Window washing and laundry day

Monday the queen of the house and her royal subject washed curtains and windows. (Ya may not need to look twice to see we've been livin' in a not-so-clean house. YUCK!) The soot on the "yellow" microfibre cloth is from the second wiping of the window sills and screens; water in the bucket was CLEAN only two rag wringings earlier. And we're breathin' this stuff? While wiping soot from the screens outside we met a little friend on the living-room window ledge. This little lizard was not nearly as talkative as the Geico gecko! Whose DIRTY finger is that anyway?

Her Majesty's clotheslines outside the royal kitchen door are never enough. Needed four times that many to accomodate the curtains she washed Monday. As you can see we won't be havin' many royal yard parties!

Now an inside shot of our regal laundry and comfort facilities--shower to the right; His Magesty's throne to the left.

In answer to questions asked about our neighborhood, we've included this back-side view of our home on 42 Steber Street--the one with the blue roof--not the blue house with the tin roof. The Santa Fe is parked on the south. If you look very, very, very closely, you may be able to see the Caribbean see to the left of the green trees. . . maybe not! (ha-ha)

Santa Fe at 42 Steber Street

Our rental car, a Santa Fe, parked on the street to the south of our home--the lower level, 42A Steber Street.

The little shop directly in front of our apartment is where we purchased some steel wool and matches our second day on the island of Dominica. In case you missed it, the shop is the one in the lower right with the green door. There have been two men working long hours the last two days to improve either it's appearance or functionality. How they do it in the stifling heat and humidity is a mystery to us foreigners!

Results of New "Bosch"

Dean savored the results of Myrtle's first feeble attempt to make bread in her new "Bosch" which was baked at who-knows-what-temperature in the tiny oven without temperatures settings or indicators! Nothin's Easy!

Christabel's Swiss-imported kitchen

DELICIOUS! DELICIOUS! DEEEELICIOUS! ... the Sunday "lunch" Christabel Cooper prepared for us in her Swiss-imported kitchen following Fast & Testimony Meeting--the first of our new adventure. Menu included fresh tuna, salad, carrots w/"string onions for color," boiled plantain, dashine (starchy vegetable), rice, THEEE best-ever "sauce"(intended only for the tuna but which we also put over our rice) and a scoop of vanilla Blue Bunny ice cream for dessert! Words cannot express the flavor of her carrots or sauce. She had marinated the tuna in milk, then dried if with a paper towel, dipped it in flour and fried it slowly in a little oil. She told Sister Hadlock that good fish swims three times--once in water, once in milk and once in oil.

Christabel, a native-born Dominican, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while living and working in Switzerland. She, a hard-working woman and FABULOUS cook, is Roseau Relief Society Leader. Her son Tony, a returned missionary who built her house, is the Roseau Group Leader. Christabel, her son and his family are the backbone and strength of the Church here!

Dean in chapel

We were the first to arrive for meetings our first Sunday in Dominica. Inasmuch as Elder Hadlock has keys to the building, we let ourselves in and Dean opened the shutters to let the light and air come inside and the mosquitoes go out! We were pleased with the condition in which we found the interior, chairs, keyboard, hymnals, etc.!

Christabel's Veranda View

Quite a view of the Caribbean from Sister Cooper's top-floor veranda!