Conch Choices
On January 2, when Fred was back in Canada being sworn in as an Ontario Energy Board Commissioner, Lindsay and I decided to adventure to Wild Cow Run beach at the far side of Middle Caicos. On our way, we stopped at Bambarra Beach for a first time visit. We headed toward Gambles Point on an especially hot day.
Along the way, we put conchs, shells and other treasures up on rocks so we could prioritize on the way back as to which ones we would bring home. About an hour walk in, Lindsay was up on shore exploring and I spotted a bunch of conchs partially buried in the sand.
I yelled, “Lindsay! Lindsay! Lindsay!”.
“I am fine”, she replied.
When I repeated, “Lindsay! Lindsay! Lindsay!”. She said, “Coming!”, and rushed over.
It was a rich treasure, we uncovered. 15 of the most beautiful conches I have ever seen.
The trick was, we had to carry them back on an hour walk over coral and rocks.
We had to make some tough choices.
Lindsay is strong and brought back many in a sea crate. She helped tied some to my bathing suit wrap and we made the walk back to the car. As we passed the items we had put aside as treasures, everything paled in comparison to these beauties.
As we approached the car, a couple of guys sitting under a tree asked how we were going to get all this stuff back on the plane. When we explained we had a home on North, they said, “Great! Carry on!”.
We shared rum punches in coconuts to save up some energy.
We didn’t make it to Wild Cow Run in the end – but we did come home with a story I won’t soon forget.
P.S. Lindsay and her partner returned over a year later and brought back the ones we had left behind!
