It was a Sunday night in New York and it was snowing. ugggh. By the next morning we had about 6 inches piled up on top of a thick layer of ice. And what has been a frigid winter was not letting up.

But I was smiling.

Why was I smiling? Is it because I love leaning into a bone-numbing gale as I slip and slide down unkempt sidewalks and heave my snow boots up slick subway steps only to wait in the wind for the train to show up?

nope.

I was smiling because i knew i just had to stick it out for three days. then i was hopping a flight to the Caribbean! OH-yeah.

winter vacations are the best. leaving behind the cold and stepping out of a plane into glorious sunshine is such a great feeling. Am i piling it on too thick? As I was waiting at the airport for my friends to pick me up I realized that i was standing in the shade, the wind was blowing, and I wasn't shivering. i was still warm. ohhhhhhh yeahhhhhhh.

here's a synopsis of the trip. i occasionally took pictures. the link is at the end of this babble.

DAY ONE was mostly about getting there. Once i got to Providenciales, Ryan and Christina gave me a tour of the house they are building, let me unload my stuff at their rental house where i would be staying, and then took me a few houses down the road to enjoy the beach and watch the sun go down.

Ryan and I waded in the crystal-clear water and chatted about life in Turks and Caicos. i hadn't seen him for a long time so it was great to catch up. Also neat: we saw 3 or 4 sea rays in the shallow water. we tried to sneak up on them, but mostly we just chased them around the beach. one covered himself in the sand for us. don't worry, the super long tail is easy to spot.

DAY TWO i spent at the beach, different one in the morning than in the afternoon while Ry and C went to work. In between we met at home for lunch. Good thing, too, because Christina prepared quite a spread. Then for dinner we went to a really nice restaurant on then beach. Since we couldn't get a reservation as soon as we wanted, we first stopped at an ice cream parlor. perhaps this ordering of things is the way it should always be done. haha!

I got to hang out with Ryan and Christina on DAY THREE as it was a Saturday. After a late start--hey, i was on vacation! plus Ryan went to the jobsite for a bit--we loaded up in the truck and went to the beach at Grace Bay. Christina studied while Ryan and I went snorkeling. It was awesome! Ryan said he had never seen so much at once. Besides a lot of the usual-for-TCI yellowtail and spotlight fish and others, we saw two big sea turtles, a 5-foot nurse shark, and a trio of enormous spotted sea rays. they were beautiful as they went by. so graceful.

The afternoon was relaxing. We had lunch on the beach at a place called Somehere on the Beach. I had Some Nachos. haha. most of the menu was named similarly. i took a long walk up and down the beach, swam, and then watched Ryan coach his kids to victory in Roller Hockey. Really good pizza on a boardwalk for dinner. what a perfect day.

DAY FOUR we explored some of the west part of the island. We drove something like 20 minutes down a gravel road to get to West Harbor. There were a few people fishing and beaching where we parked the truck, but our walk down the beach was completely isolated. And beautiful. We walked through Bonefish Hole to Bonefish Point. The beach was a conch shell graveyard and the sand was sometime fine, sometimes very coarse. Closer inspection showed that it was just made of super tiny shells not yet ground up the sea. amazing really. We also found a lot of sea sponges and really interesting coral washed up on the beach. Pelicans. Beautifully isolated ocean vistas. wow, God astounded me with his work there.

We pulled ourselves away from there--we didn't explore West Harbor Point where the fishermen were--and drove to a small beach with big rocks near North West Point. Ryan and I went snorkeling again while C studied and started the Pringles. haha. I found a few sand dollars and saw some neat fish and corral formations. Then it was nap time under the beach umbrella. That night we went to see Watchmen at the theater. Fried chicken with beans+rice for dinner

DAY FIVE i kayaked to group of islands in the sound without much trouble. then more reading on the beach. i swam out to rescue a wayward beach ball, but it was too fast for me. at some point i realized that i wasn't gaining on it any more. and i was waaaaayyyyyy out there. i didn't want to die quite yet. granted, the water was still probably just over my head, but i was almost at the sailboats anchored in the bay.

After lunch with Ry + C I walk to the other beach for the afternoon. C left work early and met me there to play tennis. Ryan joined us for a bit, but then had ball hockey. C and I watched the guys play... for a while. then my attention drifted to my book and christina studied her flashcards. but we saw ryan score a few goals, so he shouldn't feel neglected. Dinner was Johnsonville Bratwurst! who would thought you could get Sheboygan brats in Turks and Caicos?

DAY SIX i went for an extended kayak trip around half of chalk sound. it was really, really nice. i loved the combination of good exercise and total tranquility. I decided to skip the beach and walk down the road and see the houses and sights. i took a ton of pictures of the Sound and the plants and flowers i saw along the way. i walked to the end of the road at Silly Creek where there is a mansion accessible only by a bridge over a moat. someone whipped out the drive in a Range Rover as i got there and gave me a stare. it was all so pretentious.

I wasn't sure i was going to make it home through the heat without calling for a ride. Ryan was shocked when he heard about all of my "movement" that day! we all had a great laugh as i pretended to be Jaba the Hut oozing about.

Christina drove me to the beach at the other end of the island at Leeward. I just read my borrowed book and waited for Ry and C to come. I should have worked at the house. drats. But we all watched to the sun go down. it was nice. We stopped and got way too much ice cream. Sadly, the go-cart track was not open and the mini golf seemed too expensive to me, so we went home. i'm having some trouble remembering what happened when.

DAY SEVEN was short since my plane departure was at 3:30. we all got up early and went to prepare the jobsite for the final concrete pour. I helped cover everything in plastic to protect from the inevitable concrete splashing and possible formwork blowouts. i even used some power tools. The concrete came really late, so i didn't stay for the entire pour. But it was fun to watch it all happen. the pumper truck unfurling it's huge boom was kind of like seeing a real life Transformer.

As it was getting late, Christina and i snuck off to the beach. It was a great last swim. the weather was perfect, the water was warm, the sun was pleasing.... It was the perfect end, except ryan was still working. sorry! Christina and i floated around in shallow water, snapped a few pictures, and then raced to the airport. While i got ready to leave, Christina made me an incredible lunch to go. C, the chicken tacos were amazing.

Thanks Ryan and Christina.

here are a few pics at Flickr.