Junior Junkanoo or Junk a Canoe as one of the kids calls it!!!!

Bakers and Birthdays

We got this awesome cake for our birthday girls at the Chocolate World at the Circle Mall. It was oh so yummy!!!

 

Guess who was 39 and who was 30?

 

This very delightful man sells wonderful bread from his home on Young Husbands Road or Way or something like that every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I order whole wheat bread from him and it is delicious. He also has white bread and sweet buns. I highly recommend finding him!!!!

The Girls are Back in Town

A daily activity was feeding the fish in the canal. They would have been there at dawn so we had to suggest that 8:00 was a better time for fish. It is just like having an aquarium in your back yard. There are so many different species and so many different colours. I like feeding the fish!!!!

 

 

What a wonderful afternoon spent at the beach with two Bahamian friends.

 

This is our local vendor Joy. She is very well named as she truly is a joy to know. Quite the sales lady!!! "Back in the day" when our beach here at Xanadu was really busy, she made a great living selling her wears. Today, not so much. She still comes almost every day and sits under her palm tree and waits to see customers on the beach. I really think there are more folks on the beach this year. On a really busy day, there maybe 6 of us!!!! I hear Travelocity has posted Xanadu as one of the best beaches around and I am blaming them for the increase in people. If you are visiting the island and want to come to Xanadu, don't bother. This beach is the pits. Hehehe......

 

 

 

Toad's on the Bay

Judy and I have stopped at Toad's on the Bay in the Williams Town Settlement for a beer or two and a few conch fritters after we have been off enjoying a local beach. This has become somewhat of a ritual. Shelly the bar keep is always a delight and calls us,"Baby" all the time. This is the smallest of the three bars in Williams Town and the quietest. We sit out on the porch and yack!!!!

 

 

This is the view from the beach.

Below is the view from the porch.

 

The computer story......

So, I move the case, the backpack containing the computer crashes to the floor.

As soon as we get to our house in Island Bay in Bahamia, I grab the backpack, boot up the computer and look with held breath to see what is going to happen. Hmmm , that's interesting, the screen is split in half in kind of a gray colour. It alost looks like two pieces of gray paper put together. Not good. Oh, I so hope it is really sick and not dead!!!

Saturday is New Years Day. Everything is closed.

Sunday, the business store is always closed.

Monday, I'm there at the shop first thing in the morning. "It needs a new screen but we don't do that but I know a guy....It will cost $180 to fix and I need cash down." I give the guy $100. He appears to want more. Sorry. Not going to happen. I get a receipt and notice the store name isn't on it. Hmmmmm......

An hour later the phone rings. My screen isn't ordinary. It is now $200 and will be ready next Wednesday.

Todd is now visiting the following Wed. and sure enough I get a call first thing in the morning telling me that the computer will be available around 4 that afternoon. We run around doing tourist things and about 3:30 we are in the store's general area so we drop in. They can't find my computer anywhere. They can't find the techie. They call the techie. He tells me to go home but that the computer is going to be ready. I explain I don't want to come back into town. He sticks to his guns and tells me to leave. Just about as I am leaving the techie area I notice for the first time this sign that says something like, "To our customers. Only pay cash to the cashiers at the front of the store." Oh my, a little late for that!!!!!

I head down one of the major arteries in Freeport when my cell rings again. He asks where I am. I tell him I am almost at Wendy's so he says fine he will meet me in Wendy's parking lot. Todd loses it with me and I have to remind him #1 of the family heirarchy and #2 You are now in a different world and #3 I would almost walk on glass to get my computer back!!!!!

We are only in Wendy's parking lot a few minutes. Todd is still mumbling to himself. I notice this very nice car drive in and sure enough it is being driven by the techie. I get out. Boot up the computer on the hood of the car. All looks good. I give him another $100. He is getting ready to drive away when I ask my first dumb question,"Can I have a receipt?" Followed by the next dumb question, "Is is guranteeded for any amount of time?" He kind of smirks but not quite, "You have my card. Give me a call." Not bring it back into the shop, no, meet me at Pizza Hut!!!!!

Saturday at Jerrisma's....

On Saturday I drove to the West End and met with this delightful group of women. The idea was that we were going to talk about some craft ideas and then I learnt that they also wanted to learn how to knit. They are starting a craft co-operative and will soon be putting up tents on the main road going through the West End so folks can stop and shop as they are sightseeing around.

 

The shop is in a room at the back of the store beside Jerrisma's house.
 

If you happen to see anything that you would like to buy, just let me know and I will pick it up for you!!! 

Saturday at the West End.....

I was getting pretty hungry after working with the knitters so on the way back to Freeport, I stopped and got some fresh conch salad for our lunch. I'm not sure how many people realize that one minute this conch is living a happy life in its shell and four minutes later you are eating it. In Mexico lime juice is used to cook the fish in civiche and the same goes for the conch salad BUT here you don't wait a couple of hours to eat the conch salad. You eat it right away. I finished Ray's off for my breakfast today. I wasn't sure if it was safe to eat after 48 hours. I talked about calling Jerrisma but hey, what the heck, I'm a brave woman, I just ate it. Hope you hear from me next Monday!!!!!!!!!

 

I always wanted to do a collage of Mexican faces and now I feel the same way about so many pics I have of Bahamians. Isn't this just a gorgeous shot showing these wonderfu l chiseled features? 

 

This fellow is throwing conch shells back into the ocean. You know, the same ones that tourists pay $10 for in Port Lukaya as they get ready to get back on that cruise ship!!!

 

On Thursday, Judy and I went to the Beacon School for Handicapped Children to help make Junkanoo costumes. They weren't quite ready for us to we picked up a brailer and came back to Beacon and then went to Ruby Swiss Restaurant where Judy teaches her blind students brail.

On Friday morning we went to the PACE center to teach knitting to 11 pregnant teens. They are delightful young women and we had a great time. We also dropped in at the orphanage. It was my third visit. I am trying to get an interview so I can start helping there. I'm getting the feeling they don't want any help. I will take a bag of books in this Friday as I have more than a suitcase of them to give away. Maybe I can bribe them with gifts!!!!!

This pic shows Judy and I at our favourite watering hole, Toad in the Bay, in the Williamstown settlement. Locals hang out here and Shelly always takes good care of us. Sands light is usually the pick of the day. Last week I asked for a Bahama Mama and then couldn't drive for an hour!!!! Won't be doing that again!!!