Sunday, February 26, 2017

Richard and I are tired this morning and slept in a little after partying last night like we were teenagers. The party started at 9:00 which is late for us.  We had a great time.  Today we had a cloudy morning and then the sun came out.  When it got to be time to do beach clean-up the clouds were back.  What a gift!! We didn't have to work in the hot sun.  There was a huge turn out to clean up our beautiful beaches.  We must have collected 100 bags of trash.

After our work was finished, there was a BBQ for all at Point of Sand.  The food was the best we had ever ate as we were all hungry from all our efforts.

Another spectacular weekend in paradise!

A group shot of all us workers with Richard on the right running to get in on the shot!

 

Another beach site we worked on.

Marcia and I posing with our trash!

Hard at work!

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Just a short post tonight as I skipped last night.  We just get busy somehow and time gets away from me.  This morning we woke up to a very calm day.  I think the wind speed was 1.  The water was beautiful!  Friends wanted us to go to Point of Sand with them snorkeling in the morning.  We had to say no as we needed to get the boat out of the water.  We finally got news from the boat repair shop on Grand that a technician is coming to work on the motor.  Hopefully, they will find what is wrong and it can be fixed.

After lunch we went lobstering again.  Conditions were wonderful and we loved being out even though we didn't get a lobster. We didn't even see one!  Tom went along and we enjoyed a nice visit too.

We rushed to get ready once back home as ISU had a game.  Richard likes to watch them on the big TV at the Hungry Iguana.  We ate dinner there also tonight.   Tonight at 9:00 there is a party with a live band at the Iguana.  I hope I can stay awake that long to head back there.  Normally we don't stay up so late.  This should be a lot of fun though.  We are not teenagers anymore!

Tomorrow is the big beach clean up event so maybe we will have to sleep in tomorrow morning.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

We woke to a beautiful day here on our little island in paradise.  Everything is sparkling clean after our big rain.  I dried off the outside furniture and we are ready for action!

I did a load of laundry.  The wind was coming from the southwest which is super rare.  This is the second time it has come from the SW this season though!  It was blowing pretty fierce.  Hanging out the laundry pretty much did me in!  I felt like the wind just beat me up! I should have had Richard take a movie of it.  The laundry was blowing in my face and nearly knocking me over!  What a riot!

Late in the afternoon I took the laundry off the line.  It was so fluffy!  The towels were just like fresh from a clothes dryer.  The wind did it's job!  Thank you wind.

We worked a little on trees this afternoon.  Will we ever finish?  I am reading a good book and fulfilling my obligation to everyone who told me to lay on the beach for them.  This was a relaxing day.  My sea lice bites are slowly getting better.  They look ugly yet.  Once in awhile they start itching again, which is so weird.

Time to beat Richard in a game of cards!

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Yesterday was a busy day cutting trees again and hauling them away.  We worked hard but it is looking good.  These island sea grape trees just got too close to the house.  They grow so fast. You can't turn your back on them for a minute!

Friends had us over for dinner last night and we had a super yummy meal.  We even had sweet corn! It was a very fun time.

Today Robin, a very good contractor on the island, stopped by our house.  He is working up a quote to remodel our kitchen.  I like the kitchen as it is but it is time to replace the cabinets, counters and sink.  Very exciting!

Bruce stopped by with some sympathy fish from Brian.  The boat is still out of commission and we never hear a word from the repair technician.  We may have to cough up the big bucks and buy a new motor!  You can be sure it won't be a Yamaha!!

Late this afternoon our beautiful blue, cloudless sky suddenly got very dark to the southwest.  The wind was super strong and it poured rain.  This was sure welcome as it has been super dry here.  Boy did it blow!!  I am absolutely positive, I would never want to be here in a hurricane!

Needless to say, I have been spending my fair share of time laying on the beach and in hammocks.  My book reading continues.  

Monday, February 20, 2017

I'm still in Paradise!  I slept a little last night.  My one million bug bites are actually caused by Sea Lice!  How gross is that!!  After researching this and talking to others on island, I now know way more about these lice and hope I never encounter them again!  I guess they got inside my rash guard and got trapped.  The water we were in was too warm and shallow with grasses in it.  Never will I go there again!   I am so uncomfortable!

The boat saga continues.  We are having a technician fly here to work on it and he was supposed to call today.  We never heard a word.  That's island time for you!  Whoa, guys they want to go fishing, whoa guys they just want to fish!  That was to the music of Girls They Want to have Fun.....

Today we cut down trees along the side of the house.  They are Sea Grape Trees.  Very hard to cut and a tremendous amount of work.  It'll be so great when they are gone though.  Richard likes these trees a lot and I hate them.  So we are trying to compromise.  If you give these trees an inch, they take a couple miles!  One has to be aggressive with them.

We have two iguanas that have joined us here.  They hang out here all the time and stay close to watch us work.  We have to step over them a lot as they like to be in the thick of things.  The silly things seem to like it if we talk to them!  What fun!  Today I had my green floaty laying on the porch.  Rocky climbed up all the steps to get up to check out my floaty.  We named them Rocky and Balboa!
They were just tiny when we bought the place.  Now they are all grown up!

Another beautiful sunset tonight.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

It has been hot here in paradise!  The wind is not blowing so even in the shade it is hot.  This is great water weather.  Yesterday we went with friends to Owen Island in the kayaks.  We took the back way around and then parked our boats on the beach and went snorkeling.  We saw a lionfish!!  Richard put a bunch of rocks at the opening of its cubby hole so he at least couldn't escape.  When it was time to head back home, out of nowhere, the wind picked up! Of course it was the wrong direction!  It was super hard to paddle home.  I was exhausted!  Once back at the house, we all snacked and had rum punches and recovered.

Today the water has been like glass all day!  We should have made our trip to Owen today!  But I can't see the future!!

My continuing saga of bug bites progresses onward!  This morning I awoke with what looked like about 20 mosquito bites on my left shoulder.  As the hours pass I get more and more!  What a mess! Boy do I itch!  I had my rash guard on while snorkeling and that is where all the bites are.  My right arm is OK except for two  on that shoulder now appearing.  Help!!

This afternoon the water was flat as glass and warm.  I went out for a swim and it gave me some relief from my itching.  I had at least four turtles join me.  They wanted to see who the weird lady was with all the bites on her body.  They kept their heads out of the water for long periods and were probably talking to me.  I speak English not Turtleish though!

Fun day on Owen Island

Friday, February 17, 2017

Today in paradise we awoke to absolutely no wind!  Everything was so still and quiet.  The water was completely smooth.  Talk about pretty!  I worked on the beach early before the sun was beating on me.  We had an early lunch and had a rendezvous with friends snorkeling on the north side.  Conditions were ideal.    We had so much fun.  I am calling it the "day of the ray"!  We saw a couple of lovely Eagle Rays and several stingrays.  There were a couple turtles, tons of fish and two "love bird" groupers there for our viewing pleasure.

This day we were joined by several other snorkelers.  This has not happened for years.  Usually we are totally alone over on the north side, wondering if we are alone in the world!

We are still bug free here and loving it.  The house is all open and we ate dinner on the porch.  Our lemon shark entertained us while we ate tonight.  He seems to be liking our locale of late.  There must be some small rays he is after.  We also had a turtle stop by tonight.  We don't get this view in Iowa!

Last evening we went to a program on the Grouper Aggregation presented by REEF Divers.  It was so interesting.  The scientist presenting this did such a great job communicating to all in attendance.  The Nassau Grouper is protected here.  It is the largest aggregation left in the Carribbean.

One of the beautiful Eagle Rays we saw today.