Oh the Social Whirl!

Since this wasn't really a planned event but a spin off of yesterday, I can't really say it meant another tick on my fabulously full social calendar, since that would be two, two, two lies in one. But for a quick pick up happy birthday party outside of Dinghy Dock, it t'weren't even close to half good, it was all the way good. Although we do seem to be getting older with unstoppable regularity. 

Customs are important. Balloon John Birthday Crownage accouterment made the day official.

This one even had magic glow balls inside. But we'll never know how that worked out, as on the way home it flew merrily out of the vehicle not popping, chased down by two tiny girls wild with glee. Perfect.

It is not unusual to hear the phrase 'crazy Norte Americanos' said with affection (most of the time). I'm not sure why but I'm beginning to have some ideas on the matter.

There were others here but no photo really worked for that. Climbing onto the roof to get the right shot was not going to happen. Ever. So what you see be what you got.

Ok, I finally get what 'photo bombed' means (is there a reason everything has some cutesy name that takes me months to understand these days or was everything always explained somehow?). 

Wherever there are people gathered together on Culebra, be it in backyards, the beach or homes, there will be good food and drink and usually too much of both. That works.

Mariel, who was not raised by wolves, actually brought Gary a present. Fun and practical, much like the woman herself. Doesn't every lad need a floaty with a drink holder for his pool time? Well played, Mariel!

So many people think all we do around here is party. Lay around in hammocks, eating and drinking, go to the beach, eating and drinking, hang around in town, eating and drinking. Well, it is not true. 

Sometimes it's true

Sometimes we can be quite industrious. 

For example, someone at sometime industriously made this bird house. Now you know what to do with old spark plugs.

Example 2: Walt and Mariel spent a good amount of time in the Master / Grasshopper mode. And I mean that.

After gathering the proper palm fronds (yes, there are good and not good fronds for this), the lesson commenced.

Walt is a very 'let 'em get their hands shredded dirty' instructor

John and Lisa industriously observed

Walt advises the 'knee workplace' approach

And wa la! A three beer bird!

In the meantime, Walt was busy with a monster grasshopper. Oh the subtlety.

My brother called about that time to ask if we'd felt the 5.8 earthquake that occurred off of the Dominican Republic. We didn't feel it but it was felt on the big island, as reported by the ever diligent Suzanne of the Finca, giving a fair shaking and aftershocks. 

Here, we felt and watched as the temperature dropped a bit, the wind picked up and a bank of grey clouds to the north grew darker, a good sign to close a party that was already moving toward its endgame. Rolling with Nature's prompting is a good thing. So are birthdays and friends gathering. Impromptu humans.

It rained an estimated 23 and 1/2 drops

Have a tolerably talented Thursday. Do something territorially untested.

Happy 1st of October! and a few other things

With Ophelia and Phillipe far to the north of us, we can look out for others, hoping they will be well, and sigh some thanks for ourselves, again.

Culebra in the clear for the momento

Sahara dust falling over from a strange spot...and doing a nice job!

Yesterday afternoon I got a great dinghy ride in to Dinghy Dock, singing Happy Birthday to Neil with a lot of help from his friends. "If you don't have Happy Birthday sung to you at least five times, you're nobody." Neil - he's definitely somebody, off key, out of sync, in English and Spanish (no matter how bad our Spanish is, we all know how to sing Feliz Cumpleaños).

The thing about Dinghy Dock is that it lets us feel like amazing multi-taskers. We can drink, talk, sing and watch the water show, all at the same time. The guy who got tangled up in the dinghy anchor lines with his engine provided a fair amount of entertainment, we applauded his successful untangling, especially the people who's anchor lines he didn't sever...  These two, who were casting for sardines, also made a nice showing. No casts while I was watching, but it's one activity that I really love to watch...a water ballet.

This dog is also incredibly adept at balance, dancing on the very edge of falling in...without falling in. Better than a few of us.

 A bewhirlygigged pirate and one of his crew

 Neil, Wanda and cake! Does beer go with cake? Around here it does...

I'm not a cake person, or much of a football person either, but this cake was really good!

So goeth another day in Paradox. 

Have a superior Saturday! Do something stalwartly.

Culebra style birthdays and Yom Kippur too

One of the times I love best on Culebra is when a friend has a birthday. The people you see five times a day going hither and yon with a hello and sometimes a quick kiss and hug are around to really talk with, catching up on what is going on beside getting the mail, buying the veggies, heading to work.

Last night was Teresa's party, held at Susie's. We got there to find the photographer Zach Stovall, from Caribbean Travel & Life magazine taking photos of a dish of Susie's. Hopefully it will make the cut and make the magazine; good on ya, Susie! The sun was setting, the moon was up. Chuck pointed out beautiful sky happenings. Teresa was serenaded with the birthday song on each person's arrival, which means we sang it a lot! And with increasingly off key, un-harmonious vigor!

Travel plans for world flung trips were shared, hurricane Hugo (20 years ago this month and ravaging for Culebra among many places) was re-visited, appetizers were eaten, crowned with a fabulous cake from Susie that was icing on the plate licking good.

Birthday beauty

Down the canal at sunset

Not quite Moon Over Miami but we'd rather be here

"I was looking back to see if you were looking back to see
If I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me"
(Jim Ed Brown lyrics)

Don't ask, don't tell

Like what?

Thanks, Susie! Does she get the boat too?

Cake cutting 101: Daunting but not impossible (bug spray not included)

Yes, slim trim beautiful girls love their cake and eat it too!

It doesn't get much better than a soaker hose birthday present!

Happy Birthday, dear Teresa, happy birthday to you!

Teresa happens to share her birthday with the start of Yom Kippur, a time of fasting and atonement (the only Jewish holiday where food isn't front and center). It seems a bit unfitting, as she happens to be one of those people who I can't imagine having any need to make atonement with a higher deity or human, either one. Unlike my own excitable self, who could use o Yom Kippur a few times a year. It's a good day to take stock of the state of one's being - who have I ticked off and should make it right with? Of course, being the unobservant sort that I am, there are a few who never get on the list of atoned, so I am doomed to carry them around in my unrepentant life backpack another year. It doesn't keep me up at night. Much. I can't really say Happy Yom Kippur, but how about, *happier when it's over* ? Ah well, a bit of a fast after that all that cake icing couldn't hurt.