As I wrote before, our cabin had no radio, television or other means of entertainment. However, we were fortunate in that the cabin was almost next door to the local Baptist Church. At least two evenings a week, the Baptist youth group gathered there to practice for a planned musical tour on the US mainland. The singing was absolutely excellent and after supper, we would usually walk down to the church, sit on the fence outside and listen to a free concert.
On the last night before their tour, we listened as the choir master gave the group last minute instructions for their trip. We smiled to each other when we heard him tell the youngsters that they needed to bring packed lunches for the flight. This was twenty-five years ago when the airlines still catered meals to passengers. Looking back now, I see that this choir master was actually ahead of his time. These days we are lucky to get any sort of refreshment on flights.
Lyle and I were especially aware of this on our last trip back from Australia. In pre-COVID days, it was usual to get two full meals and drink service on the long flight across the Pacific. At the beginning of the virus spread in March when we travelled we were given a bottle of water which we were told to conserve as much as possible because there was a limited supply on board. The “meal” consisted of a sandwich, and cookie or square in a plastic take away container. We should have followed the choir master’s advice of 25 years ago and packed our own lunch!
In the Caribbean, storms aren’t unusual and during our stay we experienced one of some magnitude. In the late afternoon, we had watched as dark clouds began to gather and by nightfall, a tropical storm was in full force. The noise of the thunder was deafening and brilliant flashes of lightning lit up the sky. Even though it was dark otherwise, the lightning flashes were bright enough that we could see the ocean through the trees in the cemetery across the road. I have witnessed quite a few storms in my lifetime but I would venture to say that this was the most spectacular.
While the thunder and lightning took our breath away, it wasn’t until we were nearly ready for bed that the wind and rain took up their turn. As they did, we heard another sound – a big bang and a loud rattling noise on the roof. We were just starting to wonder about the sturdiness of our little cabin when we recognized the sound for what it was. Coconuts from the surrounding trees were being whipped off the tree tops and flung onto our tin roof. Bang, rattle, rattle and then a short silence until the next coconut made its perilous journey down the sloped rooftop.
The next morning we saw coconuts scattered all around the yard. Our son tried to crack some of these to get at the fruit inside but they were tough nuts to crack. Each coconut had an outer layer of fibrous husk and no matter how often Jonathan threw the fruit on the ground, it made no difference. Finally a fellow came by carrying his machete and he easily lopped the tops off for us.
I thought of this storm a couple of years ago when I heard on the news that a proper hurricane had passed through these same islands. When I think of the damage that just a tropical storm can do, I can barely imagine the damage and destruction that a hurricane would cause. Very, very sad for the people who lived through the violence and destruction of that hurricane.
Three weeks on Tortola was a great holiday for our family, but there were moments! Our little retreat was remote from busy civilization. This kind of holiday is not for everyone. We realized this one day when we looked outside to see our thirteen-year-old son sitting in the rented car, listening to a Spanish language station on the car radio and rereading for about the third time the three day old newspaper. Perhaps looking back, the experience might have been a lesson in how to cope with the isolation that the virus has now imposed on many of us. We are needing to find alternate activities to fill our days.
There is a picture with this post. Actually it is my favourite from our BVI holiday. The picture shows a vast spread of water and sky, but I see something more. There are four legs sticking up out of the shallow water. Our kids spent some time coordinating underwater handstands for this photo. They succeeded and the photo is my favourite because of the happy memory it evokes.
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| handstands in the ocean |
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