As I write this I am delightfully cool, sitting on a bed listening to a kids cartoon on a real TV!!! The kids are in a daze on the bed next to me, totally enthralled by the tv. It sounds crazy but I feel human again...the power of a/c! I would have NEVER lasted as a settlerwoman.
Meanwhile, O is with Indy at the yard knocking things off 'the list' while battling the heat and mosquitoes. If I were there I am sure I would be contemplating torching Indy, but O loves the yard. I swear I lef thim there yesterday and he was almost giddy, like a kid in a candy store...sick, I know.
Indy is getting fresh bottom paint, non skid, awnings(to create some much needed shade), floor varnish, sail drive stuff and a few other things that O will try and throw in. It is stinking hot during the day and mosquito infested at night but O, in typical fashion, is doing almost all of the work himself with the exception of the sail drives and awning stuff. Once again I am in awe of him and his determination and drive.
.The kids and I are staying at a resort for the next ten days. Initially I was a little worried about finding a reasonably priced place because it HAD TO HAVE AIR CONDITIONING! One night while searching I decided by chance to check out skyauction.com to see if they had any auctions in Grenada. We had used the site before to buy our tickets to NZ. Lo and behold, they had an auction for a hotel in Grenada! You bid per day up to 14 days,but you had to book sometime between now and Christmas. At the time the bid was $12 per night. I bid up to a $20.00 maximum bid and it WON! So we are staying at the Grenada Grand Resort. It is right on the beach, has two pools, three restaurants, beautiful gardens and a friendly staff. I am delighted. The taxes per night are actually more than the price! It came in well under budget, I have a fridge to so we can eat without going out and the kids have cool pools with waterfalls.
We arrived here last night exhausted after being in the yard while they hauled Indy. Upon arrival, I was a little concerned because the a/c did not seem to be working very well. I called the desk and was told it just takes awhile, I was skeptical because it was not getting significantly cooler. I unpacked, showered everyone and waited.....no improvement...oh no. Around 9:00 I called again. I know the kids were tired but I was not going to suffer through a hot room when the thought of this hotel was what got me through the 90 plus, no wind August we have been enduring..... The staff was great and found a room three doors down that had a bigger unit, so I loaded up the kids and i moved the family. I think it could very well be the best decision I have made all summer. Pathetic I know, but the heat is a kicker. So, life is good for Jenny Brown. I am in heaven and adore the humming of the aircon. WHAT A TREAT!
Last night after the kids fell asleep I even caught the season premier of The Hills which I had never seen before, but I love crap tv so this was right up my alley!!!
Grenada has been fun thus far. We arrived days before their big carnival. The entire island shut down for five days and partied. We only took part in the parade on the last day which was fun. I would love to post photos but had both kids there by myself so didn't even bother to bring the camera which I regret. The streets were alive with loud music, bright, colorful costumes and lots a booty shaking. Beyonce's got nothing on these people! It was wonderful. Everyone was friendly, smiling and festive. There were LOADS of kids both taking part in the celebration and watching so it was a family affair instead of an excuse to drink caribs. At one point during the parade, I scanned the crowd on both sides of the street and noticed it was moving. You couldn't help moving the mood was so infectious.
The festivities of the parade more than made up for our little problem beforehand.
We had been in touch with our friends on Salt and Light and were planning on meeting them at carnival. We had hadn't seen them since Antigua so we were looking forward to catching up.
That morning we left Prickly Bay for St George which is where everyone was anchored. We got there, dropped anchor and backed down..it didn't take. OK pull anchor and try again...FOUR TIMES LATER..after diving on it etc. nothing. I was so frustrated because I didn't want to miss the parade and it was hot. However, we could not get the anchor to hold. It was like dropping your anchor on a sidewalk. Our friends on The Lady drove to St. George and were waiting on shore while we anchored. Long story short, it is terrible holding. I have an idea that very few people in that anchorage were holding securely(many people that day after I told them our story fully admitted that they we not sure how securely they were holding). There was no way O was leaving with a dodgy anchor set so O and Bruce, who didn't really want to go to the parade to begin, opted to take the boat back to Prickly.
So the rest of us went ashore and met up with our friends it had been quite a while since we last saw them so there was a lot to catch up on. Ben and Ethan are best friends so they were off collecting beads..aka pirate treasure and hanging out like they had just seen each other..
Afterwards the parade we all went to the yacht club for some cool libations. Suddenly it was overrun by cruising kids. There were at least fifteen kids running around. The lots of kids events are always relaxing for me because we all watch each others kids so my sole purpose is not yelling at Sam the entire evening. He can run free with other kids and then falls into bed at night. As a parent this is as relaxing as it gets...while living on a boat.
I must sign off for now but I will post again soon to catch up. I am tired tonight.