Our flight from Provo to Grand Turk

Our plane from Provo. I counted 17 missing screws and 6 loose or bare wiring connections in the cockpit.

Potcake smile

"If you have never seen a dog actually smile when it is happy, then take the time to meet a Potcake. The expression in their eyebrows and smile is not to be missed."

(excerpted from http://www.hs-gb.org/index-Dateien/potcake.htm )

Snorkeling Round Cay

Diver roll!

Diver roll. Nat shows us how it's done.

Photos by Chris.

Gibbs Cay

We got to Gibb's Cay just ahead of a squall. From the summit, the view North is sunny and beautiful, and Deena is down there happily snokeling.

Then, take a look South.. Here's what's coming..

Anticrepuscular rays, you guys!

Anticrepuscular rays! Always a treat.

Happy Deena

Vacation dogs

Meet Lady. She's Chris' dog, she's a potcake dog, and she's brilliant. She's just been sticking with Deena and growling at the friendly drunks that always approach and greet us and give us their show each trip by. If I'm with Deena, Lady may wander off or follow Chris to work. If Deena is by herself on the beach, Lady does not leave her side. And she doesn't other people or dogs get close without warning them. Potcake dogs roam the streets here. A few have owners and collars and tags, some have loose associations with a group of people but are not pets, and some others are just wild. Chris took Lady in when she was a puppy, and she's got a great gig now and she does a great job of being a great dog. Chris had to deal with a big vet bill for a scare they had a while ago. He's committed to the dog's well-being. But, he knows he can't financially handle two, and will not take in another dog. Then Vasquez showed up.

Vasquez showed up at Chris' house "a sad, sick puppy." No bouncing, no running. He took her to the vet, treated her (severe) UTI, treated her for fleas and ticks, and now he feeds her and lets her hang around the house and yard, but she doesn't "live" here; she comes and goes as she wishes; she does wander off for periods but she's mostly here with us, politely at our heel, doing everything Lady shows her how to do (like gaurding us). She's a wonderful. Dog. Chris says "I'm not-so-secretly angling for you guys to adopt her." Asshole. We've discussed having another dog before, many times. It's just not on the table now. But. Plan A: change Chris' mind before we leave; plan B: convince Chris' girlfriend (who is in the US right now but will be back in a few days), that SHE needs a dog (Lady is very much Chris' dog); plan C: convince Chris to let us sponsor the dog like we would a starving kid.. "for the cost of a cup of coffee a day.." and all that; plan C: find a friend who'd be a good candidate for this especially wonderful and bright puppy.

One more of today's sunset (the best one)

photo by D

Getting some photos at Sunset

Grand Turk Life (video by Chris Young)

My cup of coffee was made with rainwater

Outside our door

Little Haiti

OK, first impressions. Here's the neighborhood where we're staying, referred to by some as "Little Haiti." Lots of Haitians, Dominicans and Jamaicans; a distinctly third-world look and feel here. Everyone is super friendly, and there's lots of smiling. People here live very simply, and there's none of the opulence we'd see even in Mexico.

There are piles of junk and garbage here and there. There are packs of wild dogs roaming around. While there are some homes we'd call "houses," most dwellings in this neighborhood are small shacks with multiple families living in them.

This isn't the stuff you'll see in the travel brochures, but this is how it is. But again, everyone is very nice and friendly. The neighborhood is vibrant, with a steady flow of people walking or bicycling by. There are relatively few cars on the road, but a few - mostly older, thrashed cars but the occasional new car or Cadillac. The sounds of singing from the neighborhood churches ebb and swell late into the night. As I write this, about 9am, I can hear hymns coming from the Haitian church a stone's throw away.

We haven't seen any tourists up here. While some people come and stay on the island, mostly tourism is in the form of cruise ships. There was a ship in today, and Chris took us down to see it. There was a small handful of people on the beach adjacent to the cruise ship mooring; Chris told us this is as busy as it gets here..