February 1, 2016 Rooster cottage, Elbow Cay Properties

Yeah!! I had family arrive today from the states.  We have been planning this for about 9 months.  We hoped all my siblings and spouses would be able to join us at the same time, but you know how that goes.  My brother Don and his wife Linda and my sister Beverly made it happen.  Bev wanted a room mate to help share the expense of her room, so a girlfriend, Kaye Dial, was able to come, too.  We had met Kaye around 2000 and really enjoyed her company.  So we knew we would all have fun together. 

I spent the morning making potato salad to have with our dinner tonight at my family’s cottage in Hopetown.  We had decided because of the weather and timing, they should take the ferry over from Marsh Harbor, where they are flying into.  We were expecting rain today.  I took the ferry to Marsh Harbor to meet them.  Don and Linda were flying in from Miami at noon and Kaye from Ft Lauderdale at 1:00.  They were all going to take a taxi to the ferry dock together where I would meet them.  I lined up our favorite taxi driver to pick them up, Rinssor. 

inter island ferry

I walked off the ferry about 11:00 and saw Rinssor right away.  He said “did you know your brother’s flight is delayed?”  I hadn’t even thought about checking my phone for any messages.  He was planning to go out at 1:00 just to meet Kaye and let her know that the others would be late.  I thought that was pretty nice.  He asked if I wanted to go to the airport.  I didn’t think he would have room for 5 people and luggage.  He said he could seat 8.  So I decided to get something to eat at a nearby take out stand and then go.  I had conch fritters and fried grouper strips.  Both were great, but I had my share of vitamin G for a month (for grease). 

take out restaurant

Rinssor picked me up about 1:00 and we headed to the airport.  Kaye was so thankful that I was there and she wouldn’t have had to wait alone.  We had a beer and got caught up on each other’s lives.  The other 3 didn’t arrive until about 3:00.  Their plane couldn’t leave Nassau on time because of bad weather.  So it arrived in Miami 2 hours late.  We were able to catch the 3:30 ferry over to Hopetown.  We were anchored on the west side of Elbow Cay, so they could see our boat as we headed into the harbor. 
 

Albury ferry dock in Marsh Harbor

luggage ready to load on the ferry

Dave met us at the ferry dock and we all walked up to their cottage.  They were met by the cottage’s caretaker, Rabanette.  She had a man with her that loaded their luggage into a cart and took it to the cottage.  It wasn’t far, but up hill. 

Their cottage had 2 bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen with a small table.  There wasn’t a living room, but the deck our front had nice deck furniture and a beautiful view of the ocean.  It was a duplex called the Chicken Coop.  And their side was called Roosters and the other Hens.  No one was staying in the Hen side, so we took over all the deck furniture, or at least the more comfortable chairs.  

view from cabin, Dave and Mary, Beverly Krause, Kaye Dial, Lind and Don Zeller

After getting settled, we all walked to the grocery store to find something to cook for dinner and some things for breakfast.  We decided on brats and hotdogs.  We also bought an onion and a yellow pepper and sautéed them for our brats/dogs.  My potato salad went over great.  I had brought a 3 liter bottle of white zinfandel as a house warming gift, which was enjoyed by all.  When it came time to do dishes, we realized there wasn’t any hot water.  The caretaker came over and got the water heater running.  She wanted to wait to be sure it heated, so we offered her a glass of wine.  She joined us and told us about her family and living on the island.  She was probably in her mid 30’s and very nice. 

Shortly after dinner, we headed back to the boat.