Club Med Turkoise; Turks and Caicos with Lisa and Larry.

The view is amazing here! The sky is a brilliant blue with stark white clouds creating sculptures of turtles, battling titans and crawling babies… all you need is an imagination. The thousand palm trees dance along the property edge as though they too want to run across the sandy beach and jump in the ocean. I never tire of gazing out across Grace Bay. On the very furthest edge of the horizon is a thin dark-blue stripe, but as you bring your gaze closer the colors shift from brilliant turquoise to darker turquoise. This is all framed by sand so bright it is… well it’s white!

I write here, at Sharky’s Shack, a beach bar. Sharky’s is known for its cool beach-vibe music and its burgers and fries. I’ve lost count of how many bowls of French fries we’ve eaten. They toss the fries in a seasoning that’s completely addictive. In the morning this is a peaceful spot. The bar is closed and all I have is the sound of the palm trees and the distant music of the water aerobics class. Joe is down on the beach with our friends, Larry and Lisa watching the sailboats and kite-surfers.

Yesterday we dove in the morning. It was great to get back under the sea. I love the peace and quiet of cruising along the ocean floor. A favorite pastime of mine is to kneel in the sand in front of a coral head and stay still (not easy in the surge). It’s amazing how many things live on one tiny coral head.

Speaking of diving, I hurt my mid-back a couple of months ago and am now forbidden to pick up anything heavy. I don’t know if you know this, but a scuba vest with a tank attached is very heavy. I consulted my doctor and she said, “Just have them toss the BCD with the tank in the ocean.” Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? I remember that being part of my original PADI certification a hundred years ago. So I took a refresher course and honed my tank donning and doffing skills. The first dive when the dive master, Matt, threw my gear off the back of the catamaran, I thought, Okay, here it goes! I jumped in after it and put it on as though I always do it that way J When I got out, I just removed it and Matt yanked it up on the boat. Easy peazy, lemon squeezy.

Larry just did the circus trapeze. He wanted to try it, but was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get his feet up over the bar as he swung upside down. I would have been afraid to even climb the ladder to get up there, plus I doubt my doctor would’ve written a release form for that activity. Larry did it though and he had no problem getting is feet over the bar. He even did a back flip off the bar onto the net. After 3 times he walked away with his hand on his low back and a proud grin on his face. I have a feeling he’s gonna be sore tomorrow.

I need to get back to writing my third book. This one is about modern-day pirating. My locale is very inspiring… Arrrg matey. Last night’s theme was pirates and French food. The Turks and Caicos is definitely pirate territory. Maybe my bad guys will end up over here… ?

Well, signing off for now.