Heading North and South

We left Grenada after a wonderful 6 week stay. We made the True Blue Resort our second home where we could plug in, indulge in an occasional G&T, and check in when the Karmela B was on the hard getting her bottom painted and topsides shined. What a lucky lady! Grenada is a warm and welcoming country. The people are hospitable and helpful, whether on the road asking for directions, or getting a lesson on how to take apart a winch. I learned to make a mean callaloo soup and plantain salad and we watched a leatherback turtle come home to lay her 80 eggs and return to the sea. We hope to plan a salon encounter next year entitled "Where the Fugawi and Where are we Going?" Want to join us?

We had a wonderful week with Kari and we'll pick Alex up in St Lucia the day after tomorrow. We are celebrating our 10th anniversary since we met that fateful lunch date at Legal. We are hanging out 24/7 and for the most part doing great. There were a couple of weeks there where we managed to locate some burrs under each other's saddles.  Burrectomies successfully performed, no one has walked the plank, although there were moments when sailorly self-control was called for....ah, the ghosts!  bligh, blah, ahab, and elijah were visiting... fair winds prevail-no doldrums-no albatross.  By the by, the albatross weighs 26 lbs, has an 11' wing span and circumnavigates the globe 3 x per annum.  (definitely do not want one of those hanging around your neck, thank you very much mr coleridge)

We spent the last week heading north through the beautiful Grenadines. We'll take Alex back down there from St Lucia. The teeny island you see is called Happy Island and Gentil, the owner literally built the island out of conch shells and concrete. It took 7 years to build.He lives there in his 40 feet in diameter home, bar and restaurant.  Solar panels, rain collection system, good music, wifi, and such a view.  He plans to will it to the people of Union Island.  He radiates happiness and smiles like Whoopi Goldberg.

I have to say we like this life. We just miss friends and family. A lot. We have 4 more months before returning to work. It's interesting to not know what will happen each day-what we'll see, what we'll feel like, what we'll talk about.  (besides the weather).  and whether Mick Jagger and David Bowie will greet us when we visit Mustique.  And whether you, dear readers, can figger out which one of us rote witch sentence.  Love, Karmela B, capn and crew

Grenada!

We are still in Grenada and will probably remain here the rest of the month. Kari arrives Tuesday and Alex comes on Sunday. After that we'll get the boat pulled and have her scraped and painted. The repairs have been pretty continuous, the sea and weather are unrelenting. I realize it's not the Karmela B, it's all boats. Attention and repairs are constant to keep boats happy and functional; just money, after all. Go figure.

Mary and Steve and then Claire visited and it was wonderful seeing our friends.  Now they can visualize the life we're living and that's nice for us and them. We really don't do a lot. There's a great deal of staring involved-at the sky, the sea, the birds, whatever. It's amazing that we're not bored, but we don't seem to be. Roger and I still manage to find things to talk about and last night the evening activity was to read out loud to each other.

Grenada is a friendly country. The people make us feel at home, welcomed. Instead of asking at restaurants "what can I get for you?" they ask "are you okay?" Nice. The country is clean and middle class, or seems so from the outside looking in. I'm going to try to take a cooking class if I can find one. We also have a tour scheduled of the medical school on Wednesday. Roger wouldn't mind being on the adjunct faculty.