It doesn’t seem like we only had four days with Jami (Lynn’s daughter) and Justin (Lynn’s grandson); we packed a lot into a short time. We really enjoyed having them here to share in the stories and have their own mini adventure. We rented a 22-foot skiff so we could travel quickly around the islands, which turned out to be really fun.
We picked them up in Marsh Harbour on Thursday afternoon and started with lunch at Curly Tails, where Justin first discovered he likes Bahamian beer. We then bounced our way back to Hope Town for an inaugural tour of the streets. When passing Captain Jacks we noticed it was trivia night, so we stepped in for a try. We figured we had a promising team, with a wide range of age, gender and nationality. In fact, we were quite proud of our 11.5 points out of a possible 20…that is until we learned that another team had 18 points; we then quietly left the bar. Did you know that the s
tripe on a Canadian Mounty’s dress uniform is yellow? We topped the evening off with spaghetti dinner (you may have noticed this is a staple on the boat) and an attempt at watching National Treasure 2. We discovered that the copy we purchased for $5 from the shady guy on the street was indeed bootlegged and probably filmed in the cinema. Lynn was so incensed he wouldn’t watch it, but it didn’t matter since the rest of us fell asleep anyway.
The next day we headed south to Little Harbour, the home of Pete’s Pub and Art Gallery. On the way we stopped for a swim in the crystal clear water just south of Lubber’s Quarters. While Lynn and Justin flexed their muscles, Jami and I hovered in the boat. Lynn also invented a Bahamian-style snorkeling technique that required simply wearing a mask and hanging off the back of the boat; also known as the lazy man's snorkeling!
Pete’s Pub is a fun shack bar on the beach where people leave T-shirts pinned all over the walls. Randolph Johnston, apparently considered one the great sculptors of the 20th century, brought his family to live in the area in the 1950’s when there was nothing there. Now his son, Pete, runs the art gallery that houses his work. You could purchase a sculpture for a mere $25,000 to $65,000 if so inclined! But, it is a neat place and the T-shirts were only $22. The harbour is also a sea turtle sanctuary and we spotted a number from the boat. We tried to snorkel to get a better look, but they are quick little fellas and successfully eluded us.
When we got back to Elbow Cay, we headed to White Harbour where Lynn’s niece, Dana, was staying with friends; it seems amazing that she was in Hope Town at the same time we were there! The funny thing is that the hostess, Miss Betty, turned out to b
e the same elderly lady on oxygen that we saw in the church on Christmas Eve. She is actually 94 and still travels on her own to the Bahamas each year. I felt a little guilty about my quip on the earlier blog. All in all it was a fun evening having dinner in her lovely cottage with friends and family. We then headed back to our boat to make our way to Hope Town Harbour. It was at that point we discovered that the lights on the boat weren’t working and there was no moon in the sky. One of the guests, a local, led the way out of the harbour and we moved very slowly homeward with me on a sharp lookout on the bow. Another exciting passage!
The third day was also a blast when we headed north to Great Guana Cay. On the way we stopped at Fowl C
ay, a national park and great snorkeling spot. Luckily the conditions were calm because you have to go through a cut to the ocean side; a passage that is often prohibitive if it is too windy. We grabbed a mooring and jumped in. I had ventured over to the nearby coral head and was happily watching the huge variety of colorful reef fish when I turned around to see a school of about 20 barracuda that had crept up behind me …Gasp!! They will apparently not bother people, but they sure do look intimidating. Lynn said they appeared to be on a military training mission as they stealthily moved through the water. Once safely back on the boat we headed to Nippers on Great Guana, another colorful beachside bar, where we had lunch and wandered on the beach. Then home for a night of bar hopping wit
h Justin in Hope Town. This involved wandering to the two possible options that were all but empty. It wasn’t exciting, but I think Justin liked that fact that he was legal drinking age and could just sidle up to the bar and order a beer.
Our last day was spent wandering about Hope Town and walking on the beach with Bill and Mary. Jami picked up information on rental properties; she liked it so much she plans to bring the rest of her family for vacation. We even toured a beach front cottage with the owner whose son is the creator of the TV show “Scrubs”, which Justin, a big fan, thought was pretty cool. Finally we did the obligatory trip to the top of the lighthouse. This time it was Jeffrey lighting the torch and we were smart enough to forego volunteering to turn the cra
nk. Other little highlights include total indulgence in Vernon’s Key Lime pie (I couldn’t keep Jami away from it; I think she ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!), Justin and Lynn smoking cigars and chatting on the deck, and a couple of rip roarin’ games of Scrabble. “Yo” is a word after all…sorry Justin.
Dawn of their return day arrived much too soon. We saw them off on the ferry from which Jami waved out the window until the last possible moment. We then sadly walked around town feeling very lonely. We were both so pleased they came...as Jami said, “fun times never to be forgotten”.
We picked them up in Marsh Harbour on Thursday afternoon and started with lunch at Curly Tails, where Justin first discovered he likes Bahamian beer. We then bounced our way back to Hope Town for an inaugural tour of the streets. When passing Captain Jacks we noticed it was trivia night, so we stepped in for a try. We figured we had a promising team, with a wide range of age, gender and nationality. In fact, we were quite proud of our 11.5 points out of a possible 20…that is until we learned that another team had 18 points; we then quietly left the bar. Did you know that the s
tripe on a Canadian Mounty’s dress uniform is yellow? We topped the evening off with spaghetti dinner (you may have noticed this is a staple on the boat) and an attempt at watching National Treasure 2. We discovered that the copy we purchased for $5 from the shady guy on the street was indeed bootlegged and probably filmed in the cinema. Lynn was so incensed he wouldn’t watch it, but it didn’t matter since the rest of us fell asleep anyway.The next day we headed south to Little Harbour, the home of Pete’s Pub and Art Gallery. On the way we stopped for a swim in the crystal clear water just south of Lubber’s Quarters. While Lynn and Justin flexed their muscles, Jami and I hovered in the boat. Lynn also invented a Bahamian-style snorkeling technique that required simply wearing a mask and hanging off the back of the boat; also known as the lazy man's snorkeling!
Pete’s Pub is a fun shack bar on the beach where people leave T-shirts pinned all over the walls. Randolph Johnston, apparently considered one the great sculptors of the 20th century, brought his family to live in the area in the 1950’s when there was nothing there. Now his son, Pete, runs the art gallery that houses his work. You could purchase a sculpture for a mere $25,000 to $65,000 if so inclined! But, it is a neat place and the T-shirts were only $22. The harbour is also a sea turtle sanctuary and we spotted a number from the boat. We tried to snorkel to get a better look, but they are quick little fellas and successfully eluded us.
When we got back to Elbow Cay, we headed to White Harbour where Lynn’s niece, Dana, was staying with friends; it seems amazing that she was in Hope Town at the same time we were there! The funny thing is that the hostess, Miss Betty, turned out to b
e the same elderly lady on oxygen that we saw in the church on Christmas Eve. She is actually 94 and still travels on her own to the Bahamas each year. I felt a little guilty about my quip on the earlier blog. All in all it was a fun evening having dinner in her lovely cottage with friends and family. We then headed back to our boat to make our way to Hope Town Harbour. It was at that point we discovered that the lights on the boat weren’t working and there was no moon in the sky. One of the guests, a local, led the way out of the harbour and we moved very slowly homeward with me on a sharp lookout on the bow. Another exciting passage!The third day was also a blast when we headed north to Great Guana Cay. On the way we stopped at Fowl C
ay, a national park and great snorkeling spot. Luckily the conditions were calm because you have to go through a cut to the ocean side; a passage that is often prohibitive if it is too windy. We grabbed a mooring and jumped in. I had ventured over to the nearby coral head and was happily watching the huge variety of colorful reef fish when I turned around to see a school of about 20 barracuda that had crept up behind me …Gasp!! They will apparently not bother people, but they sure do look intimidating. Lynn said they appeared to be on a military training mission as they stealthily moved through the water. Once safely back on the boat we headed to Nippers on Great Guana, another colorful beachside bar, where we had lunch and wandered on the beach. Then home for a night of bar hopping wit
h Justin in Hope Town. This involved wandering to the two possible options that were all but empty. It wasn’t exciting, but I think Justin liked that fact that he was legal drinking age and could just sidle up to the bar and order a beer.Our last day was spent wandering about Hope Town and walking on the beach with Bill and Mary. Jami picked up information on rental properties; she liked it so much she plans to bring the rest of her family for vacation. We even toured a beach front cottage with the owner whose son is the creator of the TV show “Scrubs”, which Justin, a big fan, thought was pretty cool. Finally we did the obligatory trip to the top of the lighthouse. This time it was Jeffrey lighting the torch and we were smart enough to forego volunteering to turn the cra
nk. Other little highlights include total indulgence in Vernon’s Key Lime pie (I couldn’t keep Jami away from it; I think she ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!), Justin and Lynn smoking cigars and chatting on the deck, and a couple of rip roarin’ games of Scrabble. “Yo” is a word after all…sorry Justin.Dawn of their return day arrived much too soon. We saw them off on the ferry from which Jami waved out the window until the last possible moment. We then sadly walked around town feeling very lonely. We were both so pleased they came...as Jami said, “fun times never to be forgotten”.
1 comment:
Hey Guys,
I just realized I hadn't checked your blog for quite a while. We spent last Sat. night at Peg & John's and she and I were talking about how neat this is.
Sounds wonderful. Wish we were there with you. Keep the news coming. Love the pictures too!
Sally
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