Not a lot to report except that we are hanging out in Hope Town, a lovely spot here in the Abacos.
Yesterday we went for a walk up to the north end of the island, where there are a good number of really nice homes, estates actually. It’s interesting as we walk on these islands and see homes that are so close to the water and yet seem to persist in spite of a number of strong hurricanes coming through the area year after year. And, that’s all in the face of little or no hurricane coverage for homeowners. As far as I am aware, there is no flood insurance program here in the Bahamas that’s comparable to what’s available in the US.
I expect that the main reason that homes survive here, storm after storm, is because most of the ocean front homes are built on land largely underpinned by a somewhat porous but very solid foundation of limestone rock. That is very much different than the US eastern coastline that is mostly sand. As you can imagine, the homes built on rock in the Bahamas fare much better than those built on soft sand in the US.
With hurricane Sandy still so fresh in the minds of those who live on the eastern seaboard, the difference of how those in the Bahamas fared verses the east coast of the US is in stark contrast. To have homes wrecked every few years and to be rebuilt over and over again, using the taxpayer subsidized flood insurance program, is foolhardy. Thankfully, it seems that some are seeing that changes to this practice have to be made and Governor Cuomo in New York, for one, is recommending that some areas badly damaged by Sandy be condemned and converted to undeveloped coastline once and for all. Don’t get me wrong, I love the coast and water but to build homes and wreck them and build again, and from an insurance fund that looses money, at taxpayers expense, just doesn’t make sense.
Well, enough ranting about that. The coastline of Elbow Cay, where Hope Town is located, has some really nice homes and we enjoyed walking by them yesterday. The north area of the island does not allow motor transportation beyond golf carts and that’s only for those who are residents of the island. That keeps the dirt roads, sand actually, clear of unnecessary traffic and makes for a great place to spend a few hours walking and enjoying the sights. As I have mentioned before, the Abacos are more lush and green than the southern parts of the Bahamas and now that we are into the spring “wet” season, things are really looking great. Pruned hedges, or trees, are a very popular visual break along some of the homes here. This shot shows how lush things are here. There’s even grass. 
And this is on stark contrast to this shot taken a month ago in the dryer southern Bahamas where short palms are the dominant vegetation. Growing things in the Abacos is a lot easier, that’s for sure.
The shoreline here is a lot more inviting. Nice spot to have a picnic lunch.
Great flowering bushes everywhere. Brenda wants to get one of these hibiscus plants for our patio this summer.
I don’t know what this one is but talk about yellow. These flowers, about the width of your hand, are on a bush about 15′ tall. Pretty amazing. It would have been fun to gather a bouquet although I expect I would have run afoul of the locals. “Hey you, with the flowers, stop!!!”.
The clouds were particularly dramatic yesterday. How about this roof mounted deck or “widow’s walk” to view the ocean?
Along the way we spied this lovely wood sloop. The contrast in water colors was really dramatic. What great lighting.
More great gardens along the way. Everything is just so well kept.
Everyone loves a view of the water and this great spot on the harbor has a perfect spot complete with some comfy Adirondack chairs to enjoy the view. I guess they have lots of friends or like to change chairs often for a different view. 
And, of course, from their vantage point, a great shot of Pandora that those sitting in those great chairs would see of Pandora looking pretty tropical. 
What post about Hope Town is complete without yet another shot of the lighthouse. This one is made even better by Pandora gracing the same frame. 
We spent some time at the marina resort yesterday and enjoyed a beer by the pool. The resort has two pools and we loved this one which we had all to ourselves. Love the planters. 
The view of the clouds above was spectacular. It will come as no surprise that with these came a few showers but not enough to dampen things too much. Glad that we closed the hatches on Pandora when we headed ashore. 
We are certainly enjoying being in the Bahamas. What a great shot of their flag flying proudly at one of the north end homes. Here’s an idea? We’ll come back next winter!!!
We finished up the day with dinner at a local restaurant called Fire Fly. They are located out of town and picked us up at the dock in a golf cart and a “stretch” cart that seats six at that. We had a great table on the deck with a view of the sunset.
So, today, what to do? Here’s an idea! Let’s visit the pool with a good book. Yes, that’s the ticket. How about the weather? Sunny. Go figure.
