Atlantis

It's been a long time since Harley and I have shared so much fun together and we are so glad that we broke down and took a slip at Atlantis Marina.

Brent and Alyssa's first day here was a very full day to say the least. We started the day with a trip into town to check out the straw market and jewelry stores. Then at 11:00 we pulled into Atlantis where we played like kids for the rest of the day.

Atlantis is Vegas, Disney, and Sea World all rolled into one. It has the glitz and glamor of Vegas; it is enchanting like Disney, and has fascinating aquariums and sea life like that of Sea World. But the most fun for us was to be had in the very unique water park. Never before have we been on water slides that throw you uphill as well as down or take you through glass tunnels surrounded by sharks. The whole experience was unbelievable fun.

In the evening we strolled through the casino where Alyssa turned $5.00 into $50.00 in less than 5 minutes. With her winnings she bought the four of us Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which nearly cleaned her out. Nothing was cheap in Atlantis (except for us), which is why we only stayed one night but it was worth it.

I Love the Bahamas - slide show

Great to be Canadian by Carole-Anne

The olympics are over and we didn't get to watch so much as one event. I can't remember ever missing the olympic games. Knowing we probably would have felt exactly the same as she (although I could have never expressed it quite as well) my sister-in-law, Carole-Anne Armstrong, sent us an e-mail sharing her thoughts and feelings. The following is what she wrote:

I have been hunkered down in my apartment watching the olympics for the past 17 days, staying up til midnight most nights. I just could not stop watching. I do love the olympics. I'm not a big sports fan, but I have always enjoyed watching the olympic games. They are in a class all their own. I love the variety, the sports and the athletes that you don't get to see normally and its all concentrated in just over 2 weeks. And best of all, I love how they inspire people. I'm going to repeat myself in the next paragraph but please bare with me.

You should have seen the hockey game - Canada vs. U.S. Oh how sweet the victory was! What an exciting, nail biting game. I sat in my living room watching, almost certain of the gold metal til 24 seconds left of the last period (it was a 2-1 score) and the U.S. team just kept at it, hanging in there, never giving up, tenacious and hungry for the gold themselves. What a great game. What a competition. It was fun and exciting to watch, but I really thought we were in big trouble after the U.S. tied things up. Thank goodness for that young superstar of ours Syndey Crosby. And a thoroughly nice young man to boot! I watched the olympics as much as possible, up til midnight just about every night for two weeks (it made me very tired for work, but I just could not take my eyes away). I truly enjoy watching the olympic games (winter or summer). I am not a big sports fan, but the olympics feel entirely different to me. You get such good variety of things you normally don't get to see and it unifies people as well, and best of all, those athletes are inspiring. They truly are. What wonderful representatives of their countries to show the younger generation growing up, what can be done when you put your mind to it, when you work hard,when you cooperate with your coach and teammates (depending on the sport of course), and when you push yourself to your absolute limit, striving for excellence. I have never seen Canada demonstrate such national pride in a really nice way. I just loved it. The rollercoaster of emotions was exhilerating. I am sorry they are over. It feels so anticlimactic coming into work today, the tv screen in the lunch room black! But at least now I can catch up with my sleep.

Thank you Carole-Anne for giving me permission to post that.

To everyone else, you must agree, Carole-Anne has captured the essence of the games...and so beautifully written. She's right, it is nice to see Canadians demonstrate national pride. We are normally such a modest and even apologetic lot.

I so wish I could have seen the olympic winter games for myself but I guess that's the price of living on a boat. I look forward to 2014.

On the positive side.

There are plenty of nice days. These pictures were taken at Highborne Cay two days ago. The water was 78 degrees. Air temp. 80.

It is what it is.

We sailed into Nassau under perfect conditions. The sun was hot, the wind was 90 degrees to our beam and it was a quick, fun and enjoyable trip from Highborne Cay. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Having said that, we are so glad to be here as another cold front is expected to pass through the area tonight with another one right on it’s tail.

The last three weeks have certainly been a challenge with one front after the other and barely a break in between. It’s not the cold that makes these fronts remarkable, it’s the wind! After all, I haven’t worn shoes or long pants (except for dressing up for Valentines) since I got here so it can’t be that cold. Given that this is our first year here in the Bahamas we wouldn’t know any different if we hadn’t been told that this is “exceptional” being an “El Niño year”.

It is what it is and we are enjoying every minute of it. There’s no need to feel sorry for us….lol. (As if anyone back home would!) Even the rotten days are acceptable. If nothing else it gives us some down time to relax and read a book. Or, if we don't want to do that, there are always jobs to do that we can't get to when we are too busy having fun in the sun.

Pictures:
1. My first attempt at baking bread (made while weathering a storm)
2. A squall going through Norman's Cay.

Heaven on Earth

The picture speaks for itself.

Friends

Some days we have too much wind and others we have too little. Then there are days when the wind is great but coming from the wrong direction. Seldom is the wind perfect but that’s sailing and we have now learned to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Our progress up the Exuma chain of islands has been slow but certainly not boring or uneventful. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be “held up” by weather than the Exumas. We have just spent an amazing week of exploring, hiking, snorkelling, and socializing. Life just doesn’t get better than this. Brent and Alyssa will be here in less than two weeks and we can’t wait to share all this with them.

Today we bid farewell to our new friends Brian and Yvonne who we have been travelling with for the last seven days. Brian and Yvonne are the most fun loving and enthusiastic couple you could ever meet and, naturally, we are going to miss their company. Unfortunately we have come to the “Y” in the road. They are heading north to the Abacos as they need to be back in Canada by April 1st. We, as you may remember, are headed for Nassau. Hopefully someday our paths will cross again.

We’re finding that this is what it’s all about. People come and go into our lives and each brings something special that somehow enriches our existence. We shouldn’t feel sad when they leave but, rather, happy to have had the opportunity to get to know each other. Marg, Steve, George, Kim, Brian, Yvonne…(the list goes on)…. Thanks. It’s been a blast!

Pictures:

1 & 2 snorkelling
3. Dinking
4. another beautiful beach
5. Brian on a hammock made from stuff washed in on shore