Man O War Part 4: Family and Friends

Although our visit to Man O War was incredible, there was a notable absence - Oliver's grandfather Rickey. Rickey would always meet us at the airport, note that life is always better in the Bahamas, complain a bit about the traffic in Marsh Harbour (which usually consisted of about 3 cars) and about the one traffic light (for more than 80 miles), then take us to lunch at Wally's before whisking us away to Man O War. Once on the island Rickey would head to his office where he would spend the days working. Rickey would, however, always be up for leaving the office for an adventure in the golf cart or boat. He was also always ready with a smile. And one can not forget - Rickey always had a black dog with him.

The day of Rickey's memorial service was spectacular - it was the one day where the air was still and the sky was cloudless. The memorial was held in the Coconut Grove, a stand of coconut trees looking out over the beach and ocean. We spent much of the day listening to Rickey's friends share stories and thoughts about Rickey's life. We then went out on the boat with two of Rickey's closest friends and scattered his ashes. The day was perfect.

Davis and I also thought that spending time with family and friends in the place Rickey loved was a perfect way to remember Rickey and to celebrate his life.

Here is a picture of the family (minus Oliver's grandmother Margot who was the one who managed to herd us all together to take the photo) -

Oliver, Davis and Uncle Tim

Oliver and cousin Caitlin

Davis, Oliver and Rickey's friend Ray


Ray and Walter, two of Rickey's closest friends, went conching with Uncle Tim; they managed to get quite a bit of conch. Oliver was very interested in the cleaning of the conch as well as the making of the conch salad. Once again showing us that his palate is different from the average almost 2 year old, Oliver devoured both the conch and the conch pistol. He loved it so much that to get more he not only yelled "more" but also signed it over and over again.

On Sunday, the day before we left Man O War, Davis swam around the island (about 8 miles). Caren and Skipper were on hand to cheer Davis on.