True story...no photos for proof

I was completely excited about my engine being fixed and went for a test drive after closing the cart this afternoon. Taking care of the p's and q's, I headed out. The throttle didn't want to hold, a spring or something losing tension and lowering the speed (remember, it's a 2.5, speed is relative but important), so I twisted the kill cord around the throttle thingy after a few turns around and wa la. It worked a charm and away I went.

I wasn't on a photographic-for-myself or-blog journey, I was out for a Sunday *all about me* time. Before I went out to swim, I figured, I might as well check on Sean's boat, as his boat checkers aren't about and we've had some big rains. After poking around in bilges and seeing all was well I was ready to head out for farther reaches when I see this woman in a kayak, trailing a blow up doll behind her. Sure, that's ordinary enough...

Culebra weirdly, Greg had seen this thing in the mangroves the night before. He told me that he thought it was a corpse at first and dreaded looking but of course...you have to do this. On closer inspection, he saw it was a blow up doll and grossed out (did I warn you that this was a strange story?), he left it.

A friend of mine from very long ago just happened to show up on a boat going through with an overnight on Culebra.. She was in her kayak, paddling around the harbour. Seeing what she thought was a corpse as well, but then finding what it was, she decided to bring it back to the boat she was on. At the same time I was just leaving Sean's boat when she was paddling by.

I had no idea I knew this person but how could I resist?? I yelled out "Thank god you decided to save her life!!!" and she called back to me...slightly hesitant but fairly sure "MJ?? MJ!! it's me!!" and told me how she'd been to Dinghy Dock looking for me (where they'd protected my whereabouts - huge thank you to Neil and Anita!!!) but she kept saying she'd find me...and it happened...through the weirdness of island ju ju. I hadn't seen her in...8 years?

She took the blow up doll to her captain's boat and we rejoined in midstream. She could kayak faster than I could motor. She blew her conch horn to signal glory glory and we made it into Dinghy Dock. We had a drink and sort of caught up while Neil and Anita and a couple of others wondered, who was this crazy girl (um, her, not me, they already know me). She got back into her kayak with some beers and ice and hugs and promises to see each other in some years ahead somewhere...and she was gone. A good and beautiful girl from Sweden. Some parts seem lost...but still beautiful.

Island life. Go figure