Feb 12 – We are in super relaxed mode, as there is really not too much to do here. Ingrid makes our breakfast in the morning (we have no input on the breakfast selection, but everything is very good), we walk down to the beach to swim, have lunch in town, and then swim in the pool in the afternoon.
We bring back take-away for supper, as we just can’t consume the quantity of food that Ingrid provides, and she doesn’t seem to be open to negotiation. We asked if we could perhaps have a smaller supper, and she told us, “no, the supper is fine.” Sigh. Her meals are more expensive than the restaurant in town, and there is no ATM here. I hope our money lasts the week!
Jim got up early to capture the sunrise from our veranda Breakfast of vegetables, cheese and fry bread with nutmeg jam, enjoyed with our new friend Angela from Canada.Fresh tropical fruit every morning, most plucked from Ingrid’s garden – star fruit today!So many flowers!The road to the beach – no signs, no traffic A farm along the roadside growing cabbages in the shade of pepper plantsWe have the lovely white sand beach all to ourselves The man with the wheelbarrow rakes the seaweed off the beach every morning A person could get used to this We walked by this place, figuring it was an abandoned building. Inside was a little old lady who served us… …the best chicken curry ever!Girls walking home from schoolBoys waiting for a bus – they must live farther awayOur evening swim – the pool has a deep lap area that Jim really likes.Around sunset, a big wind blows through, roaring like a locomotive and bringing five minutes of rain. Then it is over and the calm returns. Ah, the tropics!
Feb 10 – Our apartment host picked us up at the airport, and drove us to a supermarket and ATM so we could purchase some supper and pay for our room. We found out that cash is needed here (two of our three hosts asked for pay in Eastern Caribbean dollars, worth approximately one third of a US dollar) although our research beforehand said that credit cards were widely accepted.
After a night near the airport, we prepared for our bus ride up into the hills. Our first task was to find a bus to take us into the city of St. George’s.
We asked a young man walking down the road if buses passed by here. We understand that you just put out your hand to stop a little van going in your direction. Sure enough, the young man flagged down the next van and we all hopped on.
Twenty minutes later we were in the capital city of St. George’s.
A sunrise view from our apartment The van has a driver and a conductor who collects the fare and opens the door. The goal is to squish as many folks into the van as humanly possible.St. George’s has a cruise ship terminal where we all got off the bus. There were hundreds of cruisers strolling around the waterfront.We stopped for some lunch before our onward journey. Here is our yummy fish and rice meal in St. George’s.Maurice Bishop was the Prime Minister until he was assassinated in 1983, the year the U.S. invaded Grenada. He is a hero here and the airport is named for him. Fortified, we hopped onto the next bus that will take us up to the little town of Crochu.The driver let us off on the main road, and we walked to our new home.Here are some of our neighbors!The Big Sky Lodge will be our home for a week, hosted by Ingrid, her husband Thomas and daughter SophiaHere is our cabin, with tropical flora all around. The big rock outcroppings remind us that this is a volcanic island.A lizard on your ceiling means your mosquito population will be kept under control!We have a lovely pool, complete with a goatFor our first night’s supper, Ingrid gave us each a whole fish with vegetables, salad and a huge serving of nutmeg ice cream for dessert. Delicious!
February 9, 2026 – This winter has been especially cold in Virginia, so it’s time for a little relaxation in the sun. Want to come along?
Our destination is the Caribbean island of Grenada (pronounced Gre NAY da, not like the city in Spain), just north of Trinidad/Tobago and Venezuela.
The island was first spied by Christopher Columbus in 1498, colonized by the French in 1649, then ceded to the British in 1763. It is currently a realm of the Commonwealth, independent for 50 years but still acknowledging the British king. The official language is English. UK electrical adapters are needed.
Grenada is also known as the Island of Spice, as its main crop and export is nutmeg. The local time is one hour ahead of EST, so jet lag won’t be a problem. The weather is tropical with temps between 77 and 82 every day. Are you ready? Let’s go!
We rolled out of bed at 3:15 am, grabbed a cup of coffee and were ready when our Uber pulled up at 3:45. 6am flights are not my favorite! The first leg to Miami went off without a hitch, but we sat on the ground for two hours before the technicians gave up on all the problems with our second plane (mechanical, computer, and then plumbing!) and sent us back into the airport to a distant gate in another terminal with the promise of a better plane. Another hour and we were on our way.
A handsome young Queen Elizabeth graces the currency hereWaiting to pass through Customs, we spied some interesting airport personnel… this figure reminded us of the Semana Santa penitents we encountered in Spain. We understand they are JabJab costumes for a festival celebrated here in August.Can’t wait to start our adventure!
January 19, 2026 – We had the opportunity to spend a few days in Key West in January, so we jumped at the chance for a new experience and some warmer weather. Here is some of what we saw:
This chick greeted us at the airportLots of chicken imagery – there are roosters and chickens roaming free on the streets and lots of tourists stop to take photos of them.Excellent art galleries…including one with original sketches by……Dr Seuss! A Turkish store that reminded us of Istanbul Lots of cigar stores – we are just 90 miles from CubaWe enjoyed conch fritters, frozen margaritas, and Cubano sandwiches. Also some shrimp and fish tacos that were so heavenly, we inhaled them before we could snap a pic!We visited the Ernest Hemingway house / museum – a popular attraction with a line of folks waiting to get inSome of the typewriters he used to tell his famous talesThe writer’s studioOutdoor cat hotelCat under the covers Extensive feline cemetery out back – Hemingway named many of the cats after his friendsSome of the cats, including descendants of the six-toed Snowball, that inhabit the premises. Yes, the whole place smelled like cat pee.Right next door was the Tennessee Williams house – no one waiting to get in. Sorry Tennessee!Key West bills itself as the Conch Republic – it seceded from the US for a day back in 1982 to protest government anti-drug and immigration policies that were causing traffic backups on the only highway The pretty beach where tourists queue up to watch the sunset The line of folks waiting to have their pictures taken in front of……the end of the continental USARight on the beach was Fort Zachery Taylor……with lots of old cannons, ammo, and a moat!
Two versions of Sponge Bob – which do you prefer?We visited a Butterfly Conservatory with flamingos……beautiful birds…Blue morphoArchduke OwlHuge Atlas mothLongwing…and hundreds of butterflies fluttering around us.
How often do you get to see a manatee mailbox?Although it really wasn’t beach weather, our motel had a heated pool so we sunned and swam every day. A great short trip – stay tuned for our next adventure!
Dec 3 – Our last day in Louisiana is in Covington. Why? Because Covington completes our circle and gets us back near New Orleans. It also puts us in position to cross Lake Ponchartrain on the world’s longest continuous bridge for cars over water – 25 miles. (It used to just be the world’s longest bridge, but newer bridges in China necessitated the addition of some qualifiers.)
Covington is also home to the Abita Mystery House / UCM Museum, a dusty little roadside attraction that is not to be missed (spoken with tongue firmly in cheek).
An eclectic assemblage of oddities …with lots of home made dioramas A building covered with a mosaic of broken pottery Several two-headed alligators A quote from ThoreauA UFOAnd posters you wish you hadAnd last but not least, how about a Bigfoot sighting?There you go!Dec 4 – Driving across Lake Ponchartrain in the rainBack to the airport, and home. Thanks for traveling with us!
Dec 2 – Today we came to stay at The Myrtles, a plantation built in 1796 by General David Bradford, leader of the Whiskey Rebellion. After the Revolution, our young republic needed income, so put a tax on whiskey. Those who rose up to protest were vanquished and had to leave the country. So General Bradford came here – Louisiana did not become part of the US until 1810.
The property passed through many hands, including use as a hospital during the Civil War. Over the years, many stories of murder and haunting were attributed to this place.
The most popular concerns a 14 year old enslaved girl named Chloe, who had her ear cut off as punishment for eavesdropping. In revenge, she poisoned the children of the house, and then was killed.
Both Chloe and the children are said to haunt the premises.
The stately Myrtles Plantation, the most haunted house in Louisiana, and 7th most haunted in the USAThe crepe mrytles that give the plantation its name General Bradford, in portrait and Wanted poster. Rani is our enthusiastic tour guideAn image of Chloe to the left of the shutter. Do you see her? This is a postcard in the gift shop.This mirror is the most haunted piece of furniture in America. Although it has been reglazed several times, images of a face and fingerprints keep reappearing. See the face in the middle of the doorway?Chloe’s treasure chest – many tourists report losing an earring in this building, which the staff subsequently find hidden in the house. Chloe only steals one earring, as she only has one ear.Rani shared her personal sightings, captured on her phone. See the little boy behind the tourist’s leg?How about the ghostly child on the right?A portrait of Kate Winter, beloved child of the house who died of yellow fever at the age of three. Is hers the ghostly face you see above?This is a photo of the outside of the house, showing a ghostly figure……and two ghostly children sitting on the roof. This photo has been examined by experts to prove it is not photoshopped This old piano only plays if you pump the pedals with both feet and work the bellows with both knees – except when it is heard to play by itself at nightThe 17th step where a former owner of the house may have been murdered. Happy to say we made it out alive!
Dec 1 – So this morning we sauntered around beautiful downtown Lafayette to see what there is to see.
We saw the beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, built by a Dutch architect out of red brick in 1916.There is a 500 year old live oak hereA beautiful sanctuary St. Mother Teresa is hereA stroll downtown revealed my very favorite sight – wall art! Enjoy!For lunch, how about some shrimp creole? Bon appetit!
Nov 29 – Today’s adventure was a visit to Vermilionville Historic Village to learn about early Cajun culture. Vermilionville was the named of this area before it became Lafayette. The word Cajun is a corruption of the word Acadian, the French people who were forced to flee here from Nova Scotia in the mid 1700s to get away from the British. All the signage here is in French first, then English.
I like the primitive religious paintingsHandmade quiltsNative Houma handicraftsAn old cabin with part of the wall removed to show the Spanish moss mixed with mud used for insulationSeveral of the houses contained folksy re-enactors with stories to tell. This gentleman in the schoolhouse told how children were punished for speaking their native French dialectsThe poster showed different expressions in Cajun, Creole, French and EnglishThis lady has been hand stitching quilts here for 12 yearsThe quilt-in-progress is stretched on a frame that can be raised up to the ceiling so that the room can be used as a bedroom after the day’s work is doneA finished quilt hanging on the wall Here’s the petit bayou ferry – just pick up the center rope and pull yourself across!Product placement? How did that Tabasco barrel get here?The restaurant at Vermilionville offered great Cajun gumbo……and a baked potato filled with an excellent crawfish étouffée After lunch we walked over to a performance hall where local musicians gathered for an afternoon jam session. They chatted together for a few minutes, somebody started a song, then everyone else joined in.Guitars, fiddles, an accordion and a washtub bassFine music Nov 30 – A rainy gray morning, somehow befitting that we are visiting a cemetery today to see the Little Cajun Saint. Jim is interested in stories of miracles.In 1959, 12 year old Charlene Richard died of leukemia. Her priest was impressed that she did not fear death, and used her name to raise funds for a new church.Over the next 20 years, people prayed to Charlene, visited her grave and reported miracles of healing.Charlene has been nominated for sainthood, a long process that requires the Church to verify at least two miracles. Hundreds of people visit her grave every week.There is a box of index cards here where people write down their petitions and leave them for Charlene. So far, Charlene has been named a Servant of God.
Nov 28 – No trip to Louisiana can be considered complete without a visit to Avery Island, the ancestral home of the McIllhenny family, creators of Tabasco sauce.
Jim is holding the tiny Army Tabasco bottle that was provided in C rations in his Vietnam days. He said for some meals, it made all the difference!We walked through the greenhouses where the peppers are grown. Tabasco peppers face upward, toward the sun.The vats where the pepper mash is processedThe warehouse where the mash is aged for up to three years The gift shop featured many interesting Tabasco products There are 12 different Tabasco sauces offered, from mild to super hot. I particularly liked the garlic sauce.Jim, of course, tried the Scorpion Sauce, the hottest one. It immediately made his nose run, and he pronounced it mighty fine.Here’s a big alligator that menaced the McIllhenny family, back in the day. As the weather has turned chilly, I’m afraid it is the only gator we will see on this trip.We took the three mile walk around the island called the Jungle Gardens – the other tourists took their carsThe island is a sanctuary for the snowy egretSomething blooming in November!Also camellias in several colors At the top of a hill is a pagoda containing a Buddha that was gifted to the McIllhenny family in 1936. They are not sure how old it is or where it came from.A mystery to end a fine day!
Nov 26 – Now here’s a place I bet you haven’t been! In the town of Patterson on the road to New Iberia sits the Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill Museum.
There’s an F4 Phantom sitting outsideInside are racing aircraft from the 1930s and 1940sWe watched a fun video about the barnstorming aviation era, featuring Mary Hazelip, who held the women’s speed record for 7 years starting in 1932Wedell and Williams both manufactured and piloted their aircrafts. They both died young in plane crashes.In the same building we learned about the logging off of the cypress forests of this area from the late 1800s up until the Great Depression Cypress trees grow right in the water, and are excellent rot-resistant soft woods for making boats, paneling and flooring Pretty sleekThis tree was almost 4,000 years oldPeople also harvested Spanish moss in great quantities to use as furniture and mattress stuffing, and also wall insulation. Who knew?We stopped for lunch in Jeanerette, but arrived too late for the Cajun special. The fried shrimp were tasty, but we’ve really had enough fried food.We walked around the grounds of Albania Mansion, built in 1842It’s right on the water, and is used for weddings and partiesThe back of the house looks just like the front! I wonder where we’ll go next?Nov 27 – Today dawned clear but cold. We are going to see what there is to see around Lake Fausse Point. Lots of palmettoLots of cypress kneesLow bridge, Jim – don’t bump your head!A pretty day
Taking Our Time 