We experience, and test our mettle with, a day without power.
No AC, no water, no internet, no nothing!
Our hopes that this will be a quick fix are dashed. It’s island wide.
So we have the pool, we have the Gulf, we have books and toys and cards. And make use of all.
I finish the last fifteen minutes of my workout with an admittedly lazy swim. It felt just fine!
We have bread, cheese, crackers, peanut butter and jelly, chips, fruit. Nobody starves. Lots of drinks, including big jugs of filtered water. No one will die of thirst.
Griffin’s disappointed he can’t go on-line for his usual morning entertainment, but as a child of the internet, he gets it.
I read awhile, watch Kayla paddle board awhile. Colt asks me to teach him another card game.
Gin Rummy it is! After a couple of open hands to explain, he proceeds to kick my butt. I’m pretty good at Gin. I feel he’s going to be better at it.
We keep the patio accordion doors all the way open, and open the front door. There’s a blessed cross-breeze. It’s not nearly as hot as it has been, so we can be grateful there.
But by late afternoon it’s starting to get pretty steamy.
I make a big salad. Washing everything with our filtered jug water. Jason uses the gas stove top to make boxed Mac and cheese. BW does hot dogs on the grill. I do some raw veg with some Ranch dressing, some cheese and crackers. Again, no one starves.
Jason and the older kids head to the store—more ice. We have a cooler and can store some of the perishables in there if the power stays off much longer. They buy a couple more flashlights and candles—in case.
As it’s Kat’s birthday we have cake—and some very soft ice cream.
Griffin decides on a combo of chase and the locked-gate game we play at home. Jason becomes a gate at the library door and locks us in. We have to find the right color key—which Griffin chooses by some color on a book cover or something on my library shelves.
In this version Jason is the gate that locks me on the other side of Griffin. I have to find the right color key, unlock the gate, and give chase.
Hey, it worked off dinner.
And suddenly, just after 8, boom! Power! There is joy and jubilation throughout the land.
Close the doors and feel the cool start to happen. Plug in all devices that weren’t. And bless him, Jason does the mountain of dishes.
When I head up, I take the little flashlight I carry in my purse and put it on the nightstand, light a candle, in case.
And boom, power goes down. Oh, the moans! The curses! I use the candle to find the flashlight, start to head down to help any who need it. And boom, it’s back on. Whew.
And so far it’s stayed on.
This morning the guys are heading out on a boat/fishing trip. The girls and Griffin are going to drive into town and check out the shopping.
But that’s after, I hope, a full workout AND a shower!
Nora
Oh WOW glad the power came back on and hope it stays on for the rest of your time there🤞🏻🤞🏻
We were going to take the ferry over from Cancun! If the island was out of electricity, I am glad we didn’t.
Glad you all made it through the powerless day, and were able to celebrate Kat’s birthday! That ice cream looked yummy! Still sounds like a wonderful day! Enjoy the shopping!
Wow! A day without power – good thing you have books to read and games to play, not to mention the pool and the Gulf for swimming. Glad the power came back on – here’s hoping it stays on. Thank you for sharing your vacation. It makes me happy to read how everyone goes with the flow.
I’m glad everything worked out for you with the power. To me, I don’t need it as much during the daytime as I do at night. I just cannot sleep well in a hot house. Hopefully it will continue to stay on now.
The pictures of the sunsets are just fabulous. The pool looks wonderfully inviting and you just can’t go wrong with the beach. Enjoy your well deserved vacation with your grandchildren.
Thank you for sharing your vacation with us! Sorry you’re having issues with the power but you all are making so much fun! Glad everyone is having a good time! I can’t wait to hear about tomorrow!
Thank goodness, you had a good breeze and could open up the house! I hope the mosquitoes weren’t too bad. You’re a pro with power outages but hopefully you don’t have any more problems this trip. It’s such a lovely location.
Oh wow! I can totally relate! We live on Whidbey Island (about two hours north of Seattle) in Washington state. I swear they should have named this place Windy Island, lol! We lose power at least three times a year during the fall, winter and spring as we get crazy ass winds that feel like they are going to blow your house down (quote from The Three Little Pigs hahaha). The longest we went was about a week. Luckily we have a generator that we could just add fuel to and it ran the important things (fridge, oven, MY ELLIPTICAL, tv, etc). We are going to upgrade this year though because the one we have really struggled.
On the game side, have you guys played Mexican Train? It is a game with dominoes and it is super fun! There are variations on it that are explained in the paperwork that comes with it. We have played it several times and most recently for this past Fourth of July. Always have fun with it!
What an adventure you’re sharing as a family. You will be able to laugh about it sooner than you think! I know just the fact you’re all safe and well is the most reward you can ever receive. Stay safe!