Back to School... sort of...

Well Emily has been back in school exactly two days. She really likes her new teacher and we are getting back in to the routine. Although she was placed in a different class to most of her friends she is as unflappable as ever and is making the most of it. Lisa worries more than she does.

Mark thinks it's terrible that Emily is only back in school for six weeks before she has a term break of one week, but now she may get a break even earlier. Lovely but angry Hanna, who is now officially a tropical storm, will probably be a hurricane by the time she reaches us on Tuesday night - which means a "Bahamian snow day" for Emily.

We are only on the edge of the projected path but if you check out this weather website it says that the wind will be about 57mph. The winds are at about 14mph today and the coconuts are flying off of our trees.

Add to that - we just discovered that our hurricane shutters don't, in reality, screw in to the wall. They look very pretty but aren't exactly functional (sounds like a lot of our house). Looks like we know what we are doing over the next few days.

Time Off!

After a summer of pretty much constant work, Lisa and Mark decided to take the last few days of summer off to hang out with Emily before she went back to school.

We have been spending hours in the pool, watching movies together (thanks to Michael and Cindi's extensive DVD library), playing Nancy Drew on Emily's new laptop (thanks Grandad!) and just generally relaxing.

Yesterday we went out to Cable Beach and spent the day at the Cable Beach Resorts. We swam in their wide variety of pools, went down the water slides a bazillion times, hung out in the hot tubs, swam in the ocean, had a drink at the swim up bar (which Emily thought was the coolest) and made a fabulous sand castle. The camera was accidentally left in the car so no photos - sorry Nan!

Emily has been having fun with her China presents. Tons of new outfits for Marisol and Sophie, a flying saucer thingy (too hard to explain but destined to get lost in the ocean - we had to drive to a parking lot to do it properly because this thing goes SO high) and today her new dragon-fly kite. This is the kite that Lisa bought on the Bund in Shanghai. The sales lady quoted her a price of $15 and then chased after Lisa on her roller-blades for about 10 minutes before she got down to a realistic price for bits of tissue paper and toothpicks.

School starts tomorrow so we will be back to normal. Try telling that to night-owl Emmy!

Here she is with her kite...

Emmy's Home!

And obviously Ow is particularly glad! She had a little bit of a bumpy ride flying through Tropical Storm Fay and it may her feel a little queasy but apart from that she was home in one piece. She went straight up to her room and changed in to her bathing suit and was straight in to the pool. We swam, unpacked (thanks for all the goodies Mum and Dad!) and then Mark took us all for ice-cream which we took the end of the island and ate overlooking the ocean. We are glad she is home.

Family Stuff

Our thoughts are in Scotland this weekend with the rest of the Cabrelli clan. We are sad we couldn't be there at the gathering to celebrate the life of Mark's Aunt Jean (Sundie's big sister). Jean was 91 years old. Mark has spent the day on the phone reminiscing about good memories of Jean.

Emily comes home tomorrow so we can't wait to have her home at last. She had a great week with Nanny and Grandad and the rest of the family in PA. Here she is with her cousins, Maggie, Jack and Tommy.

Alfred's Story

I was staring at the palm tree on our back patio yesterday contemplating Emily's assurances that Mark would be able to "knock the bird's nest out of the tree... he can jump really high," when I realized that this tree didn't have a name yet. Already he has become such a big part of our lives. We get the pleasure of the sound of the wind through his leaves. We get the taste of coconuts from his fruits. We enjoy the sights of a bird family building, birthing, growing up and flying away. How could he not have a name?

It made me think of Alfred.


I first met Alfred when I met Mark. At the time Mark lived in a 100 year-old farm house in Virginia and Alfred lived on the property - but had definitely been there for over one hundred years. Alfred was a maple tree and he was very, very tall. At least 200 feet high. I named Alfred immediately after my Grandfather. He had the exact same personality as my Grandad had... quiet, kind, strong.


I told Mark's stories of Alfred's unrequited love of the pretty, young and supple tree leaning over his house some 30 feet away from Alfred's reaching branches. Alfred could never quite touch her. Mark boosted me up to his lower branches so I could climb him. We hung Emily from his branches and let her swing. We picnicked in his shade. And on one hot summer night slept on a blanket on the lawn under his protection. Alfred was a very lovely tree.


Early one morning I got a distressed call from Mark. A hurricane had hit Virginia the night before. Mark had not slept well so he couldn't believe, and was very upset, that he had never heard Alfred fall. He had broken right at his base and toppled to the ground.


We decided that Alfred deserved more than a bunch of unfeeling brutes barging in with a huge truck and a chipper, so off we went to buy a chain saw. We would lay Alfred to rest all by ourselves. And amazingly Alfred kept on giving.

Mark and I spent many happy hours bundling and wrapping kindling and stacking logs. Some of my favorite memories of Mark and Emily's developing relationship are from when they used to tramp down nightly to Alfred to sit on his fallen trunk and watch the sun set (with me smiling quietly at the bedroom window.) We made Emily a horse and a cool, secret fort in his fallen branches.

When Mark sold his property we knew that the buyers would be knocking down the farm house to build a 10,000 square foot Mcmansion. We also knew that what was left of Alfred would go to. Over many, many trips we stacked Alfred in to my station wagon and drove him to our new home. Our whole first year of living together as a family was warmed every night by the glow of Alfred burning in the fireplace.

I am so sad that I can't find any pictures of Alfred in his full majestic glory. But here he is during the bittersweet summer that we lost him. Thanks Alfred!

Sea Grape Thieves!

Apparently we have become a Bahamas destination. Along with the aquarium in Atlantis and Cabbage Beach we have become a Bahamas "must-visit"... at least that's what it seems like. We were warned but we didn't believe folks until now. Every day we here scuffling and rustling outside our front fence that suddenly stops when we approach. Yesterday we were lured outside by the very loud noise of a huge truck running it's engines sitting right in front of our garden gate. When we went to investigate the truck driver, who had been leaning far out of his window over our fence, quickly ducked back in and drove away. The day before we heard a lady park in our driveway and start calling, "hello?", "hello?" we went to investigate only to find her rustling around outside our front gate.


What does it all mean? Apparently we have the sweetest sea grape tree on the island - and it hangs over our front fence in to the roadway. It is laden with the fruit. It can barely hold it's branches up. We are now feeding the entire Bahamian sea grape lovin' population.


They would be so disappointed if they could only see over our fence. We haven't picked any of them and the patio is covered. Oh the waste! I mean they are good but how many sea grapes can you possibly eat?







BTW - What a rainbow yesterday! All this rain is bringing us so many goodies!