Music and more...

Yes, we are settling in and finding our rhythm here on Antigua. We like to 'be" in a place until we feel that we "own" it or it owns us. And we are taking ownership of this beautiful island.

There is a high vista point on the south side of the island called Shirley Heights. It is a magnificent place to go and watch the sunset and see the island of Monserrat to the west. It also overlooks English Harbor and Falmouth Harbor as shown in this picture:

And of course, we always take the time to acknowledge and thank the sun for another day, and so made our way up to Shirley Heights to do just that:

Now another important thing about Shirley Heights is the long honored tradition of Sunday nights music venue and barbecue. People from all over the island, tourists and locals alike, meet here on Sundays and it is common for 400-600 people to gather. And we were not about to miss this either.
Now we believe that music has a unique way to take our inner joy and bubble it up and over into dancing, rhythmic feet. And we are not sure that any music does that better than steel drums. The steel drums are the heart of the Caribbean music as far as we are concerned and not only do they make the feet move but every cell begins to dance ecstatically!!!! So....ecstatically we danced the night away....

There was a band with 10 steel drums and no other instruments (none were needed) and it was unlike anything we have ever heard....

Since then we have found music everywhere around the island and love the happy feet that always show up with the steel drums and Caribbean rhythms. We dance a little triple time, a little Latin, a little free-style and a lot of whatever moves us. And the point is---we have dancing feet going on here on the island of Antigua...Yeah!!!

We also have lots of rainbows going on here:

And we have discovered the magic anchorages of the North Sound. They are a little tricky getting to because of the many shoals and reefs but well worth it. And the sunsets here are spectacular also:

Yes, we are dancing fools and "owning" this paradise called Antigua!!!

2015

Yes, it is a New Year--2015!!! And we are in the Caribbean on the island of Antigua. How did we finally get here??? That is a very good, or not so good story--depending on your perspective. But the ongoing realization that we have as we enter this new year is the deepening commitment to "letting go" of stories.
Aaahhh, stories....The memories of a past experience or the concerns of a future occurrence, but definitely NOT the current moment in time. And we are finding less and less want or need to live in the stories whether they are "good or bad", because they rob us of the richness of this present moment of NOW.
Soooo....now we are here in 2015 on the island of Antigua and we are very, very grateful!!!

We are also thankful for the 2 months we had with family in Charleston while we were trying to get to the islands.  What a rich time with Richard's Mom, 2 sisters and their families. It's truly been a deepening of connection and love! We find that the longer we are in this incarnation, the choosier we become in our choices of who we spend our time with. There is less (time) of it for us and we want to use it wisely.  How special it is that we "want" to spend it with family.

Christmas here in the Caribbean is very different than any other tradition. It seemed to be like a Christmas Mardi Gras complete with fun costumes, barbecue, champagne and reggae music. Did i mention "fun"? Lots and lots of it! Dancing reggae all afternoon...

The Captain with decorated boat in the background--different kind a Christmas indeed!!


New Year's Eve is also my Captain's birthday. Yeah, the whole world celebrates with him and i find that only fitting. So we were in port at English Harbor with lots of champagne, music and fireworks.

Family and friends sent cards, pictures and presents with me for the Birthday Boy. So what a surprise for him!!!! We even managed to sneak in his all time favorite of Sees candy. There was a Scottish fellow on the boat docked next to us and he happened to hear that it was the Captain's birthday. Even he surprised us with a couple of birthday balloons. Even one that lit up inside. Too much fun....

Music and fireworks at midnight...

This looks like a jellyfish in the sky!!!





And then of course, our favorite part of this sailing life, leaving port and finding the best coves to drop anchor in and just "be".

Slowing it all down and thanking Brother Sun for another day...

Antigua is a beautiful island, green and lush with an abundance of little yellow butterflies everywhere (even out to us on the water). The island is full of music and dance of which we truly enjoy.

Yes, it is a New Year and new experiences for us!!!

Happy New Year,
Willow and Captain