house guests.14: day trip to Morritt's

Our very first house guests in the new year were ones we had just seen in Pennsylvania: My brother and his lovely new wife. I don't tire of family easily, so we welcomed them to our island home as they escaped the increasingly-frigid northern weather.

Although their vacation needs probably could have been fully met by just walking out our front door to the beach or pool for hours of relaxation in the sun, we introduced them to our version of a quick "getaway", which is a day trip to Morritt's Grand Resort in East End.  

For those of us who live in or north of the Seven Mile Beach area in Grand Cayman, East End seems like a world away. It's really not; we can drive from our house in West Bay to the farthest point of East End in under an hour. But I'm kind of glad it seems distant. It boosts the escapism factor.

I swear I will never ever get over the many shades of blue that God dumped into the Caribbean Sea. I could gaze at it, awe-struck, from any perch, but a co-ed hammock is an especially appealing spot to do so.

But don't assume we stayed in the hammock all day. Here's some evidence of what we got up to:

Beach volleyball.

The view of the vball game from my poolside vantage point was partially obstructed
by the amazing infinity pool. *Sigh* I guess I'll move.

Morritt's is, after all, a resort, so there are plenty of vacationers looking to fill their days with fun beach activities. NS and DP found a group playing a casual game, so they casually added themselves to their numbers.

I like taking photos of the cute boys in my life.

Snorkeling.

I think it's funny how no matter what your job is in real life, whether it's saving the world from materially misstated financial statements (NS) or simply saving lives (DP), as soon as you don a mask and snorkel, you look like an alien idiot.

That being said, Morritt's is known for its terrific snorkeling (not to mention the prolific East End dive sites regularly explored by the Red Sail Tortuga Divers crew), which sometimes includes a friendly (?) shark, so it's worth it to don whatever ridiculous getup is required and take a peek at the underwater world.

Sunbathing.

KP is not only my newly-minted sister, but she can match me stride-for-stride on the sun-loving scale.

Do Not Disturb.

Bring it on, rays of glory.


Photographing.

See exhibits above and below, all of which were taken with my new Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L lens, which has swept me off my feet. I am seriously in love with this surprise Christmas gift from N, especially when I pair it with a pretty sweet B+W polarizing filter - an accessory that is nearly essential in this uber-bright sunshine. I didn't think this lens would be useful too often (other than for the obvious kitesurfing sessions), but now that I have it, experimenting for an entire day on the beach made me realize how using a new focal range/aperture combo completely changed how I take photos. And change is good.

Driving.

Along with spending several hours vacationing at Morritt's, we spent a (relatively) considerable amount of time in the car getting to and from East End. For the first time ever, we stopped along the road to take photos by Lover's Wall - a long, unassuming stone wall with a Cupid-struck heart at each end. Basically, it's a totally-cheesy-but-completely-necessary photo shoot waiting to happen. (Actually, two photo shoots, in our case. One on the way out, one on the way back. Different lighting situations. Obvi.)

NS got things off to a great start.

Oh dear. Can I hide the fact that I'm related to the kid in yellow, or have I already blown my cover?

He's a special one.

Finally: Some lovers that look like lovers, for crying out loud.

My pretties!

Just thinking about a day at Morritt's makes me calm down and de-stress.  N and I agree that East End is our safe haven on the island - where we go to feel like tourists for the day, in complete appreciation of this wonderful island. Here's hoping for a mid-busy season "cross-country trip" refresher.

But in the meantime: More details of the honeymooners' vacation in paradise to come.