Well its Tues and we have one week to go before our return to the Island. We’ve arranged with the shipper to have the materials delivered for the 21st of April and we’ll be back on the 25th. Yes this is going to be all set. Hopefully the letter from the Finiance people comes and we’ll be able to get everything through Customs and get to it! Then the fun starts – not good to be all happy and think things are going well. Its Weds the week before we’re set to come back and I get a call from the supplier. “Hi Todd we have a bit of a problem” Ok how bad could it be I think? “Could you hold a second as my boss wants to be in on this conversation?” Oh great- maybe they lost the whole load or it fell off the boat or who knows what. After the ususal hello’s etc we get to the problem. “Well Todd it seems that the shipper has mismarked your crate of windows with the wrong name and destination and they’re now sitting on the dock in Exuma” Of course thats quite logical- Eleuthera- Exuma, they both start with the same letter and they’re both in the Bahamas. Ok seems like a logical mistake from someone thats probably graduated from at least 3rd grade! Oh yeah the last name that was put on our crate of windows starts with “U” So see all very logical given the probably educational qualifications of the job. E- leuthera/ E-xuma ….V-endituoli/ U-d… Other guy( he was getting a rug). “Well what are we going to do about this?” The response being ” The shipper has been contacted and they’re going to get them sent back to Eleuthera, but I think they’re having some kind of Regatta so they won’t be able to get through the harbour this week.” Ok this could be worse. I don’t need the windows right off and they should be able to get them over here relatively quick given that Exuma isn’t that far away. Ok this is savagable. Worse things could have happened. They could have been at the bottom of the ocean making a beautiful salt water aquarium for the locals there or smashed to bits creating the next generation of sea glass for my children to find. Anyway its now Weds and we leave on Tues of the following week but all looks good. I just have to check that the new supplier has my missing jacks and lumber all set to ship so we’ll at least be able to start. I make the call and they reply is that should be all set to go on the Fri boat. Great! It should be there before us and we’ll get it Tues/Weds and be ready to start. The two trailers of materials should already be there and we’ll be Busy, busy, busy!!!Are YOU seeing all the potential fun coming? We didn’t! Stay tuned as we return to the Island to have more fun than is presently legally allowed in 32 other countries around the globe!
Cupids-April
June 30th, 2006The starting point
February 26th, 2006This whole new adventure started last spring to a place I had wanted to go for some time. That was Eleuthera Bahamas. No one I knew had even heard of it but I had seen pictures and more so we made plans for a vacation. This was Jan. 05 and we were going in April.
As I looked at the web more I found a place outside of Gregory Town by Surfers Beach that was for sale by the owner. We spoke and we made a deal. It was something that we could afford and even though its not on the beach, they are everywhere so that was no big deal to us. By the way we haven’t ever been there yet. He is from FL and we are from N.Vermont and we were of course a little skeptical of buying a place site un- seen on the word of a man I had never met. I still haven’t -maybe someday. Turns out though his mother lives 1 1/2 south of us- also in Vermont. Small world!We continued on and found a lawyer on the Island who is really top-notch and all was in place for a closing on a property and Island we had never seen before! The owner said that we should stay at the place and look it over and if it wasn’t as he said he would refund the deposit. It was and we owned an Island home. We were now the owners of a Bahamian home- Banana View.
The Island and the people are the nicest we have ever met, willing to help and give directions or whatever at any time. The beaches are to die for. The beach behind the house-Surfers Beach is famous for its waves but there are beaches everywhere to fit whatever you desire.
Next how the Cupids Cay project started.
Eleuthera Bahama and a Historical Building Renovation
February 26th, 2006I’ve started this to write down the process of how the building process goes and how this project itself progresses. The Bahamas is a totally different country than the US and even though I’m a builder here the process works in a different fashion. As time goes on I will write as to how this whole thing started and how its going. The ups and downs of the process and how it all works. Maybe no one will even see this which is fine or maybe it’ll help someone down the road if they decide to do something in the Bahamas.
This blog will also include why we fell in love with Eleuthera and the wonderful people that live here, our experiences and why its not for everyone( there’s a t-shirt that says this). If you have questions along the way feel free to send them via e-mail on the website or here and we’ll do our best to answer them.
