Thursday, April 9th. Obituary

You can read Rich's Obituary at nwfdailynews.com or heritagegardensfuneralhome.com

Funeral Arrangements

This is just not how our trip was suppose to end, but sadly it did, and now we just have to go on.  Rich's funeral arrangements are for this Saturday, April 11th.  Visitation is from 10:00-1200.  Service at 12:00 and burial to follow.  All will be at the Heritage Gardens Funeral Home and Cemetery in Niceville, FL   Address:  2201 Partin Dr N, Niceville, FL. 32578.   Phone, 850-729-1955.   If anyone wants to say a few words about Rich at his funeral, please feel free to when the Chaplin asks.  The out pouring of love, prayers, hugs, kisses, and the kindest emails, texts, and phone calls has been staggering, loving, and something I will always cherish forever.  I knew what a special man I married, I just never guessed how special he was to all of you.  For those of you who are able to attend his funeral please join us for some comradriere following the burial, at the American Legion in Niceville.  Address:  444 E John Sims Parkway,
I love you all so much throughout this painful journey.  I will have to spend the rest of my life being  "a Mother Theresa"  to pay forward all of the love, and kindness you have bestowed on Rich and I.  For those of you who only started the blog during the bad times, if you are ever bored and want to read the good times please do at Nicevilleyc.org  
All my Love and Gratitude to all of you who helped carry me through the absolute worse time of my life, I will be forever grateful.
Love,
Kathy

Monday Morning, April 6th

Time of Death 6:16 am.  Rich maxed out on his vasopressors to keep his blood pressure and went into asystole (no heart beat) as expected.  Funeral arrangements pending.

Easter Sunday, April 5th

Well today they increased his Levophed to 52 mcg to maintain his blood pressure and that was only keeping it in the 80-90 range.  The fellow re-inserted the dialysis catheter and dialysis was started.  I was able to visit this afternoon with my nephew Jason, niece Caroline, met their 2 adorable children Emma and Jake, and Caroline's parents who were visiting from Puerto Rico.  Later, when I was in Rich's room tonight reading emails to him that came in today, his nurse rushed in and started trying to get a pulse in his wrist and a carotid pulse.  This was around 7:15 I think.  Got the Doppler and called for the medical team.  She could not get a pulse, and so the crash cart appeared, and I was asked to leave the room.  He was in Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA), which was caused by acidosis.  They got him back with epinephrine and sodium bicarbonate and CPR.  You cannot shock PEA.   When I returned to the room, he was now on 100 mcg of  Levophed .  After calling family and speaking with the doctor who ran the code, I was in direct conflict with myself as the nurse and as the wife.  We had talked about giving Rich the benefit of the doubt by allowing him to code one more time and then changing code status to medication only.  Easier said than done.  I decided to watch and see how he was doing, when around 9:15 I looked at the monitor and now his heart rate was 59 and some weird rhythm.  I called his nurse in the room.  He checked for pulses, but they were extremely weak.  Next thing I know the medical team and crash cart are in the room, and I am out in the hall again.  They brought him back again, with CPR and meds.  Now in his atrial fib.  Blood pressure still extremely low.  Eyes reacting very slow and pupils dilated in a well lit room, although they are wandering.  I then decided that it would be so unfair to Rich to keep coding him through the night, in light of all of his other horrific issues, so told the doctor that I wanted a medicine code only.  With his previous brain injuries, this coding was just adding fuel to the fire.  Right now it is 11:45 pm,  his blood pressure is 69/43 on 94 mcg of Levophed.  Believe it or not he is in Normal Sinus Rhythm  at a rate of 70, so for now the 2 meds to decrease heart rate have been discontinued.   The doctor said they would continue to increase the Levophed up to the max of 160.

Saturday, April 4th

A day of major setbacks.   Arrived to find that the vasopressor Levophed was up from 8 mcg to 25 mcg/min to maintain his blood pressure.  Pretty high.  Heart rate high too.   By the end of the day Rich was on 2 IV meds to lower heart rate, and 2 to maintain his blood pressure.  Apparently earlier in the day he had a fever.  When I felt his head I thought he seemed warm, but by this time he was down to 99.9 temp.  So the doctors ordered more blood cultures to see if he has a new infection that is not coverd by the antibiotics he is on.  It is like going through the sepsis drill all over again.  Kidneys starting to fail again.  Creatinine up to 3.4 and BUN 97, both bad.  Signed a consent tonight to insert another catheter for dialysis.  They did an ultrasound of kidneys looking for more clots/dead tissue, don't know results yet.  The weekend pulmonary fellow and ICU resident were absolutely awesome, they get A+ for family skills.   They know the gravity of the situation, but willing to do whatever the family wants.  They are not sure if Rich's heart can take another assault, and feel that the clot by his mitral valve may still be showering his organs with debris (clots).  Just don't know what to say.  The only good thing that happened was a friend of ours (we are the godparents of his twin daughters) and his wife stopped in to see Rich tonight and we had a nice visit.  They are just now moving to Miami.   I hope Rich knew Terry was here,  and how much Terry loves him.  I tell Rich each day about all of your emails and well wishes.  And I tell him often, not knowing his mental status.  Have to say today he was in sleep cycle, but when one eye open and he was staring straight ahead, I asked him to look at me and he did, and appeared to focus on me, followed  my voice etc.  So not sure about anything.  When his eyes are wandering, I am pretty sure that is really just reflex.

Friday, April 3rd

Up and down today with the blood pressure and the Levophed .  Rich was in his awake phase most of the day.  Told him how many friends he has that have been sending hugs and well wishes.  Went over where he is, what happened, where the boat and dogs are.  Reviewed how we met, every place we have ever lived and what adventures and people we met at those locations.  Went over the fun we had on this past cruising trip.  Although the doctors would argue with me, I think he did focus when I was talking to him.  Yes his eyes would wander in between, but he seemed to try.  The doctors are there for a few minutes, I am there for hours.
One of our really good friends, Marcee Cook, did something very nice for Rich and I.  She asked me to pass it along to you.  She opened an account on  Gofundme.com/qs7yrzc       I am strong, independent, and have a hard time accepting the generosity of family and friends.  However, that being said, my Rich is Dutch and very tight as many of you know, so he would probably appreciate every penny.  I also know that for some of you who feel helpless, it feels like you are doing something, and you are.   So thank you so very much, but do not feel obligated to contribute.  We love you all the same and prayers are worth millions to me.  Also, for those of you who have sent comments on the blog, I have received them, I just can't figure out how to answer back, so if you want an answer please use our email.  Rikava2@aol.com    
I feel like a little girl who needs her Mom to make it all better.  Unfortunately my Mom does not have the mental capacity to help me anymore.   Thank you all for being there for Rich and I.

Thursday, April 2nd

Still on the Levophed today, but decreasing the dosage, maintaining blood pressure 96/58 on 6.6 mcg.  Changed antibiotics to Meropenem based on blood cultures.  Changed PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) from right to left arm, just to prevent infection.  Seemed to be in sleep cycle until about 2:00 pm today.  At 6:30 pm back to sleep cycle.  Nurses say he does respond when getting moved or ointment in eyes, and they can tell he does not like it.  All in all a quiet day, and that is alright to me.

April 1st, 2015, Jackson Memorial Hospital

A few steps back today.  I swear Rich can't get a break.  Arrived to find his blood pressure low, 68/58, so the new fellow tried to give him a bolus of 250 ml of Sodium Chloride.  BP up to 86/70, but then down again to 60-69/52.  So that bought him Levophed, a vasopressor.  Unfortunately for him 3 of his toes on his left foot are pretty dark and one toe would not even blanch when squeezed, so he probably has thrown a clot to one of his vessels in his foot, and being on the Levophed, which is a vasoconstrictor, he will probably lose those toes, which is the least of his problems.  Because his blood pressure is not stable, they cancelled the trach and the PEG tube for today.  At 6:15 pm Dr Bloom saw me in the hallway and told me no changes for the positive.  He now has gone from saying he is "pessimistic" to "very pessimistic" and made a point of that.
I read a really good article the other day that I would like to share with you.  If you Google :  NY Times,  2011,  A Drug that Wakes the Near Dead,  don't read it for the paradoxical effect of Ambien, but for the journey these parents went through, so that you can try to understand how hard it is to make these decisions about care.  It will also give you an understanding of what a vegetative and  minimally conscious state is.  I am not naive or looking through rose colored glasses.  I realize his chances for any recovery are slim to none.  Easier to stand by the sidelines and say what you would do.  I just wish God would make the decision for us.  Oh yeah, one day on this trip Rich and I were talking about the fact that we still needed to do our trust and living wills.  I told him one of these days we would be caught...isn't it hell to be right!  If you learn anything from all of this, make sure you all have your living wills done with explicit info on what to do in circumstances like this.  Thank you all again for your prayers and hugs.  I truly feel them.

Tuesday, March 31st. Still at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami

Well, March did come in like a lion and lasted all month!  Rich was suppose to have tracheostomy today, but as the ICU Medical Director was telling me that at 11:30, I looked at his tube feeding and mentioned that he was not NPO ( nothing by mouth).  He abruptly left the room and I could tell he was mad that no one wrote the order for NPO.  Okay, so now the critical care anesthesiologist fellow tells me he and the attending anesthesiologist will be doing the trach at bedside tomorrow afternoon.  When I saw the Medical Director of ICU coming off of the elevator, I asked him about a PEG tube. (Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) which is a tube placed into his abdomen for the purpose of tube feedings, liquids, and medications.  He said they would get in touch with Interventional Radiology to do this.  I asked if anesthesia and radiology could coordinate their efforts to try to do it under the same anesthetic, but we will see on that.  Meanwhile, case manager working on transportation for Rich to Pensacola.  I have told you how I am going back and forth thru the stages of grieving (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance).  Thought I was getting into the acceptance phase, only to get angry today that Rich could leave me like this.  I miss him so much it is almost unbearable.  His blood pressure on the low side today, heart rate still being controlled by amiodorone and  Metropolol .  Eyes still wandering today.  Since he doesn't have a blink response, nurse felt his eyes open today, even with ointment were drying out.   She lightly taped his eyes. I took off the tape to talk to him.   Appeared to focus at times, but eyes really wandering today.    Oh dear Lord, help us, I am so sad.

Sunday, March 29th. Jackson Memorial Hospital

This last week has been hell on Rich and me.  The TEE (trans esophageal echocardiogram) showed debris in his ventricle by his mitral valve.  Read as blood clot, vegetative growth (bacteria), or tumor. Suspect blood clot or vegetative growth.  Normally would take patient to surgery, remove the growth, and replace the infected valve.  This would be open heart surgery, and due to Rich's bleeding problems, cannot do.  In the meantime, the heart has pumped out and pushed this debris into his spleen, kidney, brain, and intestines, killing off tissue where the emboli have hit.  The only treatment for that right now is antibiotics for this infective endocarditis. He has been bleeding from his intestines for over a week and has required several blood transfusions for this.  Meanwhile he went into multiple organ failure, and severe sepsis, he did not go into septic shock, as he did not require a vasopressor to keep his blood pressure up.  He was border line DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation, a clotting disorder), and required several units of fresh frozen plasma.  He remained in a coma unti last Sunday when he opened his eyes, grimaced, and frowned when the nurses washed his hair and shaved him.  So the next stage after coma is called a "vegetative state", where the patient may emerge into consciousness, or progress to a permanent vegetative state, where eyes can be opened and even follow voices, but no one knows if they have any cognitive thinking going on or only reflexes.  Rich's eyes were reactive to light, had a slight gag reflex, but no response to painful stimuli, and no movement of any limbs.  On Tuesday the intern was asking about his code status, and I told her he was a full code, as I had no reason to believe otherwise.  She said the team had assumed he was a Do Not Resuscitate.  Then the nurse manager asked me if I thought about taking him off of life support.  They had a "palliative" doctor come talk to me about palliative or supportive care at a specialty hospital, but Rich would need to have his endotracheal tube removed and have a tracheostomy, which he needs to have anyway, as the ET tube has been in too long.  He was scheduled for the tracheostomy on Friday morning. Meanwhile, I asked Rich's brother to come back to Miami, and his other brother's son came too, as his one brother was busy at the Mayo Clinic with his own health issues.   On Thursday morning the Neurology team came to see Rich.  On Wednesday, he did not react to painful stimuli, but on Thursday he did to the sternal rub, and also his right foot responded to pain.  The attending neurolgist told us that Rich still had swelling around the brain, so a prognosis is really not available until the swelling goes down, and then you can evaluate the mental and functional deficits.  He told us it would take time.  Meanwhile, Rich has periods that he opens his eyes, and family swears he is trying to focus and follow the voice.  Do we really know?  No.  It could just be reflex, but we are not giving up hope, until it is truly hopeless.  Rich had been in atrial fibrillation most of the week, and once in awhile would convert to a normal sinus rhythm.  On Thursday he was in a normal sinus rhythm most of the day, when my nephew came out of his room to   tell me his heart rate was elevated.  I thought he was back in atrial fibrillation, but when I got to his room his rate was in the 160-170s.  The nurse called for the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) team to come.  The Medical Director Doctor, passed us in the hall and stated they put him on Esmolol to lower his rate.  A few minutes later, the nurse manager comes out to tell us that Rich was in a full code, CPR, chest compressions, and shocking him.  Those were by far the worst 10 minutes of my life.  They got him back, and he spent Friday on cardiac drips to maintain his blood pressure and lower his heart rate.  The doctors don't really know what happened, as his EKG did not show a heart attack.  Yesterday, he was able to maintain his own pressure and was off of all drips until late afternoon when they put him on a drip to lower his heart rate.  Yesterday, Saturday, we were sure that Rich was responding to my voice as he looked like he wanted to say something, and his eyes followed my voice no matter what side of the bed I was on.  Again, we do not know what, if anything is going on.  In the vegetative state Rich goes in and out of awake/sleep cycles.  If Rich remains stable enough for the tracheostomy, he will have that done this week, with hopes of transferring him to Pensacola specialty hospital, and then we will continue to watch, wait, and pray for improvement.

Wednesday, March 18, 20015 Jackson Memorial Hospital

Arrived Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami via Lear Jet with flight physician, flight nurse, and paramedic on Wednesday March 11th about 9:00 p.m. Admitted to the medical ICU.  Thursday attending physician showed me his chest x-Ray which was almost entirely white with pneumonia.  He also showed me the MRI from Nassau which showed brain bleeds in all 4 quadrants of his brain.  On Friday, March 13th, his chest x-Ray was greatly improved, and the doctors were amazed by that.  However, now the sepsis was attacking his kidneys, and he was put on dialysis on Saturday. He has been in atrial fibrillation before and since our arrival.  They did cardiovert (shock the heart) to get him back into a normal rhythm, but that was short lived.  Meanwhile, he is now having issues with his clotting factors, and bleeding around the dialysis and other catheters, so they had to give him 2 units of blood.  They also gave him 6 units of fresh frozen plasma.  He definitely is septic with a staph aureus infection.  On Monday his liver enzymes were greatly elevated, so we are now getting into multiple organ failure.  On Monday they did a CT scan of his chest, abdomen, and pelvis.  It showed infarcts (dead tissue caused by obstruction of the blood vessel), in his kidney and spleen, most likely caused by the heart pushing blood clots or debris. The Infectious Disease doctors were consulted and they are starting to think infective endocarditis (infection of the valves and/or lining of the heart).  Tuesday they did a TEE, trans esophageal echocardiogram, in which they put a large tube down the esophagus with a camera to look at the heart and valves.  Today, Wednesday, March 18th, still awaiting complete report, but am told he has a growth in his ventricle of his heart, which may be the vegetative growth of the bacteria.  Right now he is "stable, but critical", and the hospital team has not sugar coated anything.  I ask only for your prayers for Rich.  If you are wondering about CJ, Bitts, and Rikava, God has taken care of all of them.  So happens that on Saturday, March 7th, 2 of Rich's friends were driving to Miami to pick up Dave's new boat.  Rick, a good friend from the marina grabbed his passport and came with them.  Dave had a friend in Miami with a float plane who flew Rick to Staniel Cay, where Rick met up with our old friends on Trumpeter who were taking care of CJ, Bitts, and the boat.  Rick got the boat to Miami and I got to see the dogs.  My best friend Jan flew down from Ft Walton Beach, then rented a car to bring the dogs back with her and dog sit while I attend to things here.  Rikava is buddy boating with Dave, and they left Miami today.  I will probably do a weekly synopsis of what is going on to keep you informed.  Thank you for reading our blog, CJ enjoyed writing it.  What was at one time a short while ago "Livin the dream, is now Livin the nightmare"!

March 10, 2015 Sudden End of Our Trip

This is Kathy taking over from CJ.  We have got a serious situation going on right now.  It is a long story, but right now Rich is in Doctors Hospital in Nassau, fighting for his life.  I will try to make this as succinct as possible.  Last Monday, March 2, Rich pulled something in his back in Staniel Cay.  We were anchored off of Big Majors Spot.  Got him back on boat, and he took motrin and flexeril, and cold to back.  By Tuesday morning he was literally crying from the pain.  He took a Lortab and that seemed to help with the pain.  Wednesday he was actually looking and feeling better.  Thursday he woke up and seemed a little lethargic and really sleepy.  I told him he might be oversensitive to the Lortab and flexeril, and that we should stop that and only use the motrin.  He agreed.  I also started him on some deep breathing since he had been lying in bed for 2.5 days and I did not want him to get lung issues.  He sat up and ate lunch, and had chicken enchiladas for dinner.  Then wanted to go to sleep.  On Friday morning he was very lethargic and we took him to the nurse run clinic in Staniel.  He was dehydrated and in atrial fibrillation.  Got 2 liters of Lactated Ringers, and once the EKG confirmed the atrial fibrillation, the Dr in Georgetown stated he should go to the ER in Nassau.  We chartered a private plane to get us there.  Went to the ER, where Rich was getting confused, but still alert, though sleepy.  After a slew of tests, he was admitted to the intermediate intensive care unit.  Early Saturday morning he was placed in ICU for better monitoring.  When I got there he was not responsive mentally.  He was found to be in sepsis from a gram positive infection, staph aureus, origin unknown.  Kidney tests out of whack, and an MRI and EEG done.  His MRI of brain showed some capillary bleeds in multiple locations.  When I arrived this morning, he had his eyes open, and was lifting arms and moving legs, due to pain.  His blood oxygen saturation had dropped and he was getting a breathing treatment  An Echo ultrasound was ordered to make sure he did not have endocarditis.  Meanwhile, his oxygen saturation drops, and they had to intubate him, put in a central venous line and an arterial line to monitor him.  We were suppose to be airlifted back to Ft Walton yesterday, but the hospital did not have an available ICU bed.  Today all bets are off on moving due to his deterioration.  Obviously I am distraught, but my younger sister who is a critical care nurse told me to
start thinking like a nurse.  It is better that he is intubated and on a ventilator, and being monitored
closely.  The ICU doctor and the nephrologist both thought the best place to medevac him would be

to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, so arrangements were made to get him there by Lear Jet.

Feb 27, 2015 Warderick Wells

Today Rich and Kathy repositioned the boat at Warderick Wells in the Exumas Land and Sea Park.  They were able to purchase some WiFi time, but it won't let them download videos, pictures, or go to social media sites.  Darn, I really wish you could see some of their pictures.  Anyhoo, they will be posted in the future.  At the headquarters office they were able to see a hutia mammal, which looks like a miniature ground hog, is nocturnal, and is native only to the Bahamas.  Rich went up to Boo Boo Hill, where boaters leave a momento of their visit and he then went to the blow hole, which wasn't doing anything.  He took me for a dinghy ride...Bitts didn't get to go because she pooped down in the cabin, so no ride for her.  Tomorrow off to Big Majors...follow us on the SPOT.

Feb 26, 2015 Thursday Shroud to Exumas Land and Sea Park

Did I say "dreams tonight"?  It was more like a nightmare.  Winds were blowing 30 knots out of the south and this boat was a rockin and rollin!   Bitts and I were scared as the dinghy was banging the boat and waves were crashing all around us.  It was miserable, so I made my distress, whinny noise and Kathy came to the cockpit.  She could see we were scared, so she brought her pillow and a sheet and came on deck.  The wind and rocking was relentless and did not stop.  Kathy, Bitts, and I did not sleep a wink.  Rich was z'd out on his Benadryl.  Morning came and winds did not die out.  We decided to go to the Exumas Land and Sea Park at Warderick Wells to get out of this weather.  Rich went to get the dinghy ready to put up on the davits, and he yelled for Kathy.  The dinghy motor was gone!!  At first we thought it might have been stolen, but then Rich saw it bobbing in the water behind the dinghy.  Apparently the winds were so bad last night, and with the dinghy banging the mother ship, somehow it loosened the attachments and the motor fell into the salt water--not good for the motor I am told.  The good news is that it was still attached to the dinghy by the "ah sh_t" line and the fuel line.  Rich tied a line around it and Kathy hoisted it out of the water.  All this while still in 25-30 knot winds.  Rich had the motor apart in minutes and washed it with fresh water, some WD 40, and yes, it started.  I was worried I might not be able to go ashore swimming anymore.  So we finally took off for a 4 1/2 hour trip to the Exumas Land and Sea Park.  It was NOT a pleasant trip with winds 25-30 knots on the nose and 4 foot seas.  We picked up a mooring ball at Hog Cay, which is on the lower southeast corner of Warderick Wells.  What a great place and best kept secret.  Weather protection 360 degrees, so we finally got a good night's sleep and I was back to dreaming about beaches.

Feb 25, 2015 Shroud Cay

I overheard Kathy talking about going back to the beach they took a picture of me when I was a puppy 11 years ago.  Dinghy ride and beach...can't wait.  First we stopped at a large beach and Kathy let me jump from the dinghy and swim in.  Bitts would never had made it that far.  Shitz Shu's are not know for their swimming ability...and Bitts has a small, recessed snorkel.  I immediately began tearing up the beach and running as far away as I could.  I do this on purpose to upset Kathy, as she is afraid I will become a Bahamian dog.  Rich is much cooler about it and just ignores me...I always come back.  Bitts swam a little and then did some beach combing.  We both ran up and down the beach a few times, but then Bitts got tired and jumped back into the dinghy.  It was time to go and I pretended not to hear Kathy calling me and I kept running like a bat out of hell (whatever that means) down the beach.  So eventually I turn around, and what???  Hey, what's going on here.  No dinghy.  They left me!!  I mean they really left me!!  The dinghy was way out there.  So I thought about it for a minute and I did not know of a kibbles supply out here, so I thought I better swim like hell out to them.  And boy did I swim like I've never swam before, at least 70 yards.  Good thing I'm a good swimmer.  Rich and Kathy had not seen any sharks, stingrays or even a minnow at Shroud and there were people swimming in the crystal clear water, so they knew I would be okay.  Well they must have seen me swimming and they slowed down so I could catch up.  Kathy pulled me back into my dinghy and we were off to the Exuma Sound beach side.  The channel that goes across the cay to the Exuma Sound is shallow, especially at low tide.  The tide was rising, but  Rich hit a small sand bar, and oops, we hit the sand so hard that Bitts and I popped out of the dinghy.  Of course we were standing on the bow, and good thing we were tethered to the dinghy, so Kathy could just pluck us out of the water. Rich thought we better turn around and explore other parts of Shroud and come back later.  So on high tide we tried it again and made it to one of the most beautiful beaches in the Exumas.  Bitts and I swam and ran up and down this pristine beach...it wasn't so pristine after we got done with it, but that is what the tide is for.  Anyway, I even rolled in seaweed...I don't know why, it just feels good.  We got full of sand and salt water, so when we got back to the mother ship we had to get a shower and then dry off.  That's our least favorite thing about a day at the beach, but oh those dreams tonight!

Feb 24, 2015 Tuesday Allens to Shroud Cay

This was the absolute best sailing day ever, or so Kathy said.  Seas were one foot and winds 10-15 knots with full sails up.  The water was mesmerizing tourquoise.  Rich took a mooring ball on Shroud with 6 other boats.  Kathy said, "This is what you call living the dream".  Well it may be Rich and Kathy's dream...mine would be a dog house filled with treats and no rules!!

Feb 23, 2015 Monday Nassau to Allens Cay

We left Nassau at about 7:30 and what a beautiful sail it was.  Now this is the Bahamas I remember with beautiful tourquoise waters as we crossed the Yellow Banks.  The Yellow Banks are very shallow, 10-12 feet, and Rich had to stand guard at the bow, looking for coral heads.  We got to Allens and the crystal blue water was spectacular.  This is why we love the Exumas.  Yippee, yippee, Rich and Kathy put down the dinghy and we got a dinghy ride to look at the prehistoric iguanas on Leaf and Southwest Allens Cays.  As per Rich and Kathy's strict protocol, Bitts and I were not allowed off of the dinghy to play with the iguanas.  Rich said they would slap me in the head with their tails, and actually that did not sound like much fun to me.  We then went to a little sandy beach where Bitts and I swam and ran in the sand.  Tuesday morning we watched speed boats come in from the cruise ships to look at the iguanas, then we were off to Shroud Cay.

Pics of Nassau with Sunset, luxury yacht, 6 cruise ships in port, and Atlantis Hotel

Feb 22, 2015. Morgan's Bluff to Nassau

                                                            Rich at the helm

Heeling over

                                           

Feb 20, 2015. Nassau

We finally left Morgan's Bluff on Tuesday, and had quite the ride to Nassau.  Winds were out of the southeast, blowing 25-30 knots, and seas 5-6 feet.  Kathy and Rich thought that Bitts and I would be more comfy in the cabin, but I was being a butt and making all sorts of noise to come out.  Well that didn't work out as planned, so I pooped in the cabin, and boy did I make a mess.  That'll teach them.  Anyway, Rich was not very amused by my tactic, and he had to wash a rug and clean the floor.  Oops, better not do that again unless I want to swim home!  When we came into Nassau Harbor Kathy took a picture of 4 cruise ships that we anchored close to.  When I finally got on deck, I could see the Atlantis Hotel.  Wednesday a front moved through and it rained heavily all day.  Rich liked it cuz it washed all the salt off of the boat.  The poor people on the cruise ship did not have a good day in Nassau.  Thursday was not much better, no rain, but the harbor had winds 25-34, with an occasional gust to 40 knots.  Nobody got off the boat.  Today, Friday, it is chilly outside, but sunny.  Everyday different cruise ships come in, and today 4 more came for the day.  This harbor is really busy, and it is fun looking at all the mega luxury yachts, sailboats, party boats, and supply ships.  We even saw the supply ship that docked next to us in Morgan's Bluff.  Well Kathy and Rich went into Nassau to get the calamine lotion and Benadryl for Rich.  He is slowly getting better, but he looks like he has a bad case of the measles.  Then some fresh foods at the grocery store.  Rich listened to the weather this morning and looks like we will head south to maybe Allens Cay on Monday or Tuesday.  I can't wait to see the iguanas!!!

Battery Pics

                                                             See, I was on Battery watch

                                                            Here they come!

                                               Yeah, but putting them on the boat was the hard part.

Feb 16, 2015 Batteries

I guess I should get you caught up on what's happening.  The supply ship was suppose to be here on Wed, February 11th, and no such luck, the weather in the Gulf Stream made it too rough to cross.  No ship on Thursday either.  The dock master told us it would be in at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.  Well that passed too.  Kathy was looking out the port light in the galley at 7:00 p.m., and there she was, the Bahamas Express.  They unloaded the ship in record time, 1 1/2 hours, but Rich had to wait until Saturday morning to get the batteries through customs.  We were all so excited as the forklift brought them to the boat.  The nice man even waved at us.  Then the hard part for Rich.  I guess those batteries weighed a lot.  I heard Rich say they weighed in at 343 pounds...that lead is really heavy!!  Good thing a fellow cruiser helped Rich load and unload the batteries, because Bitts and I put together could not have managed to help with our little paws.  Kathy was conveniently busy making homemade English muffins, and since the dough had risen, she had to attack that job, or so she said.  I don't think she really wanted to help with the batteries.  Rich was able to install all 5 of them.  On Sunday he programed the new regulator, and said we are in business.  Rich is happy that everything is running perfect.  That means we need to wait for the next weather window, which will be tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17th.  We have been here exactly 4 weeks, but have really enjoyed Andros and the people.  Bitts and I got spoiled by being able to do our business on grass everyday.  I won't have a problem on the boat, but boy oh boy, Bitts will have to be retrained again.  She's such a baby.  We met a lot of friendly cruisers who made Morgan's Bluff an overnite or couple day stop.  Rich and Kathy will be looking for them down island.  So tomorrow we head off to Nassau, and then will have to wait for another weather window which will be on the weekend.  Don't know when I will have WiFi available, so follow us on our SPOT, and check in once in awhile to see what we are up to.

Feb 15, 2015 Poisonwood

Well Bitts and I feel really bad, we think we gave our dog Dad a case of poisonwood.  Never heard of it?, well another first.  It is related to the poison oak family and there is an oil on it that will make you break out with a terrible, super unbelievable rash and itch.  One of us must have gotten into it when going for a walk, and when Rich picked us up he got it.  That's what we think.  Anyway, poor Rich, he is one big itchy rash, basically all over his body.  Kathy put some Calamine lotion on it and it is helping, but takes 1-2 weeks to go away.  Kathy, the "nurse",  has everything on board for a major boat accident except Benadryl...she has Epi pens etc, but somehow forgot the Benadryl.  When we get to Nassau tomorrow they will go get some more Calamine lotion and some Benadryl.  Good thing dogs don't get it and it is not contagious.  Rich is a saint with trying not to scratch.  If Kathy got it, she would be drinking Manhattans to put her out of her misery. 

Feb 11, 2015 Texas Family Deported from Bahamas

Don't know if you have been watching the news or TV, but there was a story about a family from Texas, husband and wife, and 7 children, ages 12 and down to diapers, who were wanted for wire fraud and left the US and came to the Bahamas.  Guess what??  Bitts and I not only met them, but their kids were playing with us.  When Rich and Kathy got to Morgan's Bluff, they took a walk to the point and met this family.  He said he was a potato farmer, she said they were on vacation and she was home schooling the kids.  The children were beautiful and pretty well behaved, but the Dad would never let them go past the internal gate.  Anyway, con man father offered to get batteries for Rich's boat, because he "knew someone with a private plane that could fly them in right away".  Thank goodness Rich did not fall for that one.  So one day when the wind was rough, the dockmaster was telling him that she was going to put another boat from the outer harbor inside next to his.  He started giving her some lip about it, and she reminded him that SHE was the dockmaster.  He was persistent with yelling and she threatened to call Customs and Immigration to check his status.  Wham, in less than an hour he had pulled his lines and was out of here in rough seas.  Said he was going to Chub Cay, but the news said he was arrested in Staniel Cay.  We all just feel bad for the kids.  They are in Florida child protective services, and their parents face up to 20 years in jail and $250,000 fine.  Bitts and I are glad that we have good parents!

Feb 7, 2015 Red Bays

Sun was shining so brightly that it was a point and shoot, but turned out pretty.

Feb 7, 2015 Pictures from Red Bays

This gentleman wanted to play us a folk song as a thank you for stopping and buying baskets.

Feb 7, 2015 Tour Again and Junkanoo

The English dude, Simon, and his dog were talking to Rich and Kathy about the Junkanoo in Andros and how they really should see it. (Simon and his wife Carol left England 3 years ago and never looked back.  They love the island and the easy living). Trouble is you really need a car to go to Nicholls Town as it is about 15 minutes away.  Rich asked some of the new cruisers in port if they would be interested in renting a van, doing some touring, and then the Junkanoo at night.  So off they went.  Kathy and Rich are becoming quite the tour guides, as they have spent so much time here.  They went to the usual spots, but also found this really nice liquor store in Lowes Sound, and bought some Bahamian rum called "Fire in de Hole".  They stopped at a local grocery store for some hamburger buns, tomatoes, and onions.  Lunch again at the Andros Island Resort.  Excellent, but took over 2 hours, as they were really busy with the Junkanoo people and there is a funeral tomorrow for one of the Defence Force personnel.  You may be asking yourself, what is a Junkanoo?  It is basically a street carnival with costumes, music, and dance inspired by a different theme each time.  This year's theme was Africa.  Simon said that the costumes are sent to all the islands that have Junkanoo.  There are a number of different beliefs on how Junkanoo started, and one is that it developed from the days of slavery when the Loyalists gave the slaves 3 days off at Xmas, which they celebrated by singing and dancing in colorful costumes.  This year was no exception.  Junkanoo was elaborate and done extremely well.  Food vendors were selling fried chicken, ribs, Jerk pork, fried snapper, peas and rice, crab rice, coleslaw, and conch salad.  The food was excellent.  Kathy and Rich said that the people are the most genuine and friendly around.  There are a lot of people from the US, Switzerland, England, etc that have moved here permanently, and the Bahamians have received them into their communities with open arms.  Bitts and I heard they like dogs too, but it appears we are not allowed to mingle as we did not go to Junkanoo!

Feb 7, 2015. Andros Junkanoo

Feb 5, 20015 Supply Ships in Port

Today was a mad house and too much for me to watch.  The supply ship from Nassau came in around midnight and started unloading at 4 a.m.  Next, an even bigger supply ship came in from the States with all sorts of building materials.  There was so much action that I had to forego my beauty sleep.

Feb 4, 2015 Supply Ship

Yeah, it's Wednesday and, and, yes, I can see the SEACOR supply boat coming with our batteries.  It docked right next to our boat, and Rich and Kathy are so excited.  Okay, so what's happening...looks like nothing is happening, nope, nothing happening as in nothing coming off of the boat.  Rich went to investigate and seems like the little truck that hauls things off the boat is broke...can you believe it?  Heads are rolling and the locals are trying to find someone to fix the truck.  In the meantime, the crew from the Emerald Express are entertaining themselves with our manatee.  Apparently the manatee loves fresh water, so they throw a hose with running water to the manatee and he drinks it. 

What's that? Yippee, the little truck is fixed and stuff is starting to come off the big supply ship.  Bitts and I got to go with Rich and Kathy to check it out on our way to the beach for a swim.  Rich stopped to talk to the SEACOR lady and to check the manifest.  Meanwhile Bitts and I had a great time on the beach and swimming...the water was a little cold but really pretty.  Kathy met Rich on our way back to the boat, but Rich wasn't smiling.  "You have got to be kidding" I heard Kathy say.  Nope, no kidding, the batteries were NOT on the ship.  After some quick emails, it was discovered that the batteries had been on the dock in Ft. Lauderdale since last Friday, but were missing an IMO (whatever that is).  Well, they have been cleared, and SHOULD be on the next ship next Wednesday.  Rich and Kathy were a little bummed out, but both agreed that this was a good place to be:  nice people, nice weather, free dockage at the sea wall, free water with the spigot next to the boat, a fuel dock, beautiful beach, and they have enough food for a few more months.  I wonder if they checked the Kibbles supply?

Laundry

 

                                                            The good old fashion way!

Feb 2, 2015 Laundry and a Manatee

Today is Kathy's birthday, and her plans include doing the laundry and making a great dinner.  Before she could start on the laundry, we had a big visitor, and by big, I mean BIG.  This huge Manatee decided to come visit.  It drove me crazy swimming back and forth around the boat, and of course I show my excitement by making that whinny, squeaking sound.  Kathy Googled manatees and found out that they live in coastal waters and rivers, and sometimes these marine mammals are called Sea Cows.  They move with their tail at 5 m.p.h., and since they are mammals they must surface every 3-4 minutes to breathe in air at the surface.  At rest they can remain submerged for 15 minutes.  Our manatee must have gone to sleep, cuz he quit swimming and floated for a long time.  They eat water grasses, weeds, and algae.  They can eat a tenth of their own weight in 24 hours.  

Well after that excitement Rich pulled out the big blue bucket, the new plunger, and the laundry detergent.  We are next to the sea wall and have access to fresh running water, so Rich connected our hose and laundry day started.  It takes a long time, but is worth having clean clothes and towels.  Kathy decided that a 5 minute agitation cycle was all her hands and arms could take.  Then the rinse cycle, by hand of course.  The spin cycle includes wringing the clothes around a stainless steel post until most of the water is wrung out, and then the dryer consists of hanging the clothes on the lifelines.  We had a great wind and the sun, so the dryer cycle did not take that long.  Rich and Kathy look like gypsies, but heck, that's what cruisers are.   Bitts and I go "commando" so we don't worry about clothes.  For her birthday, Kathy made an incredible Steak Diane with filet mignon, cognac, fresh parsley, chives, and shallots, and a Dijon mustard and worchestershire sauce. Baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, and a salad with fresh tomatoes and a homemade blue cheese dressing.  French croissants finished the meal.  Everything smelled great to us, but Bitts and I could only watch from the cockpit as Rich and Kathy devoured everything.  Can you believe it, not even a lick for us.  Rich did the dishes for Kathy's gift...it's the little things that count.

Unique sunset taken from Rikava

                                                All of the sunsets are beautiful, yet unique

Jan 29, 2015 Touring Andros

Well, I understand the batteries have been ordered from Ft. Lauderdale and should, and I say again, should be on the next boat to Andros, which will be next Wednesday.  I say should, because "Mon, we be in the islands, and we not be in a hurry".  So Rich and Kathy and the people on Sea Wolf rented a car to try the tour thing again.  Andros is actually a really cool island, or so I've been told.  Rich and Kathy did not take us with them, so I am hearing this all second hand.  Andros looks more like northern Florida than like the other Bahamian Islands.  It is the largest of all of the Bahamas Islands, measuring 40 miles wide by 142 miles long, with 9,000 residents.  The largest settlement is Nicholls Town, which is about 6 miles from the harbor.  Andros is bounded to the east by the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world, and borders the 6,000 ft deep undersea canyon know as the "Tongue of the Ocean".  Andros includes over 150,00 acres of undeveloped, often untouched land.  Almost all of the land is Crown Land or government property.  Well, that is all I heard them say.  So off they went exploring the island.  They got some primitive directions, and were able to find the Mennonite mission-run commercial farm that was founded in 1983.  It grows everything from habanero peppers to potatoes, and has numerous fruit trees and honey bee hives.  Kathy bought green peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and bananas that were cut fresh from the stalk.  After that they took about a 25 minute ride on an extremely potholed road to the Red Bay Settlement in the most northwestern part of Andros.  This settlement was primarily developed by the Seminole Indians who left Florida in the 1820's to escape the Seminole Wars.  This is still a remote settlement and is highly renown for their artistry at a unique style of basket weaving passed down from generation to generation.  One of their baskets is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington.   The men do a lot of sponge fishing too.  Lunch at the Andros Island Resort was conch fritters, a grouper sandwich, and sweet potato fries.  Rich had a local beer made in Freeport called "Bush Crack" which he liked, and Kathy had one of those rummy drinks the color of the blue-green water and she said it was delish.   I think they got tired from hitting all the potholes so they came back home to the boat, with vegetables and baskets in tow.  Oh, did I mention they did not bring Bitts and I any goodies?

Jan 30, 2015 Tour of Fresh Creek and Androsia Factory

For some reason or another, Rich and Kathy are not taking Bitts and I with them AGAIN.  They say the rental car is too small, but heck, we're small too.  So off they went with Sea Wolf, this time to Fresh Creek, where the they found the bank, the resort, and the Androsia factory.  You might be wondering what Androsia is.  Well, it is a batik fabric manufactured in Fresh Creek since 1973.  It is brightly colored fabric which is unique to the Andros culture and native to only Andros.  The fabric is used throughout the Bahamas, but shipped throughout the world.  Kathy bought a blouse and baseball cap.  She also saw the Seminole Baskets for sale at 4 times what she paid in Red Bay.  As Rich says, "We are going broke saving money".  They ate lunch at a local restaurant and said it was excellent...chicken, coleslaw, rice and beans, and mixed vegetables.  It took about an hour to get there and back because of all the potholes in the road.  I don't really know what a pothole is, but apparently this island has a lot of them. 

Androsia

                                                           Androsia shirt and cap

Andros Island Resort

Seminole Basket weaver and the baskets Rich and Kathy bought

Exploring Morgan's Cave