March 16 - 27, 2016
We had a fantastic week with great friends from home and it was so nice to see familiar faces! We were glad to see Bill, Marianne, Meredith and Michael Berry along with Meredith S (Michael's girlfriend) and Craig (Meredith's boyfriend). They were staying at the Sandals Resort just a short walk from the marina. Two days later, Jim and Cindy Cash arrived! There were 10 of us for a cruise on Slack Tide to a nearby island for lunch at Chat N Chill. It was a rough ride but the best choice of weather days when we would all be together so we held on and took the trip.There were lots of sting rays in the water that would swim right up to you in shallow water.
We didn't get to use Slack Tide as much as we had hoped because of the wind but had great times every day on land. Jim and Cindy rented a small cottage nearby. The house is owned by two Bahamian brothers and Barry was at their service 24 hours a day. He made the week special for all of us! He drove us all over the island and loaned us his car for entire days. He took the Cashes and Marianne, Meredith and Craig on his boat one day to see the swimming pigs, iguanas, and diving for conch. He even prepared fresh conch salad right on the boat. The interesting thing about their trip was when I say boat - it is a 18 foot skiff that has seen better days and is in no way even remotely Coast Guard approved! I wish I had a picture of the Berry girls leaving the dock!! But they had a great day and returned to the dock happy tourists and with stories to tell!
While the 10 of us were together, we celebrated a special occasion, Bill's retirement from American Tire Distributors, with dinner at Sandals. It was a great night and we are looking forward to many good times in Atlantic Beach and day trips on Slack Tide now that Bill and Marianne are free of the corporate world.
It's wasn't all play and no work. Near the end of the week, Barry got a new boat and we spent part of the day helping him clean it. He had a problem with his bilge pump and Captain Hondo felt sorry for him and gave him our spare. It would cost him 3 times as much to get one there and Barry was very appreciative!
Easter Sunday in Exuma was a special meaningful service. In some ways it was traditional and similar to what we are accustomed to at home but definitely with a Bahamian flair.
