Fox Town, on the northern end of Great Abaco, was delightful. The local residents seemed to come out in force to meet and greet us when we arrived, and the fresh seafood at Da Valley Restaurant was to die for.
The children shown here were waiting for their dad to finish cleaning his fish and conch, and though it was a little disconcerting for us to see them scurrying around the dock, the father said "de be alright, de be all right." Shortly afterwards, one of the boys fell into the water and had to be rescued.
As for getting involved - the Rotary Club of Abaco held a Children's Sidewalk Chalk Festival and I was asked to take a few pictures, and Carolyn served as a Judge . It was a beautiful day, and all of the young artists were quite serious about their entries. Although this artist failed to capture a prize, she certainly captured our hearts for the enthusiasm she showed.
The Chalk Festival was a fundraiser for the club to help defray the costs of an upcoming InterAct Conference in which over 200 Bahamian high school students will be participating in a week-end of team building, and work projects in Abaco.
The local Rotary Club is very active in the community, and we have enjoyed an inspiring time of work, fun and fellowship for the past several years.
Every Child Counts, a private school for youngsters with learning challenges, continues to be a favorite project with Carolyn.
She is shown here is Carolyn and fellow teachers, with her class following an art project, using bean pods and a little creativity. The pods are decorated with paint and are often used as "shakers" during the Junkanoo parades. Carolyn's class in Atlanta completed the same project during the summer, and the ECC class provided this photo-op in a gesture of international exchange.
And while it may seem a little unusual for us to be working while on vacation, it is a great way to get out to greet, meet and learn from our Bahamian friends.
Our friend Vickie Lathom teaches graduate school writing at the Univ. or Maryland, and as she reviews the text, I am gathering information for my next issue of the Waterway Guide from one of the local fisherman. Despite the volumes of information that have been written about the Bahamas, there is so much left to write. And we are pleased to have the opportunity.
