A Mighty Fair Day

Spanish Wells   

There was no sleeping late on our final day in Spanish Wells. Barry toted our laundry Santa-style to be first in line at the marina's washing machines when they opened at 8:00. While he was filling up the two washers, I did my yoga. I then set out on a morning walk around the eastern end of the island. Colorful flowers are not the only things that catch my interest. The star of this walk was a large evergreen with lush foliage. My plant app identified it as a Norfolk Island Pine, and while I could see some resemblance to the miniature table-top Christmas trees, I'm not 100% convinced. A walk along the waterfront had me looking for some holding tanks which Demetria had described yesterday over breakfast. Bingo. The two tanks had spiny lobster and a grouper. It was cool to see these animals up close. It was a quiet Saturday morning. Few people were out and about and the harbor was lined with small commercial boats tied to the seawall. 

I visited a few stores and indulged in a little retail therapy. The island has a deceptively large hill at the eastern end. The view from the top reaches beyond the harbor. I was glad I was walking and remembered my first trip down the hills in a buggy. We were convinced we were going to end up in the water. It was a warm and humid morning with little breeze. I was literally dripping when I returned to luxurious comfort of the air conditioned Crossroads. Yes, we have enjoyed being plugged into shore power for these past three days. While I was gone, Barry began changing the fuel filter on the generator. I assumed my sous mechanic role and together we had the job finished quickly. After a change of clothes we were back on the dock and heading to the Spring Fair at Spanish Wells Methodist Church. As we walked up the driveway, we heard a call from behind us of, "Hey, Sailors." We turned around, immediately recognized Shelly (Deidre's cousin), and were all smiles. Shelly is a very talented cake designer and was busy yesterday delivering a wedding cake. It was so great to see her and hear that yesterday was a success. 

Once inside the fair, we had a single mission. Demetria also told us not to miss the homemade coconut ice cream which usually sold out quickly. That was our first stop. Oh, yes. Seeing the line of churns and hearing the motors grind brought back childhood memories of homemade ice cream in the back yard. We successfully secured two small cups and went off to the picnic tables to enjoy every spoonful. Just beyond the picnic table, a sandy path lined with sea grapes led across the dune. We followed it over to the beach and went for a stroll in the sand. 

There were a few dark clouds in the area, but it never rained. It was almost low tide and there was plenty of white sand -- and nowhere near the amount of seagrass as on the other end of the beach. The large sandbar was covered in water just a few inches deep. Only at the horizon were the blues of deeper water visible. 

Following our beach walk, we stopped at another booth for conch fritters. They were smoking hot and did not disappoint on flavor. There were numerous other booths with cotton candy, pizza, and sandwiches. One booth was full of decadent sweets which we looked at, but did not partake. Children were darting between multiple games of chance such as pop the balloon and hoop the prize.

Barry found the small exhibit by the newly-created Spanish Wells Sailing Club particularly interesting. We left the fair and marveled at all the buggies lined up along the church's driveway. The traffic on Main Street was noticeably lighter. One more trip down our favorite cross-street to the marina gave me another opportunity to marvel at the most beautiful flowers in The Bahamas. A new sight today was the stunning yellow rose with a pink mane. Back on the boat, I went out on Fiberglass Beach and watched small boat traffic pass through the channel. The mangrove roots were high and dry with the fallen tide. Most of the boats in the marina had left this morning. By late afternoon a new group began to arrive.

I finished my latest book, Life on the Mississippi. Thank you, Rich, for suggesting this one. I was able to pick it up in Charleston before we crossed to Bimini. This account of modern-day adventure set against historical context was very interesting and touched on several areas we visited while on The Great Loop. I came to know the story and significance of Cairo, Illinois on our trip through the inland rivers. We have been fortunate to see and learn of so many areas of the western hemisphere on our travels. Persona connections make the world smaller and flatter. We ended our day at the marina's restaurant, Wrecker's. Spanish Wells has many great restaurants and we were able to visit most of them during this stay. We enjoyed our first real pizza since December. I also had a delightfully light white sangria which is tradition dating back to my first visit to Spanish Wells in 2017. Following dinner, we took a short walk around the marina until the mosquitoes chased us back to Crossroads. We watched the final moments of dusk fade from Fiberglass Beach. Thank you, Spanish Wells, for another wonderful visit. We'll cast off in the morning, but will see you again next year.