Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Grand Turk is a small island (6.9 sq. miles) with beautiful beaches.  It was colonized in 1681 by Bermudians who set up a salt industry there. The pond at the top right of the photo is still being used to harvest salt from seawater.  The population is less than four thousand.  Like every island I have ever visited, they claim that Columbus stopped there first when he discovered America.   Steph, this one is for you.   In 1962, the whole world heard about Grand Turk, for it was near here that John Glenn splashed down after his history-making space flight.  The island has a replica of the Friendship 7   and John Glenn on display. There is the omnipresent Margaritaville on the beach, thanks to Carnival and Jimmy Buffett, where you can buy $40 t-shirts or stay dry during sudden rain showers.   The only time I hear Grand Turk mentioned now is on the Weather Channel.  The...

Right now, there are three storms in the Atlantic. Danielle and Earl may turn north and do little harm, except to the people on ships (remember Perfect Storm ?). Overall, hurricanes can't be trusted, sometimes changing their direction in spite of the Weather Channel's predictions. Having lived most of my life 'on the ridge', away from the ocean, I've never experienced a hurricane personally. I have friends that have. All of them, 100%, say they will evacuate from now on. Here's some books to go along with hurricane season. This is a sweet story of four women caught in a hurricane at Paradise Resort in the Bahamas. The four women are totally different, and you will be rooting for all of them by the end of the book. Loved it! My favorite author, James Lee Burke, wrote Ti n Roof Blowdown after Katrina destroyed New Orleans. It is fiction, but you will learn a lot about things that never made the nightly news. Starting a JLB book is a commitment for me, because I ...