s. v. celebration: Easter Sunday in the back of a pick up truck.

Saturday April 7, 2012

Carolyn and I walked to the grocery store early. George was still working on the stainless. A lot of our dock mates were doing the same thing. Sunday is Easter and everything will be closed as well as Monday which they call Easter Monday. I feel this holiday should be introduced in the States. As we walked back we stopped in to see if Don was in his shop to let him know we really wanted to go to church with him. On his notepad attached to his door it read “be back Monday”. We still hoped that he would be back to go to church and the note was about his business.

Earlier this week Carolyn and John met someone in a catamaran who was from their hometown in North Carolina, Gloria and Jim. He makes jewelry out of sea glass that he picks up on the beaches. I have some sea glass that I have picked up but always have someone else make the jewelry. He was going to show some of his jewelry at the pavilion near the marina. He was meeting another lady that was from Guatemala who knits her jewelry. Carolyn and I tagged along. Then Ennie, the lady from the boat next to ours also showed up with bracelets that she makes. It was quite interesting. I got a lot of good information on making jewelry. I may just try to make some if I am lucky enough to find some more sea glass.

ON ELBOW CAY BEACH

Easter Sunday April 8 2012. I woke up this morning with a tear in my eye and a deep sadness in my heart. Today was Jerry’s, my brother, birthday and he died last year on Good Friday. In addition this was my first Easter away from my children. But God knew my needs and provided a wonderful man, Don who had offered to take us to his church. We told him we would love to go but was not sure if he had remembered. We showed up at his workshop/house at 10:15, he had told us last week that he left for church at 10:30. I was a little nervous about going. At about 10:30 he stepped out to see four people dressed in their Sunday best, at least the best they had on the boat. He had a smile on his face. I think we surprised him but he was happy to see us. He had to go back in to put up his motorcycle key and get his truck key. From what he said, he must have another place where he lives besides above his workshop. George and John hopped in the back of his pickup truck and Carolyn and I in the front and off we went. This will be my first non denominational church service. When we got there he said,” we are a little early but I like to talk to people”. We walked in and the sanctuary looked more like we might see a rock concert than a Church service, but as we met the people we really started to feel at home. The music was really great. Three guitars, in which two were played by two of the ministers, a set of drums, 4 women vocalist and the two ministers who played the guitars also sang. Very up lifting music. It was really the type of church service I needed. The message was also great. The preacher had a good bit of humor in his message. I understood why Don felt at home in this church. I think George and I have found our church away from home. After Church we ate leftover steak from the Jib Room. Then I started preparing our Easter feast. Carolyn cooked the roast and tea, Jan brought stuffed celery and deviled eggs. I made cream corn and okra that I had put up this summer, butter beans and peach cobbler. Everyone came to our boat about 5:00. It was also a bon voyage for Jan and John B. They are headed to Cat island, Nassau and then to the Exumas. We may see them again as we are going to the Exumas in about three weeks. It was a bitter sweet day but as George said, “it was an Easter that we will never forget.”

ON THE WAY TO EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES

Monday, April 9^th 2012 we expected John Tucker, Captain of Bone Fish in Brunswick. He was to fly in on business on Sunday and have lunch with us on Monday. He charters bonefish fishing adventures out of Moore’s island. He has a beautiful power cat that keeps in Brunswick when not on a charter. Bone fishing is really a big sport in the southern Florida and the Bahamas. We ate at curly tails and had a nice visit. I learned a lot about bone fishing. You use a fly rod and you wade out in the shallow water. John is a graduate from Ga. Tech and has been a fly fisherman since he was young. A lot of people turn their hobby in to a business after they retire. Good way to stay busy during retirement. That evening, all of the boaters said good bye to Gloria and Jim at Mangoes Restaurant, as they were headed back to North Carolina the next day. I sat next to Bill, the doctor from last year that worked on our Windless. I learned he was not originally from Australia, he was from Southern Alabama. He explained that he received a scholarship from Oxford and from Australia and chose Australia. He continued to explain that his mom was not very happy about his choice. He told his mother it was only going to be a year or two of course that ended up being more than a few. He practiced medicine in Australia until moving to the Bahamas. His mother was from South Carolina. When he talked about his mother he would imitate a prefect South Carolina accent, all the other times of course, he sounds like an Australian. We talked a lot about government red tape and why he gave up medicine and ended up in the Bahamas. The people you meet and get to know are the true treasures. The evening was a lot of fun.

Dinner with dock mates at Mangoes

Jim and Gloria from North Carolina

Tuesday April 10 was the day we had picked out to take the ferry to Hope town. We wanted to look for sea glass. John and Carolyn had never been so it was a fun trip. We wanted to go to the Abaco Inn but the courtesy van was not working. We had heard a week ago that the van was broken but I thought it would be fixed by now. Nothing moves fast in the Bahamas. So we checked into renting a golf cart but decided we could walk. The man at the golf cart places said it was only two miles form town. We had lunch at Capt. Jack’s, my favorite restaurant in Hope Town. After lunch we started our hike up to the Abaco Inn. We walked and walked and walked we had gone about 2 miles so we thought we were almost there when we meet some other people walking and asked how far it was to the Inn. They told us it was about 2 miles. They said don’t worry there is a Bar on the beach about 100 feet ahead. So while George and John refreshed with a cold one Carolyn and I went to the beach too hunt for sea glass. We did find a few good pieces. After walking back to town we went by Vernon’s Bakery and bought a world famous key lime pie. On the ferry we meet up with Bill again and he offered us a ride home. The ferry dock is about 1 ½ mile from mangoes dock where Celebration is. You have to understand we have walked all day. He told us it would be a little tight in the back seat. George elected to walk and then and only then did he let me take the key lime pie. George mentioned something about 1 mile walking would erase the calories from 1 beer. Anyway, we were all so tired when we got back Celebration we served Easter leftovers.