Grocery Adventures
We made it to the grocery store and picked up some provisions. That's when we found out - they don't sell beer there! Anyway, when we were checking out, the cashier told us about the community party to celebrate Independence Day and fund raiser for the newly constructed library / media center / computer training center. I was thinking it would be great to be able to settle here and teach all these people about computers, the internet, website design, etc. Ah, dreams …
[Digression: I just told Leia about this as I was waiting she was thinking something very similar. We are, as usual, totally in sync]
We went out to the car to put in the groceries before going back to the liquor store to get more Kalik. I locked the car doors - the first time I did that. Then I found I couldn't unlock either door. Damn!
Just when I thought I'd have to call Stanton Cooper, a black man with his kid came out and asked if we needed help. He tried the keys and had the same luck I did. He looked in the open trunk (I was able to get that open) and saw the seat back was removed. He proceeded to get into the trunk and used his back to push the seat forward. He then was able to unlock the door from the inside! I helped him out and offered him $5.00 American which he took without argument.
Sammy's
Back in business, we got the beer and then headed to Sammy's for breakfast / lunch / dinner - a place which we got directions for from the cashier at the grocery story. Sammy's was a small little restaurant owned by Samuel Colmer, a local business owner who is also a Freemason!
I ordered the conch salad, but they were out. Instead, I order the conch chowder and conch pieces with peas, rice, macaroni and cheese and potato salad. Leia ordered the cohc pieces with fries (I had her tomato & lettuce with French dressing).
As with the other restaurants we at in so far, the food was fantastic. The chowder was closer to that at the Unique, but I thought a lot better. Everything else was cooked to perfection and of course, the Kaliks were cold and refreshing.
Governour's Harbour
After we ate, we headed back to Palmetto Point. On the way, Leia asked if we could stop at Governour's Harbour, the capital of Eleuthera, to go to Christie's and see if we could get info on the plot we called "Sea Grove." We got directions to the realtor's house (Elisa Pyfrom) which wasn't too far away and found it on Pyfrom Drive! While I waited in the case, Leia talked to the woman in her drive about her two dogs and seven cats.
According to Elisa, Sea Groves' beaches comes and goes with passing storms. That's why it's a third class beach, I guess!
We drove around and looked at the historical sites of GH. We saw the old library and where the fish fry was for the Independence Day celebration was going to be. The chairs were already set up for the festivities!
Back to Palmetto Point
Once again, we were on our way to Palmetto Point, but Leia wanted to detour again and see the plot that Terry Sands suggested was more for us. It was off of Banks Road, so we drove there and parked the car. The beach had debris, but was very nice. I didn't think it had the same allure as Sea Grove - there was coral close to the shore no islands immediately off the beach - but according to Elisa, at least the beach didn't get swallowed up. I was leery, though, since I could see that when high tide came, there wasn't much beach left.
We headed back to get some ice from the package store, then to Tia's for Leia's lollipop (my wife has a bit of a sweet tooth). Then we finally got back to the bungalow. I opened a Kalik and ate some pretzels until I cooled down from the oppressive heat. Then we both went to lay down in the hammock.
I did one or two words in the crossword puzzle, then put the book down to take a nap. I only woke up when I realized I had to move my foot. Leia suggested we go in as it was getting dark! How long was I asleep?
We changed clothes and took a drive down to the Caribbean side - the pier where the locals hang out. Very pretty to me, but not as appealing to Leia as the Atlantic side.
After the pier, we went to the ice cream shop on Church Street (the Country Kitchen, I think). I had the coconut / pineapple ice cream. Leia had a slushy and some popcorn. We sat there for a while, watching "Big Brother" (the American version) with some local youth, the picture as clear as day!
Next Time
A political commentary to spice things up.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
July 8, 2004 - Sea Grove
Weekend Plans
Yesterday, I asked Kendra (the waitress from The Rainbow Inn) what the big plans were for the were for the Bahamas Independence Day celebration. She told us al the happenings were going to be at Savannah Point, where the composer of the Bahamian National Anthem was from.
The festivities started with church and went until day until Sunday. Lots of dancing, music, pageants for kids, eating celebrating. She encouraged us to check it out.
Also on Sunday, I’d love to go to see the local church to check out the services. There's a Methodist church near where we're staying and a Baptist one, too. I'm hoping to hear a good gospel choir as I had in Tennessee one time when I was there on business many years before.
Property Exploring
While Lee slept, I went outside to take the first phones of the trip. I was hoping that Quentin would show up for his shot and eventually heard me on porch, when made him come a-callin'. I got a few good pictures of him.
Lee woke up and we got read to walk to the Coconut Groves (residential area) she came upon yesterday. It was a bit of a trek south on Banks Road. The weather was, of course, hot and humid, but worth it when we came upon "Sea Grove," as Lee has dubbed it.
There, big as life, was the HG Christie's sign. We walked past there and Lee pointed out the large house and the neighboring guest house labeled Darby's. Leia advised me not to take pictures, but being an American in my heart, I did it anyway (out of respect for the owners, I will not post them online).
We walked further down the road to the while chalk piles which began an unfinished road which we followed to the ocean opening. The Atlantic view was breathtaking and the cool ocean breeze was a relief on my sweaty face. I snapped a few photos, then followed Leia down to the sand. I stripped down to my bathing suit to join her as she was already frolicking in the water.
Undertow!
What a difference this time - no coral! The beach seemed to be empty (as usual), save for a couple people we saw way south of us who were walking their dog. Just off the shore were two small islands. I estimated it would be a thirty minute swim to the larges of the two, but decided I would make the trek another time (when I was in better shape!). Besides, I sure didn't want to encounter sharks in water that far away.
I swam a bit to the darker area where I figured was a coral formation and felt a pretty strong rip current. I tested its strength doing a backstroke against the pull and was just about staying in place. Finally, I was tired, so I swam parallel, than diagonal, to the shore to break free of the undertow. Being stubborn, I tested it again and of course, it had the same effect!
Meanwhile, Leia was totally in love with this particular site and for good reason! We just relished our time in the water, letting the sand wash up into our suits as we sat at the shore break. Eventually, we had to get into deeper waters to empty out the extra sand :-).
When we saw the couple with the dog heading our way, we decided to walk north on the beach back to our bungalow.
It was quite a workout walking in the wet sand - the calf muscles will feel lit tonight! Maybe I worked off some of that conch and Kalik! When we got back to the bungalow, I was hot and sweaty again, as was my wife. We took our showers and got read to go to Rock Sound - again - to go to the grocery store.
Terry Sands
On the way there Leia wanted see if she could find where Sandee (the realtor) had been to perhaps meet up with her later. We stopped off at the same general store we went to when we arrived to get directions. I waited in the car while Leia ran in. About five minutes later, she came out to get her purse. A little girl in there wanted a can of coke, but she didn't have the money. My sweet wife decided she would buy the soda for her.
A couple of minutes later, Leia came back out and I started the car thinking she was read to go. Instead, she wanted me to go back in with her to meet Terry Sands, proprietor of the store and also a realtor.
Terry is an older Caucasian Bahamian who had the longest fingernails I've seen on a man in a long time! Leia had him repeat what he said about "Sea Grove" - apparently, it's a third rate beach. He said he had land which is a much better piece in Palmetto Point not far from our Bungalow. He gave us directions if we wanted to find it ourselves. Terry offered to take us there if we wanted him to.
We thanked him for his offer and I brought out money to pay for two bottles of water. He waved it away and told us it was on the house. We thanked him again profusely and left. What a nice man!
Next time: Rock Sound, part 2
Yesterday, I asked Kendra (the waitress from The Rainbow Inn) what the big plans were for the were for the Bahamas Independence Day celebration. She told us al the happenings were going to be at Savannah Point, where the composer of the Bahamian National Anthem was from.
The festivities started with church and went until day until Sunday. Lots of dancing, music, pageants for kids, eating celebrating. She encouraged us to check it out.
Also on Sunday, I’d love to go to see the local church to check out the services. There's a Methodist church near where we're staying and a Baptist one, too. I'm hoping to hear a good gospel choir as I had in Tennessee one time when I was there on business many years before.
Property Exploring
While Lee slept, I went outside to take the first phones of the trip. I was hoping that Quentin would show up for his shot and eventually heard me on porch, when made him come a-callin'. I got a few good pictures of him.
Lee woke up and we got read to walk to the Coconut Groves (residential area) she came upon yesterday. It was a bit of a trek south on Banks Road. The weather was, of course, hot and humid, but worth it when we came upon "Sea Grove," as Lee has dubbed it.
There, big as life, was the HG Christie's sign. We walked past there and Lee pointed out the large house and the neighboring guest house labeled Darby's. Leia advised me not to take pictures, but being an American in my heart, I did it anyway (out of respect for the owners, I will not post them online).
We walked further down the road to the while chalk piles which began an unfinished road which we followed to the ocean opening. The Atlantic view was breathtaking and the cool ocean breeze was a relief on my sweaty face. I snapped a few photos, then followed Leia down to the sand. I stripped down to my bathing suit to join her as she was already frolicking in the water.
Undertow!
What a difference this time - no coral! The beach seemed to be empty (as usual), save for a couple people we saw way south of us who were walking their dog. Just off the shore were two small islands. I estimated it would be a thirty minute swim to the larges of the two, but decided I would make the trek another time (when I was in better shape!). Besides, I sure didn't want to encounter sharks in water that far away.
I swam a bit to the darker area where I figured was a coral formation and felt a pretty strong rip current. I tested its strength doing a backstroke against the pull and was just about staying in place. Finally, I was tired, so I swam parallel, than diagonal, to the shore to break free of the undertow. Being stubborn, I tested it again and of course, it had the same effect!
Meanwhile, Leia was totally in love with this particular site and for good reason! We just relished our time in the water, letting the sand wash up into our suits as we sat at the shore break. Eventually, we had to get into deeper waters to empty out the extra sand :-).
When we saw the couple with the dog heading our way, we decided to walk north on the beach back to our bungalow.
It was quite a workout walking in the wet sand - the calf muscles will feel lit tonight! Maybe I worked off some of that conch and Kalik! When we got back to the bungalow, I was hot and sweaty again, as was my wife. We took our showers and got read to go to Rock Sound - again - to go to the grocery store.
Terry Sands
On the way there Leia wanted see if she could find where Sandee (the realtor) had been to perhaps meet up with her later. We stopped off at the same general store we went to when we arrived to get directions. I waited in the car while Leia ran in. About five minutes later, she came out to get her purse. A little girl in there wanted a can of coke, but she didn't have the money. My sweet wife decided she would buy the soda for her.
A couple of minutes later, Leia came back out and I started the car thinking she was read to go. Instead, she wanted me to go back in with her to meet Terry Sands, proprietor of the store and also a realtor.
Terry is an older Caucasian Bahamian who had the longest fingernails I've seen on a man in a long time! Leia had him repeat what he said about "Sea Grove" - apparently, it's a third rate beach. He said he had land which is a much better piece in Palmetto Point not far from our Bungalow. He gave us directions if we wanted to find it ourselves. Terry offered to take us there if we wanted him to.
We thanked him for his offer and I brought out money to pay for two bottles of water. He waved it away and told us it was on the house. We thanked him again profusely and left. What a nice man!
Next time: Rock Sound, part 2
Sunday, February 11, 2007
July 7, 2004 - The Night Has A Thousand Stars
Back to the store
We drove back to the market at Rock Point only to discover it had just closed! The sign posted on the wall said it was closed on Wednesdays at 2:00 - must be for church - and it was just then 2:10!
There was a liquor store open next to the market, so we picked up a six-pack of Kalik (pronounced like "k-lick, emphasis on the second syllable) and coke for Leia. We then headed back to the bungalow (the Kaliks were only $2.00 each!).
I was hungry, so we kept an eye out for restaurants. Leia had heart about the Sunset Inn at Palmetto point, so we made for that place. We stopped to ask a local the directions (a very nice older man) and found it right on the Queen's Highway.
The Sunset Inn
The restaurant is right on the Caribbean side and has a moderate view of a couple of nearby islands. The water was SO blue it was gorgeous, sunlight glistening on the small wavelets looking like so many diamonds. Breathtaking!
We got an inside table - it was too hot and humid outside. Natasha sat us at a table at the far end. She turned on the oscillating fan for our comfort, took our drink orders and left.
Kendra, our waitress, brought our drinks and took our lunch orders. While our food was being prepared, Leia wandered outside on the deck to look around. Meanwhile, I read the succinct history of the restaurant on the back of the menu. It was built in the 1940's as a [illegible], but became a restaurant after that. The original building burned down in 1997, but was rebuilt in 1999.
While I waited for the food, I could hear the pounding of the mallets in the kitchen which was, I'm sure, the conch being prepared for our meal!
The food looked and smelled delicious. I had order the conch chowder and conch salad. Leia order the fried conch pieces.
The was chowder was more like I would've expected - like a Manhattan clam chowder - excellent, savory and a bit spicy (the way I like it - perfect!). The conch salad was unexpected, though. No lettuce - tomatoes, onions, green peppers mixed with generous (yet small) pieces of conch in an excellent vinegar dressing. That and a couple of Kaliks and I was a happy camper!
Leia's conch pieces were lightly battered and fried and very tasty as well. All in all, a GREAT meal, but not too heavy.
By the way, "conch" is not pronounced as it's written - the local pronounce it "conk" - and in Italian, it's scungilli!
Pure heaven
We headed back to the bungalow for a little rest and relaxation. Before we did that, though, we activated our rental cell phone and made our calls to our family as well as our realtor. No offer yet, unfortunately. Also, we checked our messages at home. A woman on the island named Sandee called about some property for sale, so Leia called her - but she lost the connection, so we couldn't tell her where we were staying. I even tried to call back - could hear her, but not vice versa (quite maddening, actually).
Leia and I climbed in the hammock for two. She read while I did crosswords. Both of us napped and occasionally waking up to wave at passing cars. Eventually we got up and went into the bungalow.
That night, we decided not to go out, but stayed in to read and talk. At one point, Leia went outside and came in to tell me about the stars. I FORGOT! We went back outside and saw how utterly beautiful the sky is without light pollution! We used the binocular left for guests by Katy and Mike (the owners) and saw some very cool star clusters. Finally, we went back inside.
We ended up playing our music on our MP3 players again because nothing came through on FM and AM was kind of boring. Had we remembered, we would've brought with the crank radio we have which has shortwave on it. Next time!
We drove back to the market at Rock Point only to discover it had just closed! The sign posted on the wall said it was closed on Wednesdays at 2:00 - must be for church - and it was just then 2:10!
There was a liquor store open next to the market, so we picked up a six-pack of Kalik (pronounced like "k-lick, emphasis on the second syllable) and coke for Leia. We then headed back to the bungalow (the Kaliks were only $2.00 each!).
I was hungry, so we kept an eye out for restaurants. Leia had heart about the Sunset Inn at Palmetto point, so we made for that place. We stopped to ask a local the directions (a very nice older man) and found it right on the Queen's Highway.
The Sunset Inn
The restaurant is right on the Caribbean side and has a moderate view of a couple of nearby islands. The water was SO blue it was gorgeous, sunlight glistening on the small wavelets looking like so many diamonds. Breathtaking!
We got an inside table - it was too hot and humid outside. Natasha sat us at a table at the far end. She turned on the oscillating fan for our comfort, took our drink orders and left.
Kendra, our waitress, brought our drinks and took our lunch orders. While our food was being prepared, Leia wandered outside on the deck to look around. Meanwhile, I read the succinct history of the restaurant on the back of the menu. It was built in the 1940's as a [illegible], but became a restaurant after that. The original building burned down in 1997, but was rebuilt in 1999.
While I waited for the food, I could hear the pounding of the mallets in the kitchen which was, I'm sure, the conch being prepared for our meal!
The food looked and smelled delicious. I had order the conch chowder and conch salad. Leia order the fried conch pieces.
The was chowder was more like I would've expected - like a Manhattan clam chowder - excellent, savory and a bit spicy (the way I like it - perfect!). The conch salad was unexpected, though. No lettuce - tomatoes, onions, green peppers mixed with generous (yet small) pieces of conch in an excellent vinegar dressing. That and a couple of Kaliks and I was a happy camper!
Leia's conch pieces were lightly battered and fried and very tasty as well. All in all, a GREAT meal, but not too heavy.
By the way, "conch" is not pronounced as it's written - the local pronounce it "conk" - and in Italian, it's scungilli!
Pure heaven
We headed back to the bungalow for a little rest and relaxation. Before we did that, though, we activated our rental cell phone and made our calls to our family as well as our realtor. No offer yet, unfortunately. Also, we checked our messages at home. A woman on the island named Sandee called about some property for sale, so Leia called her - but she lost the connection, so we couldn't tell her where we were staying. I even tried to call back - could hear her, but not vice versa (quite maddening, actually).
Leia and I climbed in the hammock for two. She read while I did crosswords. Both of us napped and occasionally waking up to wave at passing cars. Eventually we got up and went into the bungalow.
That night, we decided not to go out, but stayed in to read and talk. At one point, Leia went outside and came in to tell me about the stars. I FORGOT! We went back outside and saw how utterly beautiful the sky is without light pollution! We used the binocular left for guests by Katy and Mike (the owners) and saw some very cool star clusters. Finally, we went back inside.
We ended up playing our music on our MP3 players again because nothing came through on FM and AM was kind of boring. Had we remembered, we would've brought with the crank radio we have which has shortwave on it. Next time!
Sunday, February 4, 2007
July 7, 2004 - It's So Quiet!
Got To Have That Sweet Music
Without CDs or FM radio, we were tuneless, but then we figured out we could hook our MP3 players into the auxiliary port of the bungalow's stereo system. Listening to Jimmy Buffet on a Caribbean island … for me, it can't get any better than that.]
Back to the Beach
While Leia went down to the beach by herself, I browsed the bungalow guests' community journal. Typical American comments, not perfect, yada yada. Ungrateful for what it ISN'T instead of being happy about what it IS!
I went down to the beach to meet up with Leia, but by the time I got down there, she wasn't anywhere in sight. Not worried about her, I waded into the water. The tide was higher this time, so I didn't have to negotiate the spiny coral beds as much. It was still pretty rough on the feet / ankles - one needs to look for channels and not get your feet caught as you traverse deeper. Eventually, I figured out I should just float out instead of walk.
The water was SO perfect in temperature you can't believe it. There was a stiff undertow and an increasingly strongly wave that came in hard. Too bad about the coral, though. I was hoping I could body surf some (though the waves are kind of mild).
While in the water, I kept scanning both ends of the beach looking for Leia - for anybody - but quite a while, it was just me and the ocean (and the sea creatures).
At some point, I saw her walking toward me from the south (or I assumed it was her since the figure heading in my direction was over 1000 yards away or more). It turned out that it was her, though. She had been exploring, looking at various houses and properties. She happened to come across an ideal plot that turned out to be for sale! We decided to check it out together tomorrow. She said she walked down Banks Road and had a wonderful time enjoying Mother Nature and the QUIET.
Give Peace (and Quiet) A Chance
For both of us, the quiet is what's so wonderful around here. We live by the Pacific Coast Highway, also know as US-1 or the PCH, which traverses the entire west coast from Washington state to San Diego, California. In various spots, the PCH goes directly through towns, occasionally changing names. For example, by LAX, PCH is renamed "Sepulveda Boulevard."
The constant traffic of PCH gets into your brain and is like an occasionally annoying hum, especially when a Harley is blasting down it through Hermosa Beach [Ed. Where we used to live … the following text reflects that as a present day situation].
We live on one of the few through streets in Hermosa and even though it's a suburban locale, cars whiz by our house at all hours, usually at speeds upwards of 45-50 MPH. It's like people are angry they have to hunt for a through street and take it out on the asphalt and surrounding neighborhood by speeding through it all!.
Out Among The People
Leia and I went up to the bungalow, got dressed and drove to Tia's place to look into the cell phone. The lady there greeted us and I asked if she was Tia. She laughed and said Tia was Stanton Cooper's daughter (here I was thinking she was his wife), but said she was Stanton's sister-in-law.
I got the cell phone from her and the cell minutes card. Leia picked up some drinks for the road as she was quite thirsty from her long walk.
We took off to heard to Rock Point to go to the big market there. It was a very nice drive down the Queen's Highway. We got to see the Caribbean side of Eleu as we drove through - it was a beautiful as I always imagined.
[Leia and I had been "debating" which side of the island we'd want to live on. For me, the Caribbean side is more appealing. It's more tranquil and more exotic. Having grown up on the East coast, the Atlantic is more mundane to me and certainly rougher waters. Hurricanes come from the Atlantic side, so the Caribbean side may be less dangerous during the storm season.]
Rock Sound and Ocean Hole
We found the market at Rock Point, but continued past it to explore a little. Leia saw a sign for "Ocean Hole" where Jacques Cousteau had once explored. Intrigued we drove down to the park there. We learned from the sign that the hole is "bottomless" and occasionally, ocean fish get caught in there and apparently can't find their way back. The placard said that the park was dedicated in 1970.
There were a number of (white) teenage tourists along with some young (black) locals. The teens were bobbing up and down in the hold. We saw a couple of white vans parked there and assumed that they were what brought them.
There was a black woman selling homemade crafts by the hole. She wasn't getting many customers, though (including us).
We watched the kids for a while, then headed back to the car. There was a beagle-like dog which we tried to call over (having a beagle-like dog ourselves), but instead of coming, he quickly walked away in fear from us toward a wooded area adjacent to some houses.
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