31 August 2008 - Sunday

Hope everyone is having a pleasant Labor Day weekend! We've been following the path of Hurricane Gustav & TS Hanna. Gustav actually passed over us (last Saturday)... while it was still a tropical depression. He just gave us a day full of rain and a few gusts of wind. We're sitting here tonight checking in on Louisiana's preparation for when he makes landfall in the US. Hopefully, he won't cause any major catastrophes.

Today we worked around the house (again). While Scott worked on trimming the grass (we weedwhack here instead of "mowing"), I pulled weeds & cleared the yard of rotten fruit. We "attacked" a few of the banana trees that were covered with vines & cleaned up around the base of them. Then we mounted a set of shelves Scott made for above the slop sink in the carport. I painted the base of the sink after that. While I cleaned up the mess, Scott worked on repairing a small window on the back door that's been broken since we moved in. And I think I saw my first scorpion! It certainly looked like one... but I thought they were much bigger. It was only about 3/4 inch long (curled up). I found it when I was sweeping up the carport.

The past few weeks I've been working on what we call the PINK bedroom. There was a lot of touch-up work to do since there was pink paint splattered on everything. I've finished repainting the room (a beautiful warm beige!), cleaned the windows, scraped the pink paint spots off the linoleum floor, stripped & waxed the floor, cleaned up the closet doors & removed paint from the mirror (whew!). We now have room for one overnight guest! (Unless you want to get cozy with 2 on a twin bed!) I still need to get the curtains done for the room, and do a little more touch-up work on the dresser. (Photo shows the pink room when we first stayed in the house.)

We're having a little trouble with cell phones this week. The Motorola Razr flip phone I gave Scott to use (with the Grenada phone number) just died this week... a blank white screen is all we get. We still had the Nokia phone that we got with the Grenada SIM card, so we just moved the card back over to that phone... but it needed to be charged. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention (again) to the voltage situation and I plugged it into the same adapter we'd been charging the flip phone on. So now I've "fried" that phone too! No... Scott was NOT happy about having to find a way to fix this problem! But being the electronic "wizard" that he is, he finally got the charger to work again. We're still not sure the phone wasn't damaged, but it seems to be working now. By the way... if anyone out there has an old (unlocked) Motorola Razr phone they want to get rid of... or trade for my Palm Treo - give me a shout!

Wanna get an idea of what it's like driving in Grenada? I used the video mode on my little point & shoot camera and then posted a couple short videos (on YouTube) of part of our drive from home to town. Let me know what you think! Here's Part 1:

... and here's Part 2 (taken the next day):

30-31 July 2008 - Wednesday/Thursday

Well, we’re definitely beginning to settle in here. There’s not too much to report on while we work on getting organized in the house, so it won’t be necessary to send out a “daily” journal.

The past 2 days I’ve spent fine tuning the living room & my business computer setup. Yesterday I assembled a couple floor lamps & replaced the plugs on 4 lamps with the European 220v style. Today I finished cleaning up our old stereo speakers & hooked them up the receiver I had out in the studio… now I have my music! So I was jammin’ with Jimmy Buffet all afternoon!

We finally hung the shower curtain in the middle bath (the only shower that’s working at the moment), so I gave the whole bathroom a good cleaning today and fixed the medicine cabinet.

I’m having trouble coming up with things that I can do without getting Scott involved. I really would like to start painting, but there are other things that need done first… like replacing some of the wood in the cabinets. And until Scott is ready to get involved in that, I’ll just have to wait.

He’s almost finished mounting the lights in the workshop. Not sure what he plans for his next project.

Thought you might find this interesting… here’s a list of some prices for things in the grocery stores here:

Bisquick, 40 oz. ..................... $5.24

Ground Beef, 1 lb.................... 3.89

Eggs, 1/2 doz. ......................... $1.70 (var. sizes & colors together!)

Baking Powder, Calumet............ 2.17

Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese... 4.96

Applesauce, 25 oz. IGA............. 3.11

Spaghetti Sauce, Ragu 26 oz...... 4.93

Pork & Beans, can..................... 1.22

Kiwi fruit, 1 whole....................... .67

Peanuts in shell, 10 oz............... 2.73

Spaghetti Squash, $1.97/lb......... 4.90

Peas, 1 lb. Frozen...................... 2.12

Skim Milk, 1 liter (shelf milk)....... 3.68

Margarine................................. 2.05

Crystal

NOTE: This is finally the last entry I've been trying to catch up with! Next time I'll be current with the date posted.

Photo Description: Sunrise & Mt. Gazo... and Bathroom 2.

29 July 2008 - Tuesday

Today I decided to get some laundry done. I have a new washer & dryer that we brought with us, but Scott needs to figure out how to get them to work on this electric here. In the meantime, the previous owner left a washing machine so Scott set it up in the carport & we’ve been using that for laundry… then hanging everything either on the porch or in the carport. We just have to keep our eyes peeled for passing showers! Actually, the wash can hang out there without getting wet from the rain… unless it’s blowing from the east (which it did today!). Then it’s a scramble to get it down before it gets soaked again. Of course, by the time we get it all down, the shower has passed & the sun is shining again!

This afternoon we took a trip to the post office to mail some letters & check our mail. We’ve had the box for a few months now, but I don’t think we’ve ever received any mail yet! (In case I haven’t told you… I can’t check the mail because our box is so high up that I can’t reach it! Scott can reach it, but he can’t see inside.) So we went inside to ask for our mail. The woman behind the counter told us that we hadn’t paid the bill for the box! (Scott paid for a year just 2 months ago!) We could see that there was mail for us, but she kept saying we had to pay for the box. Fortunately we happened to have the receipt to show them that we paid, then she gave us our mail. I think there was confusion about whoever had that box before us. I’ve heard that the mail delivery system here in Grenada is really not reliable… now I see how that can be true!

We also stopped for groceries today… with our shopping list in hand! Looking at the prices in the meat department, I think we’re going to be eating a LOT of chicken down here! Meals are going to be a bit of a challenge… at least until we figure out the best way to stretch our dollars. So guess what we had for dinner tonight? You guessed it… chicken!

We met a couple from Texas that was walking down our street this evening. They are mennonite missionaries living just up the road. Said they’ve been here for about 9 months, but are scheduled to be here for 33 months. We talked with them for about a half hour at the bottom of our driveway.

We also stopped to see our friends Mike & Jackie. They’ve been working on re-tiling the floor in their house. They have 4 apartments they rent to the college students. They’re trying to get a lot of work done before the kids come back for the school year. I think they said the first ones will arrive in early August. Before we left their place, Mike gave us a piece of fruit he called a “french kashew”. I’m not sure of the spelling, but that’s exactly how it sounded. So I’m thinking it might be called a French Cashew… but it looks like an apple! Haven’t tried it yet, but I’ll let you know how it tastes!

One thing I noticed is that there are a lot of dogs running around here! They just wander all around the neighborhood, sometimes in packs. I’m not even sure if most of them belong to anyone. A lot of them are a bit on the thin side, and I don’t think anyone gets their dogs spayed or neutered. There are at least 2 hanging around at our neighbor’s house (across from our driveway). Every morning there’s one out behind the house. We’re planning to plant a vegetable garden, but I’m told we’ll have to figure out a way to keep the dogs out of it.

Photo description: Main Post Office

28 July 2008 - Monday

Not much unpacking was done today… except for a second computer. I spent the day assembling Scott’s old computer desk, and setting up this desktop computer for both of us to use. That pretty much took most of the day!

I had trouble getting my antivirus program to work, so I ended up contacting Symantec for help. It was amazing to watch the tech “take over my computer” and make the adjustments from their location… probably India! I sat & watched my screen as the cursor moved about. They ended up removing all remnants of the program on my computer, then downloading a newer version & installed it… all while I watched!

Then I had trouble figuring out how to transfer my email messages from my laptop to here. Of course, in the process I lost a few messages… so if you sent me something today & didn’t hear back, try sending it again.

In the grocery stores, American brands are quite expensive. So until we figure out exactly what some of the local items ARE in the stores, our fridge is sparsely stocked. I asked Scott what he wanted for dinner tonight… hot dogs, canned tuna, or Spam? He suggested we walk down to the neighborhood mart to see what they have. I guess you could call it our local “convenience” store… Sunshine’s Shopping Mart. Turns out the only thing they had in the way of meat was chicken wings. We bought a pack of rolls, some onions, baked beans, and yeast for my breadmaker. Then we came home & fried up some Spam and opened a can of beans! Looks like we might have to head into town tomorrow.

But then, we always have the fresh fruit out of the backyard! Scott brought in a few avocados today. I tried one, but I don’t think they’re ripe yet… it was pretty bitter tasting. I was told they’re usually ready around mid-August.

Scott continued working in his shop… painting and installing fluorescent lighting. And I now have a dedicated transformer for my computer.

We’ve both started taking garlic pills a few times a day… hoping that helps with the mosquito bites. Personally… I don’t think it’s helping.

A number of hard rain showers today, along with lots of wind. I saw how the local birds get their “birdbaths”. During the rain I watched a dove sitting on the electric line outside my window… slowly lift up one wing, then alternating to the other. I guess there’s no need for wasting energy splashing around in a puddle!

Photo description: Sunshine's Shopping Mart

27 July 2008 - Sunday

Back in Mount Joy, we had the daily newspaper delivered and Scott’s Sunday ritual was to do the crossword puzzle. (I always did the word find & cryptoquip.) So this morning I surprised him & printed out the puzzle from their “e-Editions”… the online version of the newspaper. So while he was having his eggs for breakfast, he was diligently working on the crossword puzzle! Life is grand!

My mission for today was to get through all the boxes of clothes… at least mine. I found a box of hangers and got to work right after breakfast (probably around 7:30am)! Scott headed below to work on his shop.

Each box of clothes I opened came with a surprise… something I didn’t expect to find in a box of clothes! The best surprise? I found my blender! Now I need to figure out how to get those papayas out of the tree… the ripe ones are pretty high up.

I also found time today to clean the 3 bathrooms! Something I just haven’t had the time or energy to get to until now.

It’s been pretty hot the past few days. We’ve been keeping the doors closed now to keep the mosquitoes under control, so it gets pretty steamy inside the house! As soon as we get the screens fixed we’ll be able to ventilate much better. I actually had goose bumps today when I was sitting on the veranda taking a break! And for the first time since I’ve arrived, I don’t think it rained during the night… at least I didn’t hear it on our metal roof. Today was a glorious clear day again!

Photo description: Blender with fruit from yard.

26 July 2008 - Saturday

It’s another sunny day in paradise!

Scott’s going to continue working on setting up his shop below, so I got to venture out on my own today. That means I’m driving alone to the market (on the wrong side of the road)! So I’m trying to think of all the obstacles along the way & wondering if I’m capable of doing it alone… getting down the driveway; getting UP the driveway; parking downtown (curbside)? So I’m thinking… there IS a bus that I could catch to take me! Nah…that’s a little scary too! OK, I can do this!

Grab my market basket, my shopping list, kiss Scott goodbye, and off I go! Made it down the driveway without a glitch! Not even coming CLOSE to running over anyone yet, so this really isn’t bad! The road to St. George’s is pretty good, and there wasn’t much traffic, so I didn’t have any trouble at all. I thought about stopping to check my mail on the way, but I can’t reach the box! (That will have to be Scott’s chore.) I parked the car, then walked about 10 min. to get to the market. I bought 3 tomatoes ($1.87), some green leaf lettuce ($1.12), and 4 small sweet potatoes ($1.12). Mostly I looked around to see where shops were. (I’m looking for someone to cut my hair… soon!)

I have a number of stops to make before heading back home. I have to stop by our friends’ house to drop off a hose & pick up payment for the refrigerator we brought for them. Wasn’t sure I’d be able to find their place by myself, but I did. They’re working on re-tiling the floor and replacing doors before the fridge gets installed. As soon as things settle down for them, we plan to have them over for breakfast some Sunday!

Well I made it home… AND up the driveway without incident! The rest of the day I just puttered around the house doing little odd jobs. Scott is still working on cleaning up his shop below. He made a lot of progress today… built some shelves (with the wood we used for crating our stuff), which made room for storage of some of the boxed items lying in the middle of the floor. He’s working on hanging some pegboard next, but I think he needs to paint the block wall first.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention… the ice cream truck went by this afternoon! Yep, there is a very loud musical truck that drives around the area selling ice cream! Just like home! (But I think he drives too fast… I don’t have time to get him to stop!)

Photo description: Ice cream truck stopped across the valley.

25 July 2008 - Friday

Well, this might sound boring, but once again we arose to the sunshine hitting us on the face around 6 am! For those of you that really know me… you must be amazed that I’m up & about at that hour! We’re usually turning in around 9:00… don’t forget that it gets dark here around 6:45. So getting up early is easier.

First thing we did this morning was burn up a transformer! The electric used here is the same as in the UK… 220v 60hz, so everything from the US on 110v 50hz needs to go through a transformer. We only have a few of them set up with the proper cords, so we’re constantly moving them from one outlet to another. Scott was heating his breakfast in the microwave & the thing was actually smoking! I guess we’re going to need a bigger one to run the microwave and coffeemaker.

Yesterday I set up the living room… and in doing that all the extra boxes were moved to one of our 4 bedrooms. So today I picked through & organized the boxes in one bedroom. Most of the stuff in that room was my photography gear & office stuff. I had a few surprises, as some of the boxes weren’t marked with “everything” that was inside. So I actually found a few items I was looking for… but I still haven’t found my blender (which is very necessary for those frozen blender drinks)! Scott spent the day working on setting up his shop. He has to get his lighting installed before Monday… a “real” inspector is coming to inspect the electric work!

After a trip to a pretty decent electrical store, he came back with new transformers, adapters, and a pack of 5 light bulbs that we’ll have to take back… again. There are so many things on the packaging that you have to watch for & we keep missing it! The first time we unknowingly bought 110v bulbs (and blew one up in the socket). Then he went back to get the correct 220v bulbs… which he got. But the socket type is not what we can use. So guess what Scott’s doing tomorrow?

When people asked us “What are you going to do in Grenada?” There’s your answer! We spend days getting the simplest of chores done!

So I’m done working for the day, so I guess I’ll send this off… then go watch another episode of Law & Order (which seems to be on TV about 22 hours a day). And that’s another story I’ll tell later!

Signing off for now...

24 July 2008 - Thursday

We finally deflated the aerobed we’ve been sleeping on & replaced it with our queen mattress… no bed frame; it’s just sitting on top of a couple of twin box springs. (After last night, I think I liked the air mattress better!)

The bright sunrise got me awake this morning… we still have no curtains on the windows & our bed faces east! So we’re up by 6:00 and looking forward to another day of picking through boxes. I made good progress yesterday on the kitchen, so my goal for the day is to clear out the “great room” and set up a little space for relaxing in the evening. I finally found my vacuum cleaner, so it was nice to be able to suck up some of the dust that settles in the wood floor. If you’ve seen photos of the beautiful wood, let me tell you… it looks a lot better in photos! We will have to find someone that can put it back in good condition. Some of the boards are coming up & it’s uneven in a lot of places. It also needs refinishing.

Since he located his gas can, Scott spent the day cutting grass & cleaning up some of the weeds that have grown up on the property. There was an old washing machine left on the property, so Scott hooked it up & we did a load of laundry… it may be awhile until we get ours connected. In the meantime, we’ll use this & hang it to dry. Today was quite warm & breezy, so it didn’t take long at all for drying!

We have a very friendly lizard hanging out on the veranda. His body is about 4” long, and I see him just about every morning. I hear they eat mosquitoes… so I’m happy to have him here! (Just hope he has lots of friends!)

We burned up a transformer tonight… literally! We had the microwave plugged into it and were making baked potatoes for dinner. It actually started smoking! (I’ll write more about the transformers later.)

So I was successful in getting our “living room” area set up today… still need to get my speakers hooked up to my stereo though. So tonight we get to relax a bit after dinner!

That’s all for now!

Photo description: Our temporary living room setup.

23 July 2008 - Wednesday

It’s Wednesday, and I’m finally able to get on line! I haven’t read a newspaper or watched TV since I arrived in Grenada… now more than a week ago! So tonight I’ve been scouring the web looking for the latest news in the US.

Since we received our container of “stuff” this past Monday, we’ve been spending our days unpacking. We are usually up with the daylight… around 5:30 or 6:00 am. This morning we finished off the last of the coffee from the urn… it was still warm! Decided to skip breakfast today & start right in on the boxes. Scott’s trying to locate his gas cans so he can get them filled & cut the grass with the weed trimmer. (Of course, we didn’t label any of the boxes with “gas can” because we didn’t want to be charged extra for “hazardous” items! So one by one, we diligently open the rest of the boxes. No time to put anything away yet… just get them opened & pile the stuff wherever there’s room!

We took a break around 10:00 and had an early lunch… leftover baked beans from last night and hot dogs heated in our new microwave (with the broken carousel dish). Then back to work! Scott continued going through his things in his shop below & I decided to work on getting the kitchen set up. There is so much cabinet space, I’m having trouble deciding what to put where! The cabinets will have to be torn out & replaced at some point, but for now they’ll have to do. The shelves are just bare wood & some of the door hinges are not working, but I’m happy that I have so much space!

By 3:15, I’m ready to call it quits, jump in the shower & get ready to go to town… we need groceries & some hardware for hooking up lamps. We also need to stop for gas, since he found the gas can!

First stop: Ace Hardware, who moved into this new building from their location downtown. This is a very nice hardware store, but I’m thinking that someone should be able to figure out how to keep the carts from rolling away outside the door… they have 2 rows of carts on either side of the automatic doors and they’re held in place with a loose 2x4 laying on the floor behind them. So you have to first kick the board out of the way to get your cart, then kick it back into place before the rest of the carts roll away! I just thought it was funny that a “hardware” store doesn’t have the thought to correct that! But that’s just the way things are here in the Caribbean!

Next stop: CK’s Groceries. This is a warehouse-style grocery store for buying in bulk. But things are not sold in the “bulk” quantities you would think… for instance, you can buy as few as 3 rolls of paper towels. Here, that’s considered “bulk”! Anyway, we’re not here for paper towels… we came to get a case of beer. Yep… beer, wine, and liquor are all sold in grocery stores here. This place is no bigger than the size of a CVS store.

By this time (it’s about 4:45), we decided to stop for something to eat. There’s a place called “La Boulangerie” that apparently makes the best pizza on the island… according to the brits we’ve met here. We’ve eaten here often, but today we both chose spaghetti with tomato sauce. That’s the first time I’ve ever had the pasta there… very good!

After that we drove over to the main grocery store on the island... Real Value Supermarket. This is a very large store (compared to others here), with a lot of American items. Some prices: $3.41 for 1 dozen eggs, $4.40 for 3 chicken legs/thighs, $2.00 for 8 chicken franks (hot dogs), $1.87 for a loaf of whole wheat bread, and $1.73 for 1 liter of “shelf” milk (the stuff that’s not refrigerated).

It wasn’t until we got up to leave the restaurant that I realized how tired I was! I could hardly move! Scott wanted to stop at another grocery store on the way, but I talked him out of it. I was ready to go home & kick back for the rest of the evening… which is usually only until around 9:00 these days!

So anyway, here I sit… in front of my glorious little laptop, jotting down the memorable moments (or not so memorable) of another day here in paradise! Scott’s working on getting a few lamps connected so we don’t have to use the overhead light in each room. (It gets dark here about 6:45 this time of year.) I’ll sign off for now so I can rest up for another day of unpacking tomorrow!

Photo description: the main shopping center where we get our groceries

22 July 2008 - Tuesday

Today, we just hung out here at the house. Joey & Cricket seem happy to be back in their large cages, as we've been unpacking & finding a place for everything we brought with us. I still didn't have internet access, so I planned to call the phone company to find out if I did something wrong in setting it up.

The big question for today is: "What do we need to find first?" We need lamps, some cooking things, a microwave, and TRANSFORMERS! (A better mattress to sleep on would be nice too, but not exactly a priority yet!) And I'd love to find my vacuum cleaner... to suck up all the dirt that doesn't seem to sweep away!

Scott started a fire in the back yard, so as we empty a big box, we get it burned right away. We're told that cardboard attracts bugs... mosquitoes & roaches. So we want to get rid of it quickly.

I actually received a call from the phone company this afternoon telling me that the internet was just connected... I didn't realize that wasn't done when the guy was here yesterday.

And that's pretty much how we worked at it all day. When darkness came, we were too tired to stay awake much past 8:30! I took a minute to try my internet service, but I still couldn't get online. (Will have to call them tomorrow.) Another early night for us!

Photo descriptions: Birds in their new home... and rain coming from across the mountain.

Getting our STUFF!

Monday, 21 July 2008

Today’s the BIG DAY! After 24 days (it seems longer), we are finally getting our “stuff” back! (And the birds are looking forward to getting back into their own cages… with room to stretch!)

Scott left early this morning… with a satchel of money… to meet our agent at the dock. I stayed here at the house. My friend Jackie joined me in waiting. I had also received a call from Cable & Wireless that they would be installing my phone line this morning. Woo-hoo! It’s going to be a GREAT day! The weather iseems to be cooperating as well.

Since I wasn’t there, I’ll have to let Scott describe how things proceeded at the dock:

Mike (our British friend here) and I were scheduled to meet the shipping agent near the commercial dock at 8 am. To his word, he showed up exactly on time (which is unusual in the islands!). With paperwork in hand, we walked to the commercial dock guardshack, where for a small fee, we are each issued an ID badge. This allows us access into the restricted area. After meeting with several official-looking officials (they all had on uniforms), we were escorted to our container, which at this point is at ground level and easily accessible.

The seals are removed. The doors are opened. And the inside of the container looks exactly as it was when we closed it in Mount Joy! Like magic, several large flatbed trucks appeared; guys jumped off them & went to work unloading the contents while the government official stood by with clipboard in hand… looking for the four “new” items listed on our inventory.

The loading guys worked tirelessly! And without the use of any forklifts or handcarts, they loaded up (one truck at a time) a total of 5 trucks. At that point, the trucks were tarped, the load secured, and now the hard part begins!

While they waited on the docks, the agent & I started to make our rounds to the various government & civilian officials. This went pretty well, until we got to the very last station where we had to pay our duty on the “new” items. There was a line of about 6 people ahead of me, and some of them had stacks of paperwork an inch thick! All which had to be looked at and approved. After the final approval, the duty payment is made in cash… Eastern Caribbean dollars.

My turn finally arrived. The duty amount turned out to be slightly less than $1,000 US dollars. All things considered, that was nothing! We left the secured area, turned in our ID badges, and followed the convoy to our house in Bay Gardens.

The first truck… the one with the crane… had already gone up the driveway & was getting positioned to unload the heaviest items. Meanwhile, a second truck pulled up & had backed into the lower level to begin unloading its contents. Most of the boxes and crates were marked with a particular letter which corresponded to either upper level or lower level. They picked up on this immediately & went to work, with very little instruction from us.

As each truck was emptied, it went back down the hill, was parked, and then its 2-man crew would come help the next truck unload… and so on, and so on, until all 5 trucks were empty. At that point, we paid the agent, who in turn paid all the drivers & helpers. Everything was done in cash… no receipts, no paperwork, no signatures… just a job well done!

While he’s doing that, the phone guy arrived. I showed him where the jack was located & left him to do his work. Then we got a cell call from Jackie’s husband, Mike… as soon as he finds Scott, they’ll be headed our way! It was around 11:00 am, so they should be here with the convoy of trucks in about a half hour.

The phone guy (Wesley) needed to show me where the wires were, so he walked me through the house… following the phone lines throughout. (He was already familiar with this house, since he knows our former tenant very well!) There are wires leading to other rooms, but Scott will have to install the phone jacks so we can use them. So there’s another job we’ll have to put on our list! I told Wesley that I was already given the DSL box & should be able to install it on my computer myself. He left me with his name & phone number to call if I need him to do more wiring here. (Guess that means if Scott doesn’t get around to it!)

By this time it was after noon, and we still saw no sign of the delivery trucks. We’re wondering what could be taking so long?

Finally they arrive! (Around 12:45) I gave Jackie a camera to take a few photos in case I was busy. There were 5 trucks and about 6 or 7 guys to unload… in addition to Scott & Mike. All the trucks had the contents under tarps in case it rained. The first truck up the driveway was the one with the crane on it. (I could see the bird’s cages on the back once the tarp was removed.) Another one followed & pulled into the space by Scott’s workshop below. Then the unloading frenzy began!

Scott & I were trying to tell the guys which boxes went where… but they were so quick, it was hard to keep up with them. These guys were incredible! They were the ones that pulled the stuff out of the container & loaded it onto the trucks. THEN they ride along out here and do the unloading as well… all by hand! Some of them were even in their bare feet! I think it only took them about 2 to 2-1/2 hours to get it off all 5 trucks. I’ve never seen anything like it before! They were a good bunch of guys, so we gave them each a beer when they were done.

We talked a lot about how steep our driveway is & wondered just how the heck they would manage getting all our stuff up here. Amazingly, it was never an issue!

By 5:00, we were left alone with our boxes of stuff. The first thing I did was get the bird cages together so Joey & Cricket could get into their old home… with a much better view! Then we worked on getting the boxes to their proper location… either in the house or down in the workshop. We also couldn’t wait to open a few. It was like Christmas morning!

For more photos of the amazing delivery, click on the following link: http://travel.webshots.com/album/564985462wpMpUS

Coffee!

Sunday, 20 July 2008

After a hugely satisfying cup, or two, of coffee (from my NEW coffeemaker) and a good breakfast, we decided to work a little this morning, then go to the beach to meet up with friends.

So around noon we headed to Grand Anse beach, which is the primary tourist beach here… about 2 miles long! There’s a little “hotel/beach bar” on the north end called Jenny’s Place & Scott says they usually have some music early Sunday afternoons. We’ll stop there first. And I will be the one to drive us there!

Sundays are good days to practice driving… for those of us that are inexperienced with driving on the left. There’s not much traffic on the roads so you can take your time. I thought I was doing fine until I saw the little road we turned onto to get to the bar. It dead ends and there’s not much space to turn around! With Scott’s help, I wrestled my way through & got us to the side to park… but I would have to climb out from his side, as I was against a bush on my side! Then walked through a fence and down the path to the bar.

Our friend Tony was already there with a few others. He’s a former Chief Mate for Windjammer Barefoot Cruises… we met him through friends who’ve sailed with him years ago. A few more showed up… most of these guys are friends who hang out at the yacht club.

After a drink or two, we headed over to Morne Rouge Beach. There’s a new beach bar there called Rocky’s. This is near the Gem Resort, where we stayed when on vacation. You can drive down to the bar & park there, then walk right onto the beach. Of course, since we’re using his parking we should have a drink here while we wait for Mike & Jackie! Soon they arrived, and we all headed out to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Then when it began to get dark we went back to Rocky’s for dinner. By this time I was beginning to get a headache… that felt like it would turn into a migraine. (I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink since we left Jenny’s Place!) So we headed home & after a quick shower and some Excedrin, went straight to bed… it was about 9pm! Luckily, when I awoke around midnight, I felt fine again!

That’s good… because tomorrow’s going to be a big day!

Photo Description: Coffee! (You can see the transformer sitting next to it.)

New Friends

Saturday, 19 July 2008

This morning we picked up a couple that I met on the flight from Kingston, Jamaica. They’re staying at an all-inclusive resort called La Luna. We’ve never been there, so this gave us an opportunity to check it out. Dave & Amanda Vice are from the Atlanta area and this is their first trip to Grenada… celebrating their 10^th anniversary. We took them downtown to the spice market & the (very small) mall by the cruise ship pier for some shopping. Then we had lunch at the Nutmeg Restaurant and enjoyed the view again. They said they’d been to Fort George already, so we took them up the hill to Fort Frederick where the view is fabulous! From high on top of the fort, you can view to the west to see the cruise ship pier, the carenage, the prison, and almost to the south where the airport is! Then looking to the east you have a totally different scene of a valley filled with houses! This is one of my favorite places to take guests because it’s not advertised very well and it has the best views of the island… from about 800 ft.

Dave & Amanda had already done an island tour the day before, so we mostly took them to places to shop. She was looking for a gift for her mother-in-law, who was babysitting their 2 children. I suggested a Caribbean cookbook and we went to a little gift shop that I knew carried a few. While we were there, I decided to purchase a coffeemaker that I’d seen earlier. We decided to go with the Mr. Coffee brand because it seems that’s the only one here that uses the flat-bottom filter. We’ll just have to use a transformer, which will work out fine. (Our microwave needs a transformer as well, so we’ll run them off the same one.) The price for this one was the best I’d seen anywhere… $170 EC (translates to $63.67 US), but turns out they gave me a discount because it was the last one they had. So for a total of $150 EC ($56.18 US), I finally have my coffeemaker! Nothing fancy… just an on/off switch, no timer, no bean grinder. You could probably buy this model in the US for about $25-30. So tomorrow morning I get to have a real cup of coffee!

So then we took them back to their hotel… then invited ourselves for a tour of the place! Their “room” is actually cabana-style, with a big A/C bedroom and a covered deck for their “living room”. They have an attached bathroom that’s open to nature, with a little private hot tub just outside. It was pretty neat, but I didn’t think it was worth the $500 US a night! They seemed to have a good time today. I suggested they should return to Grenada during the dry season… they’d get more beach time in Jan-Feb-Mar. Regardless of the weather, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Photo: Another view of Grenada from atop Fort Frederick! The airport would be beyond the farthest ridge.

Phones!

18 July 2008

Today is Friday… which means that we really need to get the phone line on order. Who knows how long it will take them to actually install it? We head back to the Cable & Wireless office in Grand Anse carrying our passports. The salesgirl began filling out our “Application for Residential Service” form. She needed our mailing address… no problem, we have a PO box; our physical address… a bit more difficult, since there is no street name or number where our house is located; and directions, with a description of the house… directions? There are no STREET names! So we described the appearance of the house & told her who our neighbors were. Then she asked if we knew what the phone number is of the nearest Cable & Wireless customer… what? Apparently, they need to know that in order to assign us a phone number. Anyway, we gave them the phone number of the tenant who was living in the house for the past year. (Don’t know if that’ll be “close” enough!) We had a chance last night to review the 3 options for the high-speed internet line… prices range from $29.60 to $93.25 per month. We chose the cheapest one. Of course, the actual phone line is an additional $9.90 per month… taxes would be added to that. (But I have no idea how much the taxes are for this!) So we paid the bill, including the >$187 deposit required (because we’re not citizens), and left the store with the DSL modem. They said they’d call when the workmen want to come to hook up the connection. Now we wait (again). Later in the afternoon, we received a call from Cable & Wireless telling us that they needed to copy the document showing that we are landowners. We happened to have it with us, so I was able to take care of that without an extra trip home.

For as long as we’ve been planning to move here, everyone’s been asking us: “What will you do there?” Well, can you see that it takes forever to get anything accomplished here? It seems that we spend most of our time as scavengers… looking here & there for what we need to complete each task. It took us 3 days to get this far with the phone!

Oh… and I’m still shopping for a coffee maker!

We made arrangements to pick up the couple from Atlanta tomorrow morning. We’ll spend the day with them and take them to the market downtown then have lunch at the Nutmeg Restaurant. I’ll report on that in another entry!

Photo Description: We’ve been noticing these trucks hauling lumber all over the place today… The lumber shipment must have just come in!

Errands

Thursday, 17 July 2008

OK… Today’s plan is to get the phone line scheduled for installation. So we had some errands to run in town again, and that would be high on our list.

Scott’s been making what he calls “jailhouse coffee” for us each morning… we have no coffeemaker. (Didn’t pack one either, since ours was on its last legs!) He somehow makes a big “teabag” with the coffee filter. It’s getting us by in a pinch! So we’re shopping around for a new one. Now you would think that would be an easy task, but here’s where we ran into trouble: Our old one used the flat bottom (Mr. Coffee) filters, so I packed our supply of what we had left… lots of them! So that’s what we’re looking for… with a European-style plug for 220v electric. They do sell Mr. Coffee machines here, but everything we’ve seen has the 110v plug, which means we’ll have to use another transformer. Everything with the 220 plugs uses the cone-shaped filters… or they have the reusable filter basket. (I don’t like those because they’re hard to clean & I don’t like coffee grounds in my drink!) Too many things to consider in making this decision… so tomorrow morning I guess we’ll be having jailhouse coffee again!

We stopped to schedule the phone line, but we’ll have to come back tomorrow… we forgot to bring our passports with us. They need to photocopy our passports before they can schedule the installation. It’s a half-hour (curvy) drive home, so rather than run back & forth, we’ll come back on Friday.

The day started out rainy, but it actually turned out to be an okay afternoon. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

(Photo is a view of St. George's Carenage. You can see the Catholic Church is still missing its roof... destroyed by Hurricane Ivan nearly 4 years ago.

Waiting for Container

Wednesday, 16 July 2008

I had a good night’s sleep last night… under the mosquito net. I see he bought a fan and a refrigerator. We won’t have a stove until we get our container. In the meantime, we’re using a little electric pitcher (the kind with a coil on the bottom for heating water)… for cooking eggs, hot dogs, and oatmeal. Scott really is resourceful!

Since he’s been here, he hired an agent that will help us get our belongings through Customs. It’s funny… Scott’s hearing is getting bad, and he said he has trouble understanding what this man is saying with his Caribbean accent! So when the stuff goes through Customs, they’ve come up with the “elbow nudge” method… Each time the guy nudges Scott with his elbow, Scott just needs to hand over a $100 bill (EC dollars). This agent will make the arrangement with Customs and scheduling the dockworkers in making the delivery to our house.

We heard that the container came in today so we could schedule delivery on Thursday. But by the afternoon, we’d had quite a bit of rain & the forecast was for more of the same so they called off the delivery till Monday. Okay… 4 more days isn’t going to make a difference at this point! So we walked around town today and went to the bank to get cash for the delivery. Good thing I had my raincoat with me… we got caught in the rain!

Tomorrow or Friday, we’ll go to the phone company to get our phone and broadband internet installed.

In the meantime… we wait.

Welcome to Grenada!

Tuesday, 15 July 2008

Today’s the day I leave the US! My Air Jamaica flight is scheduled to depart at 10:20 am, with a stop in Kingston, Jamaica. My Grenada arrival time is 5:40 pm.

Well… that was a nice story, if it would have gone that smoothly! Unfortunately, Air Jamaica decided (in mid-flight) that we had to go to Montego Bay, Jamaica to pick up passengers that were stranded on a plane with mechanical problems… it would be about a half hour delay. Hah! We sat there (on the plane) in Montego Bay for 2-1/2 hours! Our plane was not very full when we left Miami, so we had room for more passengers. It took at least 45 minutes to get them boarded, but then we apparently had “system” problems. They finally had to completely restart their whole computer system on the plane. We arrived there at noon and finally departed (for Kingston) at 2:30 pm. Now, my connecting flight to Grenada was scheduled to depart Kingston at 3:00 pm. Hmmm… I don’t think I’m going to make it. We landed in Kingston at 3:00, but no one from Air Jamaica seemed to care about connecting flights! We weren’t sure what gate we should head for. Kingston’s airport is under construction and there are no electronic boards informing you of arrivals & departures. So we all just followed one another… like cattle… to a big area with a few shops & food places. I ran into a couple who was also concerned about missing their flight to Grenada, so I tagged along with them to the Information Desk, where we were told the flight to Grenada was postponed until 4:00. The area we were shuffled to is a big waiting area for flights. You just have to listen to their announcements for when your flight is boarding… they all leave from the same area. Well, they kept announcing that the flight was later and later… first 5:00, then 5:30, then finally we were told it would depart at 6:00 pm. (That makes it 7:00 Grenada time!) Fortunately, my new friends made the time go by easier. They were a couple from the Atlanta area, celebrating their 10^th anniversary in Grenada. (This would be their first trip to Grenada.)

I was getting tired, so I decided to order a frozen mocha latte at a coffee stand in the airport. It was kinda fancy looking… topped with an oreo cookie, and came in one of those domed topped cups. Just as they handed it to me, they called for boarding of my flight! Now… I’m traveling with a backpack (with camera equipment), and another bag holding my laptop computer (no purse), but I have to have my passport & ticket ready to show security. I really didn’t need to get this drink because my hands are now full! They lead us down an escalator to a hallway where they have a few small wooden tables set up. At each table there are 2 security people wearing rubber gloves and inspecting carryon bags… and I mean “inspecting”! When I reached the table (2 people in front of me), they were being sure that no one wandered past this line without first going through them! As I watched, the person in front of me would put their bag on the table, the guards would open it, & pick through it carefully, then they hand “frisked” the person before letting them pass (no x-ray machines here!).

Then it was my turn. First I had to put down the frozen latte, but there was nowhere to put it except on the floor in front of the table. I gave them my camera backpack first. They opened it, picked through it (pulling some things out to get a closer look), then closed it. Next was my laptop bag. They made me open the laptop, showing the keyboard, then again, they picked through that bag, checked my passport, then frisked me. So I’m trying to quickly put myself back together & I look around… somehow everyone else vanished!!! I guess they didn’t have time to search everyone, but there were only 2 people in front of me… and probably about a dozen behind me. So I’m still getting my stuff together & one of the guards seems very interested in my drink. She asks me: “Where did you get that?” I told them at the coffee shop upstairs. She asked: “What is it called?” I said it’s a “frozen mocha latte”. And as I now begin to run to find my plane, I saw her eyes get big as she said… “Mmmm, that looks yummy!”

So now, I can’t see any other passengers in sight, and I’m not even sure which door they went out. (There was another plane that boarded just before ours.) I walked out a door & saw 2 Air Jamaica planes on the tarmac… with steps to board. So I run up to the closest one to me & asked one of the airline workers if this one was going to Grenada. “Yes!” I run up the stairs (with drink still in my hand), and am greeted by a flight attendant… “Welcome! What is that?” (as she points to my drink)!!!

OK… I find my seat quickly & stow away my bags. This is supposed to be a full flight… but the plane turns out to be half empty! Great… room to stretch out! Before we take off, I send Scott a text message that we’re about to leave Kingston.

The 3-hour flight was pretty uneventful… until we got to Grenada. There were some heavy thunderstorms in the area. I could tell by the turbulence as we descended to land. Finally, I can see the runway lights out my window as we’re approaching the end of the runway. It’s raining hard. I can see that on my window also. I’m bracing for the landing (as I always do), when all of a sudden I feel the plane accelerate and we’re heading back up into the sky! Less than a minute later, the captain comes on to tell us he decided to abort the landing because of the storm… he couldn’t see the airport! He said it was a fast moving storm and we’re just going to go up & around to have another go at it… by that time the storm should have passed.

Well, he was right! We just went up & made a big circle. The second time was the charm… a smooth landing! Coming through Customs was no problem! I got my passport stamped, then collected my bags. The Customs agent asked what I had inside & I told him “camera gear (I’m a photographer) and personal items”. He let me pass without searching anything! I went outside & Scott appeared to pick me up… it was about 10:30 pm. We talked about the storm... he said he heard our plane as it aborted the first landing. About a half hour drive to my new (empty) home, then get some rest for the days ahead!

Welcome to Grenada!

Hanging out in Miami

Sunday/Monday, 13/14 July 2008

OK... So I think I have all the documentation to get the birds out of the US. All I can do now is wait to hear what time I should take them to Amerijet for transport. When I looked at their website, it showed that their Monday morning flights to Grenada leave at 6:30 am which gives them an arrival time around 10:30 or 11 am. That's good... it means they should be there in less than 24 hrs from the time I drop them off. I don't have to worry that they'll run out of water or food... they'll be just fine.

Originally I was told to drop them off at Amerijet between 1 and 4 pm, but they'd send me an email message with the confirmed time over the weekend. Well, Sunday came along & I didn't hear anything, so I just took a drive over to drop them off near 4:00. Unfortunately, the guard at the lot entrance wouldn't let us in... and she couldn't speak English at all! I'm trying to tell her we need to drop off the birds, but she couldn't understand me. So we went across the street & called their office. There was some confusion about the time of departure for the flight to Grenada, so we ended up taking the birds back to the hotel to wait. We finally got a call to bring them in no later than 10 pm. Now we have a little time to kill, so we took a drive to check out Miami Beach! It was a beautiful evening. We checked out the water temperature, then took a walk around South Beach... lots of restaurants with sidewalk seating with the shopping district just a block west.

Then back to the hotel to retrieve the birds (again) and on to Amerijet! This time we were able to get in (the guards must have had a shift change while we were gone). Joey & Cricket were happy to entertain the workers while we checked them in. We were told their flight was now scheduled for departure at 2:30 am... great! They should be in Grenada now by around 8:30 (after a short stop in Trinidad). Then it was time to leave them behind & trust that they'd be just fine till Scott is able to claim them. I called him to let him know what time he should expect to hear from Amerijet in the morning, and to call me once he has them in his possession.

On Monday, since I was no longer "babysitting" the birds, we decided to do a little sightseeing, then spend our last day at Miami Beach. We got on one of the tour boats in Biscayne Bay and went to look at how some of the rich & famous live on the nearby islands. The sky was overcast again... which it has been for the past 4 days. We drove through a downpour on our way in to town, but it cleared off enough for the boat tour. We also got lucky & didn't have to dodge the rain at the beach... although the clouds were definitely threatening to cause a raucus at any time! All the while, I'm waiting to hear from Scott that he has the birds... the boat trip was over at 12:30 & I still hadn't heard anything. Since there seemed to be a little confusion about the flight time... I believe they had 2 scheduled, with the second one leaving at 8:30 am... I didn't worry too much, figuring they maybe didn't leave Miami until 8:30.

I finally couldn't take it anymore so I sent Scott a text message: "Birds?" And his "I got em" response was fantastic! Woo-hoo! Mission accomplished! I don't know what time they finally got there, or if he had any difficulty collecting them at this point. All I knew was that they were safely transported and I could now rest easy.

Tomorrow I make my own final departure from the US. Air Jamaica flight is scheduled for departure at 10:20 am. If all goes well, I should be in Grenada Tuesday evening by 6:00 pm.

More to follow...

Miami Arrival

Thursday, 10 July 2008

On Thursday, I finally received the CITES documents I was waiting for. When I looked at them, I realized I had to schedule an appointment with an inspector at the port of departure... then they would put their stamp on it. (Otherwise they weren't really valid.) When I called their office in Miami I discovered they close at 4:00 pm Fridays, and they have no one available to do inspections on the weekends. Of course this complicates things because I'm supposed to bring the birds to Amerijet on Sunday evening for processing. The inspector also needs to stamp the "original" processing paperwork from Amerijet... a faxed copy won't do. So now I'm caught in a "catch 22"... I can't schedule the inspection until I have the processing papers from Amerijet, and I can't get them processed without the stamped CITES document! Every time I think I've reached the end of this trail, it seems another complication pops up!

Now, it's Thursday evening (around 6pm)... and I still haven't figured out what I'm doing with my Jeep. I'd been working on that problem during the day. My brother-in-law found out that Budget rental has cars available for one-way trips... from airport to airport. So we decided that was an option. I stopped at the auto auction where I was working part-time because someone suggested using a transporter to bring the Jeep back from Florida for selling it in PA. I got a price & phone number from a transporter there (which was about the same cost to rent a car from Harrisburg). Now I have 2 options! My sister offered to drive me (her car or my jeep) to Florida, where her husband could get a cheap one-way flight to meet her for the drive back on Tuesday. Now I have 3 options, but I still need to know how to handle the sale of the jeep. AND we decided to try to get to Florida before 4:00 pm on FRIDAY, so I would have time to see the inspector personally and carry the paperwork back & forth between them and Amerijet in Miami. Keep in mind... drive time from our location in PA to Miami: approx. 19 hours. (Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock!)

OK, I can leave the Jeep with our friends in PA. They know a dealer that could sell it for me. All I have to do is run over to see them (about a 5-min drive) to sign over the title & get it notarized. Oops... they're out of town at a car show! Finally got them to allow me to sign the title (without the notary's presence), as long as I leave them a photocopy of my driver's license. OK... I'm leaving the jeep with our friends, and they'll follow through with getting it sold in PA. I'll rent a car from Harrisburg Airport. I called Budget to make arrangements for that... BUT no cars available for one-way trip until Friday. Well, there's still the option of using the transporter from Florida, or we'll take my sister's car now. How soon can we be ready to leave? (Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock!)

OK, the jeep is staying in PA; we're taking my sister's Volvo for the trip. Quickly clean out the jeep & gather all my crap while I wait for her to arrive... I have a half hour once she leaves her home, but she has to pack first as well. Collect my stuff... collect the bird's stuff... no time to organize anything, just make sure I have it all. One last hug for the cat (he'll be fine here). Charlotte (my sister) arrived around 7:30. We loaded up everything, including the birds, said my final good-byes (cried a little), quick hugs and we were on our way by 7:50 pm for a long, boring, all-night drive to Miami on I-95.

Joey loves to ride in the car, so he entertained us with his whistling until it got dark. Since there was nothing interesting to look at along the way, we entertained ourselves by trying to trim minutes off our arrival time, which showed up on her GPS system as 1:39 pm! Charlotte figured out how to trim off 1 minute for every 12 miles... of course, that meant driving about 80 mph!) So she would be able to trim off about 15 minutes during her turn to drive, then I would have to pee and that usually put us back to where we started!

We arrived in Miami around 1:50 pm, but it was close to 2:30 till we figured out how to get into the Amerijet office... Miami temp today is in the high 90's. (I saw 101 at some point that afternoon!) They were extremely pleasant & helpful in getting the processing started early! They wrote up the order & I paid for their flight ($196). They gave the birds back to me so I could now run them over to the Fish & Wildlife inspector, with the paperwork. I'll bring them back here on Sunday evening. We loaded up in the car again, and with the help of her GPS, we went right to the Fish & Wildlife office which happened to be nearby. I called first & was told the inspector was at lunch for the next half hour, so we'll just go there & wait. (Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock!)

Their office was in a building which also housed a post office location. While we stood there waiting outside their door, someone came by & saw we had these birds with us. He told us that if we were waiting for the inspector, they moved to another building! So once again, we head to the car, plug in the new address & we're on our way... it's now about 3:30 pm (which should have given him time to get back from lunch)! (Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock!) We finally found him on the second floor at the new location. He was very pleasant as well. I had another declaration form to fill out. While I'm working on this, my cell phone rings... It's the Chief Veterinarian's office in Grenada, who's been trying to send me a faxed document but it wasn't going through. (Because my fax machine is IN THE CONTAINER, and my home phone number is disconnected!) I haven't had time to check in to a hotel, so I don't have a number to give her to resend it... It's now 3:46 pm. I ask if I can call her back when I get a fax number for her. She says, "Yes, but I need it by 4:00 pm." !!!!??\**!#@!!! OK... so the inspector returns from the back room and I asked him if he has a fax number that I could use to receive a document from Grenada. "No problem!" So while he's finishing up with my documents, inspecting the birds, etc. I'm calling her back with the number, telling her she needs to send it right away.

By the time the inspector makes copies and gives them all his final seal, he retrieved the fax for me & we were finally finished collecting all the necessary paperwork. It was now 4:00 pm. We now need to find a "pet-friendly" hotel. I'd heard that Days Inn allows pets, and there's one near the airport... so off we go! (We're both really losing "steam" by now due to the lack of sleep.)

I went inside at Days Inn to see if they had a room available... "Yes, they do!" When I asked if they allow pets, the clerk motioned me to the side door of his workspace. Then he stepped out to ask me (in a whisper) what size is my dog? I told him I had 2 parrots in a small dog crate that I'm planning to ship overseas. He told me he'd allow it (because they like pets!), but he'll put us in a room on the end... in case they're noisy. Then he said I should just cover them with a towel when housekeeping comes in to clean. (And there was no extra charge!)

We finally made it into a room at 5:00 pm. So here we are... holed up at Days Inn! We got into the air-conditioned room and cleaned off the "stink" (showered) before collapsing for the evening. We're not sure what we're going to do for the next few days, but at least we have a little "down time" to figure it out!