A Valentine for the Bahamas
We woke up this morning with temperatures not quite reaching 60. I’m thankful for the electric blanket that Bill bought me – used it on low all night long (yes we have the appropriate number of batteries). It did warm up a little during the day but it was still mighty chilly. Today also brought Joli, Dan, Hank and Max Goldberg to Hopetown. They are chartering a boat for a week and we are planning to take off tomorrow for Guana Cay and the Spoil Bank (Disney was planning a resort and dredged a deep water channel that was composed of thousands of shells.) The shells still exist and we hope to bring home some interesting specimens.
As for February, so far windy and chilly with gusts of wind when the fronts come through that clocked at around 50 mph. We also have had a few downpours and except for one day they never seem to last long. However, we have had wonderful beach walks decided on the best ways to collect sea glass, taken many more photos and shared meals and time with many new friends. We had a wonderful time laughing, cheering, booing and eating at Libby and Dick’s Super Bowl party. They seem to have entertaining down pat with everyone participating as well as their own contribution of a fabulous main meal. They make us feel so very welcome in their home.
Bill and I still man the library for 2 hours on Thursdays and we have talked with homeowners as well as vacationers. Many have given us recommendations for books that they have read. We have also heard stories from people who have been coming to Hopetown for many, many years. I love their stories and each one is so very different and interesting. The Hopetown Sailing Club arranged a mini cruise to Treasure Cay. We left on last Tuesday and came home on Thursday. The sun was shining but the wind was blowing and the temperature was cool. Nevertheless we went to the beach – noted to be one of the worlds most beautiful beaches – I did go swimming once and then did a beach walk. There were over 30 members there and we chatted, went for walks and had a lovely dinner at the marina’s restaurant. Yes the beach was beautiful but I felt like I was in Florida. Condos all around and retirees from the states driving their golf carts. I guess if it had been warmer and we could bathe in the sun and surf I would have come away with a different feeling – but then maybe not!
Of course boat issues crop up on a regular basis. The forward head isn’t working and our starter motor for the generator stopped working. Although Bill and Dave worked on generator motor for a very long time it needed some additional parts. Lucky for us Bill was able to order parts and Dan brought them down. Hopefully within a short time both problems will be solved.
It’s a joy to be able to walk around town and say hello to people we know and recognize. I am still doing water aerobics and several weeks ago we had a huge turnout – even some husbands showed up (check the photos). We also went to Man o War for a huge flea market that also had food and lots, and lots of things for sale. It was a very windy day so we took the ferry over and had a wild ride going there. Everyone was in good spirits and I hope the vendors went home happily.
Hopetown is changing, there is building and construction going on all around – a new marina is being built and as well as homes. It seems strange that this is going on when the economy is still struggling. Most everyone we talked to mentioned the drop in visitors – boaters as well as rentals. We hope their optimism is well founded.
It’s getting towards that time of year when talk includes “when are you leaving”. Most everyone leaves sometime in April and even though the North is still struggling with winter April is fast approaching. I only hope we have a few really warm, Bahama days before we start heading home. We’ll see……
