A Perfect Day

This was D & S’s first full day back in 2 years and Eleuthera welcomed them "home" with open arms.  D was the first to wake, and as soon as he stepped out on the deck to enjoy his first cup of coffee he was bid good morning by two dolphins just passing by.  When I wandered into the kitchen a few minutes later he had a look of absolute joy on his face.  It was if Eleuthera was saying welcome home D, we love you.   We really could not have asked for a more amazing morning, the weather was absolutely perfect and it was also J and I’s 3rd anniversary.  We considered the entire trip as our anniversary so we did not focus too much on just the one day and instead celebrated it throughout our 3 weeks in paradise.

We started off with a great breakfast provided by D, the master of scrambled eggs and bacon.  After our belly's were full we decided it was just too beautiful a day not to go find a sandy Atlantic beach.    We decided to head back to Parrotfish Beach (nickname) since it had been so spectacular a few days earlier and D & S had been waiting to go back there for two years.  We initially discovered Parrotfish Beach on our first trip to Eleuthera but we never had a calm enough day to snorkel there.   We made it on our second trip but S and I were still a little skiddish in the water so we only checked out some of the closer reefs.  D and J had snorkeled out to the farther reefs and had been talking them up for the last two years so D & S's anticipation was high, just as mine had been a few days earlier when I saw them for the first time myself.   We packed up the cooler and were in the car and ready to roll by 9am.  On the way we made a quick stop at Island Farms since it was fresh bread day and stocked up on all sorts of delicious breads, dressings, sauces, salsa and fresh veggies.

We were at the beach by 10 am and after unloading the car we headed out for a “family snorkel”.   We saw eagle rays, tons of huge parrotfish, trunkfish, filefish, an eel, spectacular coral formations, and so much more.   It was really one of the most amazing snorkels of my life.  It was just a few amazing hours of peaceful tranquility exploring a beautiful undersea world.  The water was chilly but S and I stayed out longer than ever before and had an incredible time.  This was a new beginning of snorkeling for both of us, be had both had some some skittish moments in the past but after experiencing the tranquility of Parrotfish Beach we were new women. 

Eventually we had to come back, not from lack of excitement but because we were just getting too cold and physically could not take much more.  We enjoyed a tasty lunch of turkey and salami sandwiches with Island Farms olive and herb bread, tomatoes and lettuce and a few cerveza’s.  D, S and I were in blissed out relaxation mode at this point but I think J was so excited to have his dive buddy back that turned into a human hummingbird.  As soon as his sandwich was done he was ready to go back out.  D needed a little more sand and Kalik time so J took the kayak out by himself to do a little reef fishing.

He fished from the kayak for about 45 minutes then came back in and grabbed D for another epic snorkel.  S and I decided that books and beer sounded better to us so we stayed put.  I was equally glad to have S around so I could get in some lounge time with my tanning buddy while D kept the human hummingbird company.  The boys paddled the kayak out to a different area to check out some new reefs and wound up staying out there for HOURS! 

They eventually came back in with their catch, another schoolmaster and 2 large lobsters.   They then discovered that when sunblock says water resistant for 90 minutes they mean it and that they needed to come to shore and re-apply more than every couple hours.  They both completely scorched the back of their legs.  They were both confined to wearing pants in the water for a few days and wound up with dive knife tans that lasted the rest of the trip.   After immediately covering their legs we set to cleaning up the giant explosion of gear we had sprawled out on the beach, searched for the lost ring a little more, and then headed home to get cleaned up for the fish fry.

We were all pretty pooped after our big day so we really had to drag ourselves to the fish fry, but we made it just in time for the sunset.   It was the Eleuthera Jazz Festival so it was not the traditional fish fry that we were used to, but we really enjoyed the more casual atmosphere.  We all ordered chicken and coleslaw which was delicious as usual but I really miss the conch fritters from the pre-pavilion days.  D bought a round of rum bubbas, but thankfully spared me when I resisted, S's resistance on the other hand was ignored.  I ordered a vodka tonic instead, thinking it would be less toxic but that was not the case and one was all it took to do me in. 

Our first fish fry ever was in 2010 and the high school Junkanoo band had showed up.  We had such a fabulous time that every other fish fry has just not been the same.  They have all been fun but our first fish fry was such and amazing experience that it is hard to top.   We still had a great time and it was a prefect end to a really great day on Eleuthera.