That sounded like a GREAT idea to us, but most free time - and spare energy - during our first six months were spent getting settled and doing projects around the house. Then came the civil unrest and for most of the past year we have often felt "under house arrest" - leaving home only to go to work (when possible) and then returning straight home. No unnecessary trips into town, rarely eating out, no travel after dark.
Praise God, the unrest began to settle finally in December and the peace has held so far in 2020. Over Christmas break, Melissa pushed for us to finally check out this beach house we had seen from a distance but never visited. After a successful day outing to the site before Christmas, we decided it wouldn't take too much effort or budget to do overnight visits there on a semi-regular basis. With a bit of the money we weren't spending on a trip to the States or even the Dominican Republic over break, we bought a couple of air mattresses, a little gas burner for cooking, and a few kitchen supplies, and we were good to go.
(So far we have enjoyed a three day stint with Caleb the first week in January and an overnighter this past weekend.)
The house is a beautiful structure in an idyllic location. It's on the backside of the mountain we live on. I'm sure if there was a tunnel, we could walk there in twenty minutes or so:
The approach from the water:
Looking up from the water's edge:
A spacious veranda wraps all four sides of the house:
Looking to the right from the front railing, a great view of the village of Labadi:
Looking straight across the bay, you're likely to see a Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked for the day:
But there's no tunnel or even a road to this beach house - you have to drive through Cap Haitien, past Cormier and the cruise ship property, and park at the end of the road ... then hire a water taxi, like this one, for a short trip across the bay:
Ginger stays home and fends for herself when we have gone so far. Sugar, on the other hand, would survive maybe 90 seconds unsupervised, so we have to bring the little beast with us.
She doesn't mind. Sugar was made for beach life...
Sometimes the water is calm enough for the taxi to pull up right to the house when coming or going. Other times, we have had to use the village pier.
Kayaking and snorkeling provide some good exercise.
Caleb tried to build a campfire one day, but most of our cooking is done on our little outdoor stove top.
We've also found some excellent rice and beans and pates for sale in the village during lunchtimes.
There's plenty of nature to enjoy. Sarah loves tracking down hermit crabs.
It's a good spot to sit and think.
Or read a book:
(On a side note, Melissa and I are so grateful to see Sarah enjoying some recreational reading. We were beginning to think it would never happen. Thanks, Mrs. Johnson ... and Harry Potter!)
Nightfall comes early. By 6:00 pm it is DARK. We bring a little portable generator, but we haven't needed it a whole lot. Solar-powered lanterns and candles suffice for most of our needs.
Nights are breezy and cool. Yesterday morning it was 71 degrees. In the background you can see Samuel bundled in a blanket on the hammock! Our blood has thinned a bit since moving to Haiti ...
We need to leave by 3:00 pm in order to get home for dinner. Theoretically, we could make it home in under an hour, but that depends on the traffic in town and whether or not there is a cruise ship around. Cruise days slow us down because the ship leaves all sorts of meat, fruits and cheese behind before departing. That food gets sold and resold, starting just outside the gates of the Royal Caribbean beach. This means Melissa MUST SHOP.
Yesterday we scored apples, kiwi, grapes, hamburgers ... and a real rarity: Pork Chops!! We grilled them up for dinner as soon as we got home. A good way to end the weekend.
That's it. No spiritual application here but the need for rest on a regular basis. We are so thankful to Karl and his family for their willingness to make this great space available to us. It's just what we were needing.
