Lobster Roll and Nassau Challenges

Two substantial lobster tails in one night was a little too much lobster for me to really handle, so once I filled up on the pasta and one tail I took the other tail's meat and mixed it with a little local hot sauce, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mixed it all together and put in the fridge. The next morning I woke up early to make the most of the last three or so hours I had before Wallace picked me up and drove me to the airport. That included a cup of tea and a grilled cheese/lobster roll as a sandwich, which turned out pretty well I must say.

And then suddenly Wallace rolled up exactly at the time we had discussed and I gathered my packed and ready things and rolled on out. I said my goodbyes to Kimy and Terry and to the couple who had stayed in the cottage across the way. At the airport I went across the street to the Sands liquor store for one last beer and an hour later I was in the air. I'm pretty sure that this gap in the photograph below is the gap between Eleuthera and Spanish Wells, and is called "the Current" because when the tides change the water flows like a river in that gap. Apparently there's really great snorkeling to be had there, but you have to be a fairly good swimmer and know what you're doing. I'm a fairly good swimmer but decided against trying this out because I wouldn't have known what I was doing. Next time I definitely hope to go with a friend and will avail myself of the dude out that way who rents equipment/does current guidance support.

Just pretty stuff.

Once I was on Nassau I went to A Stone's Throw Away. I must say the remainder of this day was generally a disaster. I was low on cash and hadn't expected to pay for a cab (the previous year ASTA would have a car come pick you up) so suddenly I was $12 less rich than I expected. Then the restaurant at which I planned to have dinner (Traveler's Rest) was closed. So I decided I'd go to a larger resort, Compass Point, and have a cocktail there before using their private beach. I walked along the main causeway that goes around the island, which is not without its risks, and this dog started walking with me. Since my dog bite experience I'm a little more wary of dogs I don't know so I made a concerted effort to walk more slowly than the dog so I could see what it was doing, but sometimes it seemed decidedly in need of staying behind me. This story ends well enough. It almost seemed like the dog was protecting me or acting as a sherpa. Or it was just super friendly. Or just knew a girl who used to love taking walks with random dogs (Sewanee pre-leash law will do that to a girl). My experience at Compass Point was pretty much a total disaster. That should be taken hyperbolically. They said they took cards, but then the phone lines were down so they couldn't take the payment and when I explained that I could leave my card, go the beach, and try again and for dinner later on they weren't allowed to keep cards like that and suggested I just give them the cash I had left. So suddenly I went from having $9 to having no dollars. It was problematic because I also wanted to leave a tip for the housekeeping staff and a tip for the driver who would take me to the airport the next night.

After the cash exchange I did check out the beach, but there was all sorts of trash and debris in the water and then the dog showed up again and peed on a pile of seaweed about 10 feet away from me, so the whole vibe was kind of ruined. I went back to the restaurant to see if the card machine would work because I knew I needed to figure out a place to eat. Alas the machines still weren't working, so I figured I'd have dinner at ASTA as the woman who checked me in said that was an option. I got back, asked them about dinner and suddenly there was going to be no dinner there. This was sort of a strange change in a four hour period and worried me because I didn't have the money to pay a cab to take me farther afield and the timing was such that if I walked farther to get to some other eating option the chances were it would be dark when I had to walk back, and walking on that road at night was not recommended. It was kind of dumb. The silver lining is that I did have a cocktail at the hotel and was talking with an older couple explaining this difficulty and the man offered to give me $10, which was all I needed to cover my tip costs. I also had a can of tuna fish I could have for dinner so it kind of worked out. Honestly I was a little annoyed at the mixed messages the hotel had about dinner being available on site. And a little annoyed by Compass Point's lack of credit card ability, though I understand that it wasn't their fault. I had hoped for this last day to be a bit of a transition from total out island relaxation to the reality of heading home. What it turned out being was more along the lines of a very expensive mistake. I could have stayed at the cottage for an extra two or three nights at the price I paid for one night on Nassau, the daylight hours of which included no great adventure, meal or vista.

I did, however, befriend this woman during cocktail hour. She is Croatian. And a neuroscientist. Very smart, and generous with the secret cache of gin she and her boyfriend had. We ended up hanging out and drinking together for a good portion of the evening. In fact, I never had to worry about eating my can of tuna fish because she pretty much appointed her boyfriend 'the getter of dinner at all costs,' and he actually lived up to it. A large portion of the island, it seemed, was having trouble with its phone lines so a lot of places that could potentially deliver couldn't without cash. Meh. Too many details. The point is that after some behind the scenese rigamarole, she and I had the pleasure of eating two Domino's pizza on the second-level porch while the wind picked up quite a bit.

It was the best pizza ever. Or I was just really hungry. Either/or.