Good Friday

Well, believe it or not, kites were a-flying yesterday. As soon as the sweltering sun started to set, adults and kids alike came out in droves and ran around like maniacs trying to get some wind going. Good job guys!



We also had a spectacular sunset. Very soothing.



The final preps are being made for the big 10th Anniversary Celebration at the Shiggidy Shack, with very old signs being recycled for the occasion. 20011? Nothing a little tweaking couldn't fix.



If only the same could be said for the t-shirt with "tournement" on it and the big banner saying "Celebation." Sheesh. Gonna be a long day today, so let's hope things fall into place. There is only so much planning you can do on a laid-back island...

Wonder if the crew from the Maltese Falcon will come and participate? Check out this beautiful yacht. Look how tiny that other monohull looks next to it!



What it looks like with the sails up (per OutboardMotorOilBlog):



Michael did take a few shots of the scorched earth down by Banana Bay/Major's Bay. Yep, looks like burned stuff.



This one was funny though. That cleared spot is a lot that an owner has been painstakingly surrounding with little boulders for a looooong time. Well, it worked to keep the fire out!



Completely unrelated...I hate it when this happens:



I opened the pot cabinet and a lid came flying out. It didn't even fall one foot and yet the glass shattered everywhere! %^@($! Of course, we can't just run out and get another one. Sigh. When I wish there was a box store nearby...This is definitely going to hamper our popcorn making abilities.

How Many People does it Take to Open a Beer?

Now, I have to admit that things have gotten a little ho hum lately. Michael was working a lot of hours for an event that has come and gone and I've been in contract negotiations for a book I wrote about our sailing adventures. That said, this is also what our lives have come to.



What is happening here? The bucket of beer did not come with a bottle opener and Michael could not figure out how to use one bottle to open another, something everyone else at the table was quite adept at. This led to a bottle opening lesson. Of course, everyone had their own method and had to show Michael the "right" way.



Michael never did get it...I give him credit for not using his teeth.

Then it was time to watch for a green flash.



Wait for it...



Well, it did turn a bit green-ish once it got to a little sliver, but not as good as I've seen it in the past. Amazingly, in all our years sailing we never saw the elusive phenomenon, but about 2 months ago finally saw one that was undisputed - everyone on the beach was moaning that they hadn't had their cameras out. Our pals on Merengue have caught a couple on film, so if you think they're a myth - observe.

I've had fun lately meeting a couple of Canadian blog readers and long-time St. Kitt's visitors over the past two months. This week, I met Jilly and enjoyed talking to her face to face. Of course, she's on vacation and I wanted to go running the next day, so I called it an early night and left Michael and others to complete their night of debauchery at the Shack.

For our day at our usual beach, we saw several guys fishing, which was a first. While they had fishing rods, one guy was more successful just using a can and some fishing wire. He only caught a bunch of small white fish, but that was more than the guys with the big poles (so to speak).



The water was a bit colder than last week, but really green, and amazingly clear (as always). I doubt the picture does it justice.



We then ran into friends we hadn't seen in about a month (having our latest hash canceled threw off everyone's social life) and talked and talked until it was time to pack it up. Michael & I are both burnt to a crisp (front & back). The only publicly seen place on my body not red is where my sunglasses were. A-tract-ive...Jeez. I think it's pretty clear that our new suntan lotion does NOT work. OUCH!

So that's it. We are looking to get off island for a couple of short trips this summer, but need to find some new things to do to stave off boredom. Our pal Tina has suggested a Tuesday outing each week, so we'll see what we can come up with. This week, the contract negotiation is back in my court, so I have to focus on that, but hopefully next Tuesday we'll do something I can write about.

Leatherbacks, Sandy Bank Structure, Pillow Fights

Lots of mishmash going on. First we went to Popcorn's for his occasional Friday-night happy hour. I left my camera in the car thinking you'd seen enough pictures of people standing around drinking, when Popcorn surprised me by standing on a beer carton and making a speech. ??!!! He has officially retired from his British Consulate job and is quite pleased to be handing off the responsibilities to Sarah from Shipwreck. Congratulations Sarah! Where I was ticked I didn't have my camera was when someone just happened to have a hat with a rubber chicken attached to it and put it on Sarah's head and told her that she expected Sarah to wear it for all official consulate functions. Sebastian from Silver Reef took some photos, so if he forwards them to me, I'll post them so you know what to expect should you need Sarah's services...

Michael continued partying long after I'd had enough and actually witnessed a huge leatherback turtle come up to lay eggs right in front of Ziggy's. Talk about bad timing (for the turtle) - a Friday night on the Strip? [UPDATE - A few pics/details of the event)


(Photo from treehugger.com - Mike didn't want to disturb the turtle with flashes)

Needless to say, lots of people were crowding the poor girl. Out of nowhere, Michael said some gruff military guys showed up and forced everyone back, putting police tape around the grunting turtle. Hope she was able to do her deed and that the eggs have a chance to hatch without someone digging them up for dinner.

Yesterday, was a pleasantly low-key day, but I could not believe we missed International Pillow Fight Day (April 2nd). Over 100 cities around the world took part in this levity.


(Picture from Sun Media)

We are so organizing that event next year. I realize a perfectly good pillow will be brutalized during this insanity and it'll be like cleaning up after a ticker-tape parade, but how much fun would this be??

Then I thought someone slipped into our bathroom shooting, only to discover our shower covered in foam. ??!!





Turned out the shaving cream can exploded. That was a bit weird. Too hot?


We would have liked to have watched the sun go down from our patio, but our zero-gravity chairs have had enough. They started looking like this less than a year after we bought them from Brookstone. Jeez. Before....After.





That Caribbean sun is brutal (my ever wrinkling face is a testament to that!) . Since apparently the chair fairy isn't going to come along and recover them, and the frames are rusting as well, I guess we should just dump the poor things. Hrmph. A plain plastic white chair (the kind you pay $5 for at Walmart in the U.S.) costs $30US here so there will be no replacing these two with anything. It'll be getting buggy soon anyway, so no worries.

And then...paradise.



The beach is definitely back. The water was so far out and so shallow it was actually, dare I say, warm. Well, warmish. Pretty good for the beginning of April. Of course, warm waters this early really don't really bode well for the hurricane season and, in fact, predictions are for a more active than usual season this year (hrmph). The water was also really clear on both sides of the peninsula as we headed to Sandy Bank. You can really see how blue the water is, as well as see the reef behind Michael there.

The Beach Club is certainly coming along. They've tiled the roof since the last time we were there.

Also got a little tiki hut (or palapa) going on. Makes me want to put my coconut bra on (well, a coconut bra - I don't actually have one, but if I did...).

The pool is in, but has a bit more work to go on it. Still pretty cool though.

And that's it. Another weekend gone. Hrmph. Definitely feeling though.

Pool, Beach, Water - ho hum

Let's see. Monday we spent at the Marriott and beach.



Tuesday we spent at the pool (that picture of me would never be on there if my Mom weren't egging me on...).



Wednesday we were invited by Mr. X to enjoy a sunset tour on his motorcat, the X-Press, with some folks from the Marriott. Sure! Before we left, this guy was getting into the moment.



Then this clipper ship popped out behind the rocks.



Oh no - they're going to collide!!!!



Just kidding. We had a good time on board. That's Michael wearing MY new sweatshirt. Better not be stretched out!



There's Mr. X enjoying himself.



Me and Ester (jack of all trades).



A few vista shots.



Most evenings have been spent on the patio.



Not a bad life. Jealous yet?