Neighborness!

Where do I start with trying to describe what it was like to go through a hurricane on a small island?  This a long story, so if you tire of reading, please go to the end and read about neighborness and there is a short video in the middle.

Well, it all started last Friday, October 29th, 2010.  Even though I no longer work outside the home, I rarely watch TV or listen to any type of news.  Therefore, I was not aware of any hurricane warnings.  (I found out later that there were no warnings here on the island until much later in the evening.  Hotel managers that keep up with the weather knew about it, but most of the islanders just thought they were in for a bad rain storm.) But, one of the ladies that works here at my apartment came by and was talking with me and told me that the owners had asked her to move in all the outside patio furniture and to also place towels under all the apartment glass doors.  She said that they said there was a storm a coming.  Then, Gary (who was in Jamaica on a job assignment) called me and said that there was a tropical storm Tomas (not Thomas) which looked to be headed straight at Barbados and would arrive that evening.  Gary said that he was going ahead and flying home that night - but that he would call me when he reached Miami for flight updates.  I really felt like his flight from Miami to Barbados would be cancelled and he would end up staying in Miami for the weekend. I asked him to just stay in Jamaica instead of flying into the storm - but, he didn't listen to me.

So, I brought in all my stuff from off the veranda and dug in the closet for my hurricane preparedness items - lantern, candles, matches, battery operated radio, water, and nonperishable food.  Gary's flight was to arrive around 10:00 pm.  I had a thought that I should go pick up some ice and put it in my cooler, but I decided against doing this.  The TV was posting an emergency warning at the bottom of the screen stating, "Ship boat operators need to secure their vessels or seek safe harbor."  "Weather bulletin:  Barbados is now under a tropical storm warning." "Chief Fisheries Officer Stephen Willoughby advises all ship boat operators to secure their vessels."

Gary called me when he got to Miami and unbelievably, the flight was boarding and they were coming on to Barbados.  I didn't think to check online for any flight delays, I just drove to the airport around 10 pm.  I was actually a little worried about getting there because it had already started raining - but, I knew Gary wanted to see me pick him up - so, I braved it and went on.  Much to my dismay, when I arrived there at the airport, the flight had been delayed by 30 minutes.

The air was very cool.  It was the first time since I had been on the island that I was actually chilled.  That should have been a clue.  Right about the time that the plane was to land, the wind really picked up and started blowing sideways - to the point that everyone was getting up and moving towards the side walls to stand.  (The Grantley Adams Airport is open air seating for flight arrivals.  Which is usually very nice to sit and take in the island breezes.)  I was a little worried at that point for Gary's safety.

But, there he was - smiling at me - as he walked through those glass doors.  He had made it safe and sound.  He later told me that the stewardess had told him that about half way through the flight, the ground control had given the pilot a choice on whether to continue on to Barbados or to turn back to Miami.  I find this a very interesting fact - that American Airlines would put this decision solely on the pilot?  Really?  Gary noted that when they landed, it was a different approach than normal landings, that the pilot did an outstanding job - he gunned the engines, did a nose dive , and then broke hard when the first wheels touched the runway.  The stewardess also told Gary that the crew was supposed to stay the weekend in Barbados, but they had been told to fly back out immediately!  Now I understand why there were no planes at the airport when the storm moved through.

That night or rather very early morning, I woke up around 2:00 am and there was a very loud wind noise that was coming from the front of our apartments.  I got up to check it out.  Everything looked in place, but decided it wasn't a really good idea for me to be standing right in front of those windows.  I was awakened again with a loud thump against our apartment walls - it made me jump straight up in the bed.  At that point, it was about 5:30 am and I decided to get on up - I knew it would be useless for me to try to sleep.  The wind had shifted now - and was now coming in through the veranda sliding glass doors.  That is when I realized because of the shift in wind direction, that the eye had now passed over us - we were on the backside of the storm.  Water started coming in under the glass doors - both in the den and our master bedroom.  I took every beach towel that we owned and put around these doors to keep the water from coming on into the apartment.

We couldn't dare walk outside on the veranda - the wind was ferocious.  My swinging hammock chair was swinging so hard, it was touching the ceiling.  The gutters on the side of our veranda tore off and fell to the pool below.  We could see the ocean as the dawn was breaking, it was very angry.  The waves were not really high, but there were tons of them!  It looked like a sea of waves - white foam everywhere.  Gary went and looked out the front window - and said that the roof of a house across the street was lifting up and down.  There was a downed coconut tree across the street.  Around 6:30am Saturday morning, we lost power.  It was as Murphy's Law goes - unfortunate, because Gary had just gotten some bacon out of the freezer and was just about to warm it up in the microwave!  He ended up having cold cereal instead.  A few months back, there had been a lot of rain on the island and that had caused several water mains to break and a lot of people had been without water for days.  So, when the power went off, Gary and I rushed to fill the mop sink up with water, in case the water was about to go out as well.  It was hot and stuffy in the apartment - no air conditioning, no windows/doors could be opened.  The sound/roar was very loud - a lot like a freight train that kept on passing by - and kept on - and kept on.  Wind was the major factor in this storm, there was no thunder or lightning.  

I think the worst of the wind had  subsided around 11:00am, although it continued to rain all the rest of the day and night.  If you looked out at the ocean, what would normally have been pretty blue skies and fluffy white clouds, was nothing but grey - all grey.  Very dismal.  So, lunch time arrives and we are hungry - we have vienna sausage and crackers.  I had text James and asked him to Google how long food will keep in a refrigerator/freezer - he text back 4 and 24 hours.  So, even though Gary and I would have liked a little pepper sauce on that sausage, we didn't dare open our refrigerator door.  Which brings me to the next dilemma - Gary wanted ice for his drinks - and we couldn't open the freezer door.  Now I know why I had the thought of getting crushed ice the night before.  When will I ever start listening to those thoughts in my head!

Now, to the good part of this story:  neighborness!  I turned on the battery operated radio - and it was so wonderful to hear voices from the island.  We learned that the island was in a complete shutdown - NO emergency vehicles/crew were to be operating!  (Found out later, that a poor lady in St. Lucy parish was having a baby and no ambulance would come to pick her up.)  But, over the next 12 hours, I listened to all the news - from authorities, TV announcers, radio operators and ordinary people - and I will have to say - I wouldn't take anything for this listening time.  I wrote down a lot of things that were said and will share some of it with you now:

"Tomas is now 20 miles south of the island.  You are on your own for a little while, no emergency services at this time."
"Hurricane Warning!  12.9N 59.5W less than 20 miles south of island moving 15 miles per hour."
"Center is passing.  70 miles per hour."
"Tomas is 140 miles spread from the eye."
"Tides are 1 to 3 ft. above normal tide level."
"Stay inside.  Repeat stay inside."
"Mango tree down, neighbors roof peeled back like a tin can."
"Don't use any water unless necessary."
"People are getting on the streets to sight see and it is still dangerous."
"Family of 5 lost their home.  They need food."
"Power lines are on the roads everywhere!"
"Large pear tree down."
"Large breadfruit tree down." (Breadfruit trees seemed to fare the worst in this storm.)
"12 children/4 adults in one house - roof came off"
"St. Lucy - eerily feeling."
"Very dark."
"Medical interventions first."
"Last system like this was in 1955 - Hurricane Janet."
"Tomas is the 19th storm of 2010."
"75/85% of island power is out."
"The most vulnerable people are the ones that get hurt the most."
"St. Phillip is broken in half."
"American Airlines all flights in and out have been cancelled until tomorrow morning."
"14 Cheffettes closed."  (These are the fast food restaurants on the island."
"Power pole is broken and there are sparks coming out and it's catching on fire."
"All Clear given to buses at 3:00pm"
"Anything that you can do to help your neighbor, please do."
"My sister, someone please help her - she is living alone and I can not get to her, she has problem with her feet and her house is getting water.  Please help."
"St. Phillip still high winds."
"St. Andrew has no electricity, no water, no phones."
"Someone help - house is slowly crumbling in on Deighton Rd, St. Michael."
"Try to keep the people calm whose houses have fallen."
"Keith Goddard - Grantly Airport - transmission tower has been damaged/down"
"No one should be coming to the airport."
"Psalm 46 was quoted on the air:  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Be still and know that I am God."  (I can not describe the feeling of peace that came over me while this gentle spoken pastor said these words on the air.)
"Courtney Soloman - people are confused with the all clear message."
"Hardest hit areas appear to be St. George, St. Philip, St. Michael, and St. Lucy."
"Just passed Golden Ridge and 3 men are out there in the pouring rain, hammering down the roof."
"Power company - about 1/4 of our men are out working."
"QEH Hospital is fully functional, but have shut down the CT Scan and have a shortage of staff."
"People that have to use insulin, please place the medicine in cool tap water."


I listened to this radio all afternoon and evening - listened to people calling in and stating where they or their neighbor lived and what type help was needed - and the neat thing was that everyone on the island was listening to this same thing - and when someone would call for help on Deighton Road - I knew that the listeners in that area would immediately run out and find this person/persons in need and give them the help they needed.  It was ingenious!  It was so much better than emergency crews trying to get to everyone.  It was brilliant.  Neighborness - everywhere!  Men were working in the pouring rain helping their neighbors with their homes.  Men were out in the streets - with their chain saws - helping get the big trees out of the way so that the emergency personnel could get through.  Food was shared, shoulders were offered to cry on, hugs were given, scripture was quoted, and lives were saved.

In the end, the real drama to behold on this island was the neighborness.  Man, am I ever going to miss this place!

 

Moss Doesn't Grow on a Rolling Stone

I have been trying to capture a full moon rising over the ocean now for over 6 months.  I can just imagine the beauty and glory of seeing this huge orange/red moon as it starts peeking over the edge of the ocean's water.  I can remember growing up in Tupelo, MS - the times when there would be that harvest moon - as it would be huge and red and making it's appearance in the night skies.  Well, this last Friday - Gary was flying through Miami to get back home and I was here in Barbados - when the full moon rose.  Friday, October 22nd, 2010.  I made a special effort to get clearance from the people at The Crane resort, so that I could walk to the edge of their cliff.  I waited in anticipation for this full moon - there were not many clouds in the sky, so I just knew this was the night!  But, at 5:14 when the moon was supposed to rise, I didn't see any great red harvest moon - I didn't see anything!  Some people came up and were curious as to what I was doing with the camera, when I told them, they and I both thought I had gotten the time wrong.  But, then - I turned back around to the eastern sky - and there it was - just this little bitty ole white full moon!  What a disappointment.   Then, to top everything off - Gary saw the moon I wanted to see - inside his plane in Miami!  He said it was huge and red and everyone was gasping and talking about it.  Hummmmmm.

I was relaying this story this morning to a high school friend of mine and how I was running out of time to capture this event and she commented, "Moss Won't Grow on a Rolling Stone"  I had never heard this expression before.  I googled it and found this document which lists all these different connotations.  I realized many of these connotations fit my life right now - some I want to claim and others I'd rather not.  But, you know how you hear sometimes an expression and you like it - this one I like. It fits me and my life right now.  We are constantly moving, but I am making friends wherever I go - hopefully life long friends - friends that I will never forget - and hope they will not forget me.  I might miss the harvest moon in Barbados, but I will have friends for a lifetime.

Home doorway

The apartment building finally approved our hanging a wall plaque outside our front door.  It may sound stupid to some, but it helps me to accept that this apartment is my home for now.  I have started back to a fitness gym where there is a class that meets 3 times a week - and is made up of all age group women from really young (early 20's) on up to probably in their 70's.  I really, really enjoy this class and this great group of women.  They work us hard for that one hour - but, all of us laugh at ourselves and each other.  It is so much fun!  It is great therapy for me.  I have met some really good friends there - that I know I will carry with me for a lifetime - no matter where I live in this world of ours.  They try to help me learn some of the island dance moves - that go along with their soca music.  I'm glad no one has video taped this event!  :-)   Life is good, life is short - enjoy it my friends!  Happy Monday!

Hey, that's our home down there!

I know I need to write more in this blog - but, I'm feeling the writer's block.  But, in case you are interested in what our home looks like from a jet - here it is.  It is the 5 story building with the red roof - right on the beach.  I copied this picture from my friend - Ann Holmes' facebook album.  (She said that I could, honestly!)  She and Ian came to visit Barbados about 3 weeks ago and we really enjoyed getting to be with our friends - lots of good times eating, snorkeling and playing canasta.  I don't know how she was able to get this great shot of the apartment, but thankful that she did.  It is a sunny day here today - thank heavens, it has been raining most of the time for the past two weeks.

Daring water rescue.flv

There is some type of tropical depression that is hovering over Barbados right now.  We had rain ALL last week and this weekend - and it is still raining today!  Actually, Gary called this morning, after he had arrived at work - stating that the schools are closed today because of this rain.  That might sound unusual to someone who lives in the United States, but it makes perfect sense to me.  This island has a big, serious problem right now with their drainage systems.  So, there are lots of places where people's cars get stalled out.

I am very conscious of other people that are either walking or standing by the side of the roads now - especially right after a rain or while it is raining.  What I mean by that is that there are many, many people that walk on the streets here and many, many people have to wait at bus stands for the next bus.  Lots of these bus stands are right by the road and of course the sidewalks are.  So, if you drive by there and do not move to the center of the road - they will get splashed or worse yet - soaked.  Of course, with everyone trying to dodge all the water puddles in the roads, the traffic slows down considerably - sometimes to a halt!

I wish I knew more people on the island - because I would gladly stop and offer a ride to the people, if I knew them.

March to the Sea - Hawksbill Sea Turtles

I was able to mark something off my bucket list tonight - watching little sea turtles march to the sea!   It was such an awesome sight.  Gary called me this afternoon and asked would I like to see them release the turtles to the sea - and of course I said yes!  They were going to release them at 6:30 pm on the west coast - after the sunset.  They like to release them at night to lessen the chance of the turtles being eaten by crabs and birds.  Only 1 in 1000 hatchings make it to adulthood!  

The reason we were able to see this was because these little turtles hatched from their nest today and thinking that the lights at a nearby hotel were the sun/moon - they headed towards the lights.  The hotel staff diligently picked up around 100 turtles during the day and put them in this box for release later on at night.  

The hawksbill sea turtle gets its name because it's head is shaped like the bill of a bird.  It takes 25 years for these little turtles to reach adulthood.  They mostly feed on sponges around the reefs off of tropical islands where they can go ashore and lay their eggs.  The nest usually takes around 60 days to hatch.  The nest is under the ground, covered in sand.  When the turtles hatch, they use their flippers to move the sand out of the way, the sand starts shifting downward and they gradually move themselves to the top.  This is a picture of our guide for this event - his name is Tom.  He flew into Barbados about 2 weeks ago for this very purpose.  He said that most of the hatchings occur between May and September.  

What an awesome experience.  It was so neat seeing these little creatures head for the sea.  Because they follow a light - Tom used his torch (better known as a flashlight to us Americans) - and he stood right at the edge of the water - so that the turtles would follow his light into the sea. He asked us to be very still and not move our feet and if we did need to move, to shuffle our feet to move in the sand.  

Rain, Rain and more Rain

When it rains, Michele told me, the fish in the ocean jump out of the water a lot - because they are trying to get to the fresh water.  I haven't seen this yet myself - but, will try and notice next time.

AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship - Here in Barbados - Now

This is the view from my apartment window these days.  We have got women boxers everywhere on this island right now!  AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships - the bouts will start tomorrow on the 9th and will go until the 18th.  I'm glad they are bringing business to the island, but man has it slowed our traffic down.  And I am hearing a lot more police sirens these days - I think they are using the police cars as escorts for the boxers.

Also, it has started raining this afternoon - and it is so refreshing.  I don't know if I have ever posted a blog about how cool it is to watch the rain coming towards you - as you are looking out over the ocean.  One problem with the rain, is that it really slows the traffic down because of several areas that have drainage problems.  Most Bajans try to stay inside until the rain has passed.  I don't blame them.  I think I will do the same today.  Time to post more in my blog and enjoy this rainy day.

I am catching up on writing down some of my good recipes.  Sylvie has loaned me a cookbook - called Hamlyn Essential Caribbean - and it has got some of the most awesome recipes in it.  I cooked one last night called Curried Shrimp Pilau.  Fabulous.  Outstanding.  Well, I think that is all I know for today - take care, my friends out in this world of ours.

Going out

Well, it happened last Friday here in Barbados - I went to two different super markets and at both of them - I ran into people that I know - my friends.  I guess that ends the privilege of leaving the house without my hair fixed.  I have only had this feeling in Meridian, MS; Flower Mound, TX and now Barbados.

ZED R's

Do you know what I mean when I say ZED R?  Well, it is a Bajan term (maybe also in St. Lucia).  It is referring to the minibuses that roam to and fro on the roads here.  It is because all of their license plates have these two letters at the beginning of their number ZR.  And in Europe, they pronounce a Z as ZED - hence ZED R.

These ZED R's can be a lot of fun.  Some of them have their own horn tunes such as the Mexican Hat Dance or Dixie.  And if you ever do come and stay with us in our apartment, you will probably hear these horn tunes all through the night!  But, after a while - you get used to the sounds and are not even aware of them.  Trust me, really - I'm telling the truth.  You know, probably the same way as someone who lives near an airport or train track will tell you that the noise doesn't bother them - they are used to it.

Anyway, at night - especially on Friday nights - they get a little more upbeat and rambunctious.  The driver, who hopefully is sober, usually has some really good music playing and all the windows are down and it feels like you are on a roller coaster as you go around the rotaries.  Oh, do you know what a rotary is?   It is a round circle in the middle of a road intersection - and you can hop on and hop off when there is an opening in the traffic!  They use these rotaries here on the island instead of stop lights.  Now that I have gotten used to them - I kind of like them.

ZED R's are a lot of fun - the locals will usually talk with you and tell you where you need to stop to go to this or that place.  So, I took a picture for you to see.  Oh, and another thing - Fridays on the first of the month - don't go to the super centre if you can help it (better known in the southern USA as a grocery store).  Oh, and those super centres - if they need to do a stock inventory..... they just close the store down.  Sorry, if you needed anything - guess you will have to wait or drive to a different store.  

Beach Worm!

I will have to tell you that I am a lot calmer today than I was three days ago!

 It all started a week ago last Tuesday.  When I went to bed, I started scratching what I thought was a mosquito bite.  But, the next day - it really itched and I kept scratching at it.  I started to believe that I had been bitten by some type of bug other than a mosquito.  It kept itching, I kept scratching and the place on my leg started getting redder and there was a red line - which I thought was from my ever so often scratching!

On Saturday, Gary and I went to play golf and I decided to ask the lady behind the counter if she had ever seen anything like what was on my leg.  She had never seen anything like this - but, she said she would flag one of the 5 doctors that were out on the course playing - when they rounded the bend.  I didn't want her to do this.  I know doctors in the USA do not want to be bothered in their off hours and private time.  I told her so - and she just laughed at me and said it was different here in Barbados.  So, before I could object she had flagged down a doctor and he very graciously looked at my leg and said that it was nothing - just a bug bite - that I should try putting witch hazel on it.  OK!  That was a new one for me!  Gary remembered hearing how his grandmother would use witch hazel for different cure alls in the good ole days.

So, we went to the SuperCentre and picked up a bottle of witch hazel.  It did stop the itching.  I thought my problem had been solved.  Unfortunately, when I woke up on Sunday morning - the itch and a new red line was back - just below my previous red line (which Gary had joking told me looked like I had tattooed the word Jo on my leg).  Now, I was getting suspicious - this couldn't possibly be a bug bite - because it seemed to have moved!

I waited until Monday morning - and after driving Gary to work (we only have one leased car here on the island - that is another long story in and of itself) - I went to the doctor's office.  No appointment is needed.  The office has an open air lobby.  The doctor that saw me was a young lady - who was not in a very good mood.  She was complaining to the nurse about this and that.  She listened to my story and looked at my leg and then wrote out two prescriptions - one to be taken for 3 days to kill the WORM and one to be taken for 7 days as an antihistamine!  She said I had what is called a beach worm!  Nothing else was said.  No bedside manners, just the facts Jack!

What?  I had a worm inside of me?  Oh, I was so grossed out!  I was enraged as well.  I was furious.  I wanted off this island.  I was tired of all this.   I cried and cried and did I tell you - I cried?  I called my sister for comfort - she wasn't in the comforting mood that morning.  Oh well - what do I do?  Well, I go get the medicine that the doctor prescribed and start taking it!

I went home and read up on the medicine on the internet - side effects include throat soreness, flu like symptoms, loss of hair, etc.!!  (Yeah, with my thin hair that I probably got from my great, great, great Cherokee grandmother - I really needed to lose more hair.)  The beach worm comes from people not deworming their dogs and then letting their animals poop on the beach!  Lovely thought, isn't it?  By 5:30 pm, when I was to pick Gary up - I could hardly move - my throat was sore and my body ached big time.  Also, my leg was no longer itching, it was throbbing with pain!  I laugh now about this and say that neither the worm nor I liked this medicine.  Well, I'm happy to report that by the next morning - my leg had quit hurting completely - the WORM died and I seemed to have survived it all!

I always wear my crocs to the beach - but, one day while I was watching Alisha learn how to windsurf - I had enjoyed mushing my feet into the sand and letting the waves gently roll over the feet and sand - and I'm sure that is probably when I came in contact with the larvae.  But, I will not be doing that again any time soon!  A lot of my local Bajan friends are very curious about my leg.  They have definitely heard of the beach worm and many have had it as well, but they have never seen it as vividly as is on my leg - because my skin color is white.  They are all so shocked at how it looks.  My advice to anyone, anywhere in this world - do NOT go barefoot on the beach!

What color are you wearing?

Oh what a wonderful Sunday morning.  I went to Barbados Grace Fellowship this morning and the worship service was awesome!  God speaks to people in many different ways - mostly based on how that individual person is built and how they can best listen - but, today the worship service was totally music and it spoke to me - it was awesome!  They introduced me to a group called Jesus Culture?  I am going to have to download their music from iTunes.  I loved their songs - King of Glory, Can't Hold My Praise back from you - are a few that I heard this morning.

On my drive back home, I noticed so many different things about the island.  It is alive and well today.  You could just see it around - everywhere.  First, I passed a bus stand - and there was a guy just sitting there playing his guitar and singing away to his heart's content.  Man, I wish I could have parked my car and listened to him - I bet it was good!  Then, I noticed a young man carrying his young lady friend on the handle bars of his bike.  She had such an expression of pure joy!  Men say they can't understand women - but, this guy had it right.  She was being doted over and carried on his bike for the whole world to see!  He had her at Hello!  :-)

Many, many people were out and about on the streets - good day!  I am the type person that has never noticed many of the physical attributes around me in my world.  I have always felt bad about this - like I was deformed or something.  Like, not noticing what color shirt a person was wearing was a bad thing.  But, I am reading a book right now called "Eat, Pray, Love" - and in there the author comments that she has never been one to notice things about her physical surroundings.  That her sister came to her apartment that she had been renting for about 2 months in Italy - and immediately noticed the details of her bathroom - down to the pink tile - and that she had not even noticed these details in her whole time staying there.  I identified with this author!  I am that way!  But, she did not cut herself down - she viewed it as one of her unique attributes in comparison to others/her sister.  I started to think about this, and realized - I shouldn't be thinking that I had a deficiency in my personality/being - because that is just who I am!  Celebrate who I am!  Yes!  For example, I can not tell you what the young lady or young man on the bicycle were wearing today - but, I can describe for you in great detail the emotions that they were exhibiting.  So, if you feel down and out - that you are not good enough in some way - forget about it!  You are special, you are good, you have some unique qualities that this world needs.  Love yourself and your life!

And why are you here?

Here we have lived in this apartment for a year and a half, and only when Alisha visits us - do we get this honor of a visitor to our veranda.  Why are you here, my friend?  Are you watching after one of God's chosen ones?  You are so beautiful and graceful.

Sweetness

There are a lot of bad things that I see go on in the ocean water, but then are also a lot of beautiful, sweet things that happen there.  This is a picture that I took of the cutest little girl - she was so full of life and happiness.  She was being doted over by many, many family members.  The water was so still on Wednesday - this family all came out to enjoy it while it lasted.  The father, mother, 2 daughters, daughters friends, this little one, a son and probably an aunt and uncle.  They enjoyed their time together - and everyone took turns loving on this cute one!  She is a very lucky little girl!

Windsurfing

Time goes so fast.  I am trying to relish every moment that I have with Alisha.  I know I have only one more week with her here on the island.  What can I do to make a positive impact on her life?  How can I show her how much I love her?  Anyway, she has been taking windsurfing lessons from Rusty.  She is doing much better.  On Wednesday, she was able to turn the board around and head back inland.  We are hoping that the wind conditions will be good today - so that she can practice on her new skill.

Alisha and I have discovered a new reef on the west coast.  It is very alive and has many fish.  We are both very cautious about this reef though - we have seen many snake eels and other things on the ocean floor that look dangerous.  Alisha was told yesterday by a local Bajan that there are also reef sharks on further out from where we were snorkeling!  But, we do enjoy this area so much and there are so many different fish to view.  We also enjoy the shoreline - it is full of shells.  We are trying to collect enough shells for Alisha to make some jewelry from.  She really loves the sea glass and the green color is her favorite.  Here is her first bracelet with the green sea glass.

The Sun and the Moon

Have you ever been able to witness the sun setting and the moon setting - both in the time span of 3 hours?  We did - yesterday.  Gary, Alisha and myself were playing gin rummy out on the veranda - and we watched the beautiful sky turn different shades of pink and blue as the sun was setting over the ocean's horizon.  Then, to our amazement - we watched for the first time ever - the moon setting over the ocean's horizon.  It was fantastic - because as the moon was just touching the water's edge - it turned the colour of red.  You can not walk away from this sight - or you will miss it.  Once the sun and moon get to the water's edge - they travel very quickly on over to the other side!

Bajan Fisherman throwing out the nets

This is a video that I took this morning of a sight that I haven't seen until today.  It involved 3 boats and around 17 men!  One boat was flat and didn't have a motor attached to it.  A second boat was used to string the rope/net out to start off with. The third boat was larger and only had one man aboard - it was there to pull the first boat in.  This was so fascinating to watch.  It took probably about an hour to complete.  I know all of these men were really tired upon completion.  

What were they doing?  They were fishing!  They had this huge net that they separated and strung out between two boats to begin with - and then the majority of the men had on their scuba masks and were navigating one end of the rope back to the flat boat.  Eventually, this rope had made a full circle - thereby, capturing all the fish inside.  The guys inside the flat boat were busy pulling the net and rope back into the boat.  The guys in the water would ever so often, slap their arms onto the water.  (If you got back to the video, you will see some slapping the water.)  I feel like this was to keep the fish inside the net - until they had time to get the net full circle enclosed.

After the net was full circle - I would have thought the guys in the water would have been finished with their part of the job, but they were not!  They were constantly working the net from all sides.  My guess is that they were keeping the net from getting snagged on coral and such, but also - they were probably culling out undesirables from the net - such as turtles.

I was hoping to get a good look at what they caught at the end - but, it happened very quickly.  In a blink of the eye, the final part of the net was tossed inside the flat boat.  My guess is that they caught enough fish to fill a small pickup truck's bed.  I would have loved to seen what came out of that net.  

After the net was inside the boat, most of the men also got back into the boat - and then the larger boat came up and threw a large yellow rope to them - and started pulling them back to the shore.  

These were the guys inside the boat that were pulling the rope and net into the flat boat.

These were the guys in the water that were constantly diving underneath the water working the net from below and also keeping the fish inside the net that they wanted and culling out what they didn't want.

This picture was taken just moments before the net was completely tossed inside the boat.  It happened much quicker than I thought it would.  See how much smaller the circle had gotten towards the end of this fishing endeavor.

This is a new phase of my life - being a full time housewife!  I have divided my household chores up into categories that I do on different days (yes, that is the very logical, organized person coming out in me).  So, today is clean up the veranda day.  It is a beautiful day to do it.  No more rain as yesterday was - just gorgeous blue skies with puffy white clouds floating by.  Even though cleaning the veranda is a lot of work (fan blades, railings cleaned off, 8 full length glass windows, sweep, and mop) - I can't complain - because look at what I get to watch.  Thank you, dear Lord!

Stormfront

Wow, there was a storm front that just passed through.  I have never felt the wind that strong on the veranda.  The sea was angry as I like to say.  And believe it or not, there was actually a wind surfer out there!  Is he nuts?  (didn't take a picture of him, so I added one of my daughter, Alisha)

Tuesday, June 29th 2010

These two parrots have taken up residence by our apartment. They make a lot of noise early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

Children's Laughter

I woke up this morning with the sound of children laughing. It was the most beautiful sound! I went and looked off the balcony and it was a father holding his daughter and son's hands as they were gleefully playing in the ocean. Since they were up so early (6:00 am) - I'm figuring they probably flew in from England yesterday - and today was their first day to get to go to the beach. I wonder if that Dad realizes what he is holding - how he should cherish that moment - it will be gone before he knows it! :-(

The Soursop Punch

Have you ever tried something called soursop punch? My guess is that your answer will be no, if you are from North America. I had never heard of soursop until just recently when Gary and I were strolling around the Sheraton Mall here in Barbados one Friday night. We sauntered into a fruit/vegetable stand and I asked the lady who owned this establishment what this ugly looking thing was - and she was so astounded that I didn't know! She said, "Why that is a soursop! Have you never had any soursop punch?" Well no, I said, of course. She then offered if I would come back the next evening - that she would make me some and bring it to work with her the following day! Can you believe that? This is one of the many things that I so love about this island. Most of the people are genuinely friendly and love to make others happy.

The following day, Gary and I made sure that we went back to the Sheraton Mall and you could tell she was a little surprised that we had returned, but she grinned and went into the back of the store and came out with a quart of soursop punch! It turns out that she is originally from St. Lucia and has been making this punch for a good majority of her life. We couldn't wait to taste it when we got home. It was fabulous! But, I am having a hard time putting into words so that the reader can understand how it actually tastes - sweet but sour at the same time, I guess is the best that I can do here.

I regretted many days after this tasting, that I had not asked her how she made this punch. Then, while Gary and I were visiting St. Lucia, we saw some soursops again and I asked someone had they ever had the soursop punch - and of course they looked at me like I was crazy - of course, they grew up on the stuff! So, they told me it was easy to make - squeeze out the juice from the fruit, put it in a blender along with evaporated milk, vanilla essence, and sweet condensed milk - and then let it chill.

Yesterday, I set out to buy a soursop and to have my first try at making the punch. But, first I had to find one. I couldn't remember what they looked like. You have to realize down here on the island there are a lot of strange looking fruits/vegetables in the super markets - and I have been passing them by. After going to 2 stores and not finding any - I found some at the Big B Super Centre. To make sure that they were indeed soursops, I approached a Bajan woman that was working in the fruit/vegetable section and asked her. She smiled coyingly and said,"those shouldn't be called soursops because they should have been aborted!" I said, "what do you mean, I'm not understanding you." She laughed and said that whoever picked this particular fruit, had picked them too soon and that they would never be good - that they would just turn dark.

I looked frustrated and told her that I was disappointed that this was the 3rd store that I had been to and I had so wanted to try my hand at making soursop punch. She thought for a minute and then she said,"You wait here and I will be back for you." In a few minutes, she walks back into the store with a huge grin on her face - and she is holding two beautiful soursops. She wanted to give them to me. She said that a kind gentleman had brought them to her that morning and she wanted me to have them. I gave her a big hug and she made my day.

I made the punch! It was divine. My only wish is that everyone that ever reads this blog could one day experience the taste of this sweet fruit. It is not plentiful such as mangos, so even when you visit an island - it will not be offered to you - you have to seek it out. Here is a picture of one of the soursops that this precious woman gave me, so that you too will now know what one looks like.

THE THIEF

It started out as any other Saturday would have started out for us, little did we know that this day would end so differently. But, isn't that the way life is - we never know from one moment to the next what is about to happen?

I had just returned to the island after a long visit to the United States. My tan had faded and I was very anxious to spend the day with Gary relaxing in the sun and trying out our new underwater camera. When we had first moved to the island, we would scout out new beaches on the North, South, East and West coasts. Whenever we had the chance to get away, we would take the map of the island and go explore a new beach area. The north side of the island really doesn't have many beach areas - it is more gigantic cliffs. Where you can stand and listen and watch the waves crashing against the sides. Spectacular views from the north coast where the Atlantic and Caribbean seas meet. The beaches on the south coast are a lot more calmer, and it isn't uncommon to see windsurfers and board surfers out each day. The east coast is right against the Atlantic Ocean, so it's beaches can be very rough - usually there are many red signs that signal not to swim in these waters. But, there are some choice beach locations on the east side which are protected by the natural coral reefs. As a matter of fact, one of the top ten beaches in the world is on the east side - Crane Beach. Then, the west coast is full of beaches with very calm waters - where you hear more of an occasional lap of a wave instead of the crashing heard on the opposite side of the island.

North Coastline

Crane Beach - East Coastline

West Coastline at sunset

There is one particular beach that Gary and I are fond of that is on the south coast. It's name is officially Worthing Beach, but most Bajans call it Sandy Beach. We like Sandy Beach whenever the tide is low, because we can walk out a long ways in the ocean and the water is still below our waists. We like it because it has a natural coral reef off the shore line, which protects us from the waves. We like it because the water is the most gorgeous shade of blue. The water temperature is perfect. It is a great spot to snorkel. It has a great beach to lay out on. The beach is never crowded, but has a good flavoring of people from the tourist to the locals.

So, since I wanted to snorkel and try out my new underwater camera and since the tide level was low, we decided to spend our day at Worthing Beach! I was so looking forward to a great day - there were no clouds - it was going to be a good one. I worked hard at getting the breakfast dishes cleared away and to start the packing process. This particular beach does not have a permanent guy that rents out the chairs to visitors, so we needed to also pack up the beach chairs, umbrellas, and beach blanket. I made the best sandwiches with lots of extras in each one. I packed up the drinks in two coolers. I also packed grapes and apples and chips. I was anticipating a long stay at the beach. Snorkeling equipment was rinsed off and lubricated up and fixed ahead of time. Underwater camera was checked for battery life. Suntan lotion was applied. Sunglasses, books, hats, ipods, little bit of money - everything was packed up.

When we got to the beach, we decided that we wanted to lay out for a little bit before going snorkeling. We got to the beach around 10:30am. Oh, and the tree on the beach wasn't taken yet! Yeeha, we were actually going to get to place our chairs under the tree - no need to lug the umbrellas down! So, we took the two chairs and set up under the tree and we took the beach blanket and laid it out on the white sand for some sun. Oh, it feels so good - that sun - at first, it feels like a soothing feeling that I can not even describe. Of course, after a little while, the sun gets hot and we either have to head for the water or a shade.

In this case, we decided to go snorkeling. We do not trust leaving our stuff out on the beach while we are snorkeling - we have been advised several times by the locals not to leave anything unattended. So, we pick up everything that we have out there except for the two chairs guarding our tree spot and two beach towels in the chairs. We went back to the parking lot and put all our stuff in the back of our SUV. We changed into our snorkeling equipment right there by the SUV and then headed back towards the ocean.

We saw some people that had on uniforms(we would find out later that they are called Rangers) and decided to ask them what we should do with our car keys. I was hoping that they would offer to keep our keys for us, but instead they suggested that we place the keys under our towels in our chairs. That they would keep an eye on our stuff. So, that is what we did. Right when we started into the water, I turned to Gary and asked him if he had made sure the car door was locked. This is one of those frustrating times in life, isn't it? I mean, why couldn't I think to ask that question while we were still back in the parking lot - right by the car, right? Instead, I only think to ask it many steps later. But, Gary said no, he wasn't completely sure, so poor Gary walked back to the car to double check that it was locked. After all, it had the food, coolers, beach bag, everything in it! He came back and said that it was locked and so, we felt secure and safe and off we went into the beautiful water and day to go snorkeling.

(Picture taken with new camera - not quite sure yet how to eliminate water droplets, but wanted you to see the color of the water off of Worthing Beach.)

We saw some young turtles around us, but they were not people friendly - and so, we could not get close enough to them for some good pictures. It was a lot of fun snorkeling and we were having a good time, laughing and enjoying life. Gary realized that he needed more sunscreen on, and we were getting hungry, so we headed back to the beach and the parking lot. Our keys were safely tucked under our towels - so, everything was looking great. Or so we thought!

Gary was a few feet ahead of me, walking towards our car in the parking lot. He had the car clicker and pushed the unlock button. As he did this, he noticed that someone was sitting in our car in the passenger front seat! Naturally, the first thing he does is look down at the car and the license plate to make sure that we were not trying to get into the wrong car! But, it was our car. The man starts getting out of the car at this point, because he heard the click of the doors as Gary was approaching. Gary asked the man what he was doing in our car and the man had a sheepish look to him, mumbling something about having a good day. Gary then looks at the man and says, "Your a thief!" At which point, the thief looks at Gary and says, "I didn't hit you too hard, man" and starts running away. Gary, instinctly, starts running after him and starts yelling, "Thief, Thief."

I also start yelling, "Thief, Thief, Thief." That is all I can do. The men are already way out ahead of me and I am just standing there in shock and disbelief, but at the same time I continue to yell, "Thief, Thief, Thief." Have you ever wondered if when you get into a situation like this - that you would be able to yell and have sound come out of your mouth? Well, I have wondered this. Lots of times, in the night - I will have a dream where something scary is about to happen and I wake up with my whole being trying to scream, but nothing comes out. Now, at least I know that when a situation like this arises, at least I have the ability to scream. So, that is what I kept doing - I screamed over and over "Thief, Thief." At one point, I also called out the name of Jesus! I didn't care what I sounded like or looked like.

I was worried as well - in shock - I was watching the man I love more than anything in the world - chasing a thief down a parking lot in a country that is not our own. Fear set in! I looked around me and saw to my surprise that both the thief and Gary had dropped their flip flops at almost the exact same spot - so that they could run faster. I think this was an instinctive move on their parts - not something they had time to think about - they just did it.

When the thief got to the edge of the parking lot, he jumped into a vacant lot next to it which had weeds that were waist high and no telling what kind of garbage had been dumped there. Luckily, Gary did not jump into that lot - but, instead Gary went by the road just a few feet away. I watched as the two men ran eastward behind some buildings in the direction of the beach. I continued to yell "Thief!" I wondered if I looked ridiculous at this point - after all, people were starting to look at me and some were venturing towards me. One elderly couple asked if I was ok, but didn't stop to help. I wasn't thinking - I was just standing there - yelling! What good was I doing? I did start back to the car, thinking I could check on what was stolen, but the car was locked and Gary had the keys. I did pick up both pairs of flip flops that the men were wearing. (Later on, I would realize that this was a wrong move - I was picking up crime scene evidence.) The next thing I remember is a nice looking young man approaching me there in the parking lot. He had on a nice shirt and pair of shorts - not swimming attire. I don't remember what he asked me, I just remember telling him that I thought that we had just had our car broken into and that my husband was chasing the thief going in the westward direction, would he please help my husband by going and chasing him as well. I don't remember what he said to me, but at some point, I realized he was trying to tell me - that he believed our thief had doubled back around to the parking lot and gotten in a car and drove off. He asked me didn't I see the guy driving away? Scary, but I didn't! This whole incident has made me realize - how in a situation such as this - you don't think clearly and you do not realize everything that is going on around you.

It turns out that this young man's name is Daniel. Daniel continues to stand by me and soon we see Gary running back in our direction in the parking lot. Gary comes up to where Daniel and I are standing, and Daniel tells him that he believes his thief drove away. But, Daniel surprises us with the fact that not only does he know the make, model and color of the getaway car - he made a mental note of the license plate number! He asks us if we want to call the police - we do - we ask him what the number is to call - and we find out it is the same as in the United States - 911. We call the police and they say that they will send someone over to Worthing Beach area. We wait and wait and wait. What is so wonderful is that Daniel waits with us! It is extremely hot out there in the parking lot. Daniel could have walked away. He could have chosen to not get involved. He didn't have to wait with us until the police arrived. But, he did! Was Daniel used by God because I had called on the name of Jesus? Every time I tried to talk to either Daniel or Gary, my throat felt awful and it was hard to get any sound out. That is when I realized, how much I must have been yelling through that whole ordeal. It turns out that the Worthing Police Station is literally just a few blocks down from us on the other side of the beach road. While we were waiting on the police, the two Rangers approached us in the parking lot. They were wanting to see what all the ruckus was about. We told them we felt that our car had been broken into and they were surprised that this had happened right under their noses in the open day light. Comments were made that thieves are getting more daring in their attempts because of the hard economic times.

At some point, I had gotten into the SUV and had placed the flip flops on the back floorboard. I had gone through our stuff and noted that all that I think the thief took was around one hundred Bajan dollars (that is roughly fifty US dollars). Amazingly nothing else! He didn't take my drivers license (thank goodness) that was right with the money. He didn't take my iphone or ipod! He was just after the money.

Well, the police finally arrived - two of them, one younger and one older. They didn't seem that interested in the situation - sort of nonchalant, but then again, they are policeman and have to remain calm and level headed. But, it made me wonder were they really even concerned on this petty theft - after all, they have to go after robberies and murderers and such. They start asking us about what happened. Everyone tells their side of the story including Daniel and the Rangers. We tell them that we think the thief didn't take more than around 100 Bajan dollars, but it was more the principle of the matter - that he had broke into our car and was going through our stuff and taking things that were not his to take.

Thank heavens for Daniel! The policeman's interest picked up once they heard that Daniel had noted the license plate number! They asked that Gary and I go with them down to the police station to write up a statement of the theft. They required that I put all of our remaining stuff in the back of the patrol car - so as not to mess up the fingerprints inside our car! Oops! That is when I realized that I probably shouldn't have picked up the flip flops or gone through all our stuff in the car while we were waiting on the police to arrive. But, you just don't think of this kind of stuff in the middle of the ordeal!

Weird feeling, me riding down to the police station in the back of a police car in a foreign country! Gary drove our SUV. It seemed like a life time, me sitting in the reception area of the police station as I waited on Gary to reappear. They had taken him back somewhere for questioning and the statement. They also called in the fingerprint specialist - who dusted the car for the fingerprints. It turns out that the thief had used the small opening that Gary had left in the window - so that the car would not get so hot - to pry the window on down far enough to get his arm into the car to unluck the passenger door. So, the thief's fingerprints were all over the front passenger window and door.

The police said that they would be calling Gary later in the day, if they were able to catch the thief. They told Gary not to get his hopes up, though - that a lot of times these license plates are erroneous. Gary and I were exhausted. We were hungry and tired and just wanted to go home. No longer were there any dreams of a nice, pleasant day at the beach - we just wanted to go home. The thief took not only our money but also other things that money just can not buy.

At this point, in this story - I would like to back up and interject a few things that Gary remembers while he was chasing the thief. Gary remembers that the thief kept looking behind him to see if Gary was still chasing him. Gary remembers the fear in the thief's face. Gary remembers mentally going through what he would actually do - it he caught up with the thief. Gary remembers getting to a point, where it was right at the beach area and there were houses lined up along the way and Gary was wondering if the thief had gone into one of the houses - when a couple of Bajan ladies that were on the beach - helped him out, by yelling to Gary that the guy he was chasing had run that way - which was opposite to the direction that Gary and I thought the thief would have run - it was actually back towards the parking lot! That is why Gary came back to the parking lot so fast - was because the ladies had helped him as well.

The reason Gary and I were so surprised by the thief doubling back and getting in a car and driving off, is that only people with money have cars on the island! So, it was rather weird for a man with a car to actually be stealing from other cars! Another thing that was shocking to Gary and I was that this thief was older! He had gray hair already!

The more travels that I do, the more I realize that things I have always taken for granted in my home country, are not always the same in other countries. For instance, I kept stating that we were robbed. But, the policeman corrected me several times - that it wasn't a robbery. Finally, he told me that a robbery is a lot more serious than a theft - a robbery is when a person is held at gun point or knife point while being robbed on person. I was also corrected by the police on stating that the guards that had watched our keys were called security guards. They corrected me by saying they were NOT security guards. I asked what they were then, and they told me Rangers. I amusingly looked at the lady Ranger who was standing beside me and asked her what her job entailed and she laughed and said - security guard for the beach! Oh well! Rangers they will be from here on out! :-)

We had our lunch back at the apartment. We just sat there, not really saying that much - we finally decided that we would just go down to the beach for a little while right at our apartment. We lathered up with the sunscreen, and were literally about to walk out the door, when of course, the phone rings. It is the police and they tell Gary that the license plate had checked out with the color and make of the thief's car that Daniel had described. They tell Gary that they were in the process of bringing in the owner of the car and that Gary would be called later in the evening after they had picked up seven more guys off the street - for a line up. So, that ended that - we just decided to stay in and wait on the next call from the police - no more beach for the day - what a waste of sunscreen as well! (Everything is very expensive here.)

It was around 6pm that evening, that Gary received the last call from the police. They were requesting that he come down to the police station to identify the thief in the lineup of 8 men. They told Gary that this would be a different type of lineup from those in the states - that there would be no security window/mirror for Gary to stand behind - that he would be face to face with these men. That thought quite unnerved me - I really didn't like the idea of Gary being so close to these guys. But, Gary went down to the police station and faced these men! Gary said that he immediately knew 6 out of the 8 were not the guy, but two of them were similar enough. The one he thought was the thief - would not look Gary in the eyes, the other one just kept looking Gary straight in the face. This makes me think that they knew all along - which of the 8 was going to be the similar faces for Gary to try and differentiate. Gary told the policeman that he felt like one particular man was the thief. But, the policeman asked Gary, "Are you 100% positive that this is the man?" Gary couldn't commit to 100% - and I am so proud of him for that! The last thing Gary or I would ever want to do is to convict the wrong person. The police had not given Gary any instructions prior to going in for the lineup. They did that on purpose. After Gary left the lineup, the policeman told Gary that he had picked the owner of the car, but since he didn't identify him 100%, they were going to have to call in Daniel and see if he identified him in the lineup. Very frustrating!

We did not hear anything else from the police all the next week. Every day that went by, I kept thinking every time the phone rang, that it would be the police with an update - but, day after day no call came. It was late Friday afternoon, that the policeman called and told me to tell Gary that Daniel had been called in and that Daniel had 100% identified the thief and that the thief had plead Not Quilty! They told me that the thief was being held in prison and would be called before the judge at some later time.

That is it! That is all we know. Bajans have told us that it could be a very long time before the prisoner goes before the judge for sentencing - it could take well over a year before anything else happens. So, this guy - the thief - will be in prison for all this length of time - before he is seen before a judge and convicted or not. You would think I would be happy or vindicated by all of this, but I'm not. I feel sorry for the thief. I do not wish him harm. And I would also like to add that Gary and I view Barbados as a wonderful place to live. The people are very nice as was evidenced by Daniel and the two Bajan ladies on the beach. As long as this world remains, there will always be thieves amongst us - no matter where we live.

There are some lessons learned from this that I would like to share with my family and friends. One, do not leave the windows cracked, even ever so slightly, in your cars. Two, don't be bothered by how it might appear to the public, scream and scream loud! Three, try to remain calm and notice every little thing that is going on around you at the time! (I know easier said than done.) Four, don't carry credit cards or large amounts of money with you on short excursions where you know you will not need them - leave them home in a more safer environment. Five, don't carry your real passport with you - carry a copy of the passport and drivers license. Leave the real ones in a safe place back home. And finally, call on the name of Jesus - he is waiting to help you if only you ask!