Eleuthera Trip, day 3

One of my favorite things on the island is the time spent very early morning waiting for the sun to rise and lounging on the porch in the warm breezes while the Atlantic roars against the rocks below.  Sunday was the day for LM and David to go bonefishing all day with a Bahamian guide - one of the highlights of LM's stay on Eleuthera.  I understand there was a lot of laughter and he saw areas of the island that few would ever see. There was a lot of bouncing down hidden dirt roads to deserted beaches.

That morning I took a nice walk around A & D's house to phtograph the beauty and all of the hard work that has gone in to carving out the coral hillside and make a garden.

Looking up the hill in back of the house toward a secluded seating area which used to hold a pretty gazebo, removed by Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Sea lettuce loves the rugged terrain.

While walking toward the back of the house I met this furry fellow.

The door on the far left was to our room.

Flowers thrive and add color and softness.

The bark on these trees is so interesting!

Set to go on their bonefish expedition

Looking down the road...the stone wall on the right was built from scratch by David.

Stone wall close-up.

Looking from their porch toward the Atlantic.

Knowing the guys would be gone all day, Anne and I spent many hours just talking at the kitchen table. We could talk forever.  Finally by mid afternoon we decided we should get dressed and go out. I had a return visit to a gift shop in mind in order to acquire a few little gifts for family before going home. Everytime we'd go out, we'd have to drive by the herd of white cows which roams the mid-island area.  They are enormous and visions of hitting one are enough to make anyone slow down.  There were also flocks of chickens and herds of goats roaming the island.

On our return this pretty flower greeted us near the driveway.
Fishing stories were told excitedly, time after time. Notice there are no fish photos...they all managed to wiggle off the line just at the point of being caught.

This is Gersh, the amazing Bahamian bone fishing guide, who led the expedition and was a wealth of information and tips, and a lot of laughs, too. The guys really had the day of a lifetime.

Gersh took them to fish at this beach which looks across to the posh N. Eleuthera island called Harbour Island.  This scene broke LM's heart....this beautiful, once pristine beach, littered with ocean trash. So sad. They also got to many other beaches and fished til they dropped, at the cost of LM's feet. Big blisters from the sand in his shoes. Ouch. We worked on them with tea tree oil, lavender and vitamin E and they healed up nicely.

Another of the beautiful fishing spots.
 

The evening ahead would take place at the Front Porch in Hatchet Bay. This very sweet place, run by a husband and wife team, serves very fine food, and we'd reserved a lovely table on the porch, overlooking the harbor. The Front Porch only has 4 or 5 tables and the food is all from the island. All the fish is caught daily by the owner.  It was as though there was magic in the air. We arrived in time for a glorious sunset, and had some delicious drinks before dinner - perfectly and generously made by the bartender and story teller, Stephan. LM and I had one of his inventions aptly named the Apricot Smash.   I rarely drink so this delicious and strong drink was a heady treat.

There is a sweet little gift shop just inside the front door.  They have quite a bit of island memorabilia and, of course, my eyes went right to a photo of a mule working a garden, alas, not for sale but so interesting to learn a bit more about their history.  In times past Eleuthera had many, many farms and was very famous for raising some of the finest pineapple in the world. There are very few left.

The sunset was so much fun as we kept seeing all kinds of things in the cloud formations. This one seemed to be a mythical citadel of some sort.  The view is looking out over Hatchet Bay from The Front Porch.

Another beautiful shot

Just after the sunset I managed a shot that captured A & D's sailboat, The Nauti Knot.  It is the one to the left, above the palm fronds.

Love this!!

Many pieces of beautiful driftwood adorn the restaurant.

This was such a fun evening....

Beauty all around

Our table awaiting us.

Saying good night to this beautiful and delicious evening.

The next morning, first thing, my favorite fisherman, was back working on his gear and ready to hit the shores again!

HAPPY EASTER to everyone!!
We will be with Son, Jason and family and I will be so happy to have all 3 of my children together for the first time in years.
Anne is here from FL as tomorrow will find us all at a Celebration of Life for my first husband, Allan, father to Anne and Sara. He died very suddenly in early February.
LOVE and PEACE to all.