead.  So there was another $200.00 for a new battery!  Boats sure like a lot of attention!  Expensive attention! 

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Today was a lazy day in paradise.  It was such a pretty, nice day.  I did my work out this morning.  I am trying to do some weight/resistance training here for my bones.  I do miss the fitness center in Ames.  Little Cayman Beach Resort has moved their fitness equipment to the building next door.  It is in pretty bad shape but I am trying to make some use of it.  There are a few pieces of free weights and a Bow Flex machine and one bench.  Luckily, I can use it for free. 

The rest of the morning was spent laying on the beach in a beach chair, reading.  That was for my sister who asked me to lay on the beach for an hour for her!  It was so relaxing.  Did you enjoy it Peg?  After lunch, I read in the hammock.  What a life!!

This afternoon, I went in the water and did a water workout.  I was alone in the world out there.  Not a soul in site.  Suddenly, I discovered a really big turtle looking at me!  He hung out with me for quite awhile.  Just kept lounging and putting his head out of the water to stare at me.  Turtles have the cutest faces. 

I am definitely relaxing here.

Today, Richard took the vehicles to be inspected and re-licensed.  Each year this is done.  Only vehicles in good working condition on this island!  Richard's cold is hanging on.  Hopefully, he will be rid of it tomorrow.  He is looking for someone to give it too, but no one wants it, including me!

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Time is flying here on the island!  After a lovely breakfast on the porch, I hung out a load of laundry and headed out on my bike ride and beach walk.  The beach is in beautiful shape this year.  I walked barefoot the whole way.  It is almost a mile walk and there were no stickers, rocks or anything in my way.  Am I in heaven or what???  After getting back home I walked out on the dock and sat awhile to enjoy the scenery.  What a view! 

This afternoon I worked on spiffing up our driveway entrance.  It didn't take long and looks great! 

The rest of my day was spent lounging and reading and just plain loving being here! 

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Last night we were fast asleep when suddenly the cistern started refilling.  It poured rain for quite awhile!  Of course, we had to jump up, out of a sound sleep, to close windows.  Luckily, when in paradise, I can fall back to sleep. 

Today I decided to haul large tree branches away in the morning.  Richard has been battling a bad cold and I didn't want him doing it.  Somehow I tripped on something and fell.  As I was going down, I told myself...now fall correctly!  But, you fall how you fall!  I landed flat out!  My knee got scraped and my hand bruised, but I hit my chest pretty hard.  It was scary!  No matter how careful one is, it can happen.  I took a break and was able to get back to work.  I'm thinking the key is to slow down.

This afternoon was fun.  The girls came over and the five of us floated and caught up on all the latest.  We decided we will do this everyday that is perfect.  No invites needed.  Just show up for a float!  This is the greatest idea ever!

I am trying to make the most of every single minute here.  I received word today that my sunglasses have arrived on Grand Cayman.  They need to be inspected by customs and will hopefully arrive soon.  I will never let them out of my sight again. 

Monday, January 14, 2019

I slept like a log last night.  Perfect weather can wear one out!  This morning I worked on the beach getting some of the trees trimmed back again.  It always amazes me how things grow like crazy on this island. 

The weather was perfect again today.  Our water is so smooth you just have to jump in!  Tomorrow the girls are coming, in the afternoon, and we are going to hang out in the water.  I might even inflate the beach ball for us to toss around.  I feel like a kid again!  I have plenty of "floaties" so we can all do some serious lounging. 

This was a big day as Richard put the boat in the water and brought it to the dock.  All is well that ends well!  Look out fish! 

I had a nap in the hammock today but it is still an early to bed night.  Having all this fun is exhausting! 
 

Sunday, January 13, 2019

This morning I woke up in paradise!  Last night we didn't have a strong breeze blowing in the window on us.  I still slept great and got up to enjoy a gorgeous, sunny, perfect weather day.  Waking up to this beautiful water view is just breathtaking!  How I love being here!  We ate breakfast on the porch and got ready for the day.  I went on a huge bike ride with a friend while we caught up on all the latest island news.  She is an avid bike rider and I had a workout and a good sweat.  Fun! 

Lunch was on the porch, of course.  After lunch I changed to my suit and headed to the water.  I had so much fun!  What a dream come true! 

Richard went to work on the boat.  When we left the island last April he serviced the boat and had it ready for storage.  Shortly after we were gone the guys decided to put it in the water.  Somehow, the boat sank.  This is not what you want to happen to a boat.  When we arrived, they said they had been working on it.  They replaced all the wiring but they couldn't get the motor to run.  Richard spent the afternoon working on it and came home just before dinner.  Good news!  The motor is purring once again.   I was so worried about this boat!  We had finally bought the new motor and were looking forward to some good, carefree days of fishing.  Thank heavens for this happy ending!  We knew nothing about this sinking issue until we got here on the island.  The guys worked hard to solve all the issues.  There are many talented people on this tiny island. 

Dinner was served on the porch tonight while we watched the beautiful sunset.  The water is flat and so pretty.  Tonight I may challenge Richard in a card game.  Last night I beat him in every game!

















 

Saturday, January 12, 2019

We made it!  I arrived in paradise yesterday on the last flight to Little Cayman!  What a day it was!  I woke at 2:15 A.M. to leave the house by 3:30 in the morning.  Everything went smooth getting out of the house with shut down.  There were no snow storms to worry about, the roads were clear.  Just a few miles from DesMoines I realized I had forgotten my prescription sunglasses!!  I instantly felt sick and nervous on the realization.  How could I have done this.  I need sunglasses in the Caribbean!! 

Luckily, I have the most wonderful friends.  All it took was one text message and I was rescued.  My sunglasses are on the way via Fed Ex and will arrive soon.  I searched shops in Charlotte, NC and Grand Cayman for clip-on sunglasses to cover my eyeglasses.  No luck!!  Thank heavens for hats!  I really don't want to squint a lot as I don't need more wrinkles around my eyes. 

This year we had the most suitcases ever!  So many supplies!  Each case weighed in at 48 pounds so we were thrilled.  All our suitcases arrived with us so another win!  We got through Customs like a breeze! 

Our truck was waiting for us at the airport and the air conditioner was fixed and the truck ran great!  The grocery store was closed so we went right to the house.  Everything was in good shape outside and all was well inside too.  The outside porch looked like I had arrived early and cleaned it up myself!  This was our best arrival year yet!  It was so great to walk into the house and see everything ready and raring to go!  To celebrate we headed to Iggys for dinner.  When we got home, I started unpacking.  I couldn't believe the energy I had after being up so early.  I guess that is what paradise will do for you! 

The windows were open for a nice breeze, I started the latest book by Anne Tyler and off to sleep I went! 

This morning we realized there was absolutely no breakfast food in the house.  Southern Cross Club to the rescue!  We had the best breakfast ever, sitting outside at the beach.  Then we headed to the store to get some groceries.  Today we worked around the house and had a lovely supper on the porch watching a pretty sunset.  I'm excited for tomorrow, friends have invited me for a bike ride.  Let this adventure begin!!