The island has a big festival tomorrow - the 5 Fs - first Friday in February at Farmers' festival.
We had a good day in the morning at school then a wonderful couple from Newfoundland, Marilyn and Vic on Whisper had invited to explore caves with them on Big Farmers, just near us.
We ran around the island on our dinghy to meet up with them and Vic told us he was taking us first to see an Osprey nest - it was huge, about three feet tall and maybe two in diameter. It was perched on a rock outcropping from Big Farmers, which is uninhabited. We then beached our dinghies and walked along a beach absolutely made by shells - big, little, some perfect, some not, it was amazing in itself. The shore was rocky with thin slabs of limestone and coral rocks. We really have to research Bahamian geology, it's so different.
Anyway, we headed on a small trail that led inland and Aidan saw a bright green gecko perched on a bush, so cool. We saw the osprey on a post as well. Then Aidan said it looked as though the little valley was ready for Halloween - the soil and the bushes were all orange and black. Vic and Marilyn and their friend Kathleen were great company along our hike.
We almost missed the entrance to the cave but we grabbed our flashlights. It was hot outside and as we descended into the cave, it got steamier. The cave was amazing, with deep still pools of fresh water and stalactites and stalagmites. It seemed as though no one else had ever been there. The cave went way deep into the island but we stayed near the entrance and the light. Scott and Vic explored a few of the crags further in. Someone had left a pail to catch the drips maybe 50 or 100 years ago and it was becoming covered in limestone.
We decided to keep on hiking after the cave, so we went over the ocean side where there was a beach and we looked in vain for sea beans or hamburger beans, small brown beans that some say travel in the ocean all the way from Africa. Then you can polish them and they look terrific in necklaces, etc.
Aidan and Elizabeth did find old green bottles in the tiny cove where some were swimming. They cleaned them up and brought them back to our very crowded boat.
Today we have friends coming into the island for the festival so we're looking forward to that and to exploring the tiny village itself.
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