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March, 21^st, 2008   What a time this has been!  We left Little Farmers Cay a couple of days early (weather) to ensure that we would be at anchor off of Pig Beach in order to pick up our guests Dana and Laurie.  We have known them for many years and have boated with them and partied with them on Lake Texoma, Texas.  Great friends.  They arrived on Island time (late) and we picked them up via dinghy.    We had pulled the dinghy into a local store dock about a block from the air field.  First time for a dinghy pickup for arriving airline passengers.  We then proceeded to the local pub.    It was time to relax after a long flight from Fort Lauderdale.  Then it was off to Solitaire for a lobster dinner.    The lobsters were so big we could not finish them (well, I did, I love it).

We hoisted anchor the next day and headed to Little Farmers Cay.  OK, the thought process...  If you come to the Bahamas and want to see the local sights, go to where the locals are, not where the tourists are.  So we headed to our favorite Cay and took in the local sites.  That week-end the school was having their all-school fair and we joined in the festivities.  The school administrator from the Region was there and thanked all the cruisers that attended.  He mentioned that without the cruisers, the local economy would be changed forever to the worst (one of the classes in grade school is "Tourism").  

Earlier that day we'd gone to Great Guana Cay for cave and ocean beach exploring.    So they go for the cave swim.  We were joined by friends from "MadCap" Jim and Beth.    Dana is dwarfed by the structures in the cave.  Then it was back to Staniel Cay.  We had to watch the weather and it was time to go.  We picked a good anchorage off of "Pig Beach" and had a day of down time as the wind blew.  The girls relaxed and worked on basket weaving ( a 100 series class in college).    The Cay had changed since the last time we where here.  A wonderful blossom occurred.  Look at the flowers behind Nancy.    Dana tried a little fishing but decided that she didn't want to catch a shark (just too big to clean).    We also went swimming in the Thunderball Cave.  Laurie had found the James Bond movie "Thunderball" in a bargain bin and we had to watch it first.

The visit ended and it was a sad parting.  Great visit and great friends.

Yesterday afternoon we were invited  aboard Smily IV for a Birthday party.  Smily IV is a sailboat from Norway and is crewed by Finn, May and their children: Amanda, Linnea and Anders.  Amanda had dinghied to our boat the day before and sold Nancy some homemade jewelry - really beautiful little necklaces that will be surprises for our little grand-nieces.  Finn served the cake for the Birthday girl Amanda.  It was carrot cake - delicious. May gave us a small Norwegian Flag to fly (and autographed the pole). You meet such nice people along the way.

March, 7^th, 2008  I was thinking (I know, a dangerous sport) and decided to show you the life in one village on one day.  The village, Little Farmers Cay. 

After the dinghy ride into the government dock you are greeted by a welcome sign and usually some friendly folks.    Heading up the sidewalk connecting the village with the dock, you will see a Post Office that is open about 2 days a week - usually the day before the mailboat arrives and the day of arrival.  If you need to mail something when the Post Office is closed you just drop off your mail at the house next door.    This is where you can also get fish or lobster from "Little Jeff".  If you need a water taxi to any of the Islands, this is one of the places also.   Some of the kids who are not yet school-age are also out and around.    The next thing seen is a sign to "J.R's".    J.R. is a wonderful artist in carving wood (he is not a sign painter).  We bought one of his pieces - a beautiful Bahamas parrot carved from Tamarind wood.  By this time, you will probably have heard and seen the chickens.  They are all over the place - roosters crowing all hours of the day and hens with little babies following some around.    As far as we could tell, nobody owns them; they just run around.  Just to your right, you'll find the Little Harbor Supermarket and a Liquor Store with the smallest bar in the Exumas. You'll also be greeted by the folks sitting under the tree playing Dominoes.   Looking up the hill you would see "Ocean Cabin" Restaurant and Bar.    This is where we spent most of our time.  Walking the Island from Little Harbor to Big Harbor, you'll pass the cemetery along the Bay with a beached boat needing repair in the background.    There is a basket ball court a little further down the road. If you follow the road all the way around the Island, you'll come to the airport - and beyond that, Little Farmers Marina. It's a nice walk.

During the day, when we weren't exploring the area, we helped out at Ocean Cabin.  Nancy and I would tend bar, cook, clean, entertain cruisers, and sell T-shirts and flags. We also helped paint the family home.    This is the oldest home on the Island and is made of wood.  Most of the older buildings are made of rock and cement like the one behind me. 

When we have a few hours off, we go exploring.  Across the channel from Little Farmers Cay is Great Guana Cay.  We followed a marked trail to a cave that Nancy likes to swim in.    There is a bucket in the cave under a stalactite that has dripping water.  A cup is provided (hanging on the bucket) to provide you with drinking water.  After doing all the caving that we want to do, we continue down the trail to the Ocean side of the Cay.  Wonderful views and great beachcombing for shells and beans.     

Back at Little Farmers Cay the weekly mail boat arrives and everyone goes down to the dock.     They may be there to pick up a delivery or waiting to get a ride out to the boat for passage to one of the other Islands.  The mail boat anchors out and Aiden takes his pontoon boat out to it and starts shuttling cargo from the boat to the dock.   Around 4:00 in the afternoon the cruisers start showing up at Ocean Cabin for a beer or to arrange an evening dinner.    This picture is of the crews from sailboats "Strathspey", "Mad Cap" and "Solitaire".  We had all seen each others' boats on and off at the beginning of the season as we traveled down the Chesapeake and Intracoastal waterway. We finally met weeks later and still run into each other at times in the Cays.  Inside Ocean Cabin local construction workers (who are boated from Island to Island) come back each evening for dinner and a little relaxation. 

Khadija, Terry and Earnestine's daughter (owners of Ocean Cabin) got a trophy at school today.  It was for most outstanding 5th grade exam scores in the region that includes Nassau and the Exumas.     She is now in the 6th grade.  When she finishes 9th grade, she will be going to either Nassau or the U.S. to attend high school and college.  There are no High Schools in the Exumas so everybody has to leave home.

At the end of an Island day, the cruisers go back to their boats and have little get-togethers.    This evening included "Solitaire" "Strathspey" and "Seabird".

So goes the day.