Movie Review: Seabiscuit

Summary: A bit campy, but worth the rental price.

Cayman Islands: Little Cayman, Day 5
Another day, another swim... this morning out to the reef and back. After some morning pool play, the five of us went out to Point of Sand for some snorkeling and swimming. Some locals were there celebrating Good Friday. They had motored over from Cayman Brac and anchored just off shore. They caught themselves some grouper and some conch and were preparing a barbecue and conch stew on the beach.

Despite the fact that they had arrived first, they let us borrow some table space in the shade and use their hammock so we could put Olivia down for a nap. They even gave me a bit of their stew - nice folk.

We played on the beach for a couple of hours and did some snorkeling and have some lunch. At one time I just sat on the beach and watched my three kids playing in the sand. All of them were just sitting there, playing independently of each other and were all perfectly calm and happy. They seem to be fascinated with the sand.

Here are some random pictures:

After lunch we returned home, took naps, and just stayed out of the sun until dinner.

Dinner tonight was on the Southern Cross Club dock. Our table was placed next to one of the dock edges. There are no rails, so we placed the kids on the interior-facing edge of the dinner table; that is until the Club dog starting walking around the tables. We moved Eliana from the inside edge of the table (next to me) to the outside edge of the table (between Dave and Kristy) to make her feel "safe" from the dog. Eliana does not like dogs at all.

While Kristy was up getting plates ready for Berkeley and Eliana at the buffet, I busied myself feeding Olivia. While I was doing this, out of the corner of my eye I saw Eliana tipping her chair back. As I was telling her "Ana! No! No, no, no, no, no, no!", she lost the balance of the her chair and tipped over backward. Her chair hit the deck and the momentum caused her to catapult backward over the edge of the dock and down to the water 8 feet below.

I lept from my chair from the other side of the table and jumped down into the water immediately. I was there not one second after she hit the water. The water depth was greater than her height; about 3½ feet in depth... or up to my belly button. I don't remember much of anything from the time I saw her tip over to the time I was in the water searching for her, and finding her paddling and struggling to keep her head above the water with the most desperate look on her face you have ever seen. But once I was there I scooped her up and held her tight. She was terrified. I reassured her, "Daddy keeps you safe. That's Daddy's job."

There was no harm done. There was one large coral rock next to the dock where she fell... but she missed it when she fell in (as did I when I jumped in after her). I strolled back to our room with Eliana in my arms. We were both soaking wet. As I walked, I played back the events in my mind in slow motion... when she tipped, I didn't even think. I reacted; I jumped. I wondered to myself, how high up would the dock have had to have been to force me to hesitate. A curious question.

Before long, we were back at the condo. I dried her completely off and laid out some dry clothes. While I was changing her into her new dress, she asked me: "Will there be fireworks tonight?" I guess she had already put the matter behind her.

Later in the evening, after we had returned from dinner, I put Eliana and Berkeley to bed. Outside their bedroom, I lingered and listened to the two of them talk to each other from their beds:

Berkeley: "I'm glad you're ok when you fell. Were you brave?"

Eliana: "No, I wasn't brave. I was scared."

Berkeley: "I think you were brave. I didn't her you cry."

Eliana: "No, I cried."

[She didn't cry, she whimpered a bit is all. Berkeley would have bawled!]

Berkeley: "I didn't hear you cry."

Eliana: "I cried Gerky!"

And then they argued about whether Eliana was scared or brave or whether she cried or not. Berkeley gave up after a little while. And then they were both quiet.