Thursday, March 05, 2009

Happy Birthday Greg!!! I know you're not getting this wish on your birthday but it's being written on your birthday. We found a terrific little beach here with a single palm tree on it that you could build sand castles with Zack & Sophie on. It's just screaming your name! I think Wayne would buy this island if he could... We got the pictures of the fireplace - it turned out great - nice job guys!

The weather today is a repeat of yesterday. I have the snorkel gear out and the water is so pretty and inviting, but the winds are strong and cold. They've shifted from NE to E now and all of the boats that were originally here when we got here are now gone. We're the old folks now to a crop of new ones. From the radio chatter it sounds like most have gone to Highborne Cay where it's a little bit more protected. Unfortunately the depths don't really allow us access to the best-sheltered spots. This is pretty here. I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast (I really used the last of the blueberries now) then I tried my hand at a 15-minute sketch of the lone palm island and noticed that I haven't drawn anything since 8/18/08 - when we were in Ohio! I can't get the water the right shades - I just don't have the variety of colored pencils needed for the job. Note to self: bring the big box of colored pencils next year.

I went over the charts looking at the various islands and Wayne checked out our batteries and battery monitor. It seems to be perpetually stuck on 13.81 in any position. Once he unplugged them and plugged them back in again though it seems to be monitoring them again. This wind generator is phenomenal. I'm really glad we went with it as opposed to the solar panels for this trip. It's going like gang busters and we haven't had to turn the engine on at all. I'm listening to it whirring uptop as I write this - it sounds like it wants to take off in flight!

I made a tuna salad for dinner tonight. Think I'll take in some more of this stunning view of the water and islands before dinner. The water is an unbelievable aqua color. So clear and pretty it really looks unreal. You can see clear to the bottom in 12 ft of water, even with the waves and ripples. I feel so fortunate to be here and see this pretty white sand and clear aquamarine water that the iguanas call home. It's really strange to view the beauty and know that the ground won't support crops to eck out much of a living here. Lovely but harsh. I almost forgot to mention that in our excursion yesterday we found prickly pear cactus near the ruins.