Bahamian Adventure (with Kids!) Days 13-15

One more speedboat adventure nearly left us high-centered on some coral that appeared out of NOWHERE about a mile off the coast.  We had traveled the very same route the day before with little problem, but on this particular day, we seemed to be surrounded by coral beds as far as the eye can see.  Luckily, the only damage done were some scratches and chips.  One of the engines went out on our way back which made for a tense twenty minutes or so as we trolled back to home base with only one engine, but it seemed to work fine just minutes later.  Perhaps we should leave the boating to the experts...or at least the boat owners.  

Back to Old Fort Bay where I proceeded to get completely fried like a lobster.  I had been so good about reapplying sunscreen the entire vacation and I'm so mad at myself that I got burned!  At least it was on the last day.  It could've ruined a fabulous vacation.  

Dinner at Arawak Cay was less than enjoyable with a pair of whiny, tired kids.  We asked for our check as soon as possible.  We'll try it again on our next trip.  

Prior to a long day of packing and cleaning, we spent the morning at church.  I love going to church in foreign countries because besides subtle differences (like skin color, seating, attendance), the church (the gospel, the spirit) is the same wherever you go.  It's a comforting thought.  I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of Liam in his Primary class.  He was literally the ONLY white boy in class and didn't see anything the least bit wrong with it!  He was sad to leave his new friends, but perhaps we'll see them again someday. 

We returned home to blizzards and bombs in Boston.  We didn't see the news all day until we got home.  I'll never get some of the images from the Boston Marathon out of my mind.  My heart goes out to the victims, their families and to a great, historic city.  It truly feels as if we are living in the end of days, doesn't it?

And thus concludes our Bahamian Adventure (with Kids!)  I'm sure you tuned out around Day 5 or 6, but I couldn't just leave all of these pictures, these MEMORIES, in a sad folder on my hard drive!  At least if we ever end up moving to The Bahamas, you'll have a good flavor of where we are...Not gonna lie, it's a possibility.  Wes's company asks him about twice a year if he'd consider it and we keep saying, "No, thank you..."  You never know.  

Bahamian Adventure (with Kids!) Day 11-12

As our vacation (with kids!) drew to a close, we thought we'd spend a little time in the big city of Nassau.  But first, a little breakfast with the help of the greatest invention known to man, the travel high chair (aka Aiden's prison.)  

For a fairly irreligious community, The Bahamas sure has a lot of churches.  This beautiful cathedral is right in the heart of Nassau.

You can't be in Nassau and not stop at the Straw Market, a place I find extremely stressful.  There's a lot of bartering involved and a lot of "It's $20, but for YOU, $15."  I don't like to pay full price for anything, but most of the sellers look like they could use a few extra bucks, so I don't want to ream them.  It is also nearly impossible to be a nice person there, because sellers are constantly in your face yelling at you and touching your children!  Some of my "no, thank yous" turned into adamant "NOs" by the end of our visit.   

And of course, Liam wanted to touch everything, which didn't help matters, because touching means we must need to buy that!  

This carved conch was HUGE and beautiful and...$900.  

Allegedly, when Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, he landed in The Bahamas.  

A couple of our Straw Market purchases: a straw hat and bongo drum.  Paired together, they made for one cool toddler ensemble.  

He takes his music very seriously.

Rawson Court is still standing strong, though their front gate could use a facelift.  

That evening, we drove to the opposite side of the island to have dinner at Wes's coworker's house.  We LOVE the Cole's.  Alan's British accent really put the finishing touch on my time on the island.  They just recently finished building the house, which was amazingly beautiful.  

Best. Purchase. Ever. 

Thanks to Alan, we now have a somewhat acceptable family picture!  Well done.

Liam entertained us all with some tribal dancing to a groovy bongo beat.  

Is it just me, or is Aiden fully aware that he looks like a mobster?  

After dinner, I asked Alan if he ever plays his grand piano (which has a room all to itself.)  He said he didn't and invited me to play it.  We all sat around the piano and rocked out to Andrew Lloyd Weber's "I Don't Know How to Love Him," a fitting end to an evening with our friends from across the pond.  Thanks for the delicious dinner and great hospitality!  

Bahamian Adventure (with Kids!) Day 10

Dolphin hugging, beach laying, pirate shipping...what's left?  Boating!  But first, a little stop at the park.

The big question was whether or not Liam would react the same way to boating as he did in his younger days.  The verdict is that he LOVES boating at slow speeds but is not a fan of speed-boating.  Aiden approves of both.

This is Liam's buddy, PJ, who is a waiter at The Twisted Lime in Sandyport.  They hit it off right away, with PJ showing Liam the tarpon fish that like to hang out by the blue light in the water by the deck.  As you may know, Liam is OBSESSED with sea life.  He and PJ had a lot to discuss and have been BFFs ever since.  

Don't let his apparent confidence fool you...He's only done this a handful of times...

Yeah, Liam's still not a fan of going fast...

He and Aiden are very different.  

We stayed about a mile from shore, hugging the island to get to Old Fort Beach.  We passed Compass Point, a picturesque beachside restaurant and hotel.   

And we ended up here.  That's someone's home, not a resort.  There are no private beaches in the Bahamas so you can access even the most exclusive areas by boat even if you are prohibited entry by land.  

Time to drop anchor.  He looks like a pro!

That is, a pro until the anchor rope got wrapped around the propeller...Oops!

These kids have no idea how good they have it.

 

We got to the beach just before sunset, so we only had a little while before we needed to head back home.  It was worth the journey!

Wes did some male modeling.

Sunset return voyage, with snacks.

The only known picture of Wes and me from the entire trip.  Let's be honest, it's not great.

I love this picture.  

One of the coolest sunsets I've ever seen... The sun hid behind some clouds for awhile and then peeked through a hole, like the clouds were a picture frame.  

A little fun with color tint...I call this one Lisa Frank Sunset.

Aiden is hooked, Liam is about 50/50 and I'm ready to buy a houseboat.  I think Wes is ready to take some boating navigation lessons because the coral beds really freaked him out.