Goodbye Antigua

Earlier in our last day we went to Long Bay, where we were shocked to see so many people! It was the most crowded beach we had encountered by far. We spent a couple of hours here to swim and get wiggles out before our flight that evening.
Then we stopped by Devils Bridge on the drive home. Here is my gorgeous sister Heidi and the troops in front of the crashing waves
And finally back at home we did some swimming for the last time before changing into traveling clothes and going to the airport. Here is Tryfan with Great-Grandma Bucky
The Fam: Will, Rebecca, Heidi, Great-Grandma Bucky, Grandpa Carl, Grandma Debi, Eric, Kristin, me, Rhiannon, Rhodri and Tryfan.
Same peeps, different part of the yard.
Our flight left at 5:30pm and got us back into Gatwick at 5am on New Years Day. It was very sad saying goodbye to my family but we were just so, so grateful to have been able to be here for the holidays together. Thanks Everyone! Happy New Year!

Driving adventures

We had some good times exploring by car convoy around Antigua.
We could fit all 12 of us into 2 vehicles if 2 people rode in the very back of the Jeep. Here is Rhiannon looking out the window as we drove somewhere.
Here we are following the Jeep through 'Town' (aka St. Johns). Its hard to see behind the tree air freshener that the Jeep has the back window open and two people sitting back there waving to us behind them.
View out the back of the Jeep when we went to Devils Bridge near Long Bay on our last day.
The famous Jeep, which is supposedly the personal car of the manager at Avis. They had no record of our car reservations when we arrived on the first day of our trip and didn't have any cars available, but somehow my Dad talked them into finding us a couple of vehicles including the Jeep!

Our cool casa

I wanted to make sure and post some photos of the house we rented in Hodges Bay (near the airport). It was perfect for our group of 12! There was a fence and gate to keep the neighborhood dogs and goats out of the yard. We rented mostly 2 cars (mostly because we did have 3 cars for a few days) and could keep them both inside the gates.
Let's go inside... this was the main living room and dining room area, with french doors leading out to the veranda, pool area and cottage. There were 4 double bedrooms in the main house with 2 bathrooms.
The covered veranda with ample deck chairs and patio tables.
The swimming pool had some 'issues' but it mostly held water and was completely swimmable so we were happy!
From the deep end of the pool, looking back to the main house and veranda.
Along the side of the pool was the cottage, which had 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. This is where we 4 slept and it was perfect for us because the noisy rascal kids could be slightly more contained here, especially in the early morning when everyone else wanted to sleep.

Last days in Antigua

On Tuesday (28th), Rhodri and I got to spend the whole day together without the kids. We went to English Harbour and visited Nelson's Dockyard and Shirley Heights. It was a gorgeous day! here is the view from Shirley Heights looking down into English Harbour.
Rhodri's mum Beryl loves cacti and so he took this photo especially for her.
We explored the southwest part of the island and spent time swimming and relaxing on Ffreyes Beach.
Most of us laid low on Wednesday, swimming in our pool and then later walking to the beach to play in the sand and the water. Tryfan was big into making 'sandballs' so Uncle Will helped him.
Today (Thursday-30th) was a rainy day so most of us hung out at the house and drew designs on paper doilies while Rhodri, Will and Grandpa Carl played golf somewhere on the island. We had a great time listening to Bob Marley tunes and just being artistic for the morning.
So hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day!

Expedition on the high seas

We chartered a fishing boat for half the day and all of us set out to enjoy the waters around the northern part of Antigua. Here are the troops and their grandparents as we got ready to leave the dock.
Here is Rhiannon wearing her life jacket as we started underway. It was a gorgeous day and we felt so lucky to be able to spend it out on the water.
Actually what happened was that the fishing boat (who had the crew of Lucian, Justin and Toby) group dropped some of us off at Great Bird Island while they went fishing and we played in the water and sand. We found a perfect little spot all to ourselves which had picnic tables at the edge of the water in the shade. Lovely! And we had a cooler full of food and beverages so we were all set for the day.
Eventually another boat came to 'our' section of the island. Then another. And another. And another until it was swarming with people! Ack! At this point, Grandma Bucky and I hiked up to the top of the hill to see what we could see. Here is the view looking down on 'our' section of island (right where the 2 boats are parked).
Mandatory self-take of me and Grandma Bucky.
There was a path that cut through to the other side of the island which was only about 150 feet away. It was beautiful on that side too, and even more crowded (but not when I took this photo with a green color accent feature).
Soon enough the fishing boat gang returned to pick us up and we headed back. Tryfan was pretty tired by then so he cuddled with Grandma Debi.
And then back on the boat, both of the kids conked out on a nest of life jackets while other people went snorkeling and swimming in the lovely water.

Boxing Day

Today we all went to Half Moon Bay for the day. It was just a lovely beach with warm water and we all hung out.
Rhiannon was very busy making special potion to put on people's legs. Grandpa was a willing subject, as always!
When it was time to go, Tryfan was being a real skunk and kept laying down in the sand after he was freshly rinsed off. Grandpa and Grandma had to team up to get his clothes on before he had a chance to get all sandy again.
We went for a rather posh dinner at the nearby "Le Bistro" restaurant. Rhiannon was very good during the meal but Tryfan was in another very grouchy mood. Here is Rhiannon with Uncle Eric.
Eventually Rhodri volunteered to take the kids home to go to sleep while the rest of us finished the lovely meal. Thanks, Rhods! Here are Heidi, Rebecca, Grandma Bucky and Will

Christmas Day

On this Christmas Day, we didn't exactly have a lot of festive decor around the place so Grandma Debi, Aunts Heidi, Rebecca, Kristin and I put together this Christmas 'shrine' on Christmas Eve so that Santa would know where to put the presents! This morning Rhiannon and Tryfan woke up around 5am wanting to check to see if he had actually come so we quietly snuck into the main house to get their stockings and then go back to our 'cottage' until 7am. Finally at 7am, we got ready to open presents!
Santa brought Tryfan the much wished-for Buzz Lightyear in his own authentic spaceship.
Santa [reluctantly] brought Rhiannon a pink laptop which has lots of learning games and stuff suitable for 5-8 year olds. Here she is with Grandpa Carl and her baby Willow getting started with it.
We spent a lot of the morning in the pool. Rhiannon was very busy making Christmas dinner and serving it to anyone who showed a hint of interest (note the plastic place setting on the top step of the pool).
Meanwhile Tryfan and Buzz spent every second together, except for swim breaks.
We went for Christmas Lunch at Coconut Grove restaurant down the road. It was a gorgeous day and a gorgeous place to spend the afternoon.
The restaurant was casual and right on the sand - most people were wearing swimsuits rather than clothes. Here is our table:
There was a coconut tree and another more climbable tree just on the other side of the seating area, so Rhiannon spent some time up in it.
Eventually the kids couldn't hold on anymore and they had to strip down and play in the waves.
Family photo - not great lighting. Here are Will, Great-Grandma Bucky, Grandma Debi, Grandpa Carl, Heidi, Rhodri, Kristin, Eric, Rebecca in front with Tryfan and me with Rhiannon.

First days in Antigua

We travelled to Antigua on Wed 22 Dec and arrived in the late afternoon to reunite with my whole family who had come from various places across the US. The next morning we walked to the nearest beach, called Jabberwocky. Tryfan and Rhiannon enjoyed playing in the warm waves with Uncle Eric, Uncle Will, Aunt Rebecca, Grandpa Carl, Rhodri and I.
Later that day we played in the pool which is the center of action at the house we are renting. Here they are with Aunt Kristin:
And Tryfan with Grandma Debi
Today we drove around a bit - first to St. Johns to do a bit of shopping and wandering, then across to the other side of the island. There was a lot to see out the window during the drive.
We had lunch at a place called "Grace Before Meals". Tryfan had been asleep in the car during the drive there and when he eventually woke up, he was VERY grouchy. Fortunately, most of the other customers at the restaurant had left before Tryfan joined us because he was not pleasant to be with.
After lunch we went to the beach at Pidgeon Point, near English Harbour. We spent several hours there playing in the sand and the water.
Here are Aunt Heidi, Aunt Kristin, Uncle Eric and Grandpa Carl (sleeping behind Heidi)
The sandcastle we built with Rhiannon in the background