Capitol week

De Anne and I spent 10 days at home before getting back on a plane. We felt the urge to cheer Tristan as he ran in the Marine Corps Marathon and so invited ourselves to stay with him in his 1 bedroom apartment on the Potomac River - Virginia side. With foresight and planning we had left a queen size airbed with him on a previous trip, so our sleep was assured. Once Mama was cooking his favorite meals the pain of parents on-site was greatly eased.

 De Anne accompanied Tristan to the start line in Arlington Cemetery while I positioned in front of his apartment building which was mile one of the marathon. He almost caught me not ready to snap a picture. The wheel chair racers left the start line first, then the "pro runners", then the pack appeared. Tristan was sprinting and moving towards the front of the pack.

 Tristan in red shirt and black shorts. The far left runner in the first picture and on right side of the second picture. The man in black in the second picture is the doorman in Tristan's building and ran out into the street to give him a high five.   (click to enlarge)

He maintained a fast pace for 20 miles, then had to slow down. He still managed to sprint the last quarter-mile to the finish line near the Iwo Jima memorial and finished in just over 4 hours.

 Tristan survived the day; however I was worn out trying to catch him along the route around the Washington monument. I thought I could catch him using the subway, but I (or maybe the subway) was not fast enough. 

After a couple days of recuperation I was ready to venture forth again. We visited the National Zoo. The entry fee is free - thanks all you taxpayers!

 Strange zoo sign.

Giant Panda relaxed and enjoying bamboo.

Giant Panda looking good against the fall foliage.

This concludes our trips for 2015..... maybe.

Bahamas wrapup

Our trip to the Bahamas is history and we both felt the month went by too quickly. Spanish Wells is now on our places to return list.

 A few extra pictures. Click to enlarge.

 I love Baby Bear's expression:

Along the docks:

One end of the beach:

The next trip is 10 days away. We will return to Washington DC to cheer Tristan in running the Marine Corps Marathon.

Last day

Our stay in Spanish Wells comes to an end tomorrow. The time has passed quickly. 

A couple days ago, De Anne was walking back from the grocery store when a golf cart, carrying two men, pulled to a stop and the driver said "get in". She did and told them she was going to 13th street. At 13th street they turned, drove up the street and deposited her at the front gate. It's a small island and after a month people are recognizing us and know where we are staying.

Another indicator of the island lifestyle is that half the golf carts are parked with the keys in the ignition. I have yet to see a bicycle locked up anywhere. We have gone for a few evening strolls and noticed all the homes with doors and windows open. 

This is the safest place we have ever been.

 

The two main streets in town converge. Our bikes in the foreground:

Kayak repair

Lucia had a kayak in the backyard. We asked about it and she told us that she and a friend had salvaged it on the beach. It was almost completely buried and took a couple hours to dig out. She had not used it because it was missing the front hatch and therefore susceptible to swamping.

Using my dubious shade tree mechanic skills I wired a piece of tarp across the opening and sent De Anne to sea following Captain's Ron's advice: "if it's gonna break, it'll break out there."

As you can see above, she returned safely. 

And then, not much

All the dire warnings came to naught. Days of wind and just a few showers were all we got. The hurricane did provide some grief to several islands including the southern coast of Eleuthera, but we are at the northern tip of this 100 mile long island and that made the difference.

We walked around yesterday morning and saw the last few small boats being pulled and 9 out of 10 homes were boarded up. 

At the point, the best restaurant on Spanish Wells, The Shipyard, was closed and boarded up.

So after that brief interruption, back to our decadent lifestyle of endless vacation.

Cat 3.... Maybe 4?

The original forecast a few days ago was a category 1 hurricane on Thursday. That was all fun and games. Now, however, with a forecast of a category 4 storm tomorrow, folks have gotten serious. Window boards are going up and supplies laid in. We got an extra 5 gallon jug of water and some more non-refrigerator food.

Starting at 6:00 am this morning we closed up the shutters in our apartment. I would love to show you a picture of De Anne hanging out of a second floor window to unhook the shutters, but that was not happening because I was busy holding on to her legs.

We moved all the porch furniture and the grill inside, then helped Lucia.

Covering the front window.

Before the grill came in, a lobster dinner.

The power company will be shutting down the power soon, so dear reader - see you on the backside of the storm, hopefully just a few days away.