More interesting times in Hope Town

Tuesday, 14 December, 2010

So here are some good photos from our visit to the famous lighthouse here in Hope Town.  It was a beautiful, clear day but a wee bit windy at the top!  There's this teeny little (but very thick and heavy metal)
door by which you can access the balcony at the top of the lighthouse for "killer" photos such as the ones further on in today's blog.

 Scott had the brilliant idea to take this artistic shot of the staircase inside the lighthouse.  101 steps to the top.  Looks like the inside of a chambered nautilus shell, doesn't it?

Here's a shot of Painkiller from the grounds of the lighthouse.

You can see from this photo how narrow the island is in spots.  The gorgeous blue Atlantic is at the top of the photo, with breakers visible on the many reefs there.

A close-up shot of our home- away- from- home.

A beautiful rainbow appeared one afternoon, just over the pastel pink "Flamingo Villas" at the entrance to the harbour.

We're still having a wonderful time here in Hope Town.  I have been able to reconnect with a friend from Rock Hill, SC-- Karen Huff-Lowe-- who now lives here with her local fisherman hubbie, Robert Lowe.  Her sister, Elaine, was my best friend in high school and it's been fun catching up on news.  Scott & I attended the 9:30 service Sunday morning at the Methodist church here where my parents were planning to fill in as youth ministers in spring 2000--at Karen's invitation.  Because my mother was diagnosed with cancer that February, they had to cancel their trip, to their great regret.  I have felt such a close bond with my folks since being here in this beautiful town.....seeing all the sights and enjoying the many moments here they never got to enjoy.

We've been treated to delicious red snapper caught by Robert himself and hogfish caught by another outfit.  Karen also shared some lemons, sour orange (a local variety), a star fruit and a tangerine from their garden at their home.  Turns out Robert, in addition to being a professional angler, is also quite the horticulturalist and has a backyard brimming with fruit trees and grape vines.

The weather has been unseasonably cold and windy the past few days, complete with gale-force winds overnight Sunday and most of yesterday.  At times, we're told it was gusting over 45 miles per hour in the harbour.  Judging by the bumpy conditions onboard, we believe it!!  Today is overcast but much calmer in terms of the wind.  We are hoping for sunnier, calmer conditions by midweek and are *really* hoping for great weather when our 4 kids come down for Christmas next week.  We can hardly wait for them to arrive!

We're hoping to cross to Guana Cay later this week and take in Nippers and Grabbers, famous (or should we say "infamous") bars around here.  We'll roll back into Marsh Harbour next Monday or Tuesday to get the boat all ship-shape for the kids' arrival on Wednesday.  Until then, stay warm.