45under45: Jogging, Snorkeling, and Junkanoo

Because toasted Bahamian bread with giant masses of butter isn't good enough, I added "Native Guava Jam".

Early morning light, fresh hot coffee, quiet time by myself, listening to the island come to life... And the best breakfast ever.

Yummy breakfast must be followed by exercise. Normally I would say, "Yummy breakfast must SADLY be followed by exercise." However, while on Elbow Cay, I actually look forward to jogging. I pass by the same things but I never tire of the sights. It gives me something to ponder, some excuse to stop and snap a picture, and I just LOVE it! So, I laced up and set off.

These out islands are quite a marvel of modern engineering and resourcefulness. The fact that there is power at all in quite remarkable. There's no power plant on this island and no giant solar grids. I think the power comes from the big island called Great Abaco. But, I'm not sure how it actually gets here. Under the Sea of Abaco? Anyway...this island does have power. And, this is what the power lines to the North End look like. Cracks me up!

Also, on my jog, I look at the tropical plants. Some flowers are just the typical (like what we have in Florida): hibiscus, lantana, wild impatiens, firecracker plant... But, there are also plants that I only see when I'm here. One of my favorites is the natal plum. The flowers are perfectly white five pointed stars and the fruit is this glorious rich red velvet.

The fruit of the natal plum is super abundant right now. The only problem is that every part of the plant is rumored to be deadly: the leaves, the stems, the seeds...everything! I've only eaten the fruit once. I was on another island (Green Turtle Cay) and came upon some local girls who were picking the fruit and loading up the cupped hem of their shirts with these little jewels. I asked them about the fruit, they showed me which one to eat, and I did. I'd love to try to eat one again but the "there is no doctor on this island mantra" drowns out my desire to sample nature's bounty. Jog on, Jennifer.

I made it to the North End of the island and wandered my secret beach, scanning for sea glass. 2.5 miles done and much sea glass to be "harvested", but I was really thirsty. Lucky for me, I had my coconut cracking tool in my jogging belt.

So, I wandered around, looking for coconuts. At this time there are a lot of workers on this section of the island. An older home is being rehabbed and the jungle is being tamed for the moment. The normal glut of green coconuts resting on the ground...was already consumed. Not wanting to admit defeat, I spied some "friendly" looking guys with giant machetes and promptly approached them. They didn't seem to speak English and I don't speak Haitian-Creole. But, I recognized the universal sign for "coconut": shoes removed, machete in the teeth, and climbing the tree. I asked for one. I'm sure they were a little confused by my boldness. The guy who was not climbing the tree retrieved the coconuts and hacked off the side with one swift whack and smiling, gave it to me. To that generous gesture, I replied..."Thanks. Now, give me your uncracked coconut." I took out my tool, flicked off the green leaves, stabbed the flesh, removed the plug, and handed it back to him. So, we exchanged coconuts and had this primal understanding of unique appreciation for one another. Breaking ~~bread~~ coconuts and fellowship. His coconut, opened by the cooky girl with the crazy coconut tool. My coconut, opened by the man with the machete. Cheers, mon.

As I walked my way back to town and sipped on my coconut water, I stopped to take pictures of things along the path. This boat in this shelter was here last year and I'm happy to see it still is here. Its once gleaming varnish dulling, marking time with blisters and flakes.

This photo is of an interesting growth/decay pattern on a tree that had its limb trimmed off. I think this is one of THE most beautiful things I've ever seen in my entire life! It's a perfect spiral wave! How did this happen? Did the tree die...partially? Does this happen inside of the tree or did this happen once the bit got pruned? I seriously want to go back to that tree and study it some more. Oh, wait! I can!!!! I can jog back there another day and sit for a spell with the tree and hope that she'll share her beauty secrets with me.

One of my favorite stretches of the whole North End loop is this heavily shaded path. The Casuarina pine needles and the sand create a soft surface to run on. The Sea of Abaco is on the right and a dock with a view of the Elbow Cay Lighthouse finishes off the idyllic scene.

The following two pictures were from last year. I sat on a bench by the dock, enjoyed the shade, and was attacked by this gigantic black bug. Seriously! For at least two minutes this bug was diving at me. The thrumming of its wings was so LOUD and I was really starting to get a little mad/freaked out, swatting at this thing like a crazy woman. At the same time, I heard little bird chirps. I was considering getting up and letting this man-eating insect have its space back when I realized...this was no bug! This was a hummingbird!!!! Needless to say, trying to take pictures of the hummingbird "attacking" me was not a very easy task. But, at least I have some photographic evidence that this event really took place.

So, I sat there again this year, hoping for another hummingbird encounter. None to be had. I enjoyed the view, the shade, and the rest for a bit.

But, I was getting thirsty for more coconut water and came across this washing machine while I was looking for coconuts. Gotta love this place!

And then, I spied these little cuties poking through the pine needles. I was kind of wishing someone was around so that I could dazzle them with my knowledge of plant names. These are wild poinsettia! I feel pretty certain that I am one of the only people to identify these while hunting for green coconuts.

At the northern edge of Hope Town is this adorable house. I love the holiday decorations that must have just slowly seeped into the daily decor. They were here last summer and my hope is that they will be here for years to come.

I made it to the Hope Town Harbour Lodge to meet up with the family for lunch:

A beautiful view:

And swimming and snorkeling:

All of that fun was had before the evening at Sea Spray and the Junkanoo Rush!

In my down time, I paint rocks and hide them throughout the whole of Elbow Cay. These three I hid at Sea Spray. I kind of like hiding them where I'm in a position to witness the finding (if possible). One little 5 year old girl saw them tucked under the deck railing and was squealing at her mother to pick one up. The mother rolled her eyes so hard that I seriously expected her to lose her balance. I wanted to shout at her like the Soup Nazi, "NO ROCKS FOR YOU!" But, I didn't.

Honestly, I'm kinda glad she didn't get one of these because three other little girls walked by a few minutes later and picked up my three rocks. They were skipping around and showing them to their other family members. The girls posed for at least a dozen pictures with their rocks. The rock painting project's mission is to spread joy and I'm pretty sure these girls were filled with joy. I know my mom and I were as we watched them!