Our Caribbean Adventure - continued: January 2019

. December 2018 .

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We hope you had a nice Christmas and took some time to relax and unwind.

We had a fairly busy time over Christmas but it was also a fun time as well.

We had Grandad Gordon come and stay for a couple of weeks, which was great. He got to hang out with our 'Cayman Family' which was good, as he knows most of them from previous visits.

Here is his summary:

Well, the end of another Cayman holiday and what a holiday! I never thought it could be better than last years, but it was. We did the usual things like Starfish and Rum Points. A lovely trip on a friend's boat to Sandbar, and home as it was getting dark. Setting sun - magic.

Restaurants, friend's houses, the beach for gatherings etc.

The icing on the cake was a surprise trip to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac with Michelle. Unfortunately the seas were too rough for snorkeling but we did get a trip to Point of Sands and then cycled around part of the island to view Boobies (birds) and Frigates. Then to Cayman Brac to explore the Caves and Lighthouse etc. Did a walk from the Lighthouse to see the Brac Bluff and found Boobies nesting along the track, not afraid of humans, staying on their nests.

When back on Grand Cayman we visited some various Christmas light displays.

A fantastic holiday!

Thanks Michelle, Dave, Sam and Jake!

The weather is usually a little cooler with some nice breeze around this time of year. Although at times we had a bit of increased activity in the weather as well which resulted in some pretty big seas and some coastal flooding... mainly in town.

The main drag through town was closed for a couple of days while they dealt with the sea
weed and debris that got thrown about.

So, when the seas are rough, what does the swim team do? They train at the beach!

Michelle and a few of the girls meet up at Camana Bay for some pre-Christmas cheer!

Swimming

The kids had a big swim meet in December. The Coconut Cup, which is their main event for this time of year. Both Sam and Jake were hoping to clock some decent times and drop a few seconds here and there.

They didn't disappoint! Both PB'd in almost every event. Some small PBs, but any PB is a good thing.

Sam, Ali and Sarah on the Dais with their 'Coconuts'

It was a good meet for both of them. Sam is looking to continue to drop times as she starts to look at options for college in the US, and Jake as he looks forward to Carifta in Barbados in April.

Jake collects a couple as well!

The swim club had their annual Red vs Green Christmas fun night in December. Sam and Jake were both on the Green Team this year, so we all went in our best green outfits!

Wow...

Sam, Alex and Kenneth...

They have a bunch of fun swim events and one of them is the family relay. We were the defending Champions from last year, so had a title to defend. Despite having Dave in the team, we still won!

Hmmm.... two weaklings in the middle!!

Grandad Gordon arrived a few days later and spent some time looking around the house for things to fix and catching up on some sleep during the quiet parts of the day, either on the couch or out by the pool. We all went out to East End one Sunday for a drive and checked out the Blow-Holes, Starfish Point, Rum Point and a few other random stops along the way.

Sam getting blasted

Octopus wrestling. This place has a bunch of concrete art which is pretty cool.

This one is of a swimmer trying to warn some snorkelers about a shark.

We stopped in at Rum Point for a Mud Slide

On the way back we stopped at Tukka - an Aussie style restaurant - for dinner.

The Green Iguana is an invasive pest here and is threating the Blue Iguana. There is now a war on Green Iguana with the Government offering money for killing them (you do need a gun licence if you are shooting them). The programme has been running for about two months or so now and they have killed over 300,000!

Some of the restaurants are also serving Green Iguana on their menus.

Tukka is one, so we thought we'd better try it.

Green Iguana - Three Ways. Roasted, Spring Roll thingy and Curried.

Tasted like chicken!

We also stopped in at one of the large Christmas Light displays. This is someone's front lawn - a very large front lawn!

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve a bunch of us piled into some friend's boats and headed out to a little sand bar for a few hours in the afternoon sun.

Setting up shop

Some silly Christmas pics

Jake buries his feet and helps with the Sand Man

Christmas dinner/lunch for us was at Grand Old House again this year. Because there is around 40+ of us, we've outgrown having a gathering at someone's house. Last year was a hit at GOH so we did the same again this year. Plenty of great food. Lots of bubbles and no preparation or dishes!!!

Jake, Doug & Tommy sporting their Christmas shirts on Christmas day.

Group photo at Grand Old House

Family pic

After lunch we all headed around to Chris & Jacky's house to continue the day and play a few games... and eat more. Because Sam's birthday is on Boxing Day, the majority wanted to stay until midnight so they could all wish her a Happy Birthday, so they did - it was a long day!

Grandad got a special present from Santa this year - a trip to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac for a couple of nights. Michelle went along as Tour Guide. Dave was working and the kids continued to train so they stayed back.

Grandad & Michelle stayed at a boutique divers hotel where the food is all served like a family meal at set times. Everyone was very friendly. They stayed in a nice little unit on the beach. There was no AC but it had fans which was fine at this time of year (at least for Michelle!).

They did some biking and walking and driving to check out the sights. Little Cayman is only about 10 miles long so it wasn't too far to go but a bit far to cover it all on bikes. Sadly, it was a bit too windy and rough for much snorkeling but they manage to did get one in on the Brac.

Grandad doing it tough after a big bike ride!

Thanks to the loan of a car from a friend, they got to see almost all the caves in the Brac and walk along the bluff where the lighthouse is, before stopping for a nice lunch at one of the resorts.

Seeing a pair of Brown Boobies is always a highlight

While they were away, Jake and Dave played in the Annual Family Touch tournament at the Rugby Club. The teams are all based on Nationality (loosely). Dave and Jake played for NZ and they came 3rd overall (out of 10 teams). It's a real fun and social arrangement with little kids and non-players also taking part. Although there's always a couple of folk who can't help but take it seriously.

We are trying to get a pic or two, but might have to include that in January's isuue.

Christmas lights at the Bodden Sister's house - opposite our local (Sunset House).

New Year's Eve - starting at Camana Bay with Garrett (now living in Calgary) and Jacko

Some fireworks at Camana Bay on New Year's Eve

After Camana Bay we went to Raz and Jo's (on the beach) for a NYE Party.

New Year's Day had the kids training at the beach from 11 - 1 pm. Then our annual New Year's Beach Party for the rest of the day. It's always a big day with over 100 of us there for most of it. Draft Beer on Tap is now a regular, as is the popular Blender and Mudslides. We ran a cable from the Governor's House this year to power the Beer Chiller and the Blender. This was backed up by a generator - just in case!