Greetings

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year and that this year has started out as a good one. Clay and I did. We had a wonderful Christmas in Nassau. A total of 4 couples had Christmas dinner on board "Pretty Penny". She's 50 ft long with a 24ft beam, power cat. Bob and Penny prepared the turkey, stuffing and dressing, while the rest of us made side dishes and desserts. We had a feast. They were using a confection oven for the turkey. Bob had to measure the oven, then take the tape measure to the store to measure a turkey so it would fit. He said the store clerks had never seen or heard of such a thing, usually people by the turkey by the pound per person. Everything was delicious. Christmas Eve we were invited on Sea Fox for a nice little gathering. Sea Fox belongs to Ed & Dee and their boat is a 40ft sailboat. Clay and I had our picture taken on their boat with their tree. The other pictures I posted are of Fran & Laurie, Bob & Penny (with the hats on),and Dee & Ed. Christmas night is when one of the Junkanoo parade's take place. This is called Boxing Day, and it is not the kind of boxing we think of. This tradition took place following Christmas Day, when the British boxed up food and presents to give to the slaves and servants. Then the slaves and servants were so excited they stared dancing in the streets. From there each year it seemed to get alittled more elaborate by adding costumes and from then on it got fancier and fancier as you can tell by the photos. All costumes are hand made and they begin making a year advance. They are judged both front and back and all the intricate detailing they add. They are several group that compete along with several families to make up a group. It is all very colorful and fun to watch. I'm not sure how many bands marched, but the music was great. The parade began at midnight and went to noon. they had to march the route 2 times to be eligible for the prize. So, Ed & Dee, Fran & Laurie another couple and ourselves got up a 4AM to go watch the parade. As we wandered around we all got separated from each other and Clay and I ended up in the VIP section. I was able to meet and take the picture of the Prime Minister (the President of the Bahamas), Hubert Ingram (photo by himself), then I met the Speaker of the House and had my picture taken with him. Clay sat next to a sweet little 'ol lady who had lived here for 40 years and she was giving him a history lesson of the parade and on the Bahamas. All in all it was a great experience. We are hanging around Nassau until the Super Bowl is over, then resume our cruising and meet up with our new friends heading South. Clay and I are truly blessed to be able cruise enjoy life and meet such wonderful people. Last night we were invited to some new friends house here in Nassau for dinner and to watch the Championship games. Randy is an Optometrist and his wife Annie also works in the office. They have lived here and had his practice for over 22 years. Their house is lovely, located on the Northwest end of Paradise Island overlooking the Nassau harbour on one side and the ocean on the other side. They don't have any children, but they made of for them in pets. 3 dogs and 1 parrot.
We were down in Andros from Oct. to the first part of December. Andros is the largest island in the Bahamas and the most uninhabited. It is known for the best bone fishing in the world and several beautiful dive areas. We were docked at the Lighthouse Marina on Fresh Creek. We met alot of very nice and helpful locals and cruisers alike. There is a base located on the island called ALTEC. We were invited on base by the boaters docked next to us. They live on base, have their boat at the Marina, and have a house in Virginia. Very interesting people. He works at the base as a helicopter pilot. So, he and his wife took us on a tour of the base and "his" helicopter. Once a year in the fall the base has an Art Fair, where the locals come and sell their works like hand made baskets, wood carvings home made Christmas ornaments and alot of other stuff, baked goods and the list goes on. Clay and I did quite abit of our Christmas shopping there and had a blast. ALTEC is an American Navel base where they build and test torpedo's. Also on the island is the Androsia fabric factory where they make and sew all kinds of things. The fabric design is made by the ancient art of batik, every yard is waxed with a design, hand-dyed in big bathtubs then hung out to dry in the backyard of the factory, then it is cut into different types of clothing, tablecloths, napkins, bags, oven mitts, bibs and many other items and sewn right there. The company was started as a cottage industry in 1973. They will custom make something for you or groups and corporations. All the colors are so bright and cheerful. You just can't go to the factory outlet store and buy 1 item (at least I can't!!) They also use the fabric to weave into the handmade baskets.
For Thanksgiving we went over to Cargill Creek, another creek on the island of Andros. The owners of that Marina are from Texas and we had an absolutely wonderful time with them. It's not really a marina, but a dive and bonfishing resort. While we were there, they had several groups come in for both diving and fishing. We had a delicious American Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and even a Cowboys victory!!! We stayed there for a week, did some snorlking and enjoyed meeting new friends.
Well, I hope this has caught us up to date on our travels. I'll try and get back into the swing of things and post more often. I just had the wind knocked out of me since my dad's passing. He was my inspirition.
Life is Good, cruising is Better!!!