The Island – Green Turtle Cay is only about one mile wide at its widest point and about three miles long. It sets directly on the Atlantic Ocean so in the morning we look directly eastward. At night, we can see so many stars, and sometimes it is so clear that we can see star clusters that the pirates of old would have seen. This is a truly beautiful place to spend a little bit of your life at. So, time to relax.
Day FOUR – Well, vacation has officially begun, and the weather was nice on our first full day on the island. My youngest daughter was excited to finally be on vacation on the island with mommy. And my oldest daughter was happy that I was finally on the island too.
Traditionally, I am the first one up in the morning, so I typically make a full pot of coffee usually just before sunrise. I like to take my cup of freshly brewed coffee out on the deck to watch the sunrise, sometimes cresting the water on the horizon when the morning is clear, or peeking out from the clouds on those mornings when the clouds are low on the horizon. I also have a habit of taking a picture of my coffee cup resting on the railing with the sun in the background just to establish that it is morning at the house.
Once the rest of the family gets up, then it is time to make breakfast. Sometimes I make breakfast, sometimes my wife makes breakfast, and then sometimes grandma makes breakfast. We are on an island where everyone pitches in.
This was especially true after Hurricane Dorian tore through the island with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and gusts near 220 miles per hour. And the entire island was in the eyewall of the storm for over six and a half hours. Everyone on the island pitched in and worked together to survive after the storm moved away from the island. And the devastation on the island was extreme. While our house sustained some damage, our neighbors house was leveled. About 100 feet was the separation between our two houses. Just down the beach there was only half of a house left standing. So many houses were destroyed and many more sustained major structural damages rendering them unlivable.
I remember seeing the first pictures being posted from the spotter plane flying over the island and I could not believe what I was seeing. The first pictures taken were of the town and the western side of the island. We are on the eastern side of the island and there were no pictures posted from this side of the island posted. It would be another two days before we saw pictures of the eastern side of the island and from the area of the island where the beach house was located.
When we finally saw our house, we noticed that most of our neighbors’ houses were gone or mostly gone. Only a few of our neighbors’ houses were still there. And we noticed that our house did have some roof damage. But from the air the pictures only showed some of the damage. The inside of the house would need to be rebuilt.
So yes, everyone on the island knows you, and everyone pitches in and helps. And you help too. The island is one large family.
After breakfast on the first day, we usually hop into the golfcart and head to town to get some groceries and say hello to the locals we know. And you do this to get that feeling of “I am here, and it is time to relax, and it is five o’clock somewhere” feeling.
So, this day is dedicated to destressing and searching for that first pirate rum drink of the day. This year I was a bit more reserved with my pirate rum drinking. I think that I was worried about the medicine I was taking having some effect on my health and that added stress because I really wanted to enjoy my time on the island with a nice cold pirate rum drink as I call them, and there are many variations on this island.
It is also the day that my oldest daughter always wants to go fishing off the dock where the turtles like to swim and get fed. When the water is nice and shallow we venture out and let the turtles swim next to us and the rays also like to swim up to get a pet rub. I must say that this has always been a good time. Of course, my daughter has never caught anything. It is just part of the island experience.
So, as the day was going on, we planned on going out to dinner. This is a tradition on our first night on the island and part of our destressing strategy. Well, that didn’t happen. The girls were cranky and didn’t want to go anywhere. We did takeout instead. And with grandma not here with us, the evening was a bit more challenging with the girls trying to get everyone settled. Once bedtime arrived, we were all exhausted. Time for some rest.
Good night…
Day FIVE – I got out of bed and slowly made my way to the kitchen. Time to make the morning pot of coffee. The sun is getting ready to rise above the calm Atlantic Ocean horizon. Today there were no clouds blocking the horizon. I love mornings like this because standing on the deck with my coffee and watching the first sign of the big shining orange red sun just starting to peak out above the water line of the ocean horizon is an amazing experience.
A clear, cloudless morning in the Bahamas is a time to really take thought of where you are in life and where you have been.
And I know where I have been. The question for me now is this: “Where am I going and what road will I be traveling”. I have been developing this feeling of not knowing what my future will be after surviving my major medical event and beginning to sense that more was coming regarding my family life. But whatever the answer is, I need to be strong and clear minded. And beautiful mornings in the Bahamas help me with creating my pathway forward.
Ok, so today Grandad is doing work around the house today. He said he will take a break for lunch, so we decided to go to one of our favorite lunch places on the other side of the island. The lunches there are made with local ingredients when available, the drinks are cold and strong, and they have this beautiful beach with shallow water during low tide which was occurring that afternoon. The girls love the beach.
Grandad left right after lunch to head back to the house to finish his work. He said he would get the grill ready since we planned on cooking some chicken wings and burgers. That would be dinner tonight. We decided to keep it simple since we were going out on the boat tomorrow.
After we feasted on the wings and burgers, we cleaned up the kitchen and began to wind down for the evening. The girls didn’t want to do much. They went to their beds and watched their electronic devices. By 9:00 PM I was ready for bed since I knew I would be the one getting up early and starting the day preparing for our boating journey.
Good night…
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