Island Life

Good morning! We four of us are waiting for the restaurant to open and we're seeing what we can see. This picture appears to be an aloe plant. The rooster somewhere nearby has already let his presence be known.

Woody and Buzz are attempting to get a closer look at this flower which we were told is a buttercup. These are plentiful on the island and they seem to be in their prime right now.

During our wait we met a lady from South America who is studying the fruit fly and has been for 25 years. These are not the fruit lies that we know but large ones that do damage to the crops before they are even picked. Fruit fly takes on a different meaning.

Let me tell you about the driving around here......The roads are very narrow, often with a significant
ditch on one side and the drop off on the other. The roads are VERY windy(not as in breeze), something like the famous drive to the Seven Pools in Hawaii. Add some speeding and wild passing techniques and that about wraps it up. It's a great opportunity to do core exercises whipping around the bends.

How magnificent is this view? Just one of many as we travel to and from the meetings. Today is Monday and we had a rain shower during breakfast which cleared the air and made everything clean.

If ever there is an earthquake there will be a multitude of homes collapsing. You can see clear through under this one.

The road we take goes up and down the mountain so here we are just beginning to descend. Homes on the cliffs, homes on the sea line all make perfect spots for views.  If you can spot the large turquoise building in the upper right quadrant farther back then you'll know the area of where the church meets.


The kitchen crew are hard at work working on a rice pilaff and two poultry dishes, plantain, a variety of sweet potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes and grated fresh salad. One cook is hired and the rest of the chores are done by volunteers on a rotating basis. Thanks to all the crew that feed us.

People visiting while they wait for the call for the mid day meal.

It's time to expend some energy even if it is hot. Some of the locals find it hot, others not. All Canadians find it HOT.  34 C, feels like 44 C.

 This young lady seems to have her future all planned.

There are a few farm animals on the site including a dog, goats, sheep and cows.

Here we are in Kingstown. We have found the post office, bank and the market. The currency is in $EC dollars which go quite a ways when grocery shopping. Cherry tomatoes for example, a small container runs $16EC but this is divided by 2.67 to yield $US and then less for $CD. There is surprisingly little in the line of fresh fruits and veggies: bananas, melons, apples, grapes, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, onions and a few others. It reminds me how fortunate we are.

A view of Kingstown city.