Treasure Hunt.....

Today I received an invitation from my friend Andre to be at a Treasure Hunt! Yes, this great promotional treasure hunt will be taking place in Curaçao on Monday....It is part of a campaign to do with Curaçao as a hidden treasure in the Caribbean. There are participants from the USA and Canada and the lucky winner will get half a million dollars! WOW!!

Of course, I cannot participate, contestants were chosen a while ago and are already having fun on the island. I can see how it will be, though. When we first moved to Curaçao, a scavenger hunt or sterrit was one of the best ways to spend a Friday or Saturday night. Someone will organize the route to follow with directions, clues to look for, things to collect, timings.... It was an art and there were a few of our friends that were excellent at it!

Once you got your invite, you'd round up the people you wanted to ride with. Some were better than others and were in demand. The day of the party, we would meet at a designated spot, get our directions and leave as soon as possible. We had a time limit to return to the place where the party was going to be afterwards. Then the race was on...we drove around looking for clues, collecting the items asked for, trying to lose everyone that got too close and just having a great time! Someone will drive, someone else will read the instructions, very important since they were in Dutch!.... and everyone else will collect the items.

Can't believe how easy it was to have a wonderful time on a warm tropical night, driving around the island with our friends, going back and forth to our homes to collect things we couldn't find...yes, we did that too: like license plates, or live roaches!!! Yuck! Still, it was one of our favorite things for a while. Still can close my eyes and see everyone scrambling into their cars, people getting lost on dirt roads, laughing out loud, getting back to the party and reporting on your finds, counting your items, giving each group its points, announcing the winner..... Simpler times, I miss them.

These people have no idea what memories they will bring back! How fantastic the whole experience will be even for the ones that will not win the money.......The beauty of the island will be enough.

Ramblings on Storms and Moves.....

Yes, finally, we have the first storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. Never mind that in the Pacific Ocean the storms have been frequent and destructive, the Atlantic/Caribbean has been unusually quite. So, when I saw on the Weather Channel that ANA has been born...I was not happy.

Could I remind everyone of another August storm starting with A ?.....Nobody saw it coming, until hours before hitting Florida, ANDREW was just a storm, a minor hurricane.... nobody here has forgotten that. Outside it is rainy, misty, awful. I cannot see any of the islands on the Bay: Fisher Island, Key Biscayne, Miami Beach. They are all shrouded in mist and everything looks so damp, so sad. It's the time of the year when I wish I lived somewhere else!!!

I am not even thinking Curaçao, where the storms have been coming closer and closer. Think OMAR. The destruction it caused is still been talked about and things are still been repaired. The climate changes are real, I don't care what people tell you. It doesn't take a genius to see the progression of the storms. The way they are becoming deadlier and how they are getting closer to places they never being before. Seriously, I want answers and I want them soon.

In the meantime, I am hoping ANA has plans to dissipate. Let it be a wishy-washy kind of storm, one that can't take the cool waters of the Caribbean...and let those waters be REALLY cool this year!!!

On another note, my daughter moved today in London. Took the whole day, but she's in her new flat!! She sounds really positive about the place. That is something to celebrate...wish I was doing the same thing. After years in our cozy condo....we are bursting at the seams...and, no, I don't want to get rid of more stuff. I have pared down to the minimum. I just have what I like, what brings me good memories and what is practical. I think that is the best rule of thumb.We need more space for visitors and the sooner the better: an extra bedroom will be so welcome!!! So here it is to moving...again....but not in the middle of a storm!

Change is coming, I want to see it....

Amazing how things can change in a matter of days......I have been just hiding out. Thinking about the future, considering places to move to, giving retirement a thought or two. Now is, never mind! I am making it here for a while and Curaçao is NOT going to be taken off the table. I do like that place too much!

I have heard from friends, family and strangers. Family, even if distant, has no plans to move anywhere. Some friends are moving away, but we do have a core of really good friends, more like family, that are staying too. I have heard from perfect strangers who are planning to move to the island......so my gut feeling is: wait before you make a decision.

The States is bound to change, there is too much going on. Back to more basic living, more responsible living, I think. It would be nice to see how this turns out, sort of, I was there when things changed..... and I don't mean the political change promised last November. I mean the change that will come naturally after the difficult financial times. I don't know, feels like back to the times when we moved to Curaçao, when we didn't know what to expect, everything seemed fresh.....well, sort of. We'll see.

I AM BACK!!!!!!!

It's been ages...and without setting out to do it, I have just let the writing go. Not what I intended and so easy to fall into that trap. Now, I'm back...with new energy. It feels good. The whole perspective of my writing seems to have shifted. There is no need to compare and try to see the best in the island home I left. That is a given!

What I have now is the serenity to see Miami in a different light. The wisdom, shall we say, to look at this move that took place years ago, as a fact accompli. Well, never thought that was going to happen, which just proves that anything is possible. Making things real, let's not just celebrate the fact that I love Miami...neee! It is more like the slow realization that this is it for a while yet. There are no plans to be moving away in the near future. There are no plans to stay here forever either...so that is a compromise I can live with.

Since I was here last, so much has happened. Trips to Panama have continued in a steady way, stressful as ever and with no end in sight...that would be unthinkable. My mother still needs our attention, but thanfully she is doing so much better....so no trip planned for the rest of the year. Family disagreements and differences of opinion are still there, maybe worse than ever, but I now see that I don't have to put up with any of it......such a relief!

I have been to Curaçao once for a wedding. It was so nice, so easy...like walking into your life all over again. Things have changed, of course. New construction, new faces everywhere, more touristy and less spoiled. A bit of financial crisis, like the rest of the world, but nothing extreme yet. Political problems, differences with Holland, too many political parties...nothing new there. The everyday life has become a bit more hectic, a bit more expensive. In the end, I didn't noticed much because the people I care for and the things I miss continue....yes, some friends have moved away, new places have popped up...but life seems remarkably the same. Or maybe I wasn't paying attention...but I doubt it! The island is still so beautiful, and life is better when there is beauty involved!

In the last few days, I have been up in New England attending another wedding and having some family time with my children. The glorious Northern Summer! The wedding was a reason to see dear friends and the day was at it's best. Then on to Boston, which was alive with people walking everywhere and strolling along the plazas and squares and gardens. The Charles was full of sailboats and the sunsets were just as beautiful. We visited friends and took in the sounds and sights of this most beautiful city.

Yes, a lot of things have happened since I last was here....all of them good in their own way. All of them a reason to love life and accept what I have been given....I will not stay away so long next time, and I will include photos of all places I visit, all things I do along with the ones from Dushi Korsow!