Nevis Day Four: Babies and Beach Barbeques

Our villa, The Lazy Turtle, has these great pineapple wall sconces, which are also to be found at Nisbet Plantation next door. They would be the perfect addition to our cottage at home. I found out from the nice lady at Nisbet's reception that they are made and sold at the pottery right across the street. Of course that was first on my "to do" list for the day.

I got so much more than a wall sconce. The building was so nondescript we had passed it by several times before noticing the sign, which was propped up near the ground. In the entryway sat a man holding an adorable baby, trying to keep cool in the shade. The shop owner and artist (Armena?), her hands grey from the clay, had been expecting me, since her daughter works at Nisbet and had told her of my interest. The baby was her little boy and the man her father. Luckily there was one pineapple sconce to be had and I happily purchased it. The baby, Ethan, who up until now had been sitting contentedly in his grandfather's lap, started getting a little fussy. I asked if I could hold him for a minute. He came to me readily and reached up and started playing with my blond hair. It is a precious moment that will remain in my memory forever.

That evening was the weekly beach barbeque at Nisbet Plantation, complete with music and dancing. We were greeted at the entrance with a rum punch, which we sipped while perusing the wares of some local gift shops which were on display. After listening to the steel drum bank for awhile, we proceeded to the pool area to be seated for the buffet dinner. That is when we first met Paterson,the maitre d'. He is the kind of person you never forget. Very formal, dressed in a dark suit and colorful tie and a big smile, he seemed to know everyone and everyone knew him. Throughout the evening he constantly checked on us to make sure we were well taken of.

The buffet was an assortment of Caribbean fare: plantains, rice, vegetables, seaweed salad, barbequed steak, shrimp and different kinds of fish. We strolled home in the dark and floated in our pool, looking at the brilliant star-lit sky, the steel drum music wafting its way across the sand to us.