T-2 Days: Going Nude on Vacation...Really?



Whoa? Now there is a scary thought! Say it ain't so - Tom will be strolling the beaches of SXM and AXA with a smile on his face and love in his heart. Well that will be the case, however for the sake of humanity I will be dressed. What will be nude is my left hand. After 35 years of marriage my wedding band needs to be resized. This resizing may be driven by the 45 lbs gained since I quit smoking, my disdain of the smell of a YMCA, or my love of good food and wine. The symbol of my everlasting love just does not fit anymore.

A couple weeks ago, while fishing in the Everglades, a deer fly bit my ring finger and the swelling began immediately. Quickly removing my ring for reasons I do not know, I have not been able to get it back on since the bite. So it was time to take it to the jeweler and remedy the situation. Although I feel very uncomfortable, nude in fact without my ring, it will be the only thing missing that I normally wear.  Janet feels safe that she will not have to beat off the women because I am ringless.  Why?  The ring finger may not have a gold band, but I still have a ring! Yes there are clothing optional beaches in SXM... I think we will chose not to participate this vacation. And in the big scheme of things... I think that is good!

The packing has begun in earnest, and this will be a checked bag adventure! Brave new world for us! How embarrassing to be standing with the masses waiting for my bag to come out of a hole in the wall. Oh well - I will have to live with the humiliation. On the bright side, Janet will have every goop and glop needed and I can bring all my toys plus my snorkeling gear! I got a new underwater camera for Christmas that I am dying to try out. My old camera got tired and had become unreliable? It will be missed, but the new one takes pretty sweet shots out of the water so I betting this one can capture a turtle like the old one.

As a follow up from yesterday, I was able to catch a snapshot using a Webcam on St John of our son transiting the Sir Francis Drake Passage on the CGC Eagle. Not very good, but good enough for a dad! Hopefully we will be having dinner with him on Sunday night in St Maarten.  It is that little white boat between the hills.