cayman_islands lostgirl heaven on earth, no question... 100527 ... hsg i've heard of these 100527 ... lostgirl 27 knots across the north sound at sunset on the blue tip yacht... i'm breathless! 100528 ... lostgirl swimming in silent friendly camaraderie with at least 50 giant graceful stingrays was like flying weightless with marine butterflies. utterly amazing. 100530 ... lostgirl back in the homeland and ready to drift into dreamland, i reflect back on the weekend and remember the delights for all my senses. the stingray butterflies, the multicolored schools of fish, the barracuda that stopped to say, "hey!" the full moon, the full moon all out party till dawn celebration, the conch ceviche I ate three days in a row, the kaibo fries and rum point hammocks...the blue tip ride, too much wine for everyone but me at the ritz, the driftwood pool tournament, the mosquito massacre, the all day long book reading marathon, the un-freaking believable sunsets, the hours of laughter...if it's for real that we are living someone else's dream, i'm so willing to continue to be a main character! the only thing missing from the otherwise perfect trip was that there was no sighting of the famous green flash...or perhaps it was meant to be...that should only live in my own dreams.... 100530 ... lostgirl and so, orlando and marcellino greeted us at the south tower entrance when we arrived, and said in near unison, and wearing bright eyed smiles, "welcome back!" marcellino immediately high fives the big boys then gathered marc into his arms and hugged him close. the casual observer might think this exchange was unusual, odd even. an apparent dark skinned stranger in an island nation embracing a blond haired, blue eyed child? in reality, (or in this dream, that is....) marc is like a visiting celebrity here. he walks around like the mayor, or perhaps as if he owns the place, and he waves to the staff members, passing around his contagious smile and the occasional knuckle, high five or hug to his willing recipients like it's his duty. these people have watched him grow from a one year old into an amazing little boy. many of the employees here are Filipino, living here on cayman year after year in order to earn a living to support their families living thousands of miles away. marc willingly offers them a taste of family. this resort is the type that attracts a stuffy crowd... the kind of people that i often overhear berating the beautiful people that work here for making human mistakes, like "forgetting" to replace a drink at the exact expected moment, or for dropping a towel. give me a break....the way to win these people over is by accepting them for who they are. (we've always taught our children that all people are equal...able spirits, capable of great things, and that skin color and occupation make absolutely no difference on either human or spiritual levels.) we unpacked quickly, but incompletely, because we were told we were going to be upgraded to an oceanfront suite at some point the following afternoon....that's what i'm talking about! mom and three boys headed out to the pool bar to eat, and as we talked about what we would like to do this week after daddy arrives, it started to sprinkle. the party at the adjacent table that contained the cranky broad who bitched out the waitress for forgetting to bring her a lemon was moved to the barstools inside. we, on the other hand, were quickly shuttled out to the beach and into a private cabana on the sand. within minutes, the rain stopped, and we were left to enjoy the breathtaking mango sunset with toes in the sugar white sand, as we ate sliders, conch fritters, and of course my beloved truffle fries... (and they aren't even on the menu anymore....) 100731 ... lostgirl two three foot long wild iguanas tiptoed along the far edge of the pool, staying well hidden in the lush greenery from the unsuspecting swimmers, but not escaping my watchful eye. they were on a mission to raise some kind of hell, because when they jumped in tandem into the deep end, the pool cleared of all humans in a matter of seconds. i think i heard them laughing. 100731 ... lostgirl "any life can be healed by the right words from the right person." this was printed on the little note that was resting on my pillow last night when we came back from dinner. (and the card was quoting nick bollettieri, the tennis pro here at the resort....he punctuated a perfect day and he doesn't even realize it.) 100801 ... lostgirl reference checker (he is the visiting tennis pro...) still a good thinker though! 100801 ... lostgirl it's a gorgeous, cloudless evening....and the wind has picked up, stirring the water into endless ripples. and the conditions are absolutely perfect for the possibility of viewing a real cayman_flash! (there's even an iguana on the veranda...and he looks like he's waiting for something special to happen.) i_can_hardly_wait... 100802 ... lostgirl the reef is alive. colorful corals and fish in every color of the rainbow are in residence, silently undulating with a rhythm of a drum beat. the marine vegetation dances in the warm sea, and eyes wide open, we feel the pulse. welcomed warmly, we briefly share a brilliant, neon underwater city as if we are invited guests, watching green eel move in and out of their holes playing hide and seek and a huge sea turtle ambling about graceful in her bulk. we stay clear of the barracuda lurking nearby....but when the shark appears, we retreat, swimming quietly back to safety above water on the blue tip, drying off and moving on to stingray city. 100803 ... lostgirl okay, so what are the odds of "running into" your former neighbors while vacationing in another country 1500 miles away from home?and even funnier than this is that it's been two years since we have seen them and we all still live in the same town! so odd... but a good enough reason to share a round of mojitos.... 100803 what's it to you? who go blather from