And the days dwindle down…..

I woke up yesterday morning and the first thing I said was “I don’t want to go home”. Simon looked at me with a longing in his eyes confirming his need to stay here as well. Bill was surprised! Yes, this lifestyle has crept into my soul and the thought of the sights, sounds and weather in New York is already giving me a headache. I do miss talking and hanging out with friends and family but the bottom line is I want more of this paradise. Even though March hasn’t been the best weather month - we’ve had more cold fronts with wind and rain since March 1st then we have had since September the nasty weather isn’t really nasty and it is interspersed with lovely days. But the reality is that we are planning to leave Hopetown in about 2 weeks and head to Ft. Pierce, Fl to check in to customs. From there we will go north til we find a place to store ‘Interim’ while we make the side trip to Paris the first of May.
But let me update what’s been going on here. Anne arrived on Feb. 21 in the middle of a monsoon. Fortunately we had a slip at the Conch Inn so the weather wouldn’t be a concern for her arrival. However, that night was the Junior and Senior Junkanoo. Junkanoo is a Bahamian festival that usually occurs in the middle of the night on Dec. 26 Boxing Day (Historically Boxing Day was created on the day after Xmas when the servants were given boxes of leftover food) or in the first hours of light of the first day of the new year. However, due to a significant delay in in funding Marsh Harbor’s Junkanoo was on Feb. 21. Groups create colorful costumes and choreography as they parade down the main street while goat skin drums rhythmically reverberate along with cow bells and brass horns. The feeling is so vital that everyone moves to the rhythms (well maybe not everyone, Bill left early). Our Junkanoo was delayed due to rain and we were told that the last group performed close to 2:30 am. The groups were also judged on best music, best costumes and best overall presentations.. My photos didn’t come out that great but it was a really magical evening.
While Anne was here: She went up to the lighthouse with Bill to light the mantle, she found a rare “Helmet Conch” and 17 sand dollars. She TAUGHT Uncle Bill how to easily make decorative turks head knots (what fun it was for us to see him on the learning side of the table). We went out to eat at Cracker P’s - a beautiful view of the water and ‘Interim’. And we motor SAILED from Shell Beach back to Hopetown and SAILED from Tilloo Bank (where the sand dollars were) all the way back to Hopetown. She found lots of sea glass and of course had all the chocolate chip pancakes she could eat.
We were sorry to see her leave and it seemed she had the same weather as when I came back to the Bahamas from NY so we booked a room for her at the Conch Inn. Just an aside - we were hungry about 3:30 and were told that all the restaurants were closed from about 3 to when they opened for dinner at about 5. Luckily there was a snack place open and after serving us they, too, closed.
Last Friday Bill went deep sea fishing with four of our friends. I was supposed to go by my back has been bothering me and I didn't think trolling and lolling around in a bumpy sea was good for me. When they got back it was fabulous. Everyone caught a fish...they brought in 3 mahi mahi and 2 wahoo. It also seems that out of 6 boats that went fishing on that day ours was the only fish caught. What luck..and so far we cooked some wahoo and some mahi mahi = so very delicious.
And then there's the conch blowing contest. I didn't get a horn done and Thursday evening there was going to be a contest. Fortunately, our friend Steve came by and he and Bill took one of the Conch and made it into a horn and yes, I actually made a nice sound for a few seconds. I didn't win anything but it was great fun. I'll give a concert to you all when I get home.
One of the major, big events during the winter is “The Barefoot Man” concert. We were told to attend even though there would be “thousands” there. We decided to take a ferry to Nippers on Guana Cay (Nippers is a restaurant with a fresh water swimming pool on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.) because we didn’t want to anchor with so many boats just in case the weather turned. The day was gorgeous, but windy, and the concert was a disappointment. Barefoot Man sang but you really couldn’t see him (Abaco‘s answer to Jimmy Buffet- he is a legend here but certainly not even close to Buffet’s performances). The place was packed with people, young and old, who primarily were enjoying the booze. I thought everyone would be dancing but there were only a few on the table performers. We hung out on the beach with people we knew and then took the ferry home. I’m glad we went but it is something we won’t do again.
So what’s next? There is the heritage fair here in Hopetown tomorrow with the theme of past, present a future of Elbow Cay (Hopetown being the name of the town) with lots of involvement by the children. Then I will try to get in as much sea glass ,shell and conch collecting as the weather permits since Bill will start the motor to head north way before I am ready to do so.

Hoping for better weather during the next 2 weeks and fair winds to help us cross the Gulfstream…..