New-Yorker-blog-karenrobbins

Our annual trip to Grand Cayman for scuba diving was enhanced this year by having the newest diver in the family accompany us. Our eleven year old grandson became a junior diver in May getting his certification dives in frigid 65 degree water in a quarry near where he lives. This was his first venture into the ocean below the surface and taking that first giant stride off the back of the dive boat was intimidating but after a few minutes of hesitation, we saw him join us in the water and thus began our dive adventure together.

Junior divers are not allowed at the same depths as adult divers so when the others on board did their deep dives on the wall, we went the opposite direction to the shallower areas and explored. His eyes were keen to  spot a huge eagle ray on one dive, a turtle on another and we found a group of divers observing a nurse shark they were kind to point out to us. On one site there were so many fish "you couldn't see the water."

It was fun to listen to the dive briefings and hear the stories of how each site was named. Our grandson particularly enjoyed the site called the Fish Tank and repeated the story verbatim to his mother later. The story goes that NASA and the National Geographic Society got together to try to preserve a part of the Cayman reef by enclosing it in a large Plexiglas aquarium structure. Since it was hard to see the glass underwater it was suggested that you swim with one arm extended so you didn't run into it with your head. He didn't buy into it but we had fun with it.

Cayman is one of the most beautiful areas to go diving and that coupled with the excellent dive operation we always book with, Ocean Frontiers, is why we keep coming back. We hope to earn our Green Shorts soon by having dived all 55 of the dive sites on the east end of the island. And now that our grandson has had a good taste of diving there as well, he is nine dives closer to earning his Green Shorts and a piece of congratulatory cake!

Grace's Pictures by Cindy Thomson is the story of an Irish immigrant who arrives in New York and struggles to find her way as she seeks a job and way to earn money to be able to bring her mother to America as well. It is rich with the history of the times not the least of which is the introduction of the Brownie camera by Kodak which gets Grace into all sorts of trouble as she photographs some people she shouldn't have.

Thomson gives a great picture of New York during the early 1900s, the immigrants, the police scandals, the organizations that reached out to those seeking a new life,
the newsboys on the corners. It truly is a wonderful step back in time.

I was privileged to read a rough draft in the early stages of the novel and love the way that the author developed her characters further as well as adding a richness to the plot. It was a good read then and it is even a better read now.

Take a trip back in time and tuck this gem into your suitcase or a spot on your ereader as you hit the road or the beach or wherever your summer plans take you.

Yes. There is a Hell. And it has a zip code as I mentioned in an earlier post a while back. The little town of Hell is located on Grand Cayman Island and since we had our grandson with us on our recent dive trip, we thought we would take him there. He had a lot of fun with it for an eleven year old who usually can't use the word. How many kids can say their grandparents took them to Hell and back again? He even got a T-shirt that said so. (He won't be wearing it to church or school.)

Hell was the name assigned to an area of dark limestone formations that are said to be formed from "acid rain and consumption of the rock by carbonate-loving organisms." Supposedly the name stuck when a local official said he thought it was what hell must look like.

Cayman is a very conservative community. There are lots of churches dotting the island so it is kind of surprising that the name lasted. It has become a tourist draw. The one large souvenir shop (that is painted with scriptures) has been joined by several others right next to it. We knew from past experience that "Hell" was closed on Sunday but most of it is

also closed on Saturday--at least through the summer. A lot has to do with when the cruise ships come in and the excursions to Hell are plentiful.

We were happy to find that one little shop was open right next to the post office and we were able to buy several postcards and stamps and drop them in the mail slot at the post office so they would be postmarked, "Hell." That's also where our grandson found his T-shirt that he proudly wore for his mother when she picked him up after our trip was over.

How did he like his trip to Hell? "It wasn't as hot as I thought it would be," he said with a crooked grin.

One of the favorite things our pastor's family likes to do is explore Amish country which is not too far to the south and east of us. Each year he leads a day long trip stopping at several towns in the heart of the area where many Amish have settled. This year we were privileged to tag along and had a great day.

Of course it doesn't take long before you begin to see the iconic Amish horse and buggy. Even before you exit the highway, there are often sightings as the buggies pass over the freeway on the bridges above. Once into the farmland, you pass by fields being tilled with horse drawn plows.

Homes of the Amish are easy to spot. They have no phone or electrical wires connected to them. Most of the conveniences they allow themselves are run on propane gas and Lehman's Hardware Store is one of the main places to find things like washers that run on propane. There is a slew of other interesting items for sale including hand pumps for water from the well and composting toilets. The day we were there was obviously wash day since most of the home were using the open air Amish dryer for their clothes.

A visit to Amish country isn't complete until you've had some broasted chicken which seems to the most popular item at restaurants. Broasted chicken is like fried chicken but I think it's pressure cooked or roasted as well. Wonder if that's where the Colonel got his KFC recipe?

And then there's the bakery. Pies abound. Every kind of pie you can imagine including the popular peanut butter pie. Homemade bread was a great temptation and we enjoyed it at lunch slathered in apple butter. And oh, the jams and jellies! We are still enjoying a strawberry-rhubarb jam and homemade peanut butter.

The stores in many of the towns are filled with lots of Amish handiwork--aprons, quilts, baby clothes, knit and crocheted items.

The modern world is fascinated with the Amish way of life. Is it because we long for the simplicity? There is a lot more to it than just the romance that is abundant in the Amish novels that are a popular read right now. While some of the Amish are quite content with their way of life, there are others who are not and leave the culture they grew up with when they are of age. For a glimpse of that, you might want to check out my friend, Brenda Nixon's blog, Beyond Buggies and Bonnets.

Holmes County is the big area for Amish. There are other clusters in parts of eastern Ohio. Check out the Amish Country website if you want more information on where to visit.