What to do with a group of 26 at a couples resort.

So now the rehearsal dinner, wedding etc is over, we are a large group at a couples resort.  We have pairs of girls sharing, boys sharing, and of course actual couples and The Couple.  Given this resort is a lovey dovey kinda place, with couples nuzzling and floating together in the pool.....what do they do with such a big crowd at dinner, so as not to disrupt the dining room?

They put you on bus, drive you to the highest peak overlooking the golf course and the ocean and let you borrow the General Manager's house for the night.......yes they did...he wasn't home so the butler let us in... 

And the butler told us to feel free to have a look around.............I thought you may like to as well.....

Given that there were no personal effects, clothing, cosmetics etc, we gathered this was a house that he stayed at when on the island, and perhaps they used to house special guests on occasion. So Ifelt comfortable taking photos.

Master bath and office (below).  A painted sea in case you don;t want to turn your head to look at the real thing.

View from the landing......

View of pool and golf course....

The gorgeous kitchen.....

Dining room below.

Below.....an interesting use of Conch Shells

Love this ceiling...

 The chef, the waiter, the butler....and another guy....

White Wedding

My boy...the groom

Father and Daughter...she's played bride all her life.

My New daughter in law.....

His face when he turned ti see her,.......

The absolute devotion and joy of her beloved grandpa watching her walk the aisle

The light was perfect behind her veil

Mr and Mrs................

My favorite shot.....

Wedding Week

Our exciting week has begun, starting at the airport where our Toronto group met up with the Montreal group, building up the excitement and merriment.  Grooms shirt was purchased by the bride.

Hotel check in....of course we bought them the bride and groom hats................................

First glimpse of the resort.  Emerald Bay, Exuma.  A gorgeous place...a couples resort so hopefully our non coupled group members won't disturb the peace too much.  

The "welcome lunch".  The resort has set up a table for 26 for us.

And since there is nothing to do but relax, eat and swim, we've been making the most of that.  I have never swam in such turquoise waters.  We want to book a trip to swim with the pigs, but we hear from a local that the colony of pigs was pretty well wiped out after the hurricane last month....rumour has it that there is only one left! 

Swimming with pigs in Exuma.

http://www.caribbeantravelmag.com/articles/day-trip-exumas-pigs-paradise photo by Raegan Johnson

I feel like I have been an absentee blogger most of the summer. I must say I am struggling with where I am going with this. I have been reading most of the blogs on my sidebar.  Such a great mixed bag of bloggers.

Throw in a week full of other dramas, and I am about good and ready to let loose, and sink my teeth into the biggest week of the year....my son's wedding.

We head to Exuma on Sunday for an entire week of fun and frolic and celebration with 26 family and friends.  And I can;t wait.  I did my big Walmart shop for shampoos, sun screen, bathers etc...tomorrow hair, Saturday nails...and then we are off.   The fun thing is that half of the party are flying from Montreal to Toronto first, so we'll have a big breakfast reunion at the Airport Starbucks.  Ladies night on Monday, rehearsal dinner Tuesday and wedding on Wednesday.

That leaves Thursday for swimming with pigs...yep on Exuma, there is a colony of pigs that swim for food...you can take a dunk in the ocean with them, but you have to watch out for them snorting down your fingers or other parts.......

Of course, I'll take photos...Fare Thee Well until next week.....

Fancy a House Boat? Plus a New Blog

I've been busy with a house guest.  An 82 year old man I've never met who is my father's brother.  Part of the family we found 3 years ago, 60 years after my father left home and never went back.  At 82, he made the journey from England to meet the "kids" he never knew.  He's very proud of his family and what they accomplished with so little.

Yesterday I took him down to Port Dover on Lake Erie.  Fed him a hot dog and a donut (the Canadian thing to do) and then we went on a boat cruise up the Grand River.  I was the youngest by at least 30 years on the cruise...which made me feel like I was 20 again.  Along the way was a company that takes old metal boats and renovates them into pleasure crafts.

 I think some of you chippy paint lovers would like this one.

And this is what they do with them. How's that for a makeover.

I wanted to introduce a  new blog to you.  I really do love young people.  Teenagers and twenty somethings are so cool and interesting, I can;t help being fascinated.  This is a blog of 3 sisters, all in the 20's, all in different stages of their lives.  One is about to be married, one is dating a very cute Italian, and the other is keeping us guessing.  And I may or may not know these girls..........Life Of Three...pay them a visit....remember how fun it was when you started to get your first comments......

Below....this island...a wedding......9 days to go....YAHOO.

No Cupcakes and Roses.

photo from Am I still a girl?

As we all know sometimes life can really suck.  Good people sometimes get bad luck.
Meet Jen.  I don`t really know anything about her.

I have never met Jen.
Jen has 2 young boys.
She`s married.
She has some very close friends.
She just found out she has Stage 3 Ovarian cancer.
She just had a major surgery.
Jen has to undergo chemotherapy.
Do know the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer.
Jen wants to spread the word.

Her friends say she is really enjoying the supportive comments left for her on her blog.  If you have a minute, perhaps you can send a comment Jen`s way to boost her through the next few tough months.
Thank You Very Much. You can find her blog HERE

Back to the Start - Willie Nelson

I was remiss in not being on time for Suzan's Project Genesis on September 1st.  When I saw this today I knew this was perfect.  I don't need to say anything else.  Just watch it.  A dozen messages wrapped up a dozen more. Click on Back to the Start for the video.

Support local organic farms if possible like Missing Goat in British Columbia..........

For more food for thought please visit Project Genesis with Suzan at Old Grey Mare ya'all.

Farewell Florida!

Farewell for now Florida Home.  We arrived back In Toronto on Friday to hot and steamy weather to find cat and daughter both well and happy to see us. I am already missing the gorgeous Florida kitchen with it's custom cherry cabinets and granite counters....and the space.....much bigger than our kitchen here in our 1979 suburban home.  It's hard to believe that the Florida house is worth half what ours here is....it seems so much nicer and better finished.  We were lucky to be able to buy it in a depressed market.  

The granite is called "Blue Eyes" and comes from the Arctic Canada...only harvested a few months a year.  It has bright blue chunks of some stone that gleams a bright blue...like blue eyes...through the stone.

The clock above is the "Roost" clock made from recycled aluminum bits....Again the window sills in this house provide the perfect place to display my Bits....this window houses my Crown jars.....some are 90 years old.

And this is the garden.....the elephant fountain will become a feature in the one-day pool....and it is full of lizards ......everywhere you move there's one...or more.  This one below is the brown kind....the black ones look very evil.....they apparently eat lots of bugs so are a good thing.... 

A lot of the historic houses here have alley in the back where the garage or parking pad is.  Originally built as a carriage house, this house has a very large set back from the road and really no backyard.  Thus the front yard is really the back yard.....this fence will be replaced with black wrought iron as it makes the house feel like a walled compound when you can;t see the street.