Well, it has been way too long since I last blogged. Apologies,
apologies. I am still learning my way, timing, organization around here
and that is part to blame; but mostly Ben and I have been very busy with
very little time at a computer. From Wednesday the 26
th to Friday the 4
th,
Ben's bosses (the house and boat owners- Milton & Alice) were in
town with their son, his girlfriend, and good friend. They stayed in
their house and we stayed on the boat.
Now would be an opportune time, I
suppose, to share a bit about work life. Days before their arrival
included prepping for them. Since Ben is the "Captain & Caretaker"
and now I sort of assume a helper role as we figure out this thing,
there is much to do. The house and boat had not been touched in a few
months as Ben was in the states working on our new-old sailboat. So needless
to say, they needed some TLC, test runs on equipment and such, as well
as some love...so that is what we did! Groceries, house prep, boat
cleaning, etc. to ensure a comfortable arrival and stay of his bosses.
So in the days of their stay, we are often on "pause" to see what they
want to do or what they may need. Since their son and friends were
around (all in their 20's), it was a bit more of an active and
adventurous trip! More boat trips=More boat prep and cleaning! Balances
out I suppose...
Honestly though, his bosses are amazing! They are
from Huntsville, AL and are quite the travelers and adventurers. They
are humorous, thoughtful, intelligent, caring, and fun! Most times it
feels more like family and they certainly treat us that way. Ben is so
fortunate to have met his boss 14?yrs ago and been hired by him 5 years
ago. And of course, we are both so blessed to be able to continue our
lives together here with Ben still employed by them...
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| The Sea of Abaco (undone justice of color!) |
So, back to
adventures~ Snorkeling, spear fishing (lobster & lionfish),
boating, deep sea fishing, serious & respectful discussions at
dinner, bike rides, etc.
The snorkeling is wonderful here. There are so many reefs and various spots to see amazing fish and sea life. Large
barracuda (I'm
a bit scared of these intimidating creatures. On my first visit here in
2010, Ben and I were snorkeling and because my bathing suit had some
gold shimmery pieces on it, we were STALKED by a very large barracuda.
Ben literally had to square off and lunge at it multiple times to get it
to stop chasing us. He was very close to us and even though he would
stop for a few seconds, he would soon come up to us again. In all his
sea life, Ben had never had anything like that happen, so it was a bit
worrisome for even him, as he was focused on protecting us. Needless to
say, I have acute PTSD symptoms when I see them. Luckily Ben is there
and I can squeeze his hand when nervous and he can squeeze back for
support. )
Parrot fish,
Triggerfish,
Yellowtail Snapper,
Bluestriped Grunt, Spotfin/Banded/
Foureye Butterfly Fish,
Moray Eel,
Cushion Seastars,
Trumpet Fish,
Nurse Sharks,
Squirrelfish,
Spiny Lobster...just to name a few. Most areas are protected, so fishing and spearing happen elsewhere.
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| Proud to have him as my soon-to-be husband! We'll never starve! :) |
On one excursion, before heading down to
Pete's Pub & Gallery
(world famous ~ and Ben is good friends with Pete's son, Greg; so we
are treated like family by this amazing Family!), Ben helped the
20somethings do some spearfishing (I wasn't in the adventurous mood of
swimming around with spearing novices). Ben speared 2 amazing spiny
lobsters that we used in our dinner that night and then Ben and the
others speared about a dozen
Lionfish.
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| Beautiful but Venomous Lionfish |
This is very important because these venomous fish are taking over the
area~ they are an invasive species that also are quite predatory and
their population is increasing rapidly (they can reproduce monthly!).
They are eating the smaller fish that the other non-venomous fish eat
and so these fish have to find a new home; they also can ruin the food
web relationships that already exists and cause damage to reefs. To rid
of these, we must kill them or hope the very large grouper and sharks
eat them. One guy did get "stung" as he was trying to remove the fish
from the spear. Their spines are venomous and when touched cause severe
swelling, and more commonly vomiting, fever, sweating, dizziness, etc.
(lethality is rare, but has occurred). But luckily, just the swelling
occurred and he was even proud that it happened and he pulled through,
no problem. (No thank you, for me!)
Interestingly, these 20somethings
are also researchers by heart and schooling, so when we got home and
removed the venomous spines, the fish were properly scientifically
dissected to see what they were eating (grunts, crab claw, and the
tiniest shrimp ever were found)...and then properly seared in cast iron
skillets on the grill with garlic, salt, olive oil, and lemon.
Very
Delicious appetizers before our dinner of Lobster Pasta that Ben and I
made (light tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil, onions and a LOT of
lobster tail meat). Yummers! Throw in some Bahamian bread from the
Island Bakery and some Sauvignon Blanc... and the perfect end to a
wonderful day...
We cooked several times for the family/friends;
Ben's boss's wife cooked several times; and we went out several times
(twice at Junovia's because they have the best cracked lobster and
lightly fried grouper in Marsh Harbour)~ a wonderful balance overall!
Another adventure included a trip to Sandy Cay. Milton manned the boat, Alice and I combed the beach, a few others snorkeled, and Ben kept track and guarded everyone and everything (as he does so well). Many treasures were found and some to use for our wedding decor!
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Sandy Cay Beach
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The boat (42') in the distance
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| millions of broken and intact shells |
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| Found these little guys hiding under a board |
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| One came out to check us out |
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| These shells were about the size of my thumb nail |
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| Just a hint of our collection |
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| Beautiful Purple Sea Fan, driftwood, and Coral Piece |
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| Organizing and cleaning the treasures |
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| Super cute intact shell! |
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