Friday, January 2, 2015

Friday, January 2, 2015

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2008. That year Mattie was diagnosed with cancer in July. So by Christmas Mattie had already been battling the disease for five months. He had already endured two major limb salvaging surgeries, and was dealing with high dosage chemotherapy. In addition to those medical nightmares, Mattie was contending with the psychological ramifications of childhood cancer which for the most part does not get discussed and unless the family truly advocates can go untreated! Holidays at home were not happy or special for Mattie. They were painful both physically and emotionally despite all that Peter and I did to manage those days and nights.  


Quote of the day: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. ~ Mahatma Gandhi


We arrived in Eleuthera today. One of the 700 Bahamian Islands! Eleuthera gained its independence in 1973 from Britain, it is 110 miles long, 2 miles wide, and has a population of 11,000. The narrowest point of the Island is called, “the Glass Window Bridge.” This is literally a limestone formation in which cars and people can transverse it. Winslow Homer even painted the famous “Glass Window” in 1885 to depict this structure! I learned ALL this information on our tour today, and I can attest to this since our tour guide, Colleen gave us a QUIZ! If we each got the answers right, we got a prize! Among me, Peter, and my mom, we came back with LOTS of prizes! Our tour consisted of a visit to a nature preserve and then we had the opportunity to see a traditional Eleutheran dance called the Junkanoo. 

But along the way, we also learned some Bahamian catch phrases that you may find just as hysterical as I did…………………………

Here is the Bahamian way of saying, I’m doing alright, 
“Child, I'm right here between Oh Lord and Thank God.”

Here is the Bahamian way of saying, “don’t make me angry!”
“Don’t Yuck Up my Vexation.”

Here is the Bahamian way of saying “you are confused.”
“You mixed up like conch salad.”

The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve protects 25 acres of mangrove forest with the goal of conserving indigenous species and researching Bahamian bush medicine. 

The boardwalk trail took us through a wonderful ecosystem of mangrove trees. Within these mangroves was an intricate network of spider webs. The webs were catching mosquitoes. It was quite the sight!

In the 1950s the cistern provided water for an orchard and farm. Although the cistern was no longer used, it continued to hold water during the rainy season. Until recently, the cistern was transformed into this beautiful new wetland habitat for plants and animals. This is what the cistern USED TO look like.

The cistern now looks like this!!! The wetland was one of the most serene and captivating spaces in the preserve. The Preserve is the first National Park on the Island of Eleuthera and it is in thanks to the private philanthropy of the Levy family, from the United States. Leon Levy is no longer alive, but his wife commissioned this Preserve in his memory. 

Within the Wetlands you can find Turtles!

You can also find some of my favorite things...... water lilies!!!

There are trails within this Preserve in which you can explore the traditional uses of native trees and shrubs. These trails are titled “The Medicinal Plant Trail.” I snapped a photo of the gastrointestinal part of the trail, but there literally was a section for every sort of ailment. 

Local school groups come to the Preserve to learn about bush medicine and the edible history of their culture! Meaning what fruits were native to their Island and what fruits were introduced over time by various settlers and inhabitants. Children learn that the pineapple was most likely the indigenous fruit to the Island. This photo illustrates pineapple plants growing in rows!!!

The forest of trees within the Preserve is rich with Bromeliads. Which literally are air plants, requiring NO soil. They attach to trees and catch rain water and sun. 

Junkanoo is a cultural expression of music and dance and is said to be named in honor of a former plantation owner, “John Canoe.” It has been celebrated since the 16th and 17th centuries, especially during Christmas and New Year’s. 

While on the bus today, our tour guide, Colleen, taught us how to weave palm leaves! Literally the only one on the bus who got it was Peter! My mom and I followed her initially and then she lost us. Peter helped us along. The rest of the bus gave up! One man behind us said, he “gave at the office.” Nonetheless, we were determined and here are our finished products!

We are back on the ship after our last adventure. In fact as I was writing the blog, this was my view from the ship’s deck that I wanted to share with you. The beauty of the water color was stunning! We are packing up tonight and tomorrow morning the ship docks in Fort Lauderdale at 7am. We fly back home to Washington, DC and I will be writing the blog from home on Saturday night. It is my hope that our readers enjoyed our journey with us and as always I appreciate your emails and comments about our photos.