Moving on to the "Out Islands" by Cindy

Chrissy, Jaime and Sophia barely got moved out of their stateroom, when Sunday, after church, our little Bohemian friend tried to move in!  While still in Emerald Bay, we went to a "new kind of" Baptist church!  The Ebenezer Union Baptist Church, where the people were friendly and the music lively. Should have brought our Rake 'n Scrape tambourine and we would have fit right in!  The lovely lady who was the greeter, gave us a ride home (everybody hitch hikes in the Bahamas and the people are so wonderfully friendly and actually pick you up!) and her children wanted to see the boat, so we brought them aboard for a tour.  The little guy just kept saying over and over..."Stay on the 'bo't, stay on the bo't",  after the Captain's tongue in cheek offer that we were looking for crew.  He was ready to go! Mama had to drag him away as his brother passed him to his sister on the dock!

Hard to say "Goodbye" to Emerald Bay Marina-best Marina yet on our trip for the past 11 months

We left Emerald Bay on Monday, crossing over to Cat Island, Bahamas, which is about 50 miles long and has several "settlements", so they're called. We've been to "New Bight", where we saw this awesome Hermitage, after hiking up the highest point in the Bahamas (206 feet), and the view was the best!

Pete getting ready for the hike up to the top, complete with walking stick.

Everything was like miniature size-this is where the Father prayed near the front door

I still can't get over the swimming pigs coming to our dinghy in Staniel Cay, Exumas!  Everytime I see one of the photos I'm AMAZED all over again!  (Sorry, I ADHD'd on ya!)

Back to the Hermitage...

VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE HERMITAGE (SEE HD ANCHORED IN FOREGROUND

It looked bigger from down at sea level!

Next day we were off to Fernandez Bay, where I got the "night off" from my regular galley duties, and Kathy, from Island Hop Inn, made us a lovely dinner, including her own special Lobster Bisque, fresh grilled Mahi, and an amazing peanut-butter-chocolate mousse pie!!  We'll definitely be going back for another visit next year!  What a beautiful anchorage too!

Next we sailed to  Orange Creek and at this writing, we are in a little "hallway" playing on the internet.  Meanwhile, right outside this crusty old building connected to the "grocery store/laundry mat" next door, is the most AMAZING scenery you could ever ask for.  It just  seems so odd-God's indescribable beauty surrounded by dilapidated trashed out buildings where nobody lives to enjoy it?? You see that over and over in the Bahamas-amazing beauty and yet a lot of broken dreams, destroyed homes and empty resorts in many places that are absolutely breathtaking.  Too bad, more people should really see the natural beauty here.  Guess it's partly the, shall I say, "untidy" surroundings with trash all along the roads and yards and homes unkept, many with boards and broken windows from storms long passed, some still inhabited, apparently a lot of poverty.

Here was our "hall way" couch-looks pretty nice (from a distance-don't zoom too close)...just sitting in an empty hallway of an old apt. building, Pete's doing his "ting"-Bahama style wifi-worky!

while right across the street, sits HD waiting for our return

We dinghy'd around town

not much to see

So we went back to HD...and this! Spectacular!