Tuesday was a day of discovery - in several ways.

After the events of the morning (the good, and the ugly), we finally got ourselves (along with Judi and Alain) into our rental car and set off to explore. First stop was the Pineville Motel - also covered under its own separate heading (first class entrepreneur) after which we travelled on to the packing plant where for the grand total of $14.00, we bought a full box of: 6 big fat tomatoes in various stages of ripeness, a fist full of tiny green and yellow hot peppers, 3 cucumbers, an eggplant, 4 gnarly red sweet potatoes (that are white inside and firm, dry and sweet when cooked), 6 green peppers and 2 leafy green cabbages! It was a big warehouse type place with no packing going on when we were there - just a half dozen folks sitting and chatting. But what a delight to find all this good fresh produce at an affordable price. We are so used to everything costing more in the Bahamas because it pretty much all must be imported. Andros is notable among Bahamian Islands because it has a real agricultural industry. There is fertile ground here and an ample supply of fresh water.

From there, we piled back in the car and headed for Red Bays, the little settlement on the western shore that has a Seminole Indian heritage. We wanted to find the famous baskets made there, and to meet up with Peter, the Spongeman, and we were successful on both counts. As we drove down the road Alain spotted Jim - one of Peter's helpers - so we pulled in and had a very nice little visit there. We learned of wool sponges and grass sponges and silk sponges, and that they regenerate well when they are cut off at the stem, and that they still grow well here. We saw heaps of them in the yard and a bale of them in the press. (We heard later that one of these bales sells for between $5,000 and $10,000!) Peter told us about his family business - Sponges Direct - starting in Greece and then moving to Florida and the Bahamas. His sons operate out of Tarpon Springs, FL while he does the buying here. We looked at this gracious man's family pictures, learning that his wife of 57 years passed on a few years ago and seeing the loneliness in his eyes. He also shared with us his horrific experience after eating barracuda - carrier of the dreaded ciguatera. None of us will never take that warning lightly!

From Peter's place, Valentino - another helper with the most beautiful shy smile - biked along the road to show us where to see and buy baskets. And oh - there were baskets! Vangie and her family members sat on the porch and in the yard weaving baskets and cuddling babies. The baskets are much like the ones we saw the Gullah women making back in South Carolina and I expect the tradition and skill comes from the same roots. I bought a lovely basket for my table - one that will hold fruit or bread or veggies or whatever is needed at the time. If I had room in this floating home, I'd have bought several to take back home because the prices were a fraction of what they'd be in Nassau, and it feels so good to buy directly from the artist.

After a look at "the end of the road" in Red Bays where skiffs floated silently off the shoreline and what looked like weirs made of branches were scattered about, we turned around and aimed our little Nissan toward the Mennonite farm.

Arriving there was like taking a step directly back to the 50's. The men - young and older - were dressed in smart pants and sport shirts - long or short sleeved, hair was short and combed to one side. No tans or sloppiness or grimy ballcaps. Two little boys with their porcelain faces and slim bodies raced around on old fashioned tricycles and bicycles. No women were visible, although we saw a woman wearing a long dress in a yard up the road. It was all business there, the men walking briskly from autoshop to shed to tractor and back. The quiet spoken black man at the produce stand told us that they farm 10 acres and along with the crisp green beans and broccoli that he sold us, he tucked a sample ear of corn in each of our bags, saying that it is a little expensive at $10 per dozen, but it is delicious. Right on both counts!

We had run out of time by then, so we hustled back to Hank's house to return the car. He wasn't there and his wife didn't seem inclined to believe that he had told us he'd take us back to Morgan's Bluff, but in the end she drove us back herself.

The four of us finished this grand day with dinner on Madcap - stew made from chicken (from the freezer), green peppers, tomatoes, those wonderful potatoes, hot peppers, onion and garlic (all except the last two from our purchases today) accompanied by green beans topped with sundried tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil, and accompanied by a tasty cabernet sauvignon named "Red Truck". Seemed fitting!