Guana Bay with Grammy and Boompa

Mikes parents came to visit us on the Island over the April break.  They have never been here before so we prepared for their visit by making a list of all the must see places and restaurants that we could fit into a short week.  We had another obstacle - during their visit there were many holidays, Good Friday, Easter, the Queens Birthday, Jump Up (the beginning of Carnival parade) and I am sure I have forgotten at least one.  This meant that restaurants and  grocery stores would be closed, so we had to pay attention to this with our planning.  They arrived in the evening and we took them right to dinner at Cafe on the Bay.  This restaurant is wonderful (they have a mini vegetarian menu), is right on the lagoon and has reasonable prices for a nice place.  They usually have live music on the weekends.  We were all super excited to share our island with family and the boys could not wait to spend time with Grammy and Boompa - we lived a few blocks from them in Colorado - so they really missed them.

The next day we thought we would take them to Guana Bay - this is one of our favorite beaches.  Unfortunately we do not make it there often as it is a bit of a drive.  I think because of this when we do go we really soak it all in and somehow end up staying all day.  The waves are always fun for boogy boarding and just playing in - there were many, many giggles and smiles that day (it is always a good start when boompa mistakes his sunscreen for toothpaste - the boys just loved that).

once the sunscreen was on - it was straight to the waves

there is just something about Guana that brings these instant boogy boarding giggles out- so special

really there is nothing better - we were so happy to be able to share this with Grammy and Boompa

Grammy

this shot and the next few are a great series of ro riding a wave on his boogy board

a perfect finish

time for this guy to relax a little

typical Guana Bay - the waves were fascinating  - it was impossible to not watch them

Boompa - he was loving the waves to

awesome - everyone was a kid again

the waves were not enough i guess

dad was leaping over the waves

the waves had everyone's attention

sweet pumpkin

Mike could not resist catching one himself - I think the whole family needs boogy boards

Ronan always seems to find a four legged friend wherever we go - we also looked for turtle nests - we are pretty sure we found 1 big one

the new guy figured we were ok to hang with for the day

after a picnic lunch and a rest on the beach it was time to head back in for more wave action

the waves got a little bigger in the afternoon

do you see Mike?

awesome waves

ro - peaking off the top of the wave

the waves were so clear you could see bodies under the water

it was great to see the boys spending some time with dad - they miss him so much during school time

brothers

I see 2 boys - do you?

running in water

nice wave dill

preparing himself for a good wave

we took the water camera out to try to get some fun photos of the waves - and us getting taken out by the waves

we thought we would end a super fun beach day with a stop at Maho beach to watch the airplanes

I dont know anywhere else you could pull this off

Grammy and Boompa thank you for sharing one of our favorite beaches with us - this was just the beginning of a very busy and fun week.

The Rock Wall

Way back in April when I talked about the garden we were starting I mentioned a rock wall that our friend and neighbor built for our garden - well - finally I am doing that post.  It is interesting looking at these photos as the garden has changed so much in less then a month.  But for now we will focus on what it was like back then and appreciate all the hard work John put into the wall.

John our awesome rock wall builder - really he has to be crazy to do such hard work in this heat

I would not know where to begin but I think my sister Carith would love this project

the fish eye lens gives us the big picture - well the huge amount of work really

Have you noticed the site supervisor yet?

the wall is beginning to take shape

the sun was very strong and the sky deep blue that day

during the rock wall building I was distracted by the new flowers I saw in the yard

I found these little ants crawling inside these bright yellow flowers

the middle is so intricate ( I know there is a scientific name for these parts)

some green baby tomatoes on the new plants

we were so excited to have these tomato plants in our garden

John making some little rocks to fill in spaces

There is always an audience with a big project like this - Hans and Kathryn were very excited to see the addition to the garden as well

I thought I was done taking photos until I turned around and saw this very unique plant and had to take a just a few more

A big thank you to Kathryn and Hans for making our community garden possible and to John for all the heavy lifting and the beautiful rock wall.  It makes the garden a 100 times better.  It is so much appreciated.  There will be pics of the completed wall in coming posts.

It's Official

So going back to the first week of May, Dillon officialy started Surf Club.  It is the Quicksilver Surf School on the French side at Le Galion.  It is run by Windy Reef and their owners Sebastion and his wife Helene who are wonderful people.  Dillon completed his five required lessons and Frank his instructor gave him the go ahead to start Club (which also means there are competitions to be a part of).  I was actually suprised when I spoke to Sebastion to sign Dillon up and he gave me a list of what we had to do - pay money (of course), bring a photo of Dillon's face (for the ID card), fill out a form and have Dillon get a medical physical - really all the sudden we have gone island style to real and official.  Sebation explained because it is under the French Federation Surf School - ok - so we are official now.  Ronan was also planning on joing the surf club and is working in that direction.  He is adjusting to being out in the water solo - I have to remind myself at times that he is only 8 and he did not grow up here.  Yes he has spent alot of time in the ocean, lakes and pools and when he plays in the crashing waves at Mullet you would think he is fearless (and he is at times).  There is something different when you paddle out in open water independently and are required to seek out and catch your own wave.  He has gained an awareness of his surroundings and it can be intimidating without mama by his side on her own board.  I have noticed this on several occasions lately - we have been stand up paddle boarding while Dillon is surfing and I spooked Ro a few times - 1 time I slipped and fell onto the board (it would have a very entertaining sight - thankfully we were in the middle of the water) and made a loud bang - Ro was laying on the board looking into the water - he franticlly looked up - he thought a shark had hit the bottom of the board.  A second time I saw a pretty big fish in the clear water and showed him - well that is when he shrieked for me to take him back to the boat.  I am not sure if he is watching to many shark shows (which they do here and I dont know why) or he is just beginning to make the connection that he is in the same environment as all these creatures.  He is also adjusting to his environment - regardless he is my youngest little guy and is only 8 and I need to remember this.  Once his arm is healed we will begin lessons again and see where he wants to go with it.  One thing I do know is he loves the ocean and is at peace when he is in it and around it.

Dillon on the boat and ready to go -this is his first time headed out without mom

and off they go - you know it is kind of like when you send your kid off to school for the first time, what if something happens - who will be there to help them out.  You have to remind yourself that they will be just fine.  Ro and I did hop on an SUP and head out - just to take a peek and see how it was going - plus it was a workout for me.

and they are headed back, all in one piece and with a smile on his face - a success it appears

looks like it was a fun time

one tired out boy

this is the same intense look I would see on Dillons face when he rock climbing in Colorado.  Dillon enjoyed club - I think he has found another passion besides rock climbing.  This means happiness in the mountains and the ocean.

I thought I would add some random photos of life on the island - this one my favorite drinks - Aloe - it is great for rehydrating after a day at the beach

this is the green parrot that usually flies over our house in the morning and the evening - his call sounds very distressing and usually catches your attention and his flying is very awkard.  I saw him fly with another parrot the other day - this pic is a bit fuzzy as he landed really high up in a tree.  We will try to get a better one next time he settles for a moment.

Our friend and security guard White brought us Spice Bun (I kept calling it spice bread) and cheese that they eat at Easter in Jamaica.  Definitely yummy!!!!!!

as we move into summer and hurricane season the ocean changes its look - the horizon looks very dark and you cannot see any of the nearby islands - it seems everyday we look out something is different.

we never seem to tire of watching the planes coming in low over the ocean - large pieces of metal just hovering over the ocean.  Life on the island is never boring.

Spring, Transition Time

In a recent conversation with my best friend back in Colorado she was relaying to me the news of many people leaving for big, long term trips - my reply was that it is spring time - the time for transition.  As I thought about it - even though here we go from hot with tradewinds to hotter without tradewinds (unlike Colorado that goes from cool to warm with random snow and rainshowers in the spring) we are still in a time of transition, growth and change.  We as a family experienced our first break spent on the island and Mike has now begun his third semester - the beginning of second year of med school.  We have said good bye to many fifth semester friends who are returning to the states for their step 1 exam and to begin clinical rotations.  We have also met some of the new first semesters who are just beginning their adventure here on the island.  Mike has also begun classes that relate more directly to treating patients and making diagnoses - something that actually makes med school enjoyeable (as much as studying for 17 hours in one day can be).  I to have gone through changes, I have completed my finals (which means no school work until the end of August), had a birthday and mothers day on the island which is very unique - although you do not have your extended family here you have your island family which is very special.  The boys are experiencing changes as well - Dillon is about to have his 11th birthday and has officially started surf club, Ronan experienced a small injury (ok maybe a broken arm in a foreign country is big) and they both have started with a new tutor.  As a family we are beginning a new semester with lots to keep us busy, surfing, injury recovery, gardening (the garden is expanding daily and we are running out of room), our second hurricane season, blog updates and of course more exploring and beach time on the island.  I have been very busy with finishing my school work and have neglected the blog - so look forward to many, many updates - I have been very OCD in regards to keeping the posts in order but had to let that go with our last month of nuttyness.   There will be many exciting photos from Mikes parents visit on the island, the growing garden, surfing and all the fun stuff we find in between.  Enjoy what is to come.

Thank you Karla for the rare family photo we have (this is Dillons pre-birthday party we shared with the Daniels family - their son Ethans birthday was on the 8th of May).  Embrace all the changes and transitions you encounter this spring.  The McGlue family.