Favorite Places

Lighthouse Beach, Atlantic side.












Lighthouse Beach, Caribbean side.

Our Beach, top secret!!

On our most recent trip, also known as our honeymoon, we visited Lighthouse Beach. This is located at the southern most tip of the island. In all the years of visiting Eleuthera I have never been there. I have to say that this has become one of my top favorite places on the island. As you can see there are the two sides, Atlantic and Carribbean, each offering a different view. From Rainbow Bay, where the cottage is, the trip will take you about 2-3 hours. The last 3 miles are on a dirt road that is passable but you really should have a car with high clearance.

The picture on the bottom is our most favorite beach. We would visit this beach every day and usually were the only ones on the beach. We found it amazing that this beach sits there just waiting for someone to come along and enjoy it's beauty.

Long Over-due Honeymoon

My husband and I have been together for 30 years in November and have never been on a vacation alone. When we were married 23 years ago my father in-law was along for our official honeymoon. Over the years we took our children or invited friends to come along. The big question was, could we handle being alone with no distractions? No children or guests to entertain, clean up after or cook for. Don't get me wrong, we loved every moment of our entertaining. The question was in a place where there is no outside stimulation to distract us could we handle it just being the two of us?

The best part about the island is having the option to disconnect with your life in the states. No television or computers, this is our choice and no telephone calls, unless there are emergencies. Speaking of emergencies, our two sons were home taking care of the three cats. Our oldest son is 20 and the youngest son is 16. The call was to inform us that the youngest accidentally stepped on the kittens' leg and he was limping. My advice was to wait and see, he could just be babying it. Well by day three he was still not doing well, the verdict..........a broken leg. So a mear $200.00 later the cat, Theo, has a cast and pain medicine. So you see we still have contact with the outside world but you have the option of just how much you want to let in.

The three weeks passed by so quickly and without a glitch, actually it was an amazing vacation. We were both in need of rest and relaxation and there is nothing like a day at the beach with your Sirius satelite radio, Kalik beer and the girls in the fishbowl. The memories of this trip will be what gets us through until our next trip in the fall.

There have been times we wished the island house was closer, we could visit more often. After much thought we decided that this is what keeps the island so endearing, not being at our fingertips. It still maintains it's enchantment even after 30 years.

The Heart

The cottage has three bedrooms and two baths. The kitchen bar was built by my father in-law out of rock he dug up from the front yard. We have found that keeping the interior design simple is what makes the cottage so inviting.

Makings Things New Again or Not

As I mentioned in a previous post, our home was originally built in the early 70's and has survived several hurricanes with minimal damage. When my husband and I purchased the home there were things that needed updating and some things we wanted to keep. In the words of my husband, "You can't take a new house and make it feel old, and you can't take an old house and make it feel new, each has it's own special uniqueness."

The home was originally furnished through the Sears catalog with a limited selection. Keeping in mind there were three children, two of which were boys, my mother in-law chose very sturdy wine barrel furniture. Over the years it has served the family well surviving not only my husband and his brother but our two boys as well. We have often discussed a time when we would change out the furniture but now that the time is here we are having a difficult time parting with it. Hasn't it served us well over the years? Put a slip cover over it and you can't see the black pleather with gold and red diamonds on the back. Would it really hurt for us to keep it around a little bit longer? Ask this question to our two boys and each of them say keep it! And so it is, we keep it as a reminder of what was before. Happy, fun times with family and friends.

History

Eleuthera was found by my mother in-law in an advertisement in a magazine, over 40 years ago. It was one of those deals where you pay twenty five dollars a month. His parents purchased this lot sight unseen, what luck! David's father is quite the handy man so he had a local builder build the frame and he finished the interior. Over time he added all the extra's, walkways, gazebo, shed, and the beautiful porch wall around the deck. He made every designer block by hand using a mold. I can't imagine the patience he had doing that, a true work of art. My father in-law was bitten hard by the Eleuthera bug, it was only natural that my husband fell just as hard. In his younger days my husband, David, spent most of his time exploring the island. He didn't have time to spend with his dad, he was young and on the move. As time went on and we started a family my father in-law would travel with us on our vacations there. Father, son and grandsons were now exploring the island together, a new generation. It was fun to watch them all head of to dive the waters and return with our dinner feast of lobster and fish. In the old days it was not hard to come by. In my younger days, and before children, my husband and I lived on the island bartering our way through life. It was very exciting and quite the learning experience. We didn't have a car and had to walk or get a ride with friends. When it was time to fish I was the boat driver, talk about scary! We had a lot of fun during those times. I'm remembering a time when I was at the wheel and my husband was telling me, run parallel with the waves. I wasn't listening and before I knew it I was high atop a large wave heading for shore, which in this case was a high cliff. Oh was I scared but somehow I managed to ride it out and move to safety. Oh how young and innocent. Now as I watch our two boys making their own memories it is life coming full circle for me.

Going Home

This spring break we will be heading over to Eleuthera for a ten day vacation. Every time I go it feels like going home. There is something special about that place that words just can't describe. The sunshine, fresh air and wind are so welcoming. I met my husband when I was fifteen and have been traveling to Eleuthera at least once a year since. We have been together now for almost thirty years, just amazing. Our two children have grown to love it in their own way, one more the the other. As time gets closer to our departure my husband becomes more eager to leave with each day. He was 13 on his first visit there, it's safe to say he has not wanted to venture far from that place since. Once Eleuthera gets is hold on you your done.

I will never forget my first trip there at 16. We were met by the caretakers, Bernie and Sylvia, in their convertible car. The trip from the airport is a short one but the sites were something I had never seen. Later during the trip we were treated to a dinner at the Bethel residence, there is nothing like a true Bahamian dinner. Peas and rice, macaroni and cheese, and the best barbecue chicken. They sure know how to cook. In all the years of going there it took me almost twenty five years to master the peas and rice. Tony is the son of Bernie & Sylvia and he opened a family store, The Big Rock. Now this is not your normal Publix, but it has everything you need. On one of my daily trips I was discussing with Tony that I had not been able to make my rice as dark as it should be. He told me the secret.........Kitchen Bouquet!! I immediately bought some and tried it out that night, it worked!! It may not be as good as the Bethel's but I'll keep working on it.

Lobster

My husband has been diving the reefs of Eleuthera since he was 13 years old. Over the years he has passed down his love for diving to our sons. My fish of choice is hog snapper, grouper is plentiful and prepared just the right way is delicious. The bahamians make a delicious smothered grouper. Orginally, being from New England, I was not too fond of the Bahamian lobster but we ate it usually fried or in a salad. Recently we have been grilling the lobster and found it to be delicious. Our oldest son loves the hunt for the largest lobster, the younger son goes along for the ride, not the kill.