Thursday, March 19, 2020

Tomorrow we leave Little Cayman.  This is more that a month before our scheduled departure flight.  The airport at Grand Cayman is closing on Sunday due to the Covid-19 virus.  We could stay but would be here indefinitely. 

The island is like a ghost town.  All the resorts are empty and closed.  The little restaurant is closed except for carry out orders.  The grocery store is open.  The barge will still come in but who knows! We made the decision to leave just two days ago so we have been busy closing up the house and packing. 

We are hoping and praying there is a cure for this virus soon and people will stay healthy. 

Saturday, March 14, 2020

It is a beautiful, sunny, hot day on Little Cayman.  I haven't posted on my blog for awhile.  We have been busy doing the usual jungle trimming on our property.  The snorkeling has been wonderful.  Reading in the hammock and beach chairs has been so relaxing.  I have typed plenty about all of that.  We have been hanging out with friends and enjoying this spectacular environment. 

After the tuna disappeared for almost two weeks, they finally returned.  Richard is happy to be fishing again. 

Being on the island while the "rest of the world" experiences the Covid-19 virus has been worrisome.  Our kids report conditions from their locations in the USA and I listen to the local radio station from back home.  Grand Cayman has had a patient pass away with the virus.  Cruise ships are now banned and airlines from Europe and some other countries are also banned.  Things are changing fast.  The "good" hospital on Grand has been shut down for two weeks after treating the patient with the virus. 

I pray everyone stays healthy and doesn't run out of toilet paper.

Tracks made by geckos in the sand.  Pretty design.

See the Flounder!  He kept blinking his eye at us.

Went snorkeling at Point of Sand on a cloudy day that turned sunny!

Huge waves coming in on the north side of island.

North side waves

The tide came up super high.  Eventually came completely over kayak dock.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Oh!  What a glorious day in paradise!  Perfect weather today and I am so lucky to be here to enjoy it.  Some might say it was hot and humid.  Feel like temp was 94 with a dew point of 74.  Perfect to be in the water.  Did some serious reading in a hammock on the beach and after getting back home from a fun snorkel, I laid in a beach chair under my umbrella to do some more reading.  This is living!

Getting ready to hit the water!

Beautiful day!

Blue Tang

Fish and coral

Find the Groupers

Pretty Nurse Shark

Another picture of the Nurse Shark

Me holding down a beach chair.  Check out the view!

Hello!!!

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

I'm still in paradise!  It's a beautiful, sunny, hot, glorious day here.  Today is Super Tuesday at the tiny grocery store.  15% off your purchases on the first Tuesday of every month.  My list was ready and I headed to the truck early.  The truck was deader than a door nail.  Luckily, we brought a battery charger/jumper with us to the island.  It started but that was it.  Bought a new battery at the store and it wasn't included in the 15% off sale.  Batteries just don't last on this island.  It's a miracle if you get two years out of one.  I saved $62.00 on my groceries with the discount.  YES!

We discovered our tiny iquana is still living in the hood of our truck.  We hadn't seen him and were worried.  Yesterday, he showed up in front of the truck and jumped right in. 

Saturday, The Hungry Iguana restaurant had a BBQ out on their deck with live music.  The whole island showed up!  It was so much fun.  I think it would be successful if they did it once a week. 

I've been busy going on bike rides,  going on walks, swimming, reading on the beach, laying in a hammock, snorkeling and socializing.  I think I'm living my best life!

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

It is a rainy day on Little Cayman.  We just don't know how to act!  The rain started early and then the sky got brighter and suddenly dark and poured.  This has been the pattern most of the day now.  Luckily, it is nice and hot and humid yet.  Richard and I went to the store for something to do.  It's a good thing I do not have laundry needing attention. 

The last days have been busy just enjoying being here.  Bike riding, walks, hammock reading, swimming, and living the good life!  The time sure flies!

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Today is 02-22-2020.  I missed typing on 02-20-2020.  Darn!  I haven't been posting as much this year here on the island.  Emily and Sheldon left and I was sad for awhile.  It just seemed too quiet and lonely.  The lonely feeling happens to me every time the kids leave after a visit.  They are all settled at home again with their puppies and bunnies. 

Richard and I snorkeled at Point of Sand yesterday.  The water was super clear and warm but that darn current was strong.  I had a really good work out swimming.  Even the multitude of fish we saw were practically being swept away!  The coral looks to be in pretty good condition.  I didn't notice any bleaching.  I have been enjoying watching the tiny frogs that show up on our windows in the evenings here.  Their favorite food seems to be moths.  These moths are not very smart.  They invariably flit right in close to the frog and that is that!  There was a good sized one on the sliding glass door the other night.  Very cute. 

This afternoon I went down the steps and scared three roosters and a chicken who were getting a drink out of the water pan by the outdoor shower.  I guess I better put up a sign that it is for birds and iguanas only.  They sped off squawking all the way. 

The new T-top has arrived for the boat.  Tomorrow Richard and Peter will install it.  Our bimini top is still fine but I guess the new one will make fishing easier.  We are also on the lookout for a new truck.  The airconditioner died and it is hot here. 

Here is our cutie frog getting his supper!

 

Friday, February 14, 2020

Happy Valentines Day!  It's a hot sunny day here on the island.  Perfect day to celebrate!  Emily and Sheldon have gone to Brac to celebrate the day so we are on our own.  We have been having a lot of fun while the kids are here.  Yesterday we went to the pool at Paradise Villas and went swimming.  I'm definitely doing that again.  It was so much fun! 

We had a fabulous snorkel on the north side.  Richard missed both of these events as he had conference calls to deal with.  The bikes have been taken for a spin too.  We haven't gone kayaking yet but there is plenty of time as the kids are here until the 19th.  Diving has been wonderful!  Every evening we play cards.  They taught me a game called Oceans.  It is very hard but with both of them helping me I managed to win the game!  How crazy is that! 

Following are some photos from past fun.

This is the big starfish we saw over at Owen Island.

Emily and Sheldon on the dive boat.

A fun expedition to Owen Island with the fishing boat.

Tuesday, February 11,2020

We have been having so much fun!  It is always great when your kids come to visit!  They arrived on Sunday.  We had fresh fish and potato salad for dinner and started playing cards.  Yesterday we had a pancake breakfast and got busy.  We took the boat to Owen Island and put out our anchor.  The kids had some new equipment they wanted to try out so this was the perfect place.  The water was so warm.  In the shallow water, close to the beach a great big stingray was inches from me.  It was amazing!  A couple jacks showed up immediately.  Then we discovered a big beautiful Star Fish close to shore.  He was orange and lovely.  Richard said a Nurse Shark swam by me but I missed that.  It was unusual to see all these critters in the area we were at. 

Today, it is diving day.  Off with the Southern Cross Club Crew!

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Today we are awaiting the arrival of Emily and Sheldon.  We are excited to enjoy the water and warm temps with them.  Card games are also going to be played in the coming days.  Will be tons of fun! 

The last few days we did some snorkeling and just enjoyed being here.  We went to the Museum Fundraiser and saw some beautiful photos to be auctioned off.  The world underwater is pretty spectacular and some people have such talent to capture it on film.  We didn't buy anything.  Richard bid on a turtle picture but I stopped him when the price got too high. 

We went to dinner with friends at Southern Cross Club on Friday evening.  They have decided to sell everything and spend their winters in Arizona instead of Little Cayman.  They already sold their boat and we would like to buy their bikes.  They have a truck we would also like to buy as our air conditioner died in ours and we are not interested in putting more money into our truck.  We already have a buyer for our truck when we are ready to sell.  Richard also has his eye on a truck on Grand but then we would have to fly there to look at it and ship it over here. 

We have turned on our air conditioners as it has gotten very humid and hot here.  I decided it was time.  After Emily and Sheldon leave, we will turn it off again.

Thursday, February 6, 2020

It is time for another blog post from Little Cayman.  I must be lounging around on my hammock too much instead of posting my meanderings.  We enjoyed the smooth, calm days and are now back in a windy phase.  The high tide is back again and we are watching our kayaks out on the kayak dock.  We may have to move them to high ground so they don't float away.  I understand this is a 50 year tide phenomenon. 

We have been enjoying the yummy tuna Richard has caught but my favorite of this season has been a tasty Rainbow Runner.  He caught a nice big one and it is a whiter fish that grilled up perfectly.  We  enjoyed it with a guest out on the porch.  We have been using our ThermaCell bug repellers in the evenings.  They keep the sand fleas and mosquitoes away so we can enjoy sitting out longer. 

I have been doing my bike rides again this season but have started going on walks also.  I need to start my long beach walks again too. 

Tonight is a fundraiser for the Little Cayman Museum.  Everyone on the island will be there including us.  It will be a tasty event as the resorts will cater yummy and fancy hors d'oeuvres.  Time to socialize. 

The snorkeling has been very beautiful this year.  Water temperatures are 82 degrees but it gets a little cooler when one gets out in the 40 foot water.  Yesterday it felt good to get out in the cooler water as it was a hot day here on the island.  One night this season we turned on the air conditioning to sleep.  It has been comfortable and lovely to sleep with the windows open.

Our little baby rock iguana is still residing in our truck.  Yesterday, he crawled out and meandered to the water dish for a big drink.  When finished he rushed back to the truck and jumped up on the tire and went back to his hiding place under the hood.  He travels all over the island with us on our adventures.  I wonder what he first thought when we showed up and started driving his house around.  Poor little guy!  I'm wondering if I should start putting some lettuce and broccoli in there for him to munch on.

find the Flounder

Here is a very large Sea Urchin.

Find the fish!

Large Grouper!

Fish in the 40 feet of water.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

This morning the water was as flat as glass and it was the so beautiful.  This weather has just been outstanding.  We snorkeled on the north side and the water was gin clear even at 40 feet deep.  The coral seems to be doing really well.  It looks healthy.  There are some new areas close to shore that looked great and the fish were feeding there also.  Good to see! 

When we were back home I was sitting on the porch and a morning dove hopped up the steps to me.  He then went to the water dish and had a nice drink.  When he was finished, he waddled over and walked the length of the porch and took the steps back down on the other side.  Unbelievable!  I thought he would fly off but NO!  What bird hops up and down the steps instead of flying!! The critters and birds here constantly amaze me.  They are so tame. 

Tonight I just discovered my little frog sitting on the bedroom window peeking in at me.  What a little cutie.  Nice of him to stay outside though. 

This afternoon, friends stopped by while they were biking.  Tonight we had tuna for dinner on the porch.  I am so loving this lifestyle.  This place is great!

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Today was an exciting day on our tiny island paradise.  A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit about 50 miles east and a little south of us.  It was only about 6 miles deep in the Caribbean sea.  As luck would have it, I was laying in my hammock on the beach when it hit.  Richard was standing right along side of me.  It lasted 28 seconds but felt to me like 28 minutes!  It was terrible!  We watched our house shake and heard and saw the windows rattling.  Island police drove by telling everyone to go to high ground in case of tsunami threat.  Our house did not receive any damage and we are grateful.   Tonight when I opened a cupboard door, my spices fell out.  Crazy! 

Yesterday was a much more relaxing day.  I went on a long bike ride in the morning.  In the afternoon, Richard and I paddled to Owen Island and went snorkeling and swimming.  The water was so flat.  Super easy paddling.  We used our new sun shelter tent from Natalie and Michael.  It works wonderful.  We will be using it a lot! 

Last night we went to dinner with friends.  With all this calm weather, the barge has been arriving in a timely fashion.  I grocery shopped today.  Richard has been fishing from a boat that has been working great and catching tuna!  We have food. 

Our sun tent.  We love it!!  

We forgot the camera when on Owen so I took photo of it on our beach.

Our beautiful sunset tonight.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

It has been busy, busy here on Little Cayman.  We are making the most of this fantastic weather.  Richard has caught some fish so that has been great.  Last night we had friends over to enjoy some fresh caught fish.  I was up a little late and got up super early to go out fishing with Richard.  The seas were nice and flat the way I like it.  There was a really dark ominous looking cloud right in the east that the sun had to do battle with.  The rest of the sky was clear. 

Richard headed out the door to the boat before me and when I looked to leave, there was a little frog on the floor!  He was cute, but I didn't invite him in!  I was in a hurry and grabbed a small plate to scoop him up and put him out.  Once on the plate, he panicked and jumped right up the sleeve of my fishing shirt!  I screamed!  Good grief!  It felt weird!  So, he stayed in the house while we fished. 

When we returned from fishing, Mr. Froggy was no where to be found!  We had a quick breakfast and I headed to a friends house.  Us girls took kayaks and paddle boards out to Owen Island and did some swimming.  This is what life is like in paradise!  So Much Fun!!  When I returned home, Richard told me little froggy went to the door and asked to be let out.  What a good little froggy.

Tonight I will beat Richard in a game of cards and go to be early.     

The morning sun trying to come up!

Me lounging in a hammock, reading, several days ago.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Today we had a very cool day on Little Cayman!  It was 70 - 72 degrees.  We enjoyed it immensely as it is only one day.  The windows were closed and our fans turned off.  I baked all morning and part of the afternoon.  It warmed up the house nicely.  My walk in the morning was gloriously cool and I never even broke a sweat!  This afternoon I rode my bike and it was still nice and cool.  Very comfortable!  No water play today! 

Richard went fishing yesterday, but not today.  Fish would probably be too cold to eat!  Hahaha! 

Saturday, January 18,2020

Hello paradise!  A big cold, snowstorm has hit Iowa and Ames was included.  I am so glad to be here on island enjoying the sun and very warm temperatures.  We were down on the beach today and after, I was washing my feet outside.  So much more fun than wearing boots and a 50 below coat. 

I realized it has been a few days since I typed on my blog.  We have been so busy and I just forgot to type! 

Once again this year, we have been eating our meals outside on the porch.  We love watching the sunset and the egrets flying across the water to roost in the trees.  A couple banana quits have found our porch water and have begun entertaining us with their vigorous baths.  A big iguana has stopped by for a visit to welcome us back. 

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Had a busy day on the island today.  We have been sleeping with the windows open so I have been waking up refreshed and ready to enjoy paradise!  After a hardy breakfast enjoyed on the porch overlooking the Caribbean sea we got to work hauling out the trees Richard cut down yesterday.  We have been making room to transplant the coconut trees. 

We took a drive around the island to check out any changes that may have happened while we were away.  Everything passed our inspection. 

This year I brought new glassware so I need to get rid of the old ones.  At home I would just pitch them or take them to goodwill.  On a tiny island one doesn't throw anything away!  I posted on Little Cayman Buy or Sell with a photo.  Immediately, my glassware found a new home.  Tomorrow I will take them to the grocery store and the new owner will pick them up there.  The LC Buy/Sell just started two years ago and it is such a great service. 

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Hello Paradise!

We arrived on Little Cayman on January 9 this year.  We were on the last flight over from Grand and made it just before our tiny grocery store closed.  I raced in and picked up a few essentials.  They were amazingly completely out of milk!  Crazy!  All our luggage arrived, and our truck was waiting at the airport for us.  The property and house looked great.  Mark had his guys clean up the beach and even trimmed things for us.  This year the inside of the house really stayed nice and clean while we were gone.  We kept the suitcases outside on the porch while I did a quick vacuum and got the fridge running.  The cistern was filled to the very top!  Then we left!!

Supper was at the Hungry Iguana.  We enjoyed a tasty, relaxing dinner and headed back to the house under the full moon.  What a beautiful evening!  80 degrees and gorgeous!  I finished unpacking all the suitcases  and made it to bed around 10:30.  Not bad!  We slept with the windows open and it was great!

Friday was a sunny, hot day and we finished setting up the house.  Our island phone was with a company called Digicell.  We had been paying every month to keep this phone active.  The service was dead when we tried to use the phone.  I guess they went kaput!!  We now have a new phone with a new company.  Thank heavens money grows on trees!!  Ha Ha Ha!!!  We had dinner at Southern Cross Club with friends on Friday evening.  It was fun to catch up with them. 

This morning ( Saturday) I worked on the beach attacking my stickers.  The guys failed with my sticker project this time.  We will get there eventually.  Richard cut trees again and I will haul them away and call it my weight training.  A  bunch of new little coconut trees are growing on our property.  We will dig them out and relocate them.  This has never happened before and we are thrilled. 

This afternoon is hot and sunny and time for me to jump in the water.  It looks pretty inviting and I can't pass it up!  What a great day!