Our Vacation to Antigua - Part 4

I just love these pictures. On the last day, Phillip and I finally found a place that had good beach snorkeling. It took about an hour to drive there, but it was very scenic. Once we got to the beach, we had to hike over these rocky cliffs to get over to a small little cove that we had all to ourselves! The snorkeling was very different from what Phillip and I had ever seen before. Most of the coral was colorless. It felt like we were swimming over a bone yard - very eerie.

Driving in Antigua was more than a bit of a challenge. Every time Phillip and I got into the car, we would argue. Driving was just so stressful. It didn't matter who was driving. The roads were very narrow (you can't tell from this picture) and curvy. There were potholes - no, I mean CRATERS - everywhere. The locals drove like it was the Indie 500 (not an exaggeration) running me off of the road (no, I was not driving like a Grandma). To add to all of the stress, animals would jumped out in front of my car. And it didn't help that Phillip was a backseat driver (I hate that). The whole driving thing was very tense.

(Brandie in front of a gorgeous church in Dickenson's Bay.)

As we were driving, we came across this gorgeous church in Dickenson's Bay. It is really just a modest church - not like the grand ones seen in Europe and such - but the colors were unlike anything I have ever seen, in person or in picture books. And the red roof against the blue sky!!! I didn't want to stop looking. I tried to peek inside, but there were people praying. I didn't want to be disrespectful...darn my Mama for raising me with manners!!

Phillip and I were happy to get back home. We missed Parker. But it was nice to get away and relax. We are all ready trying to decide where to go for our next trip. Any suggestions?

Our Vacation to Antigua, Caribbean - Part 3

Can you believe that the above two pictures are taken right outside our front door?!? Just beautiful!! I loved being able to see the ocean first thing.

This cute little phone booth was also right outside our door. I just couldn't resist taking some pictures. You don't really see these cute booths anywhere, at least not in the U.S.

Below are a few pictures of the hotel's landscape. It was so lush. Lots of greenery everywhere!

(The hotel's local restaurant, The Coconut Grove. Great rum punch!!)

The above Royal Palm is apparently a direct descendant from a true "ROYAL" palm. Apparently the palm is a seedling from a palm that belonged to one of the Queens...I think it was Elizabeth, but I can't remember for sure. The owner took the seedling and planted this palm here.

This is the hotel's owner and me in front of one of the really cool trees on the property. I loved this man. He is so elegant. Listening to him talk, he spoke like Keith Richards, with a thick accent and a slur...just the right mix of "proper British air" with a twist of Andy Warhol 70's glam. Loved it!!

(Phillip and I in front of the really cool tree.)

This is the beach right outside the hotel property. Imagine walking on this every day. Bliss!

All over the property were these little lizards. I thought they were too cute. Of course I had to take a picture.

I have one more post of vacation pictures coming soon, as well as some of the kitchen project we are now working on.

Our Vacation to Antigua, Caribbean - Part 2

(sailing on Captain Nash's boat)

Right after Phillip and I arrived in Antigua, we walked the beach to get the lay of the land. As you can imagine, all sorts of people try and sell you everything from t-shirts to horse back rides. One of the guys that approached us was Captain Nash (just love that name). He had his own little sailboat and for a very reasonable fee would take Phillip and I sailing and snorkeling anywhere we wanted for the whole day. What a deal!

At lunch time, we pulled into Jolly Harbor. It was very charming and had a bunch of gorgeous sailing boats docked.

I am not sure what exactly this building is, but it is quite grand and beautiful. It looks like some sort of government building to me. It is one of the first things you see when docking into Jolly. Look closely. You can barely see Phillip at the bottom of the picture. It is a huge building.

Throughout the day, Phillip helped Captain Nash sail the boat. He totally got a kick out of that. I swear, he must have asked me to take about 100 pictures of him sailing the boat. Jeez.

I just absolutely fell in love with sailing. We did it all day and I never once got bored with it. I told Phillip that when he retired, if he was ready to sell the house and just sail a boat, I would be open to it. I wonder what the dogs and cat would think of that...

While we were sailing, Nash showed us Armani's vacation home. Yes, Armani the fashion designer. I saw some pictures of the interiors in one of my design magazines. I remember thinking it looked like a very relaxing place...now I know why.

While we were visiting, the American Red Cross had a ship docked for the week to help out the island. Apparently, the ship has everything that could possibly be needed for medical emergencies and evaluations. If the Red Cross docs can't help people out on land, then a helicopter will fly patients to the ship. I heard the local docs weren't too happy about that since it was taking away their business. I had never really thought about it before, so I found it a bit interesting.

(Sailing with Captain Nash )

Captain Nash was a great way to start our trip. At one point, he took us out to snorkel at a shipwreck! Phillip and I love to snorkel and going to a shipwreck was new to both of us. It was creepy and cool at the same time. There wasn't a lot of fish but some very strange vegetation that I had not seen before. It all had such an eerie feeling. I kept thinking about all of the creepy ocean movies I had seen. It took a while to get over the feeling of expecting some ocean snake-like monster to jump out at me.

It was a great day! I all ready miss the ocean.

Our Vacation to Antigua, Caribbean - Part 1

Lay of the Land

We finally had our first vacation since becoming parents! Phillip and I went to Antigua, in the Caribbean for one whole glorious week. The weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold. The beaches (as you can see in the photos) were gorgeous. But most important, we got to sleep in without being woke up by a screaming toddler! Pure heaven!

(Phillip going for a walk on our beach)

Above is a picture of the beach right outside our hotel door. Just past the thatched cabana is the HUGE Sandals resort. We were so glad we did not stay at Sandals. Too much going on over there. Our little paradise allowed me plenty of time to veg out and read three whole books without interruption! Bliss! Of course, there was plenty of rum that was consumed while on the island...hey - we were on vacation!

(one of the many beautiful white beaches)

We arrived on Saturday afternoon. On Monday, we took an all day sailing trip around the island. Captain Nash was a fantastic tour guide, pointing out all of the beaches and telling us about the island. The beaches were really white. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, you will find a lot of trash scattered (especially in front of Sandals - shame on them!). I was disappointed to see that. One would think that with how much the island relies on tourism, they would do a better job at keeping their beaches clean.

(Turtle Rock)

While sailing with Captain Nash, he showed us Turtle Rock (above). For obvious reasons, the islanders named the rock after the Hawk Billed Turtle. I kind of think it looks like a frog with a top hat. (Hello my baby, Hello my darling...)

I absolutely fell in love with sailing! I could spend all day on the boat just watching the ocean. I really do miss seeing the ocean on a regular basis. Sorry Minnesotans, no matter what you say, those huge lakes just don't compare.


Above is an example of what most of the homes looked like on the island. Lot's of bright, cheery colors. Also a lot of wear and tear. There were also a lot of vacation homes that were quite big, but none that were interesting enough to take a picture.



All over the island, one would see these broken down sugar mills (above). Apparently, way back when, each estate had there own mill (which was the island's industry). Now times have changed and the mills are broken down and overgrown. The ones that are closer to the beaches have been made into little bars and such.



It was spring time, so naturally there were a lot of baby animals. I wouldn't be me if I didn't try and get every imaginable picture of the little critters. Phillip waited in the car while I risked my life on the crazy streets on the island (people drive crazier here than the New York taxi cabs), trying to get at least one good picture of the babies in this goat herd (it reminds me of a time when I was young...my family lived in Washington at the time. We were on one of our MANY road trips. My mother had just gotten a fancy camera as a gift and was all about taking pictures. She saw some quail crossing the road and made my dad stop the car. She chased these quail so she could get a picture. I remember thinking that it took forever. I am sure Phillip was thinking the same thing when I was chasing these silly goats).

Anyone that knows me knows that I have a love for pigs...probably why I love pug dogs so much - it's the curly tail and snorting! Anyway, after practically having a heart attack when this little piglet group jumped out in front of my car (I would have died if I hit these little guys. Knock on wood - I still haven't hit any little critters!), I had to try and get their pictures. I didn't want to get too close because I wasn't sure how "domestic" these guys were. I have heard stories about wild pigs and I did not want to take any chances! You can't tell from the pictures, but these guys were absolutely the cutest things ever. It helped me feel better about not eating bacon for the past year (because I certainly had been missing it!).

More pictures of the trip to come again soon. I am working on the next set now. Promise!