Frisbee and land crabs

Liam and I go for a walk almost every evening, sometimes with C.J., sometimes with other SOs.

We always walk past the Lance Aux Epines field which is just around the corner from our house and a gathering place for various informal sports.

A few days ago C.J. was with us on our walk and we came upon the field and some friends playing ultimate Frisbee.

C.J. decided to test out his legs and see if they still work after so many hours of sitting in a chair studying. We were relieved to find out he can still run and even use his hands to catch flying objects.

In the game, third from right

Look at that action shot, he's still got it!

Meanwhile I got a chance to photograph something I've always wanted to share on this blog. Land crabs. Like land sharks, but they're a real thing. They live in the hard ground all along the edge of the field and along the road to our house.

They stand quietly next to their holes as we walk by and if we get too close they scurry back into their little homes. They are small orange dots on the ground that you can easily miss if you are not paying attention.

Crab holes and a few orange dots

Had to use the 10x zoom so I wouldn't scare him

Sometimes we see kids catching these crabs. Locals eat them, and the kids can probably sell them to make some money. To catch the crabs they tie a treat to the end of a string. At the other end of the string they tie a stick.

They leave the treat next to the crab hole and when the crab grabs the treat and pulls it into his home the stick is pulled tight over the opening. The kids pull the sticks up and a crab is dangling at the other end holding on to the treat. By the way, I haven't tried land crab yet but it can't be any worse than iguana.

And while C.J. was playing Frisbee and I was stalking land crabs, a little cutie was waiting patiently in his mighty (mighty worn) Jeep stroller.

Mom, what happened to our walk?

Gone fishing

I thought when I moved to an island I would eat fresh fish every day, but sadly, we almost never eat fresh fish here. I've explained it before, but to recap, fresh fish is not sold in the grocery stores.

If I want fresh fish I have to make a special trip to the fish market downtown. Two stops for groceries? An extra 10 minutes of driving? I am used to big-box, one-stop shopping and cannot be bothered with the time it takes to go to a separate market, even if I don't have anything better to do.

Also, the fish market can be intimidating if you are used to buying your fish out of a temperature-controlled glass case from a guy with a hair net and gloves. It's not exactly FDA approved on cleanliness.

That's not to say it is not clean, it is just not sanitized in the hyper-sterile way we Americans like it. The whole fish lays out in the open with a little bit of ice and if you want a slice of something a woman chops it with a cutlass using her bare hands.

I admit, I have been a little freaked out by the rustic aspect of the fish market. But I am an idiot.

I have been sitting on a gold mine of the freshest fish I will ever eat in my life, held back only by my own cultural fears.

This week I went down to the market with a fellow SO who is a professional chef (o.k. and my cooking instructor, I am so spoiled), and he walked me around and advised me on what to look for when selecting fresh fish. He also assured me that this fish is perfectly safe to eat and in fact this is how people have been buying fish for hundreds of years.

To make it worse, a pound of fish, any fish, is $7EC at the fish market. That is about $3US. That includes ahi tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi, red snapper and an assortment of smaller fish for stewing or frying. And they will descale, gut and clean the fish for a mere $2EC.

That's a lot cheaper than the frozen, imported and tasteless talapia from IGA and a steal compared to what we would pay in the U.S.

So I've made a new commitment to go to the market every week until we leave here. It is well worth the trip. And I had some instruction yesterday from the above mentioned SO on some new and tasty ways to prepare fish. It's not too late to take advantage of this island perk.

The deconstructed tuna fish sandwich - this sure beats canned tuna

They call this butterfish at the market - steamed in parchment paper with fresh local herbs and vegetables

Seared ahi tuna with homemade tartar sauce and bell pepper, chives and onion for garnish

Curious Liam

At almost 11 months Liam is in to everything, and he doesn't miss much. If you're doing it, he wants to be doing it. We keep the camera ready because there are a lot of cute moments worth catching on film.

We try to be patient and let him explore as much as safely possible. It is precious to watch him in this "hands on" learning phase. The world really is an amazing place when you look at it through a child's eyes.

Mom, did you know this white stuff just keeps coming if you pull on it?

And these plastic bags, there are so many of them!


Let's rearrange - I think this chair should go in the kitchen

Now what is this thing for again?

The refrigerator - my favorite! Can you leave this door open for me?

Fun fruit

Have you ever seen a starfruit? I hadn't before moving to Grenada.

Just like it sounds - fruit shaped like a star

It's mild, with a sweet and citrus-like taste and a waxy skin that you can eat. It makes a great garnish on a cocktail or a fruit punch. Isn't it cute?

Computer shortage

Last week, about the time of our pseudo water crisis, my computer screen flashed it's last flash and went dark. When I could not revive it no matter how many times I compulsively pressed the power button, I knew the crash I had anticipated for weeks had finally come.

I thought, "oh well, living without a computer won't be so bad." That lasted about 45 minutes, and then I decided to take my poor dead laptop to the computer store.

They diagnosed the problem as a bad motherboard and offered to replace it for the small sum of $800 US. Just $150 more than what I paid for the computer on sale at Best Buy three years ago.

Naturally, this incident coincided with C.J. purchasing a USMLE question bank and declaring he will do at least 20 online practice questions a day through the end of the semester. This means he is pretty much using his computer every minute when he is at home and is taking it to school with him too.

It's been four solid days without a computer at my fingertips around the clock and I have to say, it's going to be a long two months until we get on that plane back to America.

It seems the only thing worse than being without water is going without my computer. I'd rather wash my face with baby wipes every night than live without that thin, rectangular piece of plastic and metal. I didn't realize how much I rely on it.

In my defence, I don't have a TV, so checking emails and Facebook, reading New York Times, looking up recipes for dinner, paying bills online and updating my blog are my main activities when Liam is sleeping (o.k. and sometimes when he is awake too).

After four days I was, no joke, feeling physical pains of withdrawal. As C.J. was packing up his bag this morning I threw a small tantrum, pouted and shamelessly begged him to leave the computer at home. "Forget your med school, what about my blog?" I whined. He saw the deranged look in my eye and reluctantly left the computer behind.

I'm like a junkie with her latest fix, and I'm loving every minute. I've been surfing the Internet non-stop. Since I know tomorrow will bring more practice questions, I'm squeezing in a second post for the day.

After I'm done with this I'll be looking into starting my own chapter of Internetanonymous. I think maybe I have a problem. Since going computer-free I've noticed Liam now enjoys dropping toys into his toy basket, which is actually a big milestone. Hmmm, does the computer make mommy a little distracted??

So if you don't see me on Skype or get a speedy response to an e-mail, now you know why. I'll be offline most of the time. And I guess that's better than living without water. You can't die without the Internet, right?

Water shortage

Grenada is experiencing a severe drought. Last rainy season was an uncharacteristically dry one, and now we haven't had a good rain in probably two months.

Everywhere we look we see brown, dry hills

This is turning out to be a real problem since most of our water supply comes from rain. For over a week we've gone without water at some point during every day. Turn on the tap and...nothing.

It's a real bummer when say, you just put soap on your hands to wash them or there is a pile of dishes in the sink or your husband just agreed to mop the floor for you.

There are two desalination plants on the island, but they don't produce enough to meet the daily demand. So the water company turns off the supply to certain parts of the island at different times of the day.

Wild rumors are flying around about possibly closing the school if there isn't enough water. Everyone is being strongly encouraged to conserve as much as possible.

I've realized however, that indoor plumbing was not exactly set up for conservation. It takes a conscious effort to reduce our water usage with a toilet that flushes gallons at a time and a shower head that streams water. We are trying our best to not abuse it when it is available, but I feel some hopelessness in regards to actually conserving.

However, I do have a funny story which makes the situation less desperate for us here at the Flats. Last Thursday we were out of water for over 12 hours. From the minute we woke up in the morning until I put my pajamas on and was ready for bed.

Liam and I went to the beach that day, so I had just wiped my face with a wet one, brushed off as much sand as possible and set my mind to a good night's sleep, dirty or not.

About this time C.J. returned from the neighbor's apartment and told me that someone saw our landlord's brother taking water from our building that very morning.

What? Forget trying to be zen about it, I can't get a peaceful night's sleep knowing our landlord is stealing our last drops of water while my hair is still full of salt and sand. Even though it was 9:30 p.m. I decided I was calling her.

Thank goodness she answered, and she was surprised to learn we had been out of water all day. She openly admitted she had just got water from our building that morning. I have a hard time understanding what she says, except for her favorite phrase, "my dear," so here's what I heard on the phone:

"oh my dear....water...got water this morning...grandbabies....see if my car is here....o.k. my dear...."

I hung up and told C.J. that I wasn't sure if she was going to do anything about it but at least she sounded concerned. That was a start.

Ten minutes later there's a knock on our door. Our landlord walks in and heads straight for the kitchen sink, which is piled high with dishes. She turns on the knob and water starts pouring out. Here's what I heard next:

"oh my dear...reserve tank....Hurricane Ivan...whole family...three months...oh my dear...nobody called me...oh my dear"

The moral of this story is, even if there is an island-wide water shortage, call your landlord when your water is out. You might just be sitting on top of a huge reserve tank of water that kept a whole family alive for three months after the last big hurricane. It could just be the pump that's not working properly.

Not one person in our building had called her to let her know we'd been having water problems for over a week. We all just assumed that was going to be the new way of life for the rest of the term. We are a hardy bunch.

So thankfully, it looks like we have an emergency supply to help us through this dry season, but it is still tough for a lot of people we know. Rainy season doesn't technically start until June. That's a long time to wait for water.

Old friends in new places

Sometimes I feel disoriented and think to myself, "Who am I?" I don't even know this 30+, non-working, Caribbean-living, mother of a 10-month-old.

But then I see an old friend that connects me to my past, and I'm relieved to find out I am still the same girl from little 'ole Hewitt, Texas.

One of my oldest friends came to visit last week. I've known Erin since second grade when she was the star of Mrs. White's PE class. I recall Mrs. White asking Erin to demonstrate something on the balance beam and thinking I wasn't planning to be friends with this teacher's pet.

That sentiment didn't last long since we became friends in junior high, better friends in high school and then roomed together our first two year's of college. She was a maid of honor in my wedding, and we're still close after over 20 years (ouch, that makes me sound old).

So I was honored when she used some of her spring break from dental school to make the long trip down here. Now I have one more friend that can visualize where I am as I write this blog, something I find comforting.

Of course, while she was here we spent two days lounging at the beach, but we also had an eventful day in St. George's and spent a day hiking.

We tried a few new things in town - we ate corn cooked over a small grill from a street vendor, we drank fresh sugar cane juice and we purchased red snapper from the fish market and cooked it for dinner (I'm embarrassed to admit it, but that is my first time to buy fish at the market.)

Erin observed that all the street vendors here sell fresh fruit and vegetables which is a welcome change from the processed hot dogs and nacho cheese of America.

We bought some tangerines in the market, and I was shocked when Erin said she had never had a fresh tangerine and I realized, me either. I've only eaten them from a can. Once again, you can't beat the fresh local fruit here.

And to satisfy my own vanity, I must point out that this is the only time in our entire friendship that I have ever been more tan than Erin. At least I have something to show for myself and this island life.

Erin and I enjoying a day at the beach

Sugar cane is run through this machine and then fresh juice comes out of a tap in the front

Getting our fish cleaned at the market

On the Carenage in St. George's

The big 3-2

I know I'm spoiled when I think a whale-watching cruise and a walk on the beach at sunset are just average birthday events.

Really, what am I saying? It may not have been a week long camping trip, but it was a pretty good day.

Team Winckler about to board the boat
Friends make a birthday special

Melon-headed whales - they look like dolphins, but they're not

Cupcake and Carib - now that's a good birthday

I'm sure you are wondering, did C.J. mop the floor? Well, he did the dishes. Then we ran out of water. Then I found some Swiffer things at the store yesterday. Lucky dog.

I must give him a big up though for not studying for the entire day, no small feat for a med student. After our cruise we had a nap and then went to the beach for a walk. We sat in the sand and watched local kids play cricket in the surf and then watched the sun go down.

We got take-out from our local Italian place and watched a movie after Liam was in bed. It was a perfect day. And not so unspecial when I think about how it is probably the last time I enjoy my birthday in the Caribbean.

Birthday indulgence

Tomorrow is my 32nd birthday. I really don't understand how I got so old. In my mind I am still 23.

We are going on a whale watching tour in the morning and then I've asked C.J. to mop the floor for me. IGA has been out of wet Swiffer thingies for two weeks, and I can't bring myself to haul out the old-fashioned bucket and mop. I think it will be a good day, and I'm looking forward to being with my family and taking it easy.

I used to love planning a big birthday party for myself, but I'm not feeling the need this year. Maybe because I planned the birthday to beat all birthdays the year I turned 30 - a week-long camping trip in Big Bend National Park.

To indulge myself, I've gone and retrieved a blog about the trip from my long-lost MySpace page. I will dedicate this to those dear friends who made the trip with me - Kim, Stefanie (aka Stepanka), Mitzi, Julie K., Rick, Keri and of course, C.J. Thanks for making that birthday so special that I never need to celebrate another birthday again.

March 22, 2008
BIG BEND

I have to jot down some things about my trip to Big Bend. I have so many good memories, I need to put them in writing.

My favorite things:

1) That I decided to go there for my birthday and when I invited my camping buddies along, unbelievable, six people actually showed up. Took vacation and actually drove the nine hours to camp in the wilderness. It was a surprise who would make it in the end and part of the fun was the great mix of people.

2) The hike to the South Rim. And the part where we camped in the backcountry. Six miles in and 2,000 feet up with a heavy pack. A test of our endurance and strength. Not easy but so rewarding. Great views. Great feeling of satisfaction despite soreness and fatigue. Rated best hike in Texas.

3) The canoeing. This was probably my favorite experience of the trip. We didn’t know the water was too low to raft until we got there. It was a more "technical" experience than just rafting and it turned out to be really cool. The first leg was upstream. C.J. and I had to learn how to communicate so that we could navigate the river. We made a great team. We stopped for lunch and climbed into a side canyon to see a natural spring where ferns grow. Our guide was a tough chick named Sandi. Our other guides were two guys that literally live in their trucks and cruise around the country working on different rivers. The second leg was downstream and we just floated along looking at the canyon. The weather was cool and sunny. The canyon was stunning. There was a slight breeze. It was heaven.

4) And this part of canoeing deserves a separate call out. The T-shirts!! Are you kidding? My friends made T-shirts that said Team Julie since this was the actual day of my birth. They put them on when I wasn’t looking and surprised me in the van on the way to the river. We cut them all up with a knife before we got on the water, just to jazz them up a bit. Not to mention the birthday cowgirl hat and the fake bling they presented me with the day before. I suspect I have Julie K. to thank mainly for this. But everyone went along making the day memorable and special. And thank you JK for hauling the Bud Light. Delicious.

5) The Starlight. Location of the birthday dinner. A lovely little restaurant/bar in the remote ghost town of Terlingua. Had a surprisingly delicious meal and some beers. A true local picked the guitar and sang a few songs. Other locals sat a the bar for supper. Our guide showed up to grab a bite to eat. Rick and Keri arrived with a Dolly Parton CD for a B-day gift. Couldn't get any better than that.

6) Cattail Falls. It is a trail that is not marked on the map because the park doesn’t want to encourage a lot of traffic there. It’s a place in the park where there is always water because of a natural spring. There’s a special habitat there with ferns and greenery and one endangered yellow flower that you don’t normally see in the desert. This was a great hike for the group. A magical place.

7) The hot springs. After everything we’d done, Friday night we went down to the hot springs by the Rio Grande. The springs are blocked off by a rock barrier so it is a natural hot tub. In the freezing darkness, we got down to our bathing suits and sat in the 105 degree water and stared at the stars which were brilliant and bright in the huge sky. We could hear the Rio Grande rushing by us and could stick our hands in it to cool off.

8) Saturday, our last day in the park. We allowed ourselves some chill time in our campsite. Rick Solner whipped up one of his famous and delicious gourmet meals. So glad he could make it! FRESH is a great word for him, you are right Keri. We had cocktails and played our guitars and had a few tequila shots and a special toast.

9) The Gage. Not just your average hotel. Our room had a fire place. The grounds were immaculate. The bar was cozy. The decor was western but classy. I want to go back and spend a few days laying by the pool.

10) This area of Texas. I really mean it when I say it was magical. It was like being in a movie. The atmosphere was different. It was big and expansive and proud and dramatic and friendly and mystical. I can’t wait to get back. There is so much more to do.

11) My sleeping bag - thank you Erin Williams. I would have died without it. Now I understand why people invest in good sleeping bags.

12)Which brings me to the weather. Wow. Just as dramatic as the scenery. In the same day we wore tank tops and shorts and then our water froze overnight. It was cold for most of the trip. We saw blowing snow (thundersnow!) AND a rainstorm. But it was also sunny and warm several days. Most important things on the trip besides my sleeping bag were long johns, gloves and a cover for my ears.

13) And a special shout out to the park. It is wild. It is remote. It is serious. This ain’t no camping trip at Emma Long. No cell phone service. No sight of civilization for miles. The landscape is striking. There are bears and mountain lions. All food AND toiletries go in the bear box. There are javelinas and jack rabbits and deer and fox - and you see the wildlife everywhere. Without water you could die. Without a map you could get lost and die. Without warm clothes you could die. If you actually ran into a bear or mountain lion you could die. It was intense and spectacular.

Other special things worth noting: Walmart in Fort Stockton, actually a fun place when you’ve got nothing better to do; Kim saying "It’s mine!" when she saw the camo hat with the skull and cross bones, leaving Stepanka with the biker cap; ANGIE, the dog in a wheel chair, ask me about it, we were there for a reason; Kim and Stefanie who never missed a beat when we unexpectedly had to stay the night in Fort Stockton - thank you for having great attitudes, helping to load and unload and having fun anyway (all for one and one for all, thanks for saying that); the woman at Aamco who said "everything can be fixed" and "as long as you are together you never lose a day" - closest point to crying on the trip; how Kim didn’t want to do the hike but we talked her into it and then she loved it; singing the Sound of Music in the tent in the backcountry; how C.J. was the only guy for a lot of the trip, what a trooper, love that man; meeting our new friend John from New Jersey - even in the wilderness, Stepanka can hook up, unbelievable; Mitzi, who is pregnant, and gets the award for hanging in there through all of it - the canoeing, hiking, our drinking, staying up past 9 p.m. - and never complaining; Mitzi’s seven layer dip; Kerby Queso which got us down off the mountain (thank you AMD girls); my sleeping bag, I know I already said it but worth another mention; the four women on our canoe trip - the really nice one, the really weird and mean one (who turned out nice and e-mailed me later), and the other two - who went along with my birthday obnoxiousness and who we ran into again at the Gage; red wine, which was really great on those cold nights; those chocolate things Julie brought - yum!; Stepanka’s really dirty feet after our canoeing trip and when she said "you may not know this about me, but I am boy crazy"; the bluebonnet growing in the rocks along the river in the canyon; the mountain lion print in the canyon; the endangered falcons; Kim and Stepanka canoeing...that made me laugh; Julie K., our spiritual guide and BB veteran, I am SO glad she made it; Keri Dawn with the good directions (ha, ha) and the other good stuff; Man-offs over who gets to drive on the back roads; birding, I didn’t know people were really that into it, I have a whole new appreciation; the funky little B&B Keri and Rick stayed at in Marathon with the green house and the huge piece of furniture that takes six men to move and everything made of paper and the woman who verbally assaulted C.J. over Obama v. Hillary; the fire place and the hot shower and the king-sized bed at the Gage.

Low point: Odessa, Texas. I don’t even want to get into it but it had something to do with a new transmission. It involved 80-mile-an-hour winds, blowing snow, a window popping out of the camper, and renting a lame purple Trailblazer. However, I must say, everything that was bad, wasn’t really that bad. The prayer candles from Walmart worked.