Sunday Snippets

If there are muffins in the oven, I must be getting back on track! At least that will be my story and I will be sticking to it. The Boarder must be feeling like I won't be taking off any time soon either, as last night was the first since I've been back that he didn't sleep with me.

Adding to the general degree of confusion around here is that six blinds must come down and the pictures near those windows need to be removed from the wall. Yes, it's a good incentive to give all those things a very good cleaning. And it seems wall washing will be in order before they go back up. Tuesday there should be six new windows going in. It will make a world of difference to both myself and The Boarder, as they'll be much more airtight in winter, and they'll probably get opened more in summer. And they'll be much easier to clean. Granted, there will still be five windows left to do, but one does what the budget allows, right? I have no doubt that Onyx will be opposed the hubbub of installation though!

And now to finish up that grocery list!

Saturday Snippets ...

This morning my teammate Marty will begin Day 2 of the Ultraman World Championships. A quick gander at yesterday's results indicates he was first out of the water in the 10K sea swim — way to go Marty! At home in the snow we're cheering you on! And TriBoomer has a friend competing as well, so please give a thought to Marty and Katie (Catherine) Paulson over the next two days of competition. (Bonus triathlon links today: Kyle Jones points us to a series of videos he thinks are worthwhile, and Joel Filliol has photos up from Kona & IMAZ.)

Out having fun today running a half mary relay leg at the Northern Central Trail Relay are Jenny, Brent, JK & JS. Enjoy yourselves!

I had a nice swim with Emma yesterday of about 500 metres. Emma needs to work on a few things for her school swimming lessons, and I was very happy to help. Another note: we saw Andrew R at the pool, now a grown-up and retired from his first career — Emma did think it rather hysterical I used to work with him swimming when he was about her age!

Bananas!

The other day my brother commented, "I acknowledge that bananas have their place in the ecosystem...."

This brought to mind some conversations I had at the Blue Iguana Recovery Program. These critters are predominantly fed food native to the island collected from the park. As adults they are selective in their eating habits, usually eating the same food no more than three days in a row. But they are willing to make exceptions. Noni fruit, for example, is an exotic that holds an appeal somewhat mysterious to many people familiar with it, and yet the blues will eat noni for a week. Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans have a jelly that tastes similar to the scent of noni. When I asked what the best bait was for trapping blues, another non-native fruit was the enthusiastic response — bananas!

I was told the story of a particularly elusive blue. She had been spotted, but not captured. Her hide location was identified, but this female was highly suspicious to say the very least. A member of the team spent hours and hours essentially camped out in an attempt to capture her. She exited her safe place, saw him, and immediately scooted to the other side, which made her completely inaccessible. The stand-off continued. After five hours of waiting in hot humid conditions, out of his pack he took his snack. And in no time at all, beside him was an iguana! The capture was successful thanks to his banana bread, and she was measured, tagged and released.

This tale gives me a chance to post a gratuitous blue iguana picture, although it is not the blue in question! Being trapped is not without hazards — this gal in the captive breeding facility probably bit her tongue while attempting an escape. Click for an extreme close-up.

Shopping & A Swim Bit

Yesterday, among other things, two thirds of the three movieteers met to catch Madagascar 2. It was fun. Not as much fun as the original, but still fun. And as it was playing at the mall, I was able to pick up a few pairs of socks and footless pantihose — I rather like to have an added layer under my jeans or leggings in the winter but still wear socks. Oh, and I also got a new red coat. I know the details suggest it is good to only -7°C, but I find that very, very hard to believe.

The general sleetiness of the past few days reminded me I need an alternative to my full length Burberry coat with wool lining and my shearling coat. Also I have to take my shearling in to get the buttons resewn, and I wanted something that looked presentable to wear while that happens. And yes, I know I should have been on that earlier! This one has a removable hood (although I am unlikely to remove it, as the hood was a selling feature), fleece lined collar, warm-up pockets and fleece guards at the wrists, two way zipper, and plenty of room for layering. Maybe there will be a down vest marked down after Christmas.

One of the reasons I wanted such a coat was to go to the pool. Something visible at night as the walk from the transitway is fairly dark, with a hood so no hat required, and that could be stuffed into a half-sized locker when necessary. Oh, and on me, the coat is knee length!

Speaking of pools, I had a nice long course swim with Pat N. out at the Sportsplex this morning. This past week has been better for getting to the pool, which is good, because things have been really hit and miss throughout November. Although I have logged 94,400 metres since September, so the situation hasn't been dire. And last year including all of November I put in 86,600 metres, so the overall numbers will be up. Tonight I will be coaching skills and drills, something I always enjoy. Tomorrow afternoon Emma and I will have a little girl time at Plant and we'll have some fun working on some of the challenges she's having with her school swimming lessons.

Impending Holidays!

Thanksgiving is almost upon those south of the border — here's hoping you folks have a most wonderful holiday spent in the company of those you love. And the safest of travels if there's a road trip involved.

The holiday that is looming large for me, of course, is Christmas. I know the pressure will soon be on, as my local pool closes for three weeks of maintenance on Monday! Another year, and I am slightly underprepared. There will be lots of rushing starting next week, I think! It's not that I didn't start buying things early — I did. I just didn't get everyone on my list checked off ... my festive letter is not yet begun (and how will I ever whittle down the pictures to a few representative of the year??). But on the up side, today I ordered something for the hardest to buy for person on my list! And my baking is underway ...

Incidentally, here's what the pundits are saying about the prospects for this year's cross training activities over the holidays and into the spring.

In an unrelated move, I ordered some prints of a few (okay, more like seventy) of the photos I took on Grand Cayman, including this wonderful dead leaf butterfly having a banana snack at The Butterfly Farm. Although I suppose there is an outside possibility someone might get a photo related gift ...

The X-training Begins!

This morning I pushed 7-8 centimetres of heavy, wet snowman snow off the front steps and walk. 5 or so to come yet, plus some water falling from the sky may mean I head over to Plant instead of to practice tonight. Preston Street is STILL not open, so it's a good trod to the bus in what may well be less than ideal conditions. I should take advantage of Plant this week, as next week begins the three week maintenance closure. So naturally, today's photo is a nice Caymanian sea grape silhouetted against a sunset.

More Miscellany ...

When I awoke this morning there were two round amber eyes staring at me. The Boarder was sitting up and watching me, apparently waiting for his morning cuddle. After breakfast and some play, he's back napping, and I think I'm a little jealous. In fact, what I really feel like doing is this:



Taken at the Mariott Beach Resort, Grand Cayman. Click for a better look.

Congratulations to the Philly and IMAZ finishers yesterday — well done folks!

Sunday Miscellany ...

Well, it's a brisk morning by Arizona standards in Tempe, the water is 62°F (18°C), which is about my limit for swimming without a wetsuit. Of course, that's the only way I swim! It's a bit nippy in Philadelphia, -3°C (26°F), while over at the Turtle Tri on Grand Cayman it is 77°F or 25°C (with 88% humidity). Best to all of you running and tri-ing today, and thanks to those of you volunteering your time and expertise.

Although I didn't drag my butt out of bed to go to practice yesterday morning, I did head over to Plant later in the day for a bit of a workout. Sprintier than usual as at peak usage there were 8 people in the lane. But the first sprinty bits in a couple of weeks, really, so at least I've got that going for me! And I followed that up with a very enjoyable visit over at Emma & Margaret's.

For those of you not on Facebook, here's a link for you to see the blue iguana album I put up there. Some pictures you will have seen, but some are new, and there's a bit of commentary to go along with them. Clicking on the pictures will get you a larger view, but not the size you get here at OTDE.

Today's photo is another look at Cayman iguana no. 5 (of the green introduced species), on my way back to Brent's from the Butterfly Farm and stalking critters at the Mariott. Click to get really close!

Sorted!

There is now a new relatively plain and fairly easy to program thermostat on my wall. I think there is a strong possibility that the old one was misleading me about actual temperatures too. I set this one to warm up to 21°C (where the old one was set) in the morning and found it a little too warm for my taste. So there will doubtless be a little more monkeying about with the programming in the coming days. Also, there are four potential change of temperatures for each day (the old furnace had two) so I think on evenings where I have regular commitments I can drop the temperature a degree or two. After all, The Boarder has spent whole winters out of doors — so he can more than handle it! When it is significantly cooler in the overnight period he just comes, cuddles up, and takes advantage of his own personal human heat provider. As Dr. Daren said, "Buddy, you're livin' like a king now!" Special thanks to Dave R who read yesterday's post and gave me a call immediately to discuss the merits of various thermostat options!

I didn't get right back into the swing of my regular swimming schedule (partly due to a respiratory infection and the antibiotics Dr. Susan felt were required), so I am hoping that next week will be a bit more even in terms of regularly scheduled activities. This evening, though, I am looking forward to a nice dinner with Misses Emma & Margaret and their parents.

I would be remiss if I didn't wish Jenny, Walla, & Ben-Zion all the best running the Philadelphia Marathon this weekend — and the same to the tri-bloggers doing Ironman Arizona. You go gang!

Today's image comes to you again from The Butterfly Farm. A click gets you closer.

Fail!

Sadly, my thermostat seems to have done just that.

I was just sitting here, trying to organize pictures, when I thought to myself, "Self, your nose is cold." So I went to thermostat, which instead of showing me a temperature, said: LOW. The manual said in such a case one should replace the battery immediately or the furnace would cease to function. The kicker is that my thermostat does not actually have a battery.

So I called to see if my heating protection plan covers thermostats. And it does. Someone can come between 4:00 and 8:00 to look at it. Cool! Which is what it was when I popped over to Esther's house with a thank you for looking in on Onyx in my absence kind of a book.

Now that I'm back my cheeks are flushed. Apparently, the furnace, lacking any kind of instructions, somehow turned on. For a long time. So I've got that going for me. Because it just turned off again. And there's no telling how long that will last ...

It's like my house is going through Mental Pause! However, here's a nice tropical cloud burst/sunset kind of picture, in case your spirits need a bit of a boost, too!

The Bees Knees!

And tarsi, if you click on the image. In a very low growing plant outside The Butterfly Farm. And did I mention it is conveniently located across the road from Cafe del Sol?!

From the Archives ...

It's a new header for OTDE, and there'll be much more to come as I continue to go through my photos from the last two weeks, but for those of us experiencing a bit of a cold snap, here's a waterlily at The Butterfly Farm. As usual, click to enlarge.

Trip Recap ...

So, what was the best part about my trip to Grand Cayman? Undoubtedly it was spending time with my brother & Jenny, and reconnecting with G & E, M & L!

Next would clearly be the indigenous wildlife, both land and sea, with the highlight in terms of touring being the Blue Iguana Recovery Program. The blues are the most endangered iguana on the planet, having dwindled down to approximately 25 animals in their natural environment before a dedicated team of people began the program to preserve the species. Their future is certainly brighter than it once was, but these magnificent animals remain critically endangered and there is much work to be done. So if you have a trip to the island in your plans, please give a thought to venturing out to Botanic Park to see the blues, and spending some of your tourist dollars on items that directly benefit these wonderful iguanas, or on souvenirs that benefit the National Trust. This is again Gorgonzola, a free roaming iguana in the Botanic Park. Click to enlarge.



Swimming in the sea is a unique pleasure and a delightful change from pool swimming. Along Seven Mile Beach and the route from Sunset House it was, for me, as much about watching the sea life — from chartreuse Venus sea fans waving with the water to fish as varied and beautiful as tangs, parrotfish and angels, or as large and impressive as a barracuda — as it was about getting a swim in!

The islanders show great hospitality, and a genuine hope that their guests will return to their little bit of paradise. I certainly hope to!

P.S. For those interested in culinary delights, I would just say that it now time to embark on a Caloric Intake Restriction and Increased Expenditure Program!

Home Again!

Yesterday I went from sea swimming to the de-icing bay at Pearson in a matter of hours — and today there are flakes of white stuff in the air! Is it possible for a Tropical Island Paradise to look even better? Many thanks to my brother, G & E for their hospitality and good company! One thing about telling locals you are leaving Grand Cayman is they all ask when you are coming back.

For his part, The Boarder was absolutely delighted at the turn of events in the wee hours this morning. Well, okay, a little very suspicious at the thumping of suitcases being dropped in the front hall, but pretty much ecstatic after that!

I have my carry-on emptied out, and should probably next turn my attention to the actual suitcase. Or I could put it on the spare bed and empty as required ...

Oooooh, barracuda!

We got to Sunset House at the right time yesterday morning, as we saw two nice Cayman parrots before we went down to the water, and the sun illuminated the water clearly during our swim. By the time we were back at Brent's it had clouded over. So the fishes were as colorful as they could appear. And as we swam by several shore dive sites, we had a pretty good vistas!

Among the highlights of aquatic life I saw:
♦ queen angels
♦ tangs in plentiful supply
♦ little sea bass
♦ lots of grouper
♦ a multitude of parrotfish
♦ something blue floating in the water — really it wasn't blue at all, but clear reflecting colour — a small jelly!
♦ sergeant majors
♦ gobis
♦ many venus sea fans
♦ the highlight — we stopped to admire this fellow for a while — a barracuda approximately 4 feet in length!

If you take a look at some of the pictures Brent took in June, we are thinking this may be the same fish — please do click and enlarge — this is also the route we swam today. I did a web search and found this picture posted to flickr, it gives you an idea what the fish looked like to our eyes, albeit with a slightly more overhead view.

That was the major tropical outing for the day, including a stop at Cathy Church's. Next time I come I'll be spending some souvenir money there!

I did scoot out before dinner and take a small boatload of sunset pictures, though! Here are a few I thought you might like. As usual, enlarge with a click!

Stingray City ...

So, Stingray City was good fun ... and I have no pictures! The trip includes two snorkelling spots, the "coral garden" and up at the reef (those concerned about sharks were told not to worry as the reef comes right up to sea level, and the sharks don't cross it). Many wonderful fishes and corals are there for your viewing pleasure. I did not find the moray — I think it must have been in, but the coral crab was a lovely treat. A couple of gar let me hang out with them for awhile, the large blue and french angels may have been the most spectacular fish, but it is truly hard to pick a favorite. Then it is on to the sandbar, for an opportunity to feed, touch and kiss stingrays! The spiel is that kissing a stingray on Cayman is seven years good luck! How could I resist?

The rays that come to the sandbar are extraordinarily accustomed to people, they know there are rewards coming with the boats, and are happy to visit — and the little squid treats are relished. Did you know you can get a stingray hickie? Not that I did. I didn't. I did order the video of the trip, so in three weeks or so some of you may have the opportunity to see what went on.

Brent and I later tried to get to Suset House for a swim, but our timing was just a bit off and there was no parking. Not because people were swimming, more because of the bar ... But as I got some good sea time in yesterday I didn't mind too much.

As I don't have a ray picture for you, I'll leave you with a couple more blue iguana shots.





Click to get even closer!

Not Done Yet!

Prepare yourselves, there are many more blue iguana shots to come, but my day didn't end with the tour.

Brent picked me up from the Ritz, we made a quick stop at Wendys (where they know Brent's order and often have it waiting by the time he gets inside — they see his coming into the parking lot from the pick-up window!), then went on to The National Trust where I did a teensy bit better on the souvenir front. Back in the car to see Smiths Cove (for those who have seen Frankie Flowers' Haven, it is where the opening sequence was shot)*, then to Books & Books (more souvenirs), Cafe del Sol, and then it was time for a generalized collapse back here.








* Also where this lovely tricolor heron was hanging out. A click should bring you closer in all these images.

BIRP!!

I think I am still giddy with excitement! What an extraordinary day I had. Brent popped me off at the Ritz, where I had tea and read the New York Times, then toddled off to the Ambassadors of the Environment office on the grounds. There was a nice couple from Texas there waiting, and two, count 'em two tour guides! Our chariot (an extraordinarily comfortable and lavishly air conditioned Suburban) awaited to take us to the closed Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.

Hurricane Paloma clean up is ongoing so the park is currently closed. The soil was supersaturated to say the least before Paloma came through, so trees were downed and the pathways are still soggy in places (sometimes enough to require puddle jumping or gentle wading). John Marotta of BIRP met us at the gate, let us in, and we rejoined him for a tour.

We saw some of this year's tiny little hatchlings, some juveniles, and some two year olds ready almost ready for release. Then we had a gander at some of the founders and surprise arrivals this year (they were found before the senseless violent attack on venerable iguanas in May). A reward is still being offered, as the perpetrators of this horrible crime have not yet been brought to justice.









Three veterinarians had been scheduled to arrive on island and complete a series of health checks on the weekend (prior to the release of animals into the wild), but their visits were slightly derailed due to Paloma. Those of you who know me can imagine my delight at finding they were on site when were, and we were invited to watch them work alongside the program director, staff and volunteers. And yes, I chatted as many of them up as humanly possible! Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, John did me the great honour of allowing me to touch one of the most endangered reptiles on this planet. At last check I was, indeed, still giddy!







Then we were off to see some free roamers and do some wading. The iguana pictured below is Gorgonzola!



My deepest thanks to the staff at Ambassadors of the Environment and to the folks at the Blue Iguana Recovery Program for a wonderful, wonderful morning! There will undoubtedly be more pictures to come. As usual, a click will get you closer!

Shhhhh. Be Vewy Quiet ...

I'm hunting wabbits iguanas. Blue iguanas. At least I should be by the time you read this.

This morning I am booked on an Ambassadors of the Environment tour leaving from the Ritz-Carlton. And yes, I know these tours were developed for young people, but local reports have them gaining popularity with adults. And I'm a big kid, really, right?

In point of fact the biggest reason for choosing this option is transit. They have a form of public transit on the island that does go out there, but according to one published report the "schedules are, shall we say, flexible". Also the bus stop is 1 mile from the Park gate, so I would pretty much have to ask a park worker to drive me back out to bus stop. This is not something I came up with on my own, it is suggested on the Park web site. But you can have the driver drop you at the gate for an extra $2CI if you ask when you get on. The QEII Botanic Park is a 40 minute drive from here (without frequent stops). Oh, and there are no real bus stops per se — basically you flag the bus (buses and taxis here are vans) down from the side of the road! And can I just say that a lot of honking goes on if you happen to be on the side of the road. Or the sidewalk. At least out of the harbour area. So given that according to the Park web site a cab would cost me $50 CI each way (converting to CAD this would be $160.78 return), and you are advised to have the driver wait for you (and pay for their time not included in that price), I thought the $120 USD ($151 CAD) for the tour was well spent! My, that was a long and involved explanation, wasn't it?

Yesterday I was fairly unsuccessful in scouring the harbour for souvenirs. But as my nice taxi driver said with delight on the way home when we were discussing my day, "You ate in a real Cay-man place!" This would be as opposed to multi-national chains. We will try not to let the fact that I had lasagna special burst anyone's bubble. And two of three souvenirs I did find benefit the Cayman National Gallery. So I've got that going for me!

And I went to an historic building. As my brother pointed out, the post office was once the point of contact for the outside world! The Cayman National Museum is undergoing renovations, but I stopped into the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (curiously I was the only person in there for about 40 minutes, despite the crazed masses in the jewellery stores). Their current exhibit is Seth Chwast: Icons of Cayman. If you have a minute or two stop in here to see his work — the colours and iconography are moving visually (and much moreso in person as many of his canvases are large) but are also more than an artistic vision — they represent a channel of communication that opened up to a person with autism.

Oh, while in town I also saw pirates, parrots and this very large blue iguana! It is possible you might be able to read the plaque with a click.



And early on in the day I had the most glorious sunrise sea swim with my brother! The water was warm, sometimes calm to the point of glassiness, the clouds on the horizon were hues of pink, the cruise ships shiny in the early sun were pulling into port, and below us there were FISHES hanging around CORALS!

The Butterfly Farm!

If you can take a minute or two to click on these images, it just might be worth your while!

Crimson Swallowtail.



Birds do it, bees do it ...



Blue morpho with a broken wing.



Wing expansion project.



In an emergence box, getting ready to go!



There is still more to come from The Butterfly Farm (conveniently located across the road from Cafe del Sol!). And you know, I really can't believe that until today I didn't have a tag with the word insect in it!

Special bonus shot — this (wild) Cuban red wing butterfly hanging out on Brent's door last night.

Eleven, eleven, eleven

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.

John McCrae

Highly Successful Stalking (Part 1)

In keeping with the naming tradition for shoe stores here (Cayman Shoe Store No. 3, for example), I'll use similar terminology for iguanas, but possibly add a further place name descriptor.

Between 9:30 and 9:45 Cayman Iguana No. 1, Marriott came out of a palm and onto the lawn, and then crossed the parking lot to begin the real activities of the day.

I have been spotted:



It is especially important to look carefully before crossing the street!!



But also to make haste while crossing.



There is more wildlife to be found inside the courtyard. I now bring you Cayman Iguana No. 2, Marriott.



And Cayman Iguanas No. 3 & 4, Marriott. (Note also evidence of curly-tailed lizard on the left.)



There are turtles in the pond.



Cayman Iguana No. 5, Regal Beach Resort. Such a cute little hatchling!!



Stay tuned for more snapshots! In the meantime you can click to enlarge these ones.

Cunning Plan!

So today the Plan is this:

♦ miss Jenny, M & L who all left yesterday
♦ check on Stumpy again (this just may happen more than once)
♦ stalk the iguana in front of the Marriott
♦ stalk the turtles in the pond in the Marriott, and talk to the parrots
♦ continue to Cafe del Sol for caffeinated beverage and snack
♦ head over to The Butterfly Farm, stalk butterflies
♦ walk back to The Grandview (consider stopping for food and beverages)
♦ download stalking pictures
♦ masters swim practice
♦ collapse ... okay, this part might happen after dinner

The cunningness of the plan is to gradually increase sun exposure so Friday I can go snorkelling without too many worries, and then enjoy some of the postponed Piratical Activities on Saturday. Yeterday a half hour swim in the condo pool followed by short hot tub dunk netted tan lines.

And as I get about my day, I leave you with Saturday evening's sunset from Brent's balcony. Click if you like!

Trumpets!

Stumpy was out and basking first thing this morning when the sun hit his door, but he did not venture far from it and soon enough there was rain falling (more than enough to call for a retreat!). The seas waves are still a bit busy to venture out swimming, so if there is a dip today it will most likely be in the hot tub. There were smooth-billed anis in the palm tree overlooking the pool this morning, and yesterday we saw some cattle egrets hunting in a storm pond.

But instead of more critter pictures today, here are some of the trumpet flowers on the grounds of The Grandview.

All Clear!

The all clear has been issued for Grand Cayman. Our fingers are crossed and our thoughts are with those in the sister islands who should be feeling Paloma's power now, and for those on its path in Cuba as Paloma has continued to strengthen and has reached an extremely dangerous category four level.

More anon!

Quick Update ...

Paloma has slowed down in forward progress, but wind speeds have increased. We are now at category two, but the eye will not pass until later than previously expected. Paloma may in fact be category 3 by 11:00 tonight when it is to pass out to the east of Grand Cayman. Some folks lost their internet a while ago, but we have been lucky thus far. Brent is able to continue to work from home while others cannot!

We are drinking hot tea while we still can, and I am hardboiling the remaining eggs for breakfast!

Note the colour of outdoors, and the chair in the pool!



Remember, if you don't hear from us for a bit, we're safe. And hunkered down! Isn't that just a great advisory?

Paloma!

Thus far the weather is inclement and getting gustier. We've been asked to stay indoors since 10:00 a.m., and we may be able to get a couple more flushes in before the water is turned off, although across the island the water will be off by 11:00.

Bathtubs are filled with water. Purelle is in plentiful supply. Provisions are in (incuding potable water, chips, cookies, chocolate, cliff bars & gu — well also some more food based food.)

We have one of the condos emergency cable & wireless phones so we can report any damage seen from our vantage points to the manager. There are five phones distributed throughout the complex. Ours is charging. Brent also has a satellite phone.

Paloma is expected to hit as category two around 6:00, the eye passing 15 miles from the island.

So we will have a period where we are out of contact but firmly ensconced in Brent's condo, and we won't be sticking our heads out until the all clear is sounded. You'll hear from us soon!

Out, About & House!

In addition to Stumpy and his northern curly-tailed lizard kin, there are some mighty cute anoles around here! When we were out at lunchtime yesterday, Jenny got a picture of a lovely blue throated anole (Anolis conspersus), and we saw a juvenile Cuban brown anole (Anolis sagrei sagrei) on Wednesday.

I was also out stalking the local fowl — and I can tell you they are somewhat suspicious of women carrying cameras. Some seem to think the wild chickens here are a plague, others a charming addition to island life. This is a hen in the hedge by the condo parking lot with her two charming fluff balls. You may have to click to see the chicks!



There were multitudes of bees and dragonflies outdoing hurricane preparedness activities.



Also out and about were people collecting things to stow away safely.



And some were boarding things up.



Paloma is supposed to make our lives interesting shortly. You can follow along here, but be assured our preparations are sound. It'll be like a blizzard, only with water.

It is rainy and windy now, the tropical force winds are anticipated to start around 10:00 or 11:00. Latest models put Paloma's eye within 15 miles of Grand Cayman around 7:00 this evening. Here's a bit from The Caymanian Compass last night on what we ought to be doing just now. ;-)