M M #179: The Beach is Cheaper than Therapy

Welcome back to Mosaic Monday, and do I have some treats for you!  If you like tropical flowers, sunsets, summer cocktails and sea creatures, you came to the right place!  The island paradise of Grand Cayman hosted our family for over a week, and what a joy it was.  Throw on your flip-flops, and let's go!

Originally, this trip was planned for May 2020, as a celebration of #1 Son's graduation from The Ohio State University.  We all know why that trip didn't happen!

Well, some things are worth the wait!  I am grateful to Spousal Unit for navigating the complexities of air travel in an (almost) post-pandemic world.  Loads of paperwork, COVID testing during specific time windows before travel, ensuring we had tests for our return, the list goes on!

Everyone tested negative, but the in-bound flights had challenges.  Our checked bag did not make one of our connections, and arrived the next day.  #1 Daughter and her fiance were informed that their first flight would be delayed by two hours, virtually guaranteeing that they would miss their connection.  Fortunately, they heard this the night before, and were able to change the city of departure.  They jumped in the car right then, and got a few hours of sleep at the house of our future in-laws before being driven to the airport early the next morning.  First-world problems!

Spousal Unit and I landed a couple of days before the "kids", and we immediately re-enacted one of our traditions - lunch at Camana Bay.  The name of the restaurant has changed, but the view is still just as spectacular as it was in 2017, the last time we came to the island!

We stocked up on supplies at the grocery store, returning to the condo with enough time to enjoy the white sands of Seven Mile Beach.  Generally, the island was quieter than our past visits; I believe this can be attributed to 1. Time of year - May directly precedes hurricane season - we frequently came in December; our 2017 trip was in March; and 2. Tourists are just starting to travel again.  Whatever the reason, we didn't mind that we practically had the beach to ourselves!

From the rooster at the grocery store, to the lizards sunning themselves on the sand, to the crabs staying just out of reach of the surf, the unchanging critter landscape was reassuringly familiar.

Can anyone identify the bird in the video below?

"Get outside.  Watch the sunrise.  Watch the sunset.  How does that make you feel?  Does it make you feel big or tiny?  Because there's something good about feeling both."  AMY GRANT

Still photos of the sunset are mesmerizing, but I think video captures the movement of the ocean AND the sunset.

"Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away."  SARAH KAY

Come back next week for more!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

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Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

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