Ben had graduated and so it was time for a family excursion, so we woke up ridiculously early and put our bags in the car noted the remains of our deck waiting for the dumpster to come and drove to Newark airport where we parked the car and ran into the Straus at the security check point and then in line at Dunkin Donuts before we stopped to taste our breakfast as Joel recorded me recording him and then we headed to the gate where we could wait and on boarding, I discover that I had been upgraded so that I could have this fruit and yogurt and a very sad looking croissant before we landed in a rainy Fort Lauderdale and I explored the airport noting chilis too while waiting for the others led by Suzanne to get off the plane. We went back to chilis too and waited to be seated with Jane and Suzanne at one table (because they didn't have seating for 6) and the others at another table where Ed checked in on foursquare as Sarah studied the menu as did Ben while I took this self portrait and then our food arrived involving sandwiches wraps and burgers with and without meat as Suzanne and Jane enjoyed the food at their table before it was time to go to our gate and see the plane we might be taking though we were confined to the waiting area for quite some time before we got to board the plane we would be taking and so I recorded the instrument panel to help us make it over the sea to a safe landing at Governor's Harbor where we disembarked followed by Ed and Sarah Jane and Ben and then borrowed a child for a picture of the Welcome to the Bahamas sign and recorded the map of Eluethera before we cleared customs and got into our rental van of this license plate for a view of the sea at the beach at our rental -- the Sky Beach Club where the girls in the pool were doing headstand competitions but our room was not ready and so we made our way into Governor's Harbor driving on the left for groceries and then alcohol at this delightful store before returning and recording a more complete license plate as we were led to our rental and the kids checked out the unheated pool as Suzanne served the food and we all admired the view from the pool while wondering if we were living in a ruin but this did not prevent us from trying some of the local beer beginning with Bush Crack as Ben was presented with his graduation book which he displayed and then read to the assembled who enjoyed what he had to say but the flat roof was calling to us as were the ruins and so we chatted some more and enjoyed the view as I recorded my toes and the next Bahamian beer before we gathered for some group photos and then made our way down the path past this crab to dinner at our local place where Jane and Ben and Ben and Jane Suzanne Ed Sarah and me studied the menu and then placed our orders as drinks arrived along with the local water and elegant pina coladas and we enjoyed the view as dinner was served between the cracks joining the tables with the food evoking a happy reaction from Suzanne as Jane's rib-eye with fries arrived along with other delicacies including my vegetarian lasagna and Suzanne's grouper.

This was our first full day and so we awoke and read novels and guide books as we looked out at the view while Suzanne was ready to embark on an adventure though a crab had landed in our foot wash and with Sarah's help made his way up the wall. We left a note for Ed noted the hill of ruin above our car and made our way along the path and past other ruins to the local beach where we found our way to beach chairs as the water began to be explored with Ed and Sarah leading the pack along with Ben and Suzanne even as the seaweed was being cleared from the recent storm with much more left to clear but the ocean was very appealing as the waves came in and on the shore, books were read and people were relaxing as we pondered what lie beyond and so Suzanne and I went for a walk along the beach and had our return recorded by those at the base camp with a break for the sky before I went back to record this decorated hut and sculpture as Sarah made her way to the hut and we noted the directional signs not to mention this piece of something that had washed ashore and the sculpture which was described as burnt rope thrown from a boat that might one day integrate into a sculpture such as this. But the relaxing was sure to come to an end as we debated whether the coconut I found could be part of the lunch Suzanne was making complete with local beer and orange juice as we sat down to eat and soon were joined by the cook herself so that I took this self portrait as we indulged.

Meanwhile, nature had other plans dumping a lot of rain on us before clearing the skies and once things cleared, we headed our for an excursion first to Rainbow Bay where the beach of the same name exists and while attractive looking, these rock formations which attract crabs and have interesting geological properties (white below black) making climbing fun but getting into the water less attractive. Though Suzanne was heard to declare that there was a possibility of sea glass here all we seemed to find was this coconut despite scouring rocks and sand for shells some of which were quite attractive. Back to the car, we made our way into a town where we found Shona's shop and where the proprietress whose name might have been MaryLou (she is Shona's sister) posed with Jane for whom we purchased cough medicine and then on the way out of town we passed the fashion gallery and the Twin Brothers Seafood and Steakhouse which has received international acclaim. Our next stop was the beach at Cocdimama's where we posed in groups and looked down the beach and at the sea shells on the sand which Suzanne wanted to collect as Ben and Jane explored as did Sarah and Ed and so we came together and noted the ship at sea as I took advantage of the calm waters and took photos towards shore of Jane Sarah Jane and Sarah together Ben Suzanne and Jane as she re-emerged and further photo of Suzanne as we waded and floated before Ben emerged and I discovered these sacks of onions (which probably weren't onions) before we went into Cocdimama's and recorded the menu of drinks from which came Suzanne's pina colada though there were many other options as the others came to join us and so drinks were soon served including mango and strawberry virgin drinks a mojito and yet another pina colada as a bird landed in a tree above which caught Suzanne's eye as we looked at the distance to decide what the sky was doing before making friends with the Canadian stock analyst at the next table as Jane's coke arrived along with the mixed salad fish fingers and conch spring roles along with Ed's pasta with sausage and the shrimp dish that Jane and Suzanne shared Sarah's lemon chicken with potatoes on the side this unknown dish and my baked pasta dish not to mention the local water. We thought the sun might be making its way down and so looked for red sky as Jane pulled out the last piece of fish and I recorded my foot and we made our way back to the sea watching the sky all the way as Suzanne pondered red skies which amused Jane Sarah and Ben who took this picture of me and Suzanne and this picture of me and of the bar before Jane took these pictures of me and as the bill was paid, the sun was sinking but not before this group picture was taken that sent us off looking for red sky as Suzanne cheered it on joined by Jane and Ben and Sarah but this attempt at a group self portrait left Sarah out but was corrected with Ed at the camera -- first blurry and then clear but in the sun

before we moved to have the sun behind the photographer, so that these were the photos and this was the sinking sun and the shell on the shore as I practiced profile self photography while waiting for the sun to drop sideways or at a distance and we emerged from the beach with numerous photos taken by Jane

and the sun was sinking the shells were gathered and so with handfuls of shells and a sinking sun

Suzanne saw her red sky and we declared it a day Friday began with beautiful sun possibly because of the red sky Suzanne had sought the night before and as we surveyed the territory Suzanne took out our locally grown pineapple and a sharp knife cut off top and bottom sliced it in half and quarters and soon there were pieces for all to enjoy before we adjourned to the porch for breakfast and this was my cereal with which I finished the milk before the view of the day lured us into the car to head to Club Med Beach where this garbage can did not reflect the beauty of the beach as we made our way to this sheltered spot as Ben drank some water. We settled in on the beach with some in shade and some in sun and with odd supports for our structure as we observed the 3 who had settled near us on a fairly deserted beach though our group was contented to be as we were with our lovely structure and views down the beach not to mention my daily foot picture as the beach and seaweed was not noticed by Ben on his towel or Suzanne into her book or Sarah and Ed in the shade or Jane with book raised to the sun as I sat in my scavenged beach chair and then went to collect some money from the car only to return to see that a dog had been adopted by our group and made himself at home as thin clouds formed and we decided to gather our possessions, shaking out towels and head to Our Beach House for lunch where I recorded the many pages of the menu

and Suzanne Ben Jane Ed Sarah and I enjoyed eating in so beautiful a place as waters were brought and coconuts hung on a nearby tree as drinks arrived -- for Ed iced tea for Ben rum punch for me pina colada for Suzanne limon Bicardi and sprite for Jane and for Sarah and so I admired the nearby foliage while awaiting our lunches which were served tapas style (i.e. one at a time). Lunch was limited because they were out of grouper, so Suzanne had a chicken salad Ben had jumbo shrimp which came with bread, Ed had the last of the grouper in his grouper burger with excellent fries Jane had a salad and Sarah had a Greek salad which she meant to share with me though it took a dog's life in time for my vegetarian pizza to arrive and by then, much of the Greek salad was gone though one piece of pizza remained as this car drove onto the beach which caused Ed to decided to model sunglasses starting with Ben's then Jane's and mine. After this Jane tried Ben's, Ben tried Jane's Ed tried mine and as the bill came, I tried Jane's.

Being well fed, we headed off to Ten Bay Beach on the Caribbean side where we agreed to keep the beach tidy even as some of us went quite deep, the water being shallow almost forever and Suzanne looked for sea debris as the 3 heads -- Ben, Sarah and Ed -- bobbed and Jane continued with her book until Ben, Sarah and Ed made their way back and we continued our time on the beach before Jane and Ben returned to the water for a last dip. On the way home, we stopped at Burrows where we purchased Goombay Punch among other things and were amazed by its color. I also checked out the local currency as Suzanne poured the pina coladas made for our cocktail half hour during which time I recorded my foot.

Next we drove into town and parked near the yellow structure to walk to the fish fry by the pink library and came to this structure with drink and food menus and a view to the little island with a church across the way and a wonderful ad for rum bubbas which our party seemed to enjoy though as we were warned, it tastes like fruit punch and acts like rum, and then we caught the ad from the opposite direction in slightly better light as the sink by the sea appeared and it was only later that we understood its purpose as we all settled into our shared (but level) table continuing to enjoy the view as conch started to appear along with other ingredients at the sink. But we made our way back to the food structure where the sauce was exceptional and watched our meals as they were created. There was fried fish for Jane, Suzanne and Ed a pork chop for Ben chicken for Sarah and I had a sampling of all the sides -- potato salad, cole slaw, mac and cheese and the rice and peas. Ed did a nice job of cleaning his fish as did Suzanne and Sarah did as well with her chicken as a moth appeared on her plate and then the dancing began. Suzanne and Jane looked better when illuminated and soon were joined by Sarah and Ed as Ben and Jane danced along with Suzanne and Ed and Sarah were too fast for the camera until they slowed down so that I could also take this self portrait as Suzanne and I made our way until the rains came and we headed home.

Saturday morning began with some juice for Jane as we brought out the eggs and cracked a few into a bowl as the pan waited and the egg mixture escaped their shells to form this mix to be scrambled as toast was made to go with the mixture and as it popped, more toast time was clearly needed even as the sky threatened outside which was cause for a tour of the house starting with the desk and electronics area extending to the living room and the welcome sign the kitchen where work was being done the entry way leading to our car and the corridor to the bed rooms with a stop at the laundry room and then to our majestic bedroom en suite with its massive bathroom of sinks made of the finest materials and a shower built for two, not to mention a bathtub and massive closets which looked empty against the few clothes we had brought. Over our bed was this all important sculpture meant to bring some mystical powers as yet undiscovered.

Meanwhile, our special bottle of unknown contents was on the counter ready to be tried as cheese was grated onto the eggs yielding this delightful picture before we decided it was time to begin the days activities.

We drove on through various scenes unrecorded before we got through Gregory Town and came to the Glass Window where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet. This is a place where you really have to keep left since it is a one lane bridge. We parked the car and looked at the Caribbean and then found some beautiful butterflies

before walking back to the bridge itself where we could look down at the sea as we walked towards the thin strip where the sea

with its beach of rocks

stood away from the cliff across the narrow road and we had sea with people climbing rocks until we got to the signpost that explained the situation and then it was possible to climb rocks to see the ocean as this group of our four did. Meanwhile, I walked down the road to a narrow spot where I could look at the ocean in one direction and the sea in the other not to mention a butterfly by the side of the road. Driving further north we came to the obligatory phone booth picture and then parked the car by the ferry stopping to collect some license plate photos before we got onto the boat to Harbor Island and watched the wake it made before we saw the sailboats as we approached the Island itself and began our walk to the beach past the neighborhood police the district council office along with the administrative offices. Further down the road, Jane posed for another obligatory phone booth picture before we came to the All Age School which was a positive time zone across from the Dunmore. Back to the school, we noted the reading sign which came in blurry, cheered for the cougars and saw a clear reading sign and once again noted the positive time zone as we made our way to the beach where wedding prep was taking place on the sand which had an elegant color sometimes even looking pink and caught views of the scene before settling down on the sand and again surveying the wedding preparations as Ben studied the map and we observed and enjoyed the waters of the ocean and the sand but wished that the sky had been clearer as it got hot and we looked for a way to get off the beach but this path was clearly not to be taken and so we took an adjacent path to have our lunch at Sip Sip's where I recorded the specials and the menu and the elegant structure over the bar as drinks were served and people were checked in to the meal

before Jane's club soda arrived and I noted the fish sculpture over the table and the condiments that were provided before my eggplant dish arrived along with Ben's grouper chili and I realized that a second view of the eggplant was needed and a third along with Sarah's sandwich Jane's watermelon salad Suzanne's extravagant lobster quesadilla and Ed's very long hot dog seen from different views. My cheese was stretchy and so I could create the Eiffel Tower even as I wondered what the tattoo of the lady at the bar said (not sure how it begins) and enter the clean plate club as the last piece of quesadilla was circulated and subdivided. The elegant view inspired us to order carrot cake and chocolate peanut butter cup pie and then to observe the final prongs even as there remained work to do on the desserts and Jane posed for many pictures

before we headed back to the beach where bags of sand were being assembled (undoubted to have candles in them) to guide the wedding people. But once back on the beach, I recorded my foot and my bites as Sarah and Ed swam and the rest of us enjoyed the soft sand before Sarah, Ed and Ben took a walk down the beach and we awaiting their return as sprinkles began to fall which made us worry about how the wedding would work even as some of the sand filled bags fell sideways and we made our way up the steps and past the school zone sign and an obligatory fallen phone booths photo to the corner where all roads led to the beach and yet another obligatory phone booth picture before we found a water taxi and took some group photos on Harbour Island so that we could board the water taxi for our journey back to the mainland where we paused in Gregory Town for photos of the pineapple festival preparations.

When we reached James Cistern, we stopped at Lee's Cafe but unfortunately the proprietress has gone to Nassau for a few days and won't be back until Monday.

After a suitable break at home, we headed to Tippy's where we could find all directions and distances and sat outside with the bugs for quite some time as Jane danced and posed with me for a self portrait while Ben was a bit sullen before we were shown to a table and the menus of specials and regular food from which we ordered water illuminated water chicken grouper with pancetta fish and chips and cracked conch and this piece of iceberg lettuce for me as mojitos and pina colada arrived and I recorded the hanging chicken and we brought this piece of chocolate cake home only to discover a frog on our entry window so that I could engage with my peanut drink mixed with rum as Ben, Sarah, Ed and Jane watched videos on Ed's Mac.

I awoke on Sunday filling a bit ill and so the picture production was slow since when the others went off to breakfast, they neglected to take photos and so it wasn't until afternoon that I recorded my foot and then made some toast and used the accouterments they had brought back from their breakfast to make it tasty enough while easy to digest and had some coke to soothe the stomach, all of which seemed to work. Ed, on the other hand, felt it was time to investigate his corned beef in this sequence nicely captured by Sarah and so assembled the ingredients with a pot and used the key to open the can in many steps

before the lid was ready to pop off and show the ingredients which could then be heated and stirred just as we noticed that Suzanne and Jane were coming back from the beach (in these voyeuristic photos) and then it was back to the corned beef to which the special sauce (in the Kalik bottle) was added and stirred even as the blender was being prepared for another round of pina coladas and so the mix and pineapple juice were added and the rum was measured and added making the mixture ready for ice and blending. Back to Ed, he was beginning his sandwich of corned beef as the pina coladas were poured. Next, the pineapple was sliced though recorded in less detail than the previous pineapple

and pieces were distributed to those eating sandwiches as tomato was cut and Ben's version of the sandwich appeared and was exposed as we recorded the damage to the corned beef can. Next, we decided to go down to the beach and I recorded my foot as Suzanne ordered drinks from the bar which she and Jane delivered in true Mirage Lady fashion.

The younger generation went off for a 3 hour excursion to find food and returned with this grouper dish conch salad which was a seviche and this green salad. This called for family photos and so Jane Sarah Ed Ben (who took two tries) and Suzanne posed as did I in this self portrait even as the second pizza was brought forward and I finished the bottle of sweet malbec and recorded the extra strength Kalik. The day's final event was the treating of my toe injury with Dr. Suzanne cleaning the wound and recording the injury as preparations were made to apply the bandage.

Monday morning began with a trip to the bakery where we entered and recorded the bill of fare before heading home so that Ben could enjoy his corned beef and grits as Jane had her egg and ham sandwich and I had one of the twisted donuts even as Ben dug into one of the sugar donuts as well as the whole donut that was exposed along with the fruit filled donut and Suzanne's scone as I progressed through my donut until it was almost unknotted and meanwhile, Sarah made some eggs of her own as I took out the ingredients for a bowl of cereal (and also to try and clean up some of the would be leftovers) and combined them to make this as Sarah and Ed had their eggs and toast and I recorded the cereal box even as we looked out to the ocean below and our pool which was getting serviced though they did not make the beeping noise go away and the seat cushions which seemed to detach as I took this self portrait and we then headed to the beach and claimed our chairs and settled in with the water looking very inviting until the clouds formed and so after capturing this lizard by the community pool, Sarah and Ben led us up the hill where we enjoyed sandwiches and the veritable pina coladas.

After a rest, we headed to the cocodimama beach where Ben was quite far out to sea as was Suzanne and so they started their trek back to shore and the comfort of the chairs as Suzanne and I later made our way out into the water

with our return being captured by Ben as I led the way

and hit the shore to make my way on sand

as Suzanne came to shore with a break to record Jane and Ben under towels of various stripes before bringing Suzanne to shore and across the sand

so that I could be recorded along with a few views of the beach and the buoy out at sea

and a view of us in our chairs the beach the buoy

and this unusual photo which none of us can explain before we got ready to say good bye to the beach with a photo of my foot as Ben did his monocle (or was it pirate) view and as we ordered our last drink from Sammy, Jane made her famous hat face and then we headed home.

We decided to go to the Sunset Inn for dinner because Lee's Cafe was once again closed. After studying the menu we recorded the people -- Suzanne Ben Jane Sarah Ed and me in this self portrait and oddly the sky didn't give us a sunset though the deck did give us serious bugs even as we placed our order with our waitress and had different drinks -- BahamaMama's, rum punch and grand slam (4 kinds of rum) all of which looked the same and then headed inside so that Suzanne could have her Kalik as my vegetarian plate came along with Ed's conch and the grouper and chicken which was devoured as Lionel who the kids had met the night before came to visit. After a bit of the coconut cream pie, we recorded the flags paid the bill and enjoyed a blurry Bahamian candy before calling it a night.

It was our last day at the beach before we had to return home and so after a last swim, I decided to record all of the labels we had accumulated before finding a way to use our remaining apples and some of our peanut butter, of which I had brought too much, I also made a plate where the apple slices could be slathered with nutella and finishing our beers led to a few more labels which were then added to the grand display before we left home to get gas only to discover that the power was out and so no gas could be dispensed which led us to head back to Lee's Cafe after two failures and record their menu not to mention the chicken and mac and cheese lunch along with the rice and beans which amused those in the car as we drove on and ate on until we reached the airport and found Naiman Rolle and so returned the car and while waiting for our delayed flight, we ate away at the food from Lee's before the incoming plane arrived and so we said good bye to the Bahamas and had a last salute of their flag and shield and dear old Eleuthera Island as Ben took this picture of me and then one of Suzanne and Sarah and Ed as he waited for the ladies room door to open and so tried to take a profile picture of himself before Jane emerged and after realized that he was too zoomed Ben got a good profile shot so that we could take our seats on the plane and capture the propeller a view of the takeoff the sea below followed by clouds and a view of an island before we got to Fort Lauderdale and discovered that our flight was delayed so that Suzanne could pose for a variant of the obligatory phone booth photo before we said good bye to Sarah and Ed as their flight was boarding. Finally, we boarded and with my upgrade, i was served this marginal meal. We miss the beach and the family gathering but it was nice to be in our own beds.