My Mom's Blog
15 January 2008
*The kids call mom Banya.
Banya Here....What a fabulous time we had with J&O. Getting there was an adventure in itself. While John is a master traveler, his experiences had left him unprepared for our Brown Family Tour. We landed in Nassau (which, may I say, has a way to go before it becomes a Third World airport) and cabbed over to a small airfield, where we met Roland, our trusty pilot, who was to whisk us off to Sampson Cay in a wee airplane. Now, John is claustropobic & will jump thru hoops to avoid regional jets, so I sat in front with Roland. The ride was breathtaking! We landed on a small airfield & were met by Jen & a goggled Ben, who accompanied us on a boat ride to beautiful, pristine & remote Samson Cay.
It was a yacht club reminiscent of colonial times (lotsa British accents, & veddy civilized behavior). As usual, J&O had already made friends with everyone there, guests & staff alike, so we received a warm welcome. I don't want to give the wrong impression. The "club" was one store, & one restaurant/bar, & a full time island population of l2. There were maybe ten boats in all there. Indy was the most realistic one ...the rest looked like floating pleasure domes.
Anyway, it was fabulous to see Sam & Ben. Sam is babbling away, & has taken a real shine to John (his first fan!) That first night, O bought fish from locals & we watched them clean them, then he cut open a coconut & we all drank the milk, which looks & tastes like murky water. Jen whipped up one of her famous horsdoeuvres from a spiny caribbean lobster & we had the first of many steak dishes (the freezer was in danger of meltdown during our visit ..altho O later saved the day) In any case, we were in waste not, want not mode).
I also cannot forget the Caribbean night sky, the blackest I have ever seen, absolutely mesmerizing. I have never in my life seen anything like it!
We had our Christmas exchange (although customs had already opened ours). J & the kids had made us splendid mobiles of shells & sea glass & driftwood... One day we went snorkeling at Thunderdome...another wonder of the world to me. It was like swimming in a tropical fish tank. I will never, ever forget it, & cannot wait to do it again! John...not so much. Speaking of which, he was incommunicado nearly the whole time, & after his travel travails, took it like a trooper (WHAAAAT?????) No, actually, after his crazy schedule he loved to just sit, read , relax & enjoy being adored by his one man fan club. He even cooked one night in Jenny's compact galley!
New Year's Eve was quietly elegant, with fireworks & soft music coming from the yachts & celebrations at midnight. Barefoot people in all manner of dress padded about the dock stopping by boats & wishing one & all the very best. It was one of the best of my life; I was with those I love best, & it was all very exotic & peaceful.
The longer Jenny is on the boat, the more she gets that Ursula Andress look, & O & the boys are totally at home on the sea. They are a handsome family.
Before we left, a bit of a blow came in, & all the boats tied up securely. Winds were whipping up to 50 mph, sweaters were hauled out & hatches literally were battened down, I think. John's thoughts, of course, turned to Roland (OMIGOD!).
Saying goodbye was difficult, as always, but we cannot wait to go back to yet another exotic port of call. One, preferably with an international airport. I know I have missed so much about our lovely visit, but suffice it so say, we had a wonderful time .
In any case, Thanks. Love you guys.
Banya. AKA. Mom.