A good day at Norman's Pond

Seafever
Sun 28 Feb 2010 23:28
The much ballyhooed storm didn't turn out as bad as predicted -- or maybe we just didn't feel it much in this excellent anchorage. It was a windy cool day, but nothing worse than that.

We all took a walk along the beach, and Lilly found five large edible conchs. (Her new nickname is "Conch Killer" Golden.) We also found many small colorful shells. We're keeping the live conchs in a plastic crate in the water near the boat. We have read about how to extract and clean them, but we've never done it -- and apparently it's not an easy ttask. So we're going to wait till tomorrow to do it with plenty of time and energy available. We probably won't eat all five, and we may give a few to other boats nearby.

I took a row across the pond today to snorkel and spearfish near some rocks on the far side. Consistent with nearly all my fishing efforts ever, I caught nothing. It was a beautiful place to snorkel anyway, with all sorts of anemones and hydroids all over the place.

The girls have been devouring the reef field guides, finding the cutest fish (and kissing their pictures). They've learned more fish names than we adults are likely ever to learn. They've also learned how to use our GPS coordinates to pinpoint our position on charts. The detailed Bahama charts have been a source of fascination. They've mapped out our route ahead for the next week or two. Soon, Lilly and I will just sit back and let them do all the sailing and navigating. . . .

They will bicker and argue over the smallest things, like whose feet are on whose side of the room; and they'll seem to be bitter enemies for a few minutes. Then the next minute they'll be laughing and sharing some joke, or playing a game. The good moments outweigh the bad by about 10:1, and that ain't bad.