Rose Is A Rose

Rock Sound 

It was a beautiful morning in Rock Sound. Around 9:00 we hopped in the dinghy and headed to the town dock to start our adventure. We had our sights set on the beach two miles straight across the island of Eleuthera. We didn't see a soul on our slightly uphill stroll. The scenery was both beautiful and interesting. At the highest point of the island, the road had actually been cut into and through the limestone.

At the end of the road, a trail through the scrub vegetation took us to our destination. One look out at the turquoise water of the Atlantic instantly exceeded all of my expectations. Wind-crafted ripples in the sand beckoned us to the surf which was lapping onshore. 

No other visitors could be seen. The dry sand was soft, and the wet sand was firm, making for comfortable walking. A lone crab caught our eye and we moved closer for inspection, not sure if it was alive. He took up a defensive position as my phone inched closer to him. We let him be and continued south until we reached the rocks.

At that point we met a lady from Toronto who has been here since October. She kindly offered to take our photo to remember this gorgeous place. Mother Nature, not us, is the star of the show.

North we walked and marveled at how lucky we are to be able to experience a day like this. At the next rocky area, coconut palms and sea oats occupied the dunes in front of a mesmerizing tidal pool. I, of course, had to go in and give it a closer look.

Crystal clear water shimmered in the light breeze. The beach took on a different look with the pink sand. Content with our two-hour stay in paradise, we made our way back to the path through the dunes to change back into our walking shoes. We began to notice that we were getting a little hungry.

I tried phoning the nearby Northside Restaurant, but the call would not go through. We took one final look back at the scenery and decided to take a chance and see if the restaurant was open. A sign on the power pole pointed the way down a sandy road and past full palms. We knocked on the door and that's when we met Ms. Rose Gibson. We asked if she was making lunch, and she offered to fix us a plate. Oh, my. It was so delicious! She came back from her kitchen with plates of chicken wings, peas and rice, coleslaw, plantains. and a small salad.

Every last crumb was gratefully enjoyed. The three dogs and cat seemed disappointed that we cleaned our plates. We sat around and visited, learning of her family. Ms. Rose has children and grandchildren spread all over the globe, including Australia and Switzerland. We loved seeing photos of her extensive travels and meetings with well-know folks (Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth). One of her dogs enthusiastically joined in with us on the singing of "Jesus Loves Me." It was such a special afternoon, but we needed to start heading back to the harbor. The view from her deck is spectacular and we got a final photo to remember this wonderful day when our paths crossed. Ms. Rose offered to drive us, but we politely declined, saying we needed the walk. In yet another much-appreciated and gracious act, she said, "follow me" and led us on a final walk along the beach.

The dogs joined us on what we were told was their twice-daily route. We went down the beach, across the rocks, then up through the trees on a well-manicured path, exiting back onto the main road. Goodbyes and heart-felt thanks were exchanged once more. Barry and I are very thankful that our paths crossed today with Rose Gibson. She is perfectly named and exhibits all the beauty, love, friendship and joy of her namesake flower. This is one day we will never forget. By 3:00 the sun was beating down on the road back to the harbor. The primary school was letting out as we passed. I stopped into Hall's Grocery and got some red cabbage and four tomatoes. Lastly we filled up the dinghy's gas tank (roughly $6/gallon, but we only needed three gallons). Tired from a great day, we watched the sun set over the anchorage from the comfy chairs on the flybridge.