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Paradise

March 26, 2011 by Mary Chamie

Colors Galore
Space to Explore

We arrived on Saturday to be met by perfect weather, peace and quiet, and so much color that it was hard to know where to focus one’s eyes.

Coming from the black,browns and dull greys of winter in New York, then to the pastel colors of the Abacos is really staggering.

Even though there has been limited time to play on the beach, those few moments that we had are so memorable.  The water is crystal clear.  We saw dolphins, Bally hoo, baby baracudas and jacks.  Joe almost bumped into some angel fish with his head when he was snorkeling out front.  They were so close that he couldn’t see them.

Just beautiful.  I will always miss this place.

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The Coconut Palm has Value

March 2, 2011 by Mary Chamie

  We picked up a coconut that fell from our tree out front of our home in the Abacos.  Matt and Joe busted it open using a variety of means that included using a hammer and a machete and incorporated a lot of cheering and encouragement from our two grandaughters who were watching.
Here is Lila showing how it looks inside.  
We grated up the coconut and it had nice flavor.  But we wondered, how healthy is it to use the oil and meat of the coconut? A family debate ensued over the value of a coconut.
The New York Times just put out an article on the value of coconut oil.  It seems as though the problems with the oil were mainly from the items added during manufacturing.  Just using plain old natural ingredients of coconuts isn’t so bad after all. 
I would recommend opening up a coconut with guests as a high form of entertainment as long as one stands way back when the men take over.

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So Much for the Early Signs of Spring

February 21, 2011 by Mary Chamie

This morning I woke up early to the sound of the snow plow rumbling by and opened the curtain to find out what was going on.  Snow was silently falling everywhere.

It is the kind of day that used to bring shouts of joy from our kids when they turned on the radio to find out that it was an official “snow day” and school was canceled.

The local school system is closed but not because of snow.  It is because it is Presidents Day, a national holiday, and many people are on spring vacation.  However, the public library  is supposed to be open today, but it  is closed owing to all the snow.

 I hope that this is the last blast of winter before spring sets in.

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The Carribbean Garden Show

February 21, 2011 by Mary Chamie

We went to the Caribbean Garden Show at the New York Botanical Garden this last Saturday.  I wanted to see whether I could identify some of the plants that we have in our yard in the Abacos.  The Show had a lot of the plants that we have, for example, cocoplum, banana and papaya trees, a variety of palms including the sago, coconut palm, royal palm, the thatch palm and the common Palmetto (a type of Sabal palm).  However, the plants that I wanted to identify were not in the show.  Alas, back to work on identifying them.

One person suggested that we stop in Miami and visit the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden and that we might have a better chance of getting into the details and nuances of tropical plant life down there.  It is now a new item on my Bucket List.  

Our friend the staghorn was highlighted at the show.

Even though we didn’t identify our plants this time around, the garden show was wonderful and we had a great time except for the part of walking between the car and the show.  The winds were blowing hard and it was unusually cold.  Ah well.  I think I am still missing the warmth of our Abacos.

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What Happened? Did we Switch Channels?

February 18, 2011 by Mary Chamie

As of February 13, we returned to New York.
Our scenes out the window in the morning, shifted accordingly.

The temperatures were chilly  when we got here but have been warming up ever since.

Probably the most complicated part of shifting back and forth between the Bahamas and here is remembering which side of the road to drive on, and to remember where the spatulas are in the kitchen.

The snow is still piled high in many places.

But there is much evidence that spring is on the way.  
There is not much one can do outside yet, other than take daily walks.  Because of the constant melting during the day, black ice is a consideration and one must walk cautiously across it to keep from slipping.

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To Do List – Entertaining Children in the Abacos

February 16, 2011 by Mary Chamie

Take a relaxing outdoor shower.

Swim in the local pool.

 Try out our new summer dresses “Made in the Bahamas” of Androsia cloth.

 Take a walk with Grandpa and Grandma.

Search for sea stars.

 Find a sea shell.

Follow a hermit crab on one of his walks.

C

 Compare sizes of footprints in the sand.

Take another swim in the local pool with water warmed by the sun.

 Draw a picture for Grandma and Grandpa to hang on the wall.

 Ride a bike.

Camp in the living room.

 Good lord, how many sisters do I have?

 Eat outdoors on the patio.

 Play with a ball.

 Look pretty in our new dresses.

 Read a book.

 Check out information on the computer.

 Run a race with Mom, go swimming with Dad.

 Just chill.

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A Treat for Children – Breakfast in Bed

February 16, 2011 by Mary Chamie

Our grandchildren visited us in the Abacos.  They were kind enough to bring their parents with them.  Grandpa Joe offered them breakfast in bed.  As our eldest grandchild declared, “Mom and Dad have had breakfast in bed probably five times  This is my first breakfast in bed, ever”.

The baking  pans managed to keep the waffles, strawberries and syrup in place.  No spillage occurred.  They had a wonderful time, as did we.

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They Call it “Life Leaf” in the Abacos

February 16, 2011 by Mary Chamie

It grows along the edges of our back yard  between sun and shade.  Right now it is in bloom.

The leaf looks as though it were embroidered along the edges.

It is simply beautiful.

Added on 20 February:  Since writing this page I have found detailed information about this plant. It’s Latin name  is Kalanchoe pinnata and is said to be used in the topics for medical purposes.   We are also warned that it can be invasive in some locations especially where the soil has been disturbed.  It is also said to be a popular house plant.

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A Walk to Remember

January 27, 2011 by Mary Chamie

Almost everyday I take this walk.  It is a guaranteed three miles worth of exercise.  It doesn’t need captions.  Just take a look.

The walk starts on the main road that leads to a cut off going to the beach.  From there, I walk past a small community area where our neighbors build their bonfires.  The log seats are still in place, waiting for them to come back for another fire, some hot dogs and marshmallows.
Then on I go past beautiful clear waters until I reach Old Kerr’s at the end of Eight Mile Bay.  At one point, I go past an old car that is almost completely “naturalized”.  Just had to take a photo of it.
It is one of the most beautiful walks in the world.

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Finders Keepers

January 24, 2011 by Mary Chamie

People throw things into the ocean.  The ocean drops all kinds of things onto our beach. We pick up shoes, boards, jugs, rope, toilet seats, bottles, glass balls, crates.  What we don’t use, we carry to the dump. Then, we find things at the dump.  I will do a separate piece on things we find at the dump.
Above is a board that floated in.  It was so heavy that I dragged it most of the way home rather than picking it up.  The last photo in today’s blog shows how it looks after we cut it up and made something with it.
Anyone missing a shoe?
We keep crates that we found on the beach for collecting all the detritus.
We use what we find, if we can. Buckets are used for mopping our floors and are made into wastebaskets.  The plastic bin is going to become part of our garden, sunk into the ground to hold herbs.  What we cannot use goes to the dump.
More stuff
Joseph shows off his find.
Here is a particularly pretty find, a large ceramic ball used in the fishing nets, made in Japan.
WHERE THEY ARE NOW
That big plank I showed you in the beginning is now the top of a children’s table. The legs of the children’s table are also made from boards that we picked up on the beach.  This is a 100 percent “found it on the beach” table. 
We have an old saying down here, “If you really need something, then take a walk and you will find it on the beach.”

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