October 1, 2009
Thursday
Rain, rain, rain
We welcomed the rain….it waters the beautiful foliage and trees around the marina. It was quite the squall that came thru this morning….25 mph winds and all. It truly cooled things off for us. And, it stayed cool and overcast all day…not a bad thing. The head pump is working again…thank you MacGyver… and I never had a doubt, even though he did. The Ciabatta sponge was a downer…it never rose like it should have and I pitched it. I found a new Italian bread recipe and we are working on that. It is now 8:37 PM and I am still waiting for the bread to bake and then the lasagna will enter the oven. Another late night dinner! Good food, but much too late…in my opinion anyway. Our neighbor, Bill, now has 3 women aboard…wife, ex-wife and niece of the owner! Go figure. He is so quiet and keeps to himself so much that I can only wonder what he will do with these women for 4 days. I am watching! Much fun! And, yeah, the bread turned out very good and we enjoyed that with the wonderful lasagna. Once done pigging out we headed to the bar for a drink and some conversation with Bill and his girls. Very nice people.
October 2, 2009
Friday
Gorgeous day…81*
Beautiful day today…nice cool breeze and sunshine that is not killing us. Bill took off with the ladies to go snorkeling and it appears that our other neighbor, Enchanted, is getting ready for more company. Just some nice R & R today, along with a possible swim at the pool….Ahhhh! Well, as the day progressed the rain began and was on and off for the entire day. Bill and the girls came back soaking wet. Barry and I headed to the market in between the rain storms leaving the bridge window open much to our dismay. It rained yet again while we were gone and everything up there was drenched when we returned…Augh! One of Roachey’s friends came by and we bought more lobsters to be enjoyed at another time. We were invited to Bill’s boat by the owner’s wife, Kim, where we had many laughs and were told of their “dysfunctional” beings. Barry made pizza and we all headed up to the bar to play the dice game…so much fun even with us all loosing to Kim, as she always managed to get the winnings. Late night and bed was a welcoming relief to too much partying!
October 3, 2009
Saturday
Nice day!
Happy Birthday Jacob!
After another brief rain storm the sun came out with hopes for a nice sunny day. Barry had made gin and tonics for the girls last night and they loved the home made tonic water so much they traded a bottle of tonic for a bottle of gin. Great trade on Barry’s side. He did, however, offer an endless supply of tonic water. Bill took the girls island hopping today and they had a great time…finally they did not get rained on! As for us, our usually marketing and hanging by the pool. Very relaxing day. Love to all!
October 4, 2009
Sunday
Hot as hell again…upper 90’s
Most of the day was spent hanging on the boat and by the pool to cool off. When the girls and Bill returned from the pig roast at Nippers they were ready for a nap. We had some dinner and joined the gang at the bar for 21…and Kim whipped our butts, as usual. They need to go home…I cannot party like this anymore!
October 5, 2009
Monday
Another hot one!
No freaking breeze! OMG…when will this end? The girls headed out around 1:00 with wine in hand and Bill dancing the jig behind them. He needs a break from Girls Gone Wild 2009. This has had to have been the most excitement for him in a long time. Barry and I agree he prefers the “quiet” life. I will miss the girls, but not their fury for partying. Much R & R today….much needed along with normalcy.
October 6, 2009
Tuesday
Rain today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRIS AND TIM!
The sun shades have finally arrived, but in Marsh Harbour. The carrier would not deliver to Treasure Cay. Plus, Barry felt he needed to renew his “green card” so we rented a car and headed out. Going to Marsh Harbour always results in spending money! As it turns out Barry is still “legal”, a very good thing and we picked up the shades. We also hit Jaime’s Place for lunch which was superb and only wish we had tried it sooner. The place was packed and always a sign of great food. We then took a ride to Boat Harbor which is another marina, but very upscale. Gorgeous place, but not convenient to any amenities. One would definitely need a car or golf cart to go shopping of any kind. We are very happy to be where we are. From there our day lead us to the nursery with hopes
of finding herbs. We were thrilled to find many nice specimens of basil, but unfortunately nothing else that we needed. The boat that their shipment is on has been detained in West Palm for 4 days now…don’t ask…we have learned not to. The poor plants are probably dead by now and I have no idea what the repercussions to that issue may be. We also picked up another great specimen to adorn the aft deck! Whoo hoo! Once we got back with our load and unpacked basil was planted, Junior was hung and everything else put in its place. We tried out the shades that do not fit as perfectly as we had hoped, but we will manage something. Quite the day! Love to all!
October 7, 2009
Wednesday
Another hot day in the upper 90’s
Just lots of computer stuff for me and reading for Barry…R & R from yesterday’s jaunt! LOL.
October 8, 2009
Thursday
Upper 90’s
Water temp 87*
No slugging around today! I bared the heat and headed to the Laundromat, and of course ran into the usual power outages (a near daily occurrence here) and malfunctioning machines. It took 2 ½ hours to complete the laundry, but it was all taken in stride. Barry came to retrieve me and the laundry looking like a drowned rat. He had been a busy bee while I was gone installing the sun shade. Magnificent and worth the toil and trouble. There was actually a breeze on the aft and we are now sheltered from the grueling sun. Such a good thing! Many compliments came from our neighbors. The only problem with the shade is that it does block our beautiful view, but we can get it up and down so quickly that that is an acceptable consequence. We can remove it in time for the gorgeous nightly sunsets with ease. Barry treated us to delicious pizza for dinner, a bit of TV watching some of the new fall line up, and early to bed. Night all!
October 9, 2009
Friday
Upper 90’s again
Barry was up early enough to listen to the Cruiser’s Net. Patti Toller, who hosts the Net, advised more unseasonably hot weather is yet to come. I also heard the same from Nadine who runs the Laundromat. No cool weather coming just yet. On a better note, Patti was thrilled to hear from another boater who has returned to the area. A very uncommon happening for this time of the year. Barry and I also heard from John and Roberta who advised they (along with Jason and Laura) are making their way south to join us once again and are now in Beaufort, NC. We are both excitedly awaiting their return.
October 10, 2009
Saturday
Upper 90’s
Last night while enjoying a bit of AC and TV our power went out. : – ( After 2 hours of muss and fuss Barry repaired the burned pigtail and we were off and running again. We ran the AC into the night and awakened to no AC in the aft cabin! AUGH! A breaker was burned out and, again more muss and fuss to clean and refurbish, but of course the repair was completed by MacGyver. Getting kind of tired of this stuff! Soooo, while he repaired I started cleaning which turned into…I dunno…Fall cleaning??? We basically ripped the boat apart and cleaned everything, including hacking away at icebergs in the freezer. I think we should have stayed in bed! : – ) After the over haul we headed to the market and stocked up for the weekend. I must say….a really clean living space and a full fridge is a good thing. Love to all!
October 11, 2009
Sunday
Upper 90’s and breezy
Due to the holiday weekend things have picked up at the marina and condos. More activity than the norm around here, with people by the pool and around the bar. A good part of the afternoon was spent rolling dough for pasta and ravs that we will enjoy for dinner. That was a feat in itself. Rolling the dough is not much fun, but the outcome…wonderful! Once the ravs were made Barry proceeded with the gravy and I with the meatballs. What a great (fattening…oh well) dinner.
October 12, 2009
Monday
90 and breezy again
This is so nice. The breeze is such a welcome relief from the baking sun. I have no idea why, but we slept in this morning till 10:30….very unusual for us especially since we were in bed early last evening. We missed an invite from Bill to go fishing (drat) and he and his company came back boasting about a Blue Marlin they had caught. Oh well, we still had a nice relaxing day and all is good. Love to all!
October 13, 2009
Tuesday
95* and hot again
Barry was up very early…6:30…and took off for a walk on the beach and a swim…I slept thru the entire adventure! Too bad, as I would have loved to join him. I awakened at 7:30 and joined him on the aft and at 8:15 we listened to the Cruiser’s Net. We have not done this in so long, but still find that many restaurants/activities are still closed for the season. Billy and friends took off with Sonny to bring his company to Marsh Harbour to catch their plane back to Canada. I spent a relaxing day by the pool reading James Patterson. By 4:30 Barry joined me and we were invaded by 20…yes, count ‘em 20 tourists (children and all.) Cannot believe this! This is the most people we have seen by the pool in a very long time…all is good. Barry slept and I watched the crazy kids having a ball in the pool! All is good in paradise! Love to all!
October 14, 2009
Wednesday
No freaking breeze!
Very, very hot today with not a bit of a breeze. Our friend, Bill, headed to FL today with one of his friends for a bit of a vacation and will not return until next Tuesday. Wow..Enchanted left today also and the dock is so dead! It was a stifling day, so much so that we just hung and tried to stay cool by dipping in the pool. Rolle dropped by offering lobster, but we still have some in the freezer and passed on his offer. By 4:00 Barry could not take much more of the heat and hooked up the AC. In checking the electrical cord (as he always does) Barry found it to be heating up and the outlet is definitely defective and probably the cause of our problem with the burned pigtail. Augh! A quick switch to another outlet saved the day! He headed to the market for a few items and we settled in to make a very delicious soup that he had remembered from days gone by. At 10:30 Rochey dropped by to say hello and promised us fish tomorrow. Would love to have some grilled fish! Pretty uneventful but nice day in the neighborhood!
October 15, 2009
Thursday
88* at 8:00 AM
Water temp still at 86*
We awakened to overcast skies and a cool breeze! I almost feel like I am in New England….one day hot, next day cool. The cool did not last long and by 1:00 PM it was hot and sunny once more, but the delightful breeze remained. Barry spent a good part of the morning shopping as Laura (from Blue Blaze) has offered her father’s address in Florida and will pick up items for us before they all cross over to meet us, saving us bookoo bucks in shipping charges. We decided a pasta machine is now a must. It will make rolling the dough much easier and we have become way too spoiled by fresh pasta to consider buying the boxed stuff again. It seems Laura and Roberta have also taken up the art of bread baking! Lots of fun to come down the road with my long lost pals! Today turned into a glorious day. The breeze was simply magnificent, helping us to forget just how hot it really is. Perhaps a sign of the times to come? Roachy showed up late in the afternoon with grouper! Yeah! Barry asked that he fillet it and freeze some of it for us to use at another time. I cannot wait for him to return!
October 16, 2009
Friday
Simply gorgeous!
Oh my…the weather is wonderful. A 7 knot wind from the south and 84*! One could not ask for more. It is so breezy that there is a chop in the harbor slapping the boat. I have not seen this since we were in Key West. Patty from the Cruiser’s Net assures us more of this same weather is yet to come…indeed! I can see exercise with walking and biking on the horizon…very much needed! During the day the winds hummed up to 24 kts rocking and rolling the boat…oh my! Roachy appeared with our fillet of grouper…3 bags full and we enjoyed some for dinner. Wow…there is nothing like fresh fish and I could eat this every night!
October 17, 2009
Saturday
Overcast
I suppose the front is coming thru and it is not a bad thing because it brings cooler temps and a breeze. We awakened to rain then sun and a couple of squalls late afternoon. Over the past month or so we have been visited by baby lizards. I found one in the aft sink that Barry retrieved and brought back to his civilization. Two others, on the floor of the aft deck and another in the aft head were spotted and have never been seen again! Rut ro! I hope they are not dead and rotting somewhere. They, as you can imagine, are quick little buggers and no so simple to catch. There are also 6 cats living at the marina office. I have tried, to no avail, to warm up to them with treats and such but they do not want to hear it. So skittish! I would think that with all the people around so often they would be used to strangers, but instead they run and hide in the bushes. The plants are doing well and Basil has become big and strong and just about due for a plucking to keep it that way. Simple pleasures, simple life. A new group of tourists arrived today…lots of them and lots of teenage kids. The Captain is loving the screams coming from the pool! LOL! Love to all!
October 18, 2009
Sunday
72* and overcast
What a change in the weather! I actually put a shirt on today. Damn, that is going to add to the laundry load of the usual bathing suits and towels! This is definitely the result of the cold front coming through, and that is okay. We headed over to the Coco Beach Bar for a light breakfast and then took a long, long walk on the beach. It feels wonderful to move and get these creaky bones in shape, and the view of the homes along the Atlantic was beautiful. I am amazed at the change in the weather! I spent a good part of early afternoon washing eisenglass since the temp was so accommodating…we can see….we can see! Barry followed me around with zipper lube and more Fall cleaning has been accomplished. Next is to remove the screens from the salon so I can get to all the nitty gritty spots there and let the sun shine in! The few that I was able to get to made a big difference….I love clean windows! By 6:30 it had cooled down to 68* and we are in awe! It has never been this cool here. Barry is enjoying the new temps…me, I prefer lower 80’s and no humidity but will take what comes along. I always have blankey to keep me warm! Lobster and grouper in the freezer need to be consumed…a tough choice for dinner, but lobster it is!
October 19, 2009
Monday
72 and breezy
All I can say is I (we) are exhausted! We took on the task of stripping the table and chairs and all of the trim on the outer aft deck. It took us 9 hours to strip, sand and oil. Working is really cramping our style as we also forgot about returning books to the library and replenishing our stock. I am spent! Want a glass of vino and bed…thank you very much. Barry wants dinner….Augh!
October 20, 2000
Tuesday
Another cool day
The low 70’s continue and we continue to clean. No more teak oil is a problem. The marina manager, Mike, will check to see if he has some at home. Roachey also came by to chat and offered to pick up some for us when he goes back to Marsh Harbour. Since there was no oil and the day cool I headed over to the Laundromat only to find Donna, the owner, there today…have not seen her since school started and she returned to teaching. A teacher’s conference this week made her available to run the Laundromat and it was such a pleasure to see my old friend. She invited us to the dedication of their new church at the end of next month and that sounds like a plan. She and her husband, Eric, are such nice people and it will be nice to mingle with the locals of Coopers Town. Barry scooped me up, with teak oil in hand. I know what is on the agenda for the afternoon! Unfortunately, as we headed back the rain commenced and continued on and off the entire afternoon never giving us the opportunity to oil the furniture. By 5:00 we gave up and brought the furniture back in with the hopes of finishing up tomorrow. Another wonderful day in the neighborhood!
October 21, 2009
Wednesday
79*
The warmer weather is creeping back in. 79* at 10:00 AM is a good sign of a hot day. It is still quite breezy making it feel much cooler, but very pleasant. We continued our quest for oiling the furniture placing it back outdoors. We gave it several healthy doses of oil and it is gorgeous…even if we do say so ourselves. Around 4:00 PM sprinkles were in the air and there was no way our efforts were going to be foiled, so we brought everything in to cure on the aft deck. Oh, my….I am impressed and delighted. The set looks brand new. A nice cool day called for dough making…pizza and a loaf of good Italian bread is in the making. What a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!! Love to all!
October 22, 2009
Thursday
86*
It is warming up again, as promised. There is a constant breeze making things feel much cooler and the humidity is low at 43%. Simply gorgeous day.
October 23, 2009
Friday
85* Sunny
Another beautiful day….library to exchange books for R & R over the weekend.
October 24, 2009
Saturday
Another warm day…
Not much happening…just a lot of reading and cooking, along with watching maintenance men hacking away at the palm trees around the pool. It was very entertaining to watch as they slithered up the trees past where the ladder ended…barefoot no less. It was an all day affair, or course with many breaks in between the cuttings!
Ah….paradise! Love to all.
October 25, 2009
Sunday
86* and balmy
Happy Birthday, Roberta! Hope you had a wonderful day!
Another gorgeous day….they never seem to end. It has warmed up considerably from last week and we are promised more of the same to come. As long as the breeze is blowing it is very pleasant! Clean up of the marina pool and bar area continues. Our friend Bill also returned from Florida…and went from pony tail to a very short haircut! Handsome!
October 26, 2009
Monday
Hot and sunny
Things are warming up again. There is quite a flutter around the pool area today. The clean up is continuing with now cutting and trimming all the shrubs around the pool. They have also cleared out all the tables and chairs in the dining area and setting up lights, computers and running cable wires. We finally found out that a local TV station in Grand Bahama will be in the Abacos for the week to promote the area to tourists and locals. At 6:30 it was lights, cameras, action! The marina manager was interviewed along with the local news being produced from this site. The crew will move on to other areas of the Abacos throughout the week. Last year the entire week was aired from Treasure Cay, but the other settlements complained that they did not get their fare share of the broadcast. Hence….they will move on to other areas. Very interesting and a bit of hub bub for all of us here.
October 27, 2009
Tuesday
Upper 80’s
The heat wave has officially returned. Most of our day, once again, was aimed at staying cool. Lots of reading and relaxing was in order today….and we did.
October 28, 2009
Wednesday
Not a breath of air and 90*
We reserved a car to head to Marsh Harbour once again. This time it was a Toyota Avalon with the steering wheel on the right! At first, a bit of a challenge for Barry but he very quickly became accustomed to the difference, even though kissing the curb a few times. We hit the nursery and were able to pick up parsley, but not much else. We wonder if this is due to their shipment being delayed in West Palm Beach about a month ago. Whatever! We are happy with the parsley. Barry grabbed a great haircut at Lanie’s…much better and less expensive than the last and then we headed to Jaime’s Place for lunch. Decadent cheese burgers and fries…OMG…so good! Sand’s Liquor was our next stop for a case of my favorite Lamothe Parrot and brandy for Barry. We decided to shop at Abaco Grocery today for the few items we needed and found that it is very much like a Sam’s Club. The prices actually were pretty good. A lot of the items were priced very similar to home, and you did not necessarily have to buy “size huge” as they offered most products in singles rather than buying an entire case of something. Home again, home again by 5:00 for a bit of decompression and regrouping until we headed out to Touch of Class for dinner. It belongs to our buddy bartender, Junior, at the Typsy Seagull. The place was empty other than one other couple….par for the course on a Wednesday night. The food was good, just good, not great…grouper for both of us, and I did not have to prepare dinner. It certainly worked for me! Love to all!
October 29, 2009
Thursday
The heat is on…90*
It is still very warm today and not a breeze to be had. Laying low for the day! Roachey, our buddy, is now unemployed with his boss continuing to look for more construction work. I feel bad for him. He is a good guy. He sought a loan from Barry…oh, I don’t think so! Bad, bad idea, and of course Barry refused. He told us to get ready for kids coming to the boat Halloween night, but I have my doubts. Why would they bother to come here? Not too many treats to be had around this marina.
October 30, 2009
Friday
90’s
Thank God for a breeze. It was a simply gorgeous day. Bill came by and invited us to share in Ohio beef for dinner. Sounded like a plan, so I pulled out a few lobster tails to add to the mix. Surf and turf along with Caesar salad was the fare for dinner. Dinner was great, along with Bill’s political insights as always. He is always good for bashing some politician for their current thoughts! The local (Grand Bahama) TV crew returned again today to film the news from the pool area and finish off their week of promoting the Abacos. Tonight’s hot topic was the school system with 2 officials being interviewed. This time I was armed with my camera and went up to grab a few shots for our photo album. The marina also put together a cute display of carved gourds and ghoulish signs. No pumpkins to be had here. Another great week with more to come.
October 31, 2009
Saturday
Upper 80’s
Happy Halloween!
Gorgeous morning. 87* but still cool with the humidity so low. I await the gremlins, if there will be any…Bill claims no one has ever come to his boat in the past, so we shall see. I tend to believe Bill. I cannot imagine parents bringing kids to the marina to snag candy from only 2 boats…us being one of them. The day moved into night….no gremlins, no party at the bar…Augh! I am not used to Halloweens like this one. I am disappointed! On a lighter note…black chicken and polenta for dinner was great…we have not had that in so long….it brings back such good memories! Love to all…. : – )
October 1, 2009
Thursday
Rain, rain, rain
We welcomed the rain….it waters the beautiful foliage and trees around the marina. It was quite the squall that came thru this morning….25 mph winds and all. It truly cooled things off for us. And, it stayed cool and overcast all day…not a bad thing. The head pump is working again…thank you MacGyver… and I never had a doubt, even though he did. The Ciabatta sponge was a downer…it never rose like it should have and I pitched it. I found a new Italian bread recipe and we are working on that. It is now 8:37 PM and I am still waiting for the bread to bake and then the lasagna will enter the oven. Another late night dinner! Good food, but much too late…in my opinion anyway. Our neighbor, Bill, now has 3 women aboard…wife, ex-wife and niece of the owner! Go figure. He is so quiet and keeps to himself so much that I can only wonder what he will do with these women for 4 days. I am watching! Much fun! And, yeah, the bread turned out very good and we enjoyed that with the wonderful lasagna. Once done pigging out we headed to the bar for a drink and some conversation with Bill and his girls. Very nice people.
October 2, 2009
Friday
Gorgeous day…81*
Beautiful day today…nice cool breeze and sunshine that is not killing us. Bill took off with the ladies to go snorkeling and it appears that our other neighbor, Enchanted, is getting ready for more company. Just some nice R & R today, along with a possible swim at the pool….Ahhhh! Well, as the day progressed the rain began and was on and off for the entire day. Bill and the girls came back soaking wet. Barry and I headed to the market in between the rain storms leaving the bridge window open much to our dismay. It rained yet again while we were gone and everything up there was drenched when we returned…Augh! One of Roachey’s friends came by and we bought more lobsters to be enjoyed at another time. We were invited to Bill’s boat by the owner’s wife, Kim, where we had many laughs and were told of their “dysfunctional” beings. Barry made pizza and we all headed up to the bar to play the dice game…so much fun even with us all loosing to Kim, as she always managed to get the winnings. Late night and bed was a welcoming relief to too much partying!
October 3, 2009
Saturday
Nice day!
Happy Birthday Jacob!
After another brief rain storm the sun came out with hopes for a nice sunny day. Barry had made gin and tonics for the girls last night and they loved the home made tonic water so much they traded a bottle of tonic for a bottle of gin. Great trade on Barry’s side. He did, however, offer an endless supply of tonic water. Bill took the girls island hopping today and they had a great time…finally they did not get rained on! As for us, our usually marketing and hanging by the pool. Very relaxing day. Love to all!
October 4, 2009
Sunday
Hot as hell again…upper 90’s
Most of the day was spent hanging on the boat and by the pool to cool off. When the girls and Bill returned from the pig roast at Nippers they were ready for a nap. We had some dinner and joined the gang at the bar for 21…and Kim whipped our butts, as usual. They need to go home…I cannot party like this anymore!
October 5, 2009
Monday
Another hot one!
No freaking breeze! OMG…when will this end? The girls headed out around 1:00 with wine in hand and Bill dancing the jig behind them. He needs a break from Girls Gone Wild 2009. This has had to have been the most excitement for him in a long time. Barry and I agree he prefers the “quiet” life. I will miss the girls, but not their fury for partying. Much R & R today….much needed along with normalcy.
October 6, 2009
Tuesday
Rain today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRIS AND TIM!
The sun shades have finally arrived, but in Marsh Harbour. The carrier would not deliver to Treasure Cay. Plus, Barry felt he needed to renew his “green card” so we rented a car and headed out. Going to Marsh Harbour always results in spending money! As it turns out Barry is still “legal”, a very good thing and we picked up the shades. We also hit Jaime’s Place for lunch which was superb and only wish we had tried it sooner. The place was packed and always a sign of great food. We then took a ride to Boat Harbor which is another marina, but very upscale. Gorgeous place, but not convenient to any amenities. One would definitely need a car or golf cart to go shopping of any kind. We are very happy to be where we are. From there our day lead us to the nursery with hopes
of finding herbs. We were thrilled to find many nice specimens of basil, but unfortunately nothing else that we needed. The boat that their shipment is on has been detained in West Palm for 4 days now…don’t ask…we have learned not to. The poor plants are probably dead by now and I have no idea what the repercussions to that issue may be. We also picked up another great specimen to adorn the aft deck! Whoo hoo! Once we got back with our load and unpacked basil was planted, Junior was hung and everything else put in its place. We tried out the shades that do not fit as perfectly as we had hoped, but we will manage something. Quite the day! Love to all!
October 7, 2009
Wednesday
Another hot day in the upper 90’s
Just lots of computer stuff for me and reading for Barry…R & R from yesterday’s jaunt! LOL.
October 8, 2009
Thursday
Upper 90’s
Water temp 87*
No slugging around today! I bared the heat and headed to the Laundromat, and of course ran into the usual power outages (a near daily occurrence here) and malfunctioning machines. It took 2 ½ hours to complete the laundry, but it was all taken in stride. Barry came to retrieve me and the laundry looking like a drowned rat. He had been a busy bee while I was gone installing the sun shade. Magnificent and worth the toil and trouble. There was actually a breeze on the aft and we are now sheltered from the grueling sun. Such a good thing! Many compliments came from our neighbors. The only problem with the shade is that it does block our beautiful view, but we can get it up and down so quickly that that is an acceptable consequence. We can remove it in time for the gorgeous nightly sunsets with ease. Barry treated us to delicious pizza for dinner, a bit of TV watching some of the new fall line up, and early to bed. Night all!
October 9, 2009
Friday
Upper 90’s again
Barry was up early enough to listen to the Cruiser’s Net. Patti Toller, who hosts the Net, advised more unseasonably hot weather is yet to come. I also heard the same from Nadine who runs the Laundromat. No cool weather coming just yet. On a better note, Patti was thrilled to hear from another boater who has returned to the area. A very uncommon happening for this time of the year. Barry and I also heard from John and Roberta who advised they (along with Jason and Laura) are making their way south to join us once again and are now in Beaufort, NC. We are both excitedly awaiting their return.
October 10, 2009
Saturday
Upper 90’s
Last night while enjoying a bit of AC and TV our power went out. : – ( After 2 hours of muss and fuss Barry repaired the burned pigtail and we were off and running again. We ran the AC into the night and awakened to no AC in the aft cabin! AUGH! A breaker was burned out and, again more muss and fuss to clean and refurbish, but of course the repair was completed by MacGyver. Getting kind of tired of this stuff! Soooo, while he repaired I started cleaning which turned into…I dunno…Fall cleaning??? We basically ripped the boat apart and cleaned everything, including hacking away at icebergs in the freezer. I think we should have stayed in bed! : – ) After the over haul we headed to the market and stocked up for the weekend. I must say….a really clean living space and a full fridge is a good thing. Love to all!
October 11, 2009
Sunday
Upper 90’s and breezy
Due to the holiday weekend things have picked up at the marina and condos. More activity than the norm around here, with people by the pool and around the bar. A good part of the afternoon was spent rolling dough for pasta and ravs that we will enjoy for dinner. That was a feat in itself. Rolling the dough is not much fun, but the outcome…wonderful! Once the ravs were made Barry proceeded with the gravy and I with the meatballs. What a great (fattening…oh well) dinner.
October 12, 2009
Monday
90 and breezy again
This is so nice. The breeze is such a welcome relief from the baking sun. I have no idea why, but we slept in this morning till 10:30….very unusual for us especially since we were in bed early last evening. We missed an invite from Bill to go fishing (drat) and he and his company came back boasting about a Blue Marlin they had caught. Oh well, we still had a nice relaxing day and all is good. Love to all!
October 13, 2009
Tuesday
95* and hot again
Barry was up very early…6:30…and took off for a walk on the beach and a swim…I slept thru the entire adventure! Too bad, as I would have loved to join him. I awakened at 7:30 and joined him on the aft and at 8:15 we listened to the Cruiser’s Net. We have not done this in so long, but still find that many restaurants/activities are still closed for the season. Billy and friends took off with Sonny to bring his company to Marsh Harbour to catch their plane back to Canada. I spent a relaxing day by the pool reading James Patterson. By 4:30 Barry joined me and we were invaded by 20…yes, count ‘em 20 tourists (children and all.) Cannot believe this! This is the most people we have seen by the pool in a very long time…all is good. Barry slept and I watched the crazy kids having a ball in the pool! All is good in paradise! Love to all!
October 14, 2009
Wednesday
No freaking breeze!
Very, very hot today with not a bit of a breeze. Our friend, Bill, headed to FL today with one of his friends for a bit of a vacation and will not return until next Tuesday. Wow..Enchanted left today also and the dock is so dead! It was a stifling day, so much so that we just hung and tried to stay cool by dipping in the pool. Rolle dropped by offering lobster, but we still have some in the freezer and passed on his offer. By 4:00 Barry could not take much more of the heat and hooked up the AC. In checking the electrical cord (as he always does) Barry found it to be heating up and the outlet is definitely defective and probably the cause of our problem with the burned pigtail. Augh! A quick switch to another outlet saved the day! He headed to the market for a few items and we settled in to make a very delicious soup that he had remembered from days gone by. At 10:30 Rochey dropped by to say hello and promised us fish tomorrow. Would love to have some grilled fish! Pretty uneventful but nice day in the neighborhood!
October 15, 2009
Thursday
88* at 8:00 AM
Water temp still at 86*
We awakened to overcast skies and a cool breeze! I almost feel like I am in New England….one day hot, next day cool. The cool did not last long and by 1:00 PM it was hot and sunny once more, but the delightful breeze remained. Barry spent a good part of the morning shopping as Laura (from Blue Blaze) has offered her father’s address in Florida and will pick up items for us before they all cross over to meet us, saving us bookoo bucks in shipping charges. We decided a pasta machine is now a must. It will make rolling the dough much easier and we have become way too spoiled by fresh pasta to consider buying the boxed stuff again. It seems Laura and Roberta have also taken up the art of bread baking! Lots of fun to come down the road with my long lost pals! Today turned into a glorious day. The breeze was simply magnificent, helping us to forget just how hot it really is. Perhaps a sign of the times to come? Roachy showed up late in the afternoon with grouper! Yeah! Barry asked that he fillet it and freeze some of it for us to use at another time. I cannot wait for him to return!
October 16, 2009
Friday
Simply gorgeous!
Oh my…the weather is wonderful. A 7 knot wind from the south and 84*! One could not ask for more. It is so breezy that there is a chop in the harbor slapping the boat. I have not seen this since we were in Key West. Patty from the Cruiser’s Net assures us more of this same weather is yet to come…indeed! I can see exercise with walking and biking on the horizon…very much needed! During the day the winds hummed up to 24 kts rocking and rolling the boat…oh my! Roachy appeared with our fillet of grouper…3 bags full and we enjoyed some for dinner. Wow…there is nothing like fresh fish and I could eat this every night!
October 17, 2009
Saturday
Overcast
I suppose the front is coming thru and it is not a bad thing because it brings cooler temps and a breeze. We awakened to rain then sun and a couple of squalls late afternoon. Over the past month or so we have been visited by baby lizards. I found one in the aft sink that Barry retrieved and brought back to his civilization. Two others, on the floor of the aft deck and another in the aft head were spotted and have never been seen again! Rut ro! I hope they are not dead and rotting somewhere. They, as you can imagine, are quick little buggers and no so simple to catch. There are also 6 cats living at the marina office. I have tried, to no avail, to warm up to them with treats and such but they do not want to hear it. So skittish! I would think that with all the people around so often they would be used to strangers, but instead they run and hide in the bushes. The plants are doing well and Basil has become big and strong and just about due for a plucking to keep it that way. Simple pleasures, simple life. A new group of tourists arrived today…lots of them and lots of teenage kids. The Captain is loving the screams coming from the pool! LOL! Love to all!
October 18, 2009
Sunday
72* and overcast
What a change in the weather! I actually put a shirt on today. Damn, that is going to add to the laundry load of the usual bathing suits and towels! This is definitely the result of the cold front coming through, and that is okay. We headed over to the Coco Beach Bar for a light breakfast and then took a long, long walk on the beach. It feels wonderful to move and get these creaky bones in shape, and the view of the homes along the Atlantic was beautiful. I am amazed at the change in the weather! I spent a good part of early afternoon washing eisenglass since the temp was so accommodating…we can see….we can see! Barry followed me around with zipper lube and more Fall cleaning has been accomplished. Next is to remove the screens from the salon so I can get to all the nitty gritty spots there and let the sun shine in! The few that I was able to get to made a big difference….I love clean windows! By 6:30 it had cooled down to 68* and we are in awe! It has never been this cool here. Barry is enjoying the new temps…me, I prefer lower 80’s and no humidity but will take what comes along. I always have blankey to keep me warm! Lobster and grouper in the freezer need to be consumed…a tough choice for dinner, but lobster it is!
October 19, 2009
Monday
72 and breezy
All I can say is I (we) are exhausted! We took on the task of stripping the table and chairs and all of the trim on the outer aft deck. It took us 9 hours to strip, sand and oil. Working is really cramping our style as we also forgot about returning books to the library and replenishing our stock. I am spent! Want a glass of vino and bed…thank you very much. Barry wants dinner….Augh!
October 20, 2000
Tuesday
Another cool day
The low 70’s continue and we continue to clean. No more teak oil is a problem. The marina manager, Mike, will check to see if he has some at home. Roachey also came by to chat and offered to pick up some for us when he goes back to Marsh Harbour. Since there was no oil and the day cool I headed over to the Laundromat only to find Donna, the owner, there today…have not seen her since school started and she returned to teaching. A teacher’s conference this week made her available to run the Laundromat and it was such a pleasure to see my old friend. She invited us to the dedication of their new church at the end of next month and that sounds like a plan. She and her husband, Eric, are such nice people and it will be nice to mingle with the locals of Coopers Town. Barry scooped me up, with teak oil in hand. I know what is on the agenda for the afternoon! Unfortunately, as we headed back the rain commenced and continued on and off the entire afternoon never giving us the opportunity to oil the furniture. By 5:00 we gave up and brought the furniture back in with the hopes of finishing up tomorrow. Another wonderful day in the neighborhood!
October 21, 2009
Wednesday
79*
The warmer weather is creeping back in. 79* at 10:00 AM is a good sign of a hot day. It is still quite breezy making it feel much cooler, but very pleasant. We continued our quest for oiling the furniture placing it back outdoors. We gave it several healthy doses of oil and it is gorgeous…even if we do say so ourselves. Around 4:00 PM sprinkles were in the air and there was no way our efforts were going to be foiled, so we brought everything in to cure on the aft deck. Oh, my….I am impressed and delighted. The set looks brand new. A nice cool day called for dough making…pizza and a loaf of good Italian bread is in the making. What a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!! Love to all!
October 22, 2009
Thursday
86*
It is warming up again, as promised. There is a constant breeze making things feel much cooler and the humidity is low at 43%. Simply gorgeous day.
October 23, 2009
Friday
85* Sunny
Another beautiful day….library to exchange books for R & R over the weekend.
October 24, 2009
Saturday
Another warm day…
Not much happening…just a lot of reading and cooking, along with watching maintenance men hacking away at the palm trees around the pool. It was very entertaining to watch as they slithered up the trees past where the ladder ended…barefoot no less. It was an all day affair, or course with many breaks in between the cuttings!
Ah….paradise! Love to all.
October 25, 2009
Sunday
86* and balmy
Happy Birthday, Roberta! Hope you had a wonderful day!
Another gorgeous day….they never seem to end. It has warmed up considerably from last week and we are promised more of the same to come. As long as the breeze is blowing it is very pleasant! Clean up of the marina pool and bar area continues. Our friend Bill also returned from Florida…and went from pony tail to a very short haircut! Handsome!
October 26, 2009
Monday
Hot and sunny
Things are warming up again. There is quite a flutter around the pool area today. The clean up is continuing with now cutting and trimming all the shrubs around the pool. They have also cleared out all the tables and chairs in the dining area and setting up lights, computers and running cable wires. We finally found out that a local TV station in Grand Bahama will be in the Abacos for the week to promote the area to tourists and locals. At 6:30 it was lights, cameras, action! The marina manager was interviewed along with the local news being produced from this site. The crew will move on to other areas of the Abacos throughout the week. Last year the entire week was aired from Treasure Cay, but the other settlements complained that they did not get their fare share of the broadcast. Hence….they will move on to other areas. Very interesting and a bit of hub bub for all of us here.
October 27, 2009
Tuesday
Upper 80’s
The heat wave has officially returned. Most of our day, once again, was aimed at staying cool. Lots of reading and relaxing was in order today….and we did.
October 28, 2009
Wednesday
Not a breath of air and 90*
We reserved a car to head to Marsh Harbour once again. This time it was a Toyota Avalon with the steering wheel on the right! At first, a bit of a challenge for Barry but he very quickly became accustomed to the difference, even though kissing the curb a few times. We hit the nursery and were able to pick up parsley, but not much else. We wonder if this is due to their shipment being delayed in West Palm Beach about a month ago. Whatever! We are happy with the parsley. Barry grabbed a great haircut at Lanie’s…much better and less expensive than the last and then we headed to Jaime’s Place for lunch. Decadent cheese burgers and fries…OMG…so good! Sand’s Liquor was our next stop for a case of my favorite Lamothe Parrot and brandy for Barry. We decided to shop at Abaco Grocery today for the few items we needed and found that it is very much like a Sam’s Club. The prices actually were pretty good. A lot of the items were priced very similar to home, and you did not necessarily have to buy “size huge” as they offered most products in singles rather than buying an entire case of something. Home again, home again by 5:00 for a bit of decompression and regrouping until we headed out to Touch of Class for dinner. It belongs to our buddy bartender, Junior, at the Typsy Seagull. The place was empty other than one other couple….par for the course on a Wednesday night. The food was good, just good, not great…grouper for both of us, and I did not have to prepare dinner. It certainly worked for me! Love to all!
October 29, 2009
Thursday
The heat is on…90*
It is still very warm today and not a breeze to be had. Laying low for the day! Roachey, our buddy, is now unemployed with his boss continuing to look for more construction work. I feel bad for him. He is a good guy. He sought a loan from Barry…oh, I don’t think so! Bad, bad idea, and of course Barry refused. He told us to get ready for kids coming to the boat Halloween night, but I have my doubts. Why would they bother to come here? Not too many treats to be had around this marina.
October 30, 2009
Friday
90’s
Thank God for a breeze. It was a simply gorgeous day. Bill came by and invited us to share in Ohio beef for dinner. Sounded like a plan, so I pulled out a few lobster tails to add to the mix. Surf and turf along with Caesar salad was the fare for dinner. Dinner was great, along with Bill’s political insights as always. He is always good for bashing some politician for their current thoughts! The local (Grand Bahama) TV crew returned again today to film the news from the pool area and finish off their week of promoting the Abacos. Tonight’s hot topic was the school system with 2 officials being interviewed. This time I was armed with my camera and went up to grab a few shots for our photo album. The marina also put together a cute display of carved gourds and ghoulish signs. No pumpkins to be had here. Another great week with more to come.
October 31, 2009
Saturday
Upper 80’s
Happy Halloween!
Gorgeous morning. 87* but still cool with the humidity so low. I await the gremlins, if there will be any…Bill claims no one has ever come to his boat in the past, so we shall see. I tend to believe Bill. I cannot imagine parents bringing kids to the marina to snag candy from only 2 boats…us being one of them. The day moved into night….no gremlins, no party at the bar…Augh! I am not used to Halloweens like this one. I am disappointed! On a lighter note…black chicken and polenta for dinner was great…we have not had that in so long….it brings back such good memories! Love to all…. : – )
Gorgeous morning. 87* but still cool with the humidity so low. I await the gremlins, if there will be any…Bill claims no one has ever come to his boat in the past, so we shall see. I tend to believe Bill. I cannot imagine parents bringing kids to the marina to snag candy from only 2 boats…us being one of them. The day moved into night….no gremlins, no party at the bar…Augh! I am not used to Halloweens like this one. I am disappointed! On a lighter note…black chicken and polenta for dinner was great…we have not had that in so long….it brings back such good memories! Love to all…. : – )
