. December 2017 .
Merry Christmas All!
And a Happy New Year!
(We hope you like our little Xmas pic trio above.)
Plenty of other pics as well this month. It was a busy one, socially busy it seems, although it is the season!
This year we were lucky enough to have Grandad Gordon (Michelle's Dad) come and stay for the best part of December. We've got some words from him just down the page a little.
As usual, we have some swimming, some beach action, a little bit of local touristy stuff and a bit of fun as well.
Coconut Cup
This is one of the 'taper meets' for the kids and is a good guage on progress so far through the season. Grandad was at all sessions and even got roped in to doing some timing!
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| Jake, pre-race - before the Fly |
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| Sam Pre-race - a bit chilly! |
Both kids clocked some very good times which bodes well for later in the season. Coaches seemed happy too!
There was no rest for Sam and a few of the 'Senior' were off to Florida a few days later for a 'Yards' meet. In the US they swim in 'Yards' (as opposed to metres) for part of the season. These guys needed some Yards times in order to be considered for colleges in the US. They all put in a few respectable times, so now they have something to work on for next time, and can also compare their times to some of the college swimmers there.
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| Airports... gotta love em! |
Crystal Caves
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| Meanwhile, Grandad and the rest of us visited the Crystal Caves, which is a relatively new tourist attraction here on island. |
The caves are all below ground level (which you would expect as we don't have any hills here!) and in very good condition. There are over 100 of them, but only three are currently open to the public - which is plenty because they are pretty impressive.
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| See the scary faces? |
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| The bats are all huddled up and sleeping |
Star Fish Point and Rum Point
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| Grandad wanted the shade (and a Mudslide) |
It was a relatively cold night so there was only one other family entered this year. We were in with a chance. Sam started and gave us a decent lead. Dave did well and managed to stay (just) ahead of his opposite (7 year old) swimmer. Michelle powered through to re-establish some dominence, and then Jake loped home for the win! Coach Grandad thought we did good!
Diving
We decided to get in a couple of dives over the Christmas break. Readers may recall our BVI friend Liz, who was still marooned here. She came along as well, which was nice.
The first dive was at the 'Lobster Pot', close to town.
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| Jake and Grandad snorkeled above |
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| Mostly above... |
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| There were some nice swim-throughs... not a lot of fish on this dive as there were a lot of boats around. |
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| Christmas Tree Worms - yay! |
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| Lets check in here! |
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| OK, maybe not! |
We also checked out another spot which is a little off the beaten track (although still close to town).
Jackson Point - where the Fuel ships moor up and they pump fuel onto the island and into the storage tanks.
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| We had to trek across this Iron-Shore to get to the water though... |
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| Christmas Diving - appropriately attired! (Thanks Liz!) |
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| There was plently of active sea life on this dive. |
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We even spotted a shark.
I know it's hard to tell but this one was actually drawn onto the pic. That's because the camera was a bit slow, or at least the camera operator. But it is a reasonable likeness!
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| Pipelines from the mooring |
Christmas, New Year and in between
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| Michelle and Grandad at Camana Bay with one of the Christmas reindeer |
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| Christmas Eve (afternoon) drinks at a friend's |
There are always a couple of impressive Christmas Light displays here. The pics below are from two private residences that are open to the public over Christmas.
Christmas Day was a team affair. After our usual Christmas breakfast at home with Grandad, about fifty of us gathered at a local (outdoor) restaurant for Christmas Brunch, which was pretty impressive. A massive array of food and plenty of bubbles to go with it.
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Liz joined us
(as did her Sister Ruth, and Hubby)
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| Family pic |
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| Here's the Crew! |
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| Older kids table |
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| A couple of the lads |
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| The Boys! |
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| Later on around at Chris & Jacky's |
Boxing day was Sam's birthday (17!!!)
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| We went for lunch.... |
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...and Sam went to lunch
Fortunately at the same place.
We were allowed to sit a couple of tables over.
We were also lucky enough to foot the bill!
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| Happy Birthday Sam! |
After that, Sam went out with her mates, Dave went to the Club for the Boxing Day Test, and Michelle, Grandad and Jake went to another friends for (Special) Eggnogg....hic!
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| A decent crowd at the club |
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| Spott's Beach |
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| Grandad playing silly Reindeer games |
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| A friend's wedding on the beach during the week |
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| Grandad assesses the quality of the Mudslides at 'Catch' (West Bay). |
On the morning of New Years Eve, we all went down to the Rugby club to play in a Family Fun Touch tournament. There were about 120 of us! We were arranged into National teams based loosely around country of origin. The NZ team featured us and a few other Kiwis, plus a couple of randoms who didn't have a team.
We did pretty well for a make-shift side with a real spread of ages in it! We made the final but were beaten by a team which was a little more experienced and organised. But everyone had a fun time and the tournament itself raised around $3k for a chosen charity. No Photos at this point, but maybe next month!
Later that day....
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| The Christmas and New Year Keg(s) followed us about a bit.... or vice versa |
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New Years Eve Party
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New years eve was spent around at a friends on their back lawn, having a few drinks and a yarn before they kicked off the fireworks around 9 pm. After that it was off to another friends, whose place backs onto the beach for a NY party. We got home a little later than planned, but it was fun!
Kids had swim training at the beach on the 1st, but not until 11, so that was OK!
The afternoon of New Years day was the annual gathering. This has grown to be a pretty big affair. Lots of great food and fun which now includes 'The Keg' and also the 'Generator & Blender' which team up to produce the Mudslides, which are always popular.
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New Year's Day party!
The Boys respecting the Governor's Privacy...
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| And these clowns are at it again! |
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The girls
(and Andy)
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Most of the crew at the New Year's Day Gathering!
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| Artistic beer drinkers will appreciate the Sun setting - just behind the keg |
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| Numbers thin out a bit towards the end of the day |
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But a few hang about for Mudslides...
and Dabs.
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| The Mudslide-ologist (and helper) in action. |
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| Keg still providing |
The Cayman Islands are as beautiful as ever. This trip I've spent some time with Sam and Jake at the swimming pool - to the extent that I was asked to do some time-keeping at one event. It was great to see them swim as it is the first time I have seen them swim in a competition. I have watched them training many times.
As a family we went and visitied the Crystal Caves - limestone caves that were discovered recently. It took the owners 4(+) years to dig about four foot or more of dirt out of the caves to allow a person to stand inside. They were remarkable and we all enjoyed them.
Another enjoyable evening was a visit to Rum Point and travel in double Kayaks to the Bioluminescence where you put a paddle in the water and it spakles. It worked with your hand as well, even when it was clear of the water.
Numerous dining experiences and snorkeling seeing a Turtle and other fish appear to be making a comeback. Having Grandaughter Sam getting her driving licence theory test.
Thanks to you all for looking after me at this difficult time. Will look forward to the next trip.
Grandad
That's it for December.
What will January bring?
We don't know - haven't looked that far ahead!
All the very best for 2018 everybody.
Catch ya soon! .
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