This week was all about Water Colour Lessons, Bocci Ball, Mahjongg and good times with RMHYC friends. And by the end of the week 8 painters had completed and matted their pieces with several artists beginning a second painting. I have been working with everyone each morning from 8-12 Monday to Friday and on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and it has really paid off. Every painting completed to date is wonderful and each artist happy, and proud and what they have produced. So it’s all good. Even Vince has joined the classes this year. And he too is almost finished his first water colour. Most afternoons and on weekends, we just kick back and enjoy our “games” with friends.
The absolute highlight of this week had to be the “Souper Bowl” Tuesday Jan.15th. This was SO much fun! Earlier in the year the men were challenged to a competition involving their prowess as chefs. Everyone was invited to prepare their very best soups to share with the club at a special “gala” event. Sixteen of our members rose to the challenge cooking up a storm all afternoon and really “wowed” us with the results that evening. When we entered the party tent, the first thing we saw was a long table at one end behind which was a line of 16 proud chefs all wearing tall white “bakers” hats with ladles in hand and standing in front of 16 large steaming crocks of amazing soups! Additional tables at either end held bowls of salads and an assortment of specialty breads. For dessert there were “tastings” of cheesecake, brownies and bread pudding--with 3 samples of each in small dessert plates. Strands of sparkling “icicles lights festooned the walls and each dining table was draped with a colourful tableclo and seashore themed centre piece. Beautiful! After drinks at the bar, we were all invited to sample as many soups as we could handle with each chef ladling his specialty into small sampling cups which we then collected and took back to our tables. My favourites were the fish chowders--incredible! Afterwards there were awards given to the winners in each soup category, and then coffee and lots of music and dancing. And we all went home thoroughly stuffed with too much to eat and some of us “pickled” with too much to drink. This was the first year the club tried this type of event, and unexpectedly, it was so much fun that I’m sure we’ll be doing it again in future years.
On Sunday Jan 20th, Judy and Bob invited 44 of us to join them aboard their luxurious yacht “Shade Mor” for a day trip to Guana Cay. They couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful day! The sun was shining, a soft breeze blowing and the temperature a warm 78 degrees. Everyone brought drinks and either an hors d’oeuvre or dessert to share with the group. And the trip with absolutely delightful! It took just under an hour to travel over to Guana and back with several hours ashore to explore the island and arrange for lunch. We went over to “Grabbers” to dine with Magnum Opus, Brenda J and a couple who have a villa on Great Abaco and then I left the group to go shelling off by myself while Vince soaked up the sun and scenery in an armchair at “Pirates Cove.” We arrived back at Boat Harbour just after 5:00 and although cocktail hour was scheduled for 5:30 we were all too satiated and tired to bother--preferring instead to simply relax on our own boats after a day of intense but gratifying socializing with friends.
Later in the week conditions calmed right down and a couple of boats ventured out into the Atlantic to fish. They returned with a huge catch and we were offered a share of the bounty. Jack on “Sea Food Searcher” brought us some Grouper fillets and the next day Jim from “Fennders” came with Wahoo. Then there was even MORE from Jack--this time thick Mahi Mahi steaks which “Pizzazz” offered to freeze for us. It’s been fish, fish, fish! for dinner all week except for last night when the club gathered once again--this time for steak at the Jib Room. How different this all is from what we’d be doing back in Canada at this time of year. We are really blessed!
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