Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Unexpected

Last week unveiled an unexpected trip to Nassau with Joel. Honestly, it wasn't a trip I wanted to make the effort to attend, as there were children and a dog to care for, and the thrust into making these arrangements was uncomfortable. However, it was important to Joel that I attend, so I agreed to make the effort. Yes, I know. Who wouldn't want to go to the Bahamas?! And to sum it up in a very simple statement, it was beyond my expectations!

Joel had business meetings on Monday and Tuesday, and one of the gentleman involved asked us to come down, at his expense, and play with them for the weekend prior to the meetings. Spending the day on a boat was mentioned to us, and I think you all know that boating is a native language to us, so it sounded like a fabulous day. Unbeknownst to us though, we would arrive on Friday afternoon and board a 118' yacht and spend the weekend cruising the Exumas, then we would return on Sunday night to spend two more nights at the Atlantis Marina. It was amazing!

Saturday morning had us cruise over at 30 knots to Norman's Cay. If you aren't that familiar, it may not stand out that traveling 30 knots is an extraordinary feat, but for a 118' yacht, it is! What you don't know is that this vessel is a jet boat; that's right, it's like a BIG Sea Doo! Frankly, I didn't know such a thing exists, so that was news to me. Now I'm spoiled by a big, FAST boat! Anyway, we anchored in about 6 feet of water and off-loaded the two Sea Doos and went snorkeling. There was food galore as well as libations flowing! Carnival Cruise Lines has absolutely nothing on private cruising! HA!

We pulled into a very intimate marina for the evening alongside two other amazingly huge yachts, one Mr. Hendrick's, "Wheels", of Hendrick Motorsports and the other, "Princess Sarah" owned by a German gentleman. There were 10 of us on board that day and evening, and we enjoyed new relationships and fine cuisine prepared by the chef as the stewardess , Olivia, attended our hostessing needs. Again, ladies and gentleman, this was an amazing adventure, and I was thoroughly grateful! So, during the "cocktail hour", which was about 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., "Princess Sarah" sponsored a glorious firework show, to which we had a front row seat. Again, AMAZING! Seriously, this was no "dog and pony show". Once that concluded, we gathered on the aft deck dining table for another delicious dinner prepared by Huggy.

My highlight of the weekend though was a visit to "Iguana Island." Conjure up what you like, but you could never imagine what was in store, nor could I! We rode in the tender and on the Sea Doos about a mile up to another tiny island/piece of land. Arriving to the opposite side of our approach, there was a small beach covered in iguanas! It was eerily spooky seeing about 50 small reptiles scurrying about the beach, however I was overly eager to set my feet upon the sand. I quickly noticed they were after my red-painted toenails due to the nature of island guests repeatedly serving these animals "red grapes-on-a-stick!" So it didn't take me long to curl the toes and begin to make friends with these creatures! Amazing! And let me reassure you that these creatures own this island, as it's a very small piece of land amongst others out in the middle of the ocean!

By now you must be past the overly zealous tales of our recent jaunt, so feel free to click on the included link to view the photos. Some may seem odd subjects, so let me explain one. During the packing process, I struggle with what to pack and then what shoes to match with each outfit. I thought we would be staying in a condo and going out for a nice dinner during the evenings, so that meant at least a couple of outfits per day. Anyway, I had many pairs of shoes, all of which were left inside a cabinet in our cabin because there were no shoes worn on the boat. That will also explain the photo of my bare feet!

Again, thank you for virtually entertaining me by perusing my blog and hopefully enjoying the photos. And after experiencing such an unbelievable weekend, my desire is reinforced to have something or some place like this to share with my family and friends. Frankly, it really isn't my desire to have a yacht like that, honestly, but it is a desire to gather as often as I can in any location with the extensions of my love. I do have my home, and you all are welcome anytime! Please come spend an afternoon, day, weekend or week with me; I don't need a Huggy or Olivia either. I'd like to do it myself!

I love you all!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lismc715/16th22ndNassauAboardWanderlust?authkey=_jXynPb8UqI#

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