Happy Mother’s Day to my mother and all my friends with children back home.  I can’t think of a better place to spend Mother’s Day then in the Abacos.  Tristan and I did some snorkeling off the beach and of course we hit the Hopetown Harbour Lodge pool (our favorite pool).  The kids gave me a Jasmine and Pineapple candle from the coffeeshop.  The coffeeshop here is great.  It is housed in an airy turquoise colored house with dark hardwood floors inside.  Beautiful artwork from local artists cover the walls.  They roast their own coffee beans and the coffee is really good.  You can drink your coffee, get a delicious muffin, cookie, pineapple or coconut bread, hang out on the couches, use the internet, read the magazines there and just have a relaxing time.  Several times we have taken the kids there to do their schoolwork while we use the internet. 

We also helped Cathy celebrate her birthday.  Instead of a traditional birthday cake she went with the Key Lime pie from Vernon’s grocery.  Vernon owns one of the grocery store and makes the island’s best pies.  Fred put a few candles in the pie and we all sang Happy Birthday.  Tessa and Tristan made her birthday cards.  We always have a great time with Fred and Cathy and we were glad we could help her celebrate her birthday!

Even though it is still blowing 25 knots plus, we needed to get out of the harbor. Fred and Cathy graciously offered to take us all on Makai down to Tilloo Banks. Tilloo Banks are famous for their sand dollars. They are everywhere. Cathy had brought back several from their last trip there and I really wanted Tristan and Tessa to find some. We motored into the wind on the way there. It took us about an hour and a half before we pulled up to the nearly deserted banks. The water was very rough, with waves kicked up by 30 knot winds. Tristan and I set out for a short snorkel but it was clear the water was too rough for Tessa. It was taking all her strength just to stay in place.

Cathy, who is a strong swimmer, swam over to the shallow and brought back some beautiful sand dollars, some as small as a quarter. She presented these to Tessa who was very happy to get them. We ate lunch on the boat, watching the waves behind us. Tessa took a much needed rest.

A beautiful day in Hopetown and I decide it is time for me to get the name on the side of the boat. We have Alegria on the back, but we never had good enough weather or a good spot for me to do it. Today it wasn’t too windy so Tristan and I brought the dingy around to the side of the boat to get started. I was really nervous because I have never done this before and the lettering is very big. If I get it wrong or uneven, it will be very obvious. Tessa is at the front of the boat. It is her job to hold the dingy forward while Tristan and I measure down the side of the boat for the right location.

There are two ways to put the name on. One is to put water on the back of the name and then place the name against the boat. You use a squeegee to get the water out and the name sticks. It is the easier way and the way I put the letters on the back of the boat. This time we do it the harder way, which is measure down from the top of the boat, rip the back off and stick it on. It is very hot and now the wind kicks up. Tessa loses her grip on the front of the dingy while I am standing on it nearly causing me to fall and Tristan drops the name in the water. This is not going well.

After about 20 minutes and a lot of frustration, I realize this wasn’t going to work. I sent Tessa in to get some water to put on the back of the name and we will try the squeegee method. Another round of sweating and yelling and the name is on the side of the boat. Now I just need to squeegee, slowly pull back the outer paper and the name should stick.

Nope. More squeegee. No sticky. More squeegee. More squeegee. More sweaty. Still no sticky. I lay on my back in the dingy cursing myself for doing this.

“Hey” Someone is yelling to me. It’s the guy who looks about 80 years old on the sailboat moored behind us.

“What?” I yell back.

“The guy on the boat down there,” (he points to a sailboat about 50 feet away with a guy sitting on the deck watching me) “He says to tell you the name would look better if it was closer to the front of the boat and higher up.”

My mouth drops open. I can’t believe it. Noticing the look on my face he hooks his thumb in the guy’s direction and says “He said it. Not me.”

I am appalled. The guy on the other sailboat got on the VHF radio and called the old guy on the boat behind me to tell me I am not doing it correctly! I am hot, I am tired and I am in no mood to be messed with. I yell back. “Well you tell him I am not moving it!”

I scowl at my critic across the water. Mike on Dual Dreams yells over to me, “I think it looks great!”

I thank him and go back to my squeegee. Life in a small town harbor.