JANUARY 16, 2008

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2008
We’re here in Georgetown. Did I mention that? I’ve been so bad at blogging lately. I swear, it’s because the computer is usually out of battery power (does ANYBODY know where I can get a Mac cigarette lighter adapter?) and not because I’m a lazy, lazy, LAZY man. We got here on the 15th, and since then have been doing things that we don’t get to do everyday- email, use a phone to make arrangements for various things, and grocery shop. There’s a market here called Exuma Market that has just about everything you could want. A few things (giant avocados, cigarettes) are crazy cheap, everything else is expensive. Yesterday Ruth wanted to stir fry, so she put a red, yellow, and green pepper in the cart, and some chicken breast. The chicken got tossed back when we found out it was $9.20 a pound, and the peppers were $3.90, $3.65, and $.33 respectively. We kept the green one and had spaghetti, which was awesome. I was trying to avoid grains thinking that maybe my allergy has to do with that, but come on, who are we kidding? It was SPAGHETTI. I’ll die first rather than escape the tempting tentacles of that tomato-ey treat.
So anyhoo, in G-town, and the people are still crazy nice. Everyone you pass on the street says hello, even the young black guys, which just goes to prove once and for all that the problems people have between races are really problems between cultures. I like that a lot. I get bummed out by the negativity in our culture, and in black culture especially in the States. It’s incredibly destructive, and tightly interlinked, if not the leading cause of, the miserable situation so many black people are in in American cities. I saw a 19 or 20 year old guy the other day with a PENCIL behind his ear the other day. Can you believe that? It was AWESOME. Take note, kids. There IS another way.
All the cruisers are nice too, mostly retired, all white, mostly U.S. and Canadian, but a few French in the mix, who are really cool. They’re all cool, really. Everyday all the cruisers play volleyball across the beach at 2:30. We haven’t gone yet. Hey, we’ve been busy loafing. Get off my back. (Speaking of that, there are signs on a few of the businesses that say “no loafing.” We got a bang out of that.)
So today: cold front from the North, things a wee rocky. Probably a few days before calmer weather again, so when we think the time is right, we’re swinging around to the ocean side to go a-fishin’, and a-lobsterin’, but not today. Today most likely I’ll go to the hardware, and we’ll continue our provisioning, maybe even hit up the docks to recharge the batteries. They’re a bit low, due to facing the wrong way after the wind blows the boat around some. Sooner or later we dream of buying beer, grits, and maybe even peppers that we’ll dry in the sun to store for a rainy, pepperless day. A case of beer here might be a lot cheaper, but so far remains a beautiful, impossible dream. The idea of buying a case of beer for $72 is kind of insane, even for Guinness 7.5%. Maybe we’ll be able to get it for half that here.
What else? Party on Hamburger beach again today at 4:30, and Friday Happy Hour at Peace and Plenty from 6-7 with free wings of chicken and balled meat, as we would say. Here they call them “chicken wings and meatballs.” How absurd.
Speaking of the Peace and Plenty, the REAL highlight of this blog today: yesterday we made arrangements with Burt and my Pore Ol’ Mudder to come and visit us… in less than a week! Amazing. We’re super excited, and are raring to go scope out all the best conch fields and lobster rocks. We’ll be counting the days.
And on that note, if anyone else wants to come visit, they are welcome, and encouraged, and requested. I think tickets on various combos of Bahama Air, Sky, Continental, Northwest, and Travelocity can run as little as $500 each round trip, even on 1 week notice. And if you would like to stay on the boat, it will be very cramped, and if you can deal with that, we would love to have you. If you want to get a hotel, it’s a lot of loot I think. So prepare to get cozy with us. Consider it a standing invite to follow in Phyllis and Burt’s footsteps.
Well, it’s 8 a.m. now, and this is the time when the “cruiser’s net” comes on the radio to discuss relevant issues. Gotta run.
XOX
Jack