Phagwah and Conch Fritters

Last week Bob's cousin, Rob, and his wife left Nevis after a two-week visit.  We had a lot of fun playing tour guide around our island home.  Although Rob is recovering from heart problems, he and Linda managed to get a lot packed in their short time here--swimming, snorkeling, conch-catching and cooking, sampling the various restaurants, even went to the the Cultural Center for the Hindu Holi celebration (a celebration of youth and spring), toured sale properties with a real estate agent and joined the Nevis yacht club!*  They promised to come back--and might even sail back on their boat.  

Here is Ava waving bye to the ferry with Rob and Linda in it.   Bob made it back from New Orleans that same day.  He had flown in for a conference a few days early so he could get there on Fat Tuesday.  Tried his first oyster.  Had acid reflux for the first time as well, thought he was dying!  But overall had a blast.

Ava and Garry set sail at Oualie Bay

So Ava is finally getting to learn sailing.  The same Garry from Australia that teaches her riding lessons also teaches kids to sail on the weekends out of the Nevis Yacht club.  He does this for free and seems to have a great time of it.  This is Garry and Ava taking off from Oualie Beach, and also Garry with a conch that was turned into fritters later that evening.  We went conch collecting on the same trip that we found the wreck of a small plane that has been eluding us for years.  A cesna that didn't quite make its landing properly...now a destination for snorkelers, and home to quite a few lobsters.   We made conch fritters out of all those conchs plus quite a few more we caught that day.  OK, "caught" may be overstating the hunt a little.  It's not like they have legs.




Anyway, as soon as Bob is over whatever virus he picked up on the airplane ride back to Nevis, we will truly be back to normal around here.  Alden turns 22 on Monday...so we will be celebrating from across the ocean.  And getting ready for the next wave of visitors--looks like Evan will be here in April, and possibly Bob's dad and stepmom from Long Island.  

The dancer on the left is the daughter of our Shirley who cooks for us.

Well, I was a little late getting this posted! Bob is still sniffling with his cold but I think he's turned the corner!