Regatta Primer
I HAVE REGATTA FEVER! And you’re going to be hearing about it, so I should give you the background scoop now . . .
All over the world, of course, regattas – or sailboat races – take place. Even within the Bahamas, various regattas occur during the year. However, in this context, “Regatta” is shorthand for the one-and-only, like-no-other, national sailing championship of the Bahamas that occurs in George Town every April and is more formerly known as the National Family Island Regatta.
Like any sport with a high profile throughout the country, sailboat racing in the Bahamas brings with… Continue reading
Gorgeous Aerial Views
Welcome to a new week! I was in Nassau over the weekend, running errands, visiting with my beau’s family and attending the funeral of a friend’s son. As tragic and sad as that was – a life cut far too short – it was a good day with family and friends. Reminders in so many ways, large and small, to make each and every day count!
The flight home from Nassau is about 30-40 minutes in a small, single-engine plane. After dozing as we left Nassau yesterday, I roused myself for the last 15 minutes to enjoy the spectacular aerial… Continue reading
Fishing Trip, Without The Fish
Ahhh, the Better Life! It’s all a state of mind. I mean, here I am, in the most beautiful, pristine, idyllic setting one could wish for, and I STILL get caught up in a frantic flurry of the almighty Things To Do. On a typical day this week, for example, I started my day at 6:30 a.m. per usual. It quickly turned into a day of blog posting, social media responses, catching up on overnight email, starting laundry, walking the dog, hanging laundry to dry, mopping the floor, cleaning the bathroom, paying bills online, making lunch, visiting with my beau… Continue reading
Hunting Large Sea Snails
Recently, I wrote about an evening boat excursion, which included hunting large sea snails. I promised a fuller description of what that entails, so here you go!
By way of background, I was never a huge fan of escargot (snails) when I would occasionally encounter them at a fancy restaurant in my former life in the States. (However, if you saturate anything in butter and garlic, I’m likely to find it tasty!) So, when an island local offered me bites of an even bigger Bahamian variety a while back, I was even less keen. However, in the spirit of… Continue reading
Weekend Unplugged
Dear Readers, I hope you’ve been having a wonderful, Better-Life kind of week! I definitely have. I’ve been relishing being back home: nesting, organizing closets, cooking, laundry, catching up on my “lists,” seeing friends, eating fish and lobster (lobster season is now closed but people keep some frozen to have on hand), boat rides, fishing (nothing caught, but still fun), snuggle time with Angel, planning some summer activities with the local kids, working on freelance writing project proposals, enjoying the night’s bright sky as the moon nears full, going for walks and so much more good island living!
The morning… Continue reading
Stateside Errands and Small Plane to Paradise
I’ve had a whirlwind of travel lately. A bit too much for my liking, actually. When I’m back in Florida for visits with friends or family, and the ever-present island errands, I’ve described how hectic these Stateside visits can be. My latest trip last week was the most hectic yet!
On Monday, I took a morning flight from the island to Florida. Upon landing, I hopped in my little beater car and drove a few hours to meet friends who were visiting Florida on their kids’ Spring Break.
At dinner, with Theresa (and Kevin behind the camera).
Theresa and Kevin… Continue reading
How Did You End Up On An Island? Part 2
If you’ve been reading along with me, you’ll know that the answer to Part 1 of this question involved opening myself up to broader possibilities and taking the leap of quitting my job as a lawyer. As I wrote in that post, my job for the next year was going to be to design an exciting new life, one that was more in alignment with my true self and how I really felt inside, now that I would have the luxury of time to sift through the clutter of our hectic lives and figure mine out!
Okay, So You… Continue readingEvening Boat Excursion
One evening last week, we took the boat out for a couple hours. With daylight savings, our evenings are longer now and conducive to such weekday adventures!
This particular boat excursion was in a 17 foot Boston Whaler, the boat in which I’m being taught to actually DRIVE (and dock and anchor and tie up, etc.) rather than to simply enjoy going along for the ride. But I begged off taking the wheel first since I wanted to snap some blog photos for you!
Off we went. We pulled away from the private dock and waved good-bye to Milo, one… Continue reading
Fish-Cleaning Video
Good morning, Better Lifers! I have a special treat for you today . . . a video!
Some of the guys went out diving (e.g., free-diving and spear-fishing) on Sunday afternoon. They brought back boatloads – literally – of fish. I enjoyed hanging out at the fish-cleaning bench with all the action. I happily snapped away to take tons of pictures for you and will post those soon. Meanwhile, enjoy this video preview!
Here’s a quick description of what you’re about to see . . .
One of the guys skillfully cleans a large grouper. He holds the fish by… Continue reading
Do You Think About Garbage?
In the course of your day-to-day routines, do you think much about garbage? My guess is no. At least not much beyond taking it out to the dumpster (City dwellers) or curb (suburbanites). Perhaps a little extra thought is given to recycling.
Well, on the island, I think about garbage a lot. For example:
There is one dump on the island. Think about how small this island is (less than 5 square miles) and you’ll understand how important it is to contain the dump. We try to minimize garbage and smells as much as possible. If I cook lobster and… Continue reading
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