parties: milestones

August brought the peak of summer here in Grand Cayman. Along with stifling heat and unbelievable humidity, accountants who left Cayman for July vacations returned back to our Caribbean home to enjoy the island's offerings during our less-than-busy season. July was such a quiet month that it was nice to have our friends around again so that we could enjoy classic summer weekend activities.

Birthday braai

D&A recently hosted a braai (South African bbq) in honor of D's birthday. 

They rent in a lovely spot along the south edge of George Town with picture-perfect views. I showed up shortly before sunset, which is a prime time to spot night divers on a shore dive right before they drop down.

NS had been partying with the guys all afternoon, complete with a jet ski safari with Fat Fish Adventures that took several of them to Stingray City, Starfish Point, and Rum Point. The following on-the-water photos are all courtesy of our Canadian pal, PF:

DH: Always with energy to spare.

Feeling confident, are we?

Rum Point's dock in the background.

After their water sports, the guys were back at D&A's place, chilling with a rugby ball:

See that little walkway behind NS above? That is the short commute required for D&A to enjoy world-class snorkeling and diving. What an excellent location, and with such great sunset potential!

Since there was no American football to be found, we needed our British friend BH to demonstrate the correct rugby-throwing technique.

         

Meanwhile, the rest of us checked out the sunset. I'm not sure how anyone faces a direction other than westward when outdoors between 6:30 and 7:00 pm.

As I said, the humidity has been pretty wicked as of late, which produces a consistent haze on the horizon. Still, the sunset wasn't totally spoiled.

Even the guys took a break from sports to take in the view.

While we waited for the main course (grilled sausage - South African "boerewors"), we dug into some very delicious snacks. DK served homemade "biltong" (shown below) - a South African jerky. It was better than any jerky I've ever had. It's prepared using whole strips of meat, rather than shredded met, like American jerky.

The sky is a never-ending source of interest for me here. Look at the rich blue color it turned immediately after sunset:

And if the color doesn't knock you out, surely the faces above and below will.

We really enjoyed the evening, and we're looking forward to more dives and braais with D&A.

Goodbye, LB

Oh, this transient island. People come and go as quickly as the seasons. And we don't even have those here! I don't know if I'll ever get used to the frequent changes. 

This time it was a co-worker of mine: LB from Scotland (now currently in Australia.)

Take a look at this adorable, picture-perfect cake! The girls from the office picked it out from Treats in the "pink plaza" (West Shore) along Seven Mile Beach. It almost killed me to see it cut up, but honestly, it was one of the best cakes I've ever eaten.

This is about as close to eating turtle as I'd like to get!

While some of the boys played volleyball...

         

The girls mingled and chatted, enjoying the (somewhat cooler) evening air and spending a few more moments with L.

It's a bonus when your subjects can be photographed against a naturally-fabulous backdrop. It's like no part of the photo is wasted!

We wish you well, LB. You've brought us so much laughter and fun during your Cayman adventure. Enjoy the Land Down Under, don't forget your friends in Cayman, and keep a spare room handy!