A family perspective

Changes in latitude, changes in attitude. Kelli-from the 3000 foot climb in Saba to the clouds, 1900 foot climb in Statia, hike around one of the oldest forts in the Leeward Islands, St Kitts and the possibility of a 3000 ft hike tomorrow today seems a respite. We have kept a good pace and are sleeping soundly from full days and nights. Plus, there has been little wind which results in minimal rocking on the boat. Nevis hospitality has been unexpected and gracious. The weather remains mild and really hot inland. The winds are changing so Monserrat will have to wait for us until Tues. check out The Double Duece, Our favorite hangout so far on Nevis. We are grateful every day for the opportunity to explore and grow. Brian- I have been amazed the last few days with a flat ocean that I could see the bottom of the ocean in 35 feet of water. I could see lines in the sand and sting rays on the bottom. The wind has been almost nothing and the same with the waves. We have motored from St Bart's to Statia then to St Kitts and now Nevis. The further South we go the less inhabited and more primitive the islands are. Very peaceful. There was a Criket game last night on St Kitts. The colors of the sands have changed on the volcanic islands to more of a light brown instead of the white sands on the more Northern islands. We saw a very old sugar cane mill and lush rain forest environment yesteray on Statia. It's easy to see why the French and English fought over these islands for 100's of years. Kaylee - It is amazing the opportunity that our family has received. Although we may have had some troubles along the way it is an amazing experience. Going to all of the different islands and experiencing the different cultures has showed me how many things some people miss out on. Going to all of these French islands has given me a want to learn French. It is actually a fairly simple language to learn and I would say I am making fairly decent progress. I have learned that my favorite island food are conch fritters. They are so delicious I could eat them every minute of the day. My favorite island so far that we hadn't visited before this trip would have to be St. Barths. Although it may be VERY expensive I love all of the little boutiques and shops. Besides St. Barths though Cooper island still holds a special place in my heart. This is a lovely life. William - Weeeeel the islands have been good to me so far, and I'm ready to see what comes next on our list of adventures... It's been very interesting so far. But I would say the thing that I miss the most is a real shower. With warm water. When there's a free shower or somewhere you can shower at for a low price you want to take it. On the boat you've got 200 gallons of fresh water. And at someplaces you might not be able to fill up at the moment. So instead of using fresh water Cody and I have just decided to shower in the ocean. You dive in, lube up on body wash and them jump in again to wash it all off. But the ocean isn't 90 degrees and where you can stand for thirty minutes. Instead you have to tread water. But other than that this trip has been amazing. I still miss everyone at home but it's been a blast so far. Bye ! Cody-oh my goodness I feel like a new person!! Just took my first shower in over a week and I feel grrrrreat!!! So our trip and all. Well it's been quite hot with almost no wind so the ocean has been super calm. I slept outside on the tramp last night and will probably continue to do so as long as I can because it just fantastic. I found out today that water has been collecting in my nasal cavity for the last month and all day whenever I would incline my head to much water would drain out my nose. It was super annoying trying to do homework because I would lean forward to read something more closely and water would get all over my homework! So distracting. I've discovered that Tom's are the greatest shoe ever created by mankind and everyone should have them because they make your life better and give kids without shoes a a pair of the worlds greatest shoes. I've found that I actually miss vegetables due to the fact that we don't have a lot of fresh veggies on the boat and for the first time in my life last week I ordered a salad as my main course for dinner! Crazy right? Well that's what my life has been like for the last month, along with a lot of sailing, sunning, swimming sleeping, and being salty. Eating, talking, reading and lots of learning. Thanks Kelli(again)-this entry of our blog has been uncensored and unedited by me. The goal was to get the entire family to write at once. Hopefully you all get a sense of the humor our kiddo's have. Pray for health as Kaylee and I are fighting colds. Love to you all.