Becky and Judd are more than just friends; we have known them for 40 years, and we have had more good times with them than we could possibly count. It is hard to even imagine how different our lives would have been if we hadn’t met them all those years ago in Bethel, CT, so, when they told us they would like to fly to Grenada for a visit on AfterMath, we were thrilled. It seems as though it was very long ago that we all decided on the dates, but finally it was time for them to arrive, and we were very excited.

It didn’t take long for Becky to get in the cruising mode.Becky and Judd aboard Tangent.The sand and the water at Grand Anse are absolutely perfect.  And the company is great too!Giving a toast to Don and sending Jan our love.

We spent Thursday relaxing, swimming in the pool in the marina, enjoying happy hour and dinner, and catching up together. Friday came and we hopped in the dinghy, which was finally back in the water thanks to the cooperation of our neighbor, Larry, on Tropical Blend. (Our boats are very close in the marina and the only way we could drop Tangent, the dinghy, in was to move lines and to slide our boats apart until it would fit.) Aboard Tangent, we set off to show Becky and Judd the Carenage, St. Georges, and Grand Anse, the beautiful Grenadian beach nearby. We anchored at the beach near Umbrellas restaurant where we had lunch and spent some time remembering a very dear friend of all of ours, Don Kirk, who passed away last week, and thinking of Jan, his wife, who we love so much. Later we went for a long swim in the crystal clear waters before returning to AfterMath. It was a great day in Grenada.

In the fish market.The meat market.  This would make a great haunted house I think.

Judd next to the oldest mailbox in Grenada.In the Nutmeg Restaurant on the CarenageJudd, John, and Becky by Christ of the Deep on the Carenage.Little boys swimming in the Carenage.The moon shone bright on that warm September night.  It was gorgeous.  Pina coladas made it even better!

Saturday morning we took our guests on a bus ride into town. As always, the bus was crowded and played loud music, but it is a part of the island experience that is not to be missed. We toured the fish market, the meat market, the produce and spice markets and walked through the narrow Sendall tunnel with traffic approaching us. The next stop was lunch at the Nutmeg Restaurant on the Carenage. There we sampled rotis made with shrimp, lambi (conch), and chicken, while Becky chose a grilled ham and cheese sandwich that didn’t look anything like one you might get in the U. S. When we returned to Port Louis Marina, we took a swim in the little beach on the premises, and then dipped into the pool to rinse off before returning to AfterMath for dinner and a beautiful night sipping pina coladas on the bow. What can I say? It’s a hard life to lead!

From Coconuts at Grand AnseBecky and I were so happy to be together.Sunday came and after we shared our new tradition of a brunch of Bloody Mary’s and baguettes, complete with cheese, ham and butter, we decided to take a trip to Coconuts Beach Bar and Grill on Grand Anse. There we listened to a steel drum band and swam again in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Raymond showing us a cocoa pod.Antoine LakeAt the distillerySampling the rum.At Grande Etang LakeFeeding the fish in the lakeA rare picture!Heading back to the boat.  (Photo courtesy of Judd Everhart)

Monday was tour day. We met Raymond when Chris and Sam were with us and he has become our favorite taxi driver. A few days before Becky and Judd came I asked Raymond (aka Maboat) if he would give us a tour of Grenada. Always one to want to help, he agreed and we met him at 10:00 Monday morning. It was a wonderful day riding around the island and once again touring the River Antoine Rum Distillery. Raymond also took us to the Antoine Lake and to Grand Etang Lake, both of which we had not previously seen. Once again, after dinner, we sat and enjoyed the beautiful moonlight over the mountains that surround Port Louis in Grenada. We had so much fun watching the cloud formations and we laughed until it hurt as we described what we saw in them.

Tuesday came much too quickly and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to our forever friends. With tears in our eyes, we talked about seeing each other soon again. We loved having Becky and Judd with us. We only wish they could have stayed longer.

Our next visitors, at the end of next week, are my niece Karen and her husband Josh. They will be the most youthful visitors we’ve had in Grenada and we can’t wait for them to arrive!!!