Keeping up

I followed De Anne over the one lane metal bridge connecting Spanish Wells to Russell Island. It was a hilly ride and I struggled to keep up with her; however, there were some gorgeous vistas.

Returning to our island De Anne waited semi-patiently for me to have a drink of water and catch my breath.

Once the bikes were put away she was ready for the paddle board. She has the hang of it now and looks good paddling across the bay. The scenery is not too bad either.

She also insisted on carrying it back alone to see if she could avoid relying on me to carry it to the beach.

Stay on the left

De Anne has made the grand tour of Spanish Wells and Russell Island by bike. I have joined her on a couple shorter tours of Spanish Wells. End to end only about 2 miles, so not particularly difficult. 

The important thing to remember is that, like the British, they drive on the left. Most traffic is golf carts, which are well suited for short distance and narrow streets; however, the occasional full size pickup  truck (driven at a speed commiserate with it's size)  can make you wobble. Stop signs are seen as an option - not a requirement.

At the local park looking across the channel at Russell Island.

One thing that would never happen in America - walking back from the grocery store yesterday, three drivers stopped on the street and offered me a lift. If a big brute like me gets 3 offers, De Anne may get a dozen. This morning a guy in a pickup offered us a ride when we were carrying back the paddle board from the beach. Alas, we had only 10 more yards of the 100 yard journey left to go.

Eleuthera, Bahamas

Braving Interstate 95 and the nutty drivers that make Florida highways a religious experience we arrived at the Fort Lauderdale airport safe and on time. The rest of the day was island time.

Utilizing one of the biggest planes to frequent the North Eleuthera International Airport we spent just a few minutes checking in, went out to the runway to retrieve our checked luggage and passed customs in a breeze. 

Our host arraigned a cab/ferry for us. The driver dropped us on the dock and left to put his cab in a dockside garage. Following the advice of an airline pilot who shared the cab I made a quick run to the dockside liquor store for some cheap Bahamian dark rum. The cab driver (now ferry captain) was waiting when I got back to the boat. 

Spanish Wells is only accessible by boat.

Our host for the month, Lucia, met us at the dock, gave us a quick tour of town in her golf cart, then showed us home for the month.

We have a one bedroom apartment comprising the whole second floor and a great deck on the back.

Of course De Anne had to see the beach right away.

Georgia friends

We are using the beach this week properly - entertaining friends from Georgia. Sandy and Vonn are decades long friends of Lisa and De Linda (De Anne's sister) and we have vacationed with them several times before. This time we cut out the middlemen (Lisa & De Linda) and invited Sandy and Vonn down for some beach time.

 The ladies looking for shells:

Yes, it is a beautiful beach, and this afternoon we will take them to an even nicer beach about a mile away.

Evening update - There is nothing better for a man than having three women cooking him a ribeye steak dinner with all the fixings!

Atlanta detour

At the urging of De Anne's sister, De Linda, we took I-85 home instead of I-95. That allowed a detour visit to Atlanta and got us off the traffic hell that I-95 has become.

De Linda and Lisa had completely remodeled their kitchen last year and this year the major project was a new deck. We arrived as the finishing touches were being done.

New back deck:

From the front  yard:

We have rejoined the beach crowd and look forward to getting some of that white sugar sand between our toes tomorrow.

Homecoming

Tristan is home from his Afghanistan tour. We were amazed to meet his Commanding Officer from Washington DC at the International gates in the Baltimore airport. His first CO from his Afghan tour also appeared. The four of us compared notes on Tristan while waiting for the delayed flight. That two Navy  captains would travel to Baltimore to welcome Tristan home was very special.

De Anne, alarmed at his skinny condition, has been feeding him non-stop.

Three whirlwind days of unpacking, furniture buying, and (since it is IKEA furniture) a lot of assembly. He is now stationed in DC and his new assignment is getting a master's degree in International Relations.

DC 4th

One last beach walk before traveling north to greet Tristan returning from his tour of duty.

We are now in Arlington VA at Tristan's apartment next to the Potomac River. He was in this building last year and wanted back in again, so he rented it, sight unseen, over the Internet - from the other side of the world.

Tristan does not land in the US until Tuesday, but De Anne and I came early to set the place up, avoid Fourth of July traffic, and play tourist.

The bad weather yesterday scared us away from the Mall festivities; however, from the raised Freedom Walk we had a great view of the fireworks and dry weather for a while. Tristan's building is on the left of the picture and the Washington monument is to the left of the fireworks.