Our adventures of late have all been within the Georgetown area
and have been of similar variety as those previously disclosed. Hence the lack of blogging. We did, however, have a new experience about
a week ago. We had need for a trip to
the pharmacy. As we crossed Elizabeth
Harbor in our dinghy that morning, Myron stated that if the loaner bikes were
at the top of the dinghy dock, we would make it a bike ride. In their absence, we would procure a taxi and
accomplish our task in the same fashion as last year.
To my dread and worry, the bikes were available. I was all for the exercise, it was the
vehicular traffic in combination with narrow roads that concerned me. After little deliberation about who got the
mountain bike and who got the beach cruiser, we set off on our rusty and
rickety two-wheeled steeds. Myron’s
mountain bike would rhythmically skip a gear spoke. The chain was so rusty, we just hoped it
would not break. My cruiser gave me a
fit of panic during the moment that I had to realize the brakes were not on the
handles but in the pedals. After working
out those minor details we kept to the British left side of the road and pulled
off the side, as often as, and IF, possible, when we heard traffic approach. It seemed it was an uphill workout all the
way to the pharmacy, although not in reality as the scenic beach remained
steadfast on our right.
Once our chore was accomplished at the pharmacy, we sought
out the auto parts store. According to
Explorer Charts, we should have seen the store before we arrived at the
pharmacy. We pressed northward and found
a small car repair shop that did not have our item. The clerk told us that we had passed a NAPA
store and needed to go back a mile. She
called it “AiD.” Outside the repair
place, as we discussed the allusive NAPA store, Myron observed a woman utilize
a free compressor hose to fill her car tires.
Remember those days? Free
air? Myron took the opportunity to
substantially increase the pressure in our bike tires. The difference was amazing, we no longer felt
like all directions were uphill! On our
way back to town we found a building with a tiny “AiD” sign on the outside, and
at the end of the long building was a Department of Treasury office. Even though the place looked closed, we
parked our bikes and sought an entrance.
We were impressed. The inside was
like a combination of True Value and Auto Zone.
No advertising on the outside other than small letters within the AID
sign that read “Everything you need.”
Who knew? No joy on what we actually
needed, but now we know where it is.
I share this story, not only for fun, but also for cruisers
who are coming to Georgetown. The bike
ride was not as harrowing as I had feared and proved another source of
exercise. We are thankful to the cruiser
on “White Wing” who leaves his bikes there for all to use.
A few days ago, we had some large northerly swells from a
storm near Bermuda. We could see from our
anchorage the spray of the swells breaking on the other side of Stocking Island. Impressive.
We ventured across the island to view the power of the sea for
ourselves. At low tide, we were forced
to walk above the high tide line. The
picture below is nothing like the placid water experienced by Shari and Paul during
their stay. There was no swimming in
this:
Today is cool due to the passage of a cold front and the
northerly winds. We are back in
sweats. It is only temporary. To take advantage of the cool weather, we
planned a long walk on Stocking Island with friends from “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Love to all,
Dena
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