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

Fall Colors

Living in Tucson where there are four seasons: early summer, summer, late summer and next summer, we rarely get to see fall colors like most people. So we really enjoyed driving across the country this fall on our way back to EcstaSea where she is berthed in Charleston, South Carolina.

We drove east through New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri and into Nashville, Tennessee where we stayed for a few days. We stopped at the Loveless Cafe and had their world famous biscuits and I (Willow) was introduced to moonshine in my iced tea. So now that we are in the South, i will continue the exploration of my newfound love of "moonshine". Did you know that it comes in all kinds and varieties? So far, the cherry is my favorite!!!

While in Nashville, we explored the music world every night at such places as Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Music everywhere and always along with happy hour at all hours. The Captain procured tickets to an Alan Jackson concert at the Nashville Hall of Fame auditorium. And as to be expected,
Alan Jackson did not disappoint, but delighted us above and beyond expectations.

Then on to my Captain's home town of Chattanooga, Tennessee. So wonderful to see my "Southern Gentleman's" roots.

Then on to more fall colors in Highlands, North Carolina. Magnificent reds and more reds...

And finally on into Charleston, South Carolina and EcstaSea! And just as soon as we got her into the water, it was full moon. What  a gift from the Mother once again as we settle into our ocean life. And now soon, on to the Caribbean....

End of Summer

Really….and we do mean REALLY???  where did the summer go???
Well, wherever it went, it went way too fast!!!
And now it is time for us to leave the desert and return to our ocean home on EcstaSea.
So just a few last pictures of a wonderful but fleeting summer…

Our fishing trip to Alaska…

The sockeye salmon were returning and going upstream to span and end their life cycle:

Silver Salmon caught on the Kenai River:

Richard's catch of sockeye salmon from our fly-out to a glacier lake:

Our catch of halibut and ling cod caught on the Gulf of Alaska:

And then our catch of more halibut from Cook Inlet:

Needless to say, we have lots of fish that we were able to give to friends and family and still have more in the freezer.

While we were fishing three Alaskan brown bears were playing in the stream and lake very close to us. Luckily, they paid us no mind as they were too busy eating the salmon...

The wildlife was incredible and everywhere we looked there was more to see. Eagles flying, moose crossing the roads and even a pet reindeer:

So my Captain was finally able to show me his love of Alaska and fishing, and it was quite an experience!!!

And since variety really is "the spice of life" for us, we just had to take a trip to Las Vegas. One moment in the wilderness of Alaska smelling of fish and the next glitzing it up in the casinos. From one playground to another--but isn't that what it is all about??? Really, it's all play in a play that we make up and we have the lead role and character in it. We get to produce, direct and even design our own costumes.

And Vegas is great for dancing the night away in the many discos:

The monsoon rains continued and the desert around our home bloomed with color and beauty…

And it was the first time we had ever seen flowers blooming out of this  yucca…

And as always the colorful sky above our mountains…

Yes, it has been a fast summer with so much fun. And we are ready to slow it down a little as we head back to EcstaSea, where life is slow and easy and in harmony with the wind and waves. Both the desert and the ocean support and nourish our souls and we are forever grateful to have the privelege to live with both.
"Thank you" Tucson..... and "hello" EcstaSea!!!

Glimpses of our desert home in Tucson

When we came home to Tucson we found an abundance of peaches just waiting to be picked and eaten from our new little dwarf peach tree! Yuuummmmmm….

 We finished our fountain project in the backyard. Now we can hear the sound of refreshing water here in the desert.

Our little Dharma Girl got sick and moved on to the doggie playground beyond form. She gave us 15 years and we say "thank you"...

What a lovely and loving visit we had from our sister Vicki and her love, Pam. Another sister added to the clan.

The monsoon rains came this summer with great exuberance and drama to entertain us. It is quite a novelty for us here in the desert to see rain drops falling in our pool. And even more fun to see it pour down the rarely used gutter into the backyard:

And then the rainbow over the mountains…Yes!!!

And then the desert and our backyard exploded with color as the rains brought the desert to life:

Our beloved hummingbirds that keep us busy filling their feeders with sugar water:

Life is sweet here in our desert home this summer. It is such a contrast from our life aboard EcstaSea, yet equally exciting in it's own unique way. And to wherever we are, we realize that home is not a place but is in each other's heart. So we are always "home" together….