All posts tagged: Grand Cayman

Nature Wonderland

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  Over the holidays I enjoy a stroll through a Nature Wonderland, none other than the spectacular Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park here in the Cayman Islands.  A park with manicured gardens filled with exotic flora and fauna.  A real treat is walking along the grounds and coming across a Blue Iguana in their natural habitat. Old Time Cayman Memory Lane  Photo Credit:http://www.botanic-park.ky/photo-gallery/ One of my favorite spots in the Botanic Park is the traditional Cayman style house and garden.  The rooftop of the house is made out of Silver Thatch Palm.  Adjacent to the house is the caboose, which is the heart of the home- the kitchen.  A place where traditional and very yummy Cayman style food would be cooked.  In the backyard, is an old-time rope maker.  Back in the day, Silver Thatch was made into rope, and exported.  Silver Thatch also was used to make hats, bags and whompers- a type of shoe.         National Treasure The Cayman Islands Blue Iguana is both an icon and a national treasure.  As …

Sea Trek In Grand Cayman

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  On New Year’s Day, I started it with a splash!  I took the plunge in trying something new, and I dived right into an ocean adventure with my bestie.  We had an epic time going on a Sea Trek tour right here in the waters of Grand Cayman.  We had the opportunity to explore Sotos Reef named after a pioneer in the Cayman diving industry, Bob Soto.  This beautiful landscape of coral is located in the George Town harbour.  Sea Trek Cayman was pure awesomeness! The whole crew was a lovely group of people and so much fun to be around!  It was such a surreal experience to dive down 30-40ft and discover the beauty of the coral reef and fish which reside there.  I felt completely safe the entire time, and walked around the ocean floor absolutely carefree.  It was such a dream!  I loved every minute of the guided tour.  The divers escorting us on our underwater journey, put on a fantastic dive show during our sea trek tour.   While I am not …

Festival of Seas: Blue Gala

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  (Silent Auction Artwork & Photography donated by Cathy Church, Ellen Cuylaerts, Guy Harvey and Dready 2013)   Happy Friday Everyone! It is with great pleasure to announce that tomorrow night the 10th annual Festival of Seas: Blue Gala Dinner fundraising event will be held at the ARC, Camana Bay. The Blue Gala dinner helps to raise funds for the Central Caribbean Marine Institute. The CCMI is located in our beloved Little Cayman. The Central Caribbean Marine Institute is Cayman’s only non-profit, and non-governmental organization dedicated to understanding and protecting the islands’ reefs and the life they support. All proceeds directly benefit the CCMI’s mission of protecting the coral reefs for the future. “Currently the work of CCMI shows that although coral cover declined significantly following the 1999 global coral bleaching event, reefs in Cayman recovered completely by 2012.” Our coral reefs are vital to the Cayman Islands, as they are imperative to our ecosystem. Not to mention, a national treasure which divers around the world come to see. Lets help protect our beautiful coral …

“He Have Founded Us Upon The Seas”

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                In Honor of Discovery Day, I decided to make some commemorative decorations.  In 1503, Christopher Columbus came across the beautiful islands known today as the Cayman Islands.  A place I call home.  Originally, Columbus named the islands “Las Tortugas,” due to the overwhelming amount of turtles swimming in the surrounding waters of the islands.   The phrase, “He Have Founded Us Upon The Seas” is written on our national flag, below the coat of arms.                 Above is the second canvas, which has lyrics from the Cayman Islands National Song, “Beloved Isle Cayman,” written by the late Mrs. Leila Ross Shier, in 1930. How I made it What you will need: Canvas, parcel paper and tape. To keep it as eco friendly as possible, I repurposed some canvas with parcel paper.  The parcel paper helped achieve a vintage or aged look.  I found a wonderful font for the print.  I printed the design and then wrapped the parcel paper around the …

Silver Thatch: Cayman’s National Tree

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Our beautiful island that is set in the deep blue Caribbean Sea, is graced with a handful of majestic trees, such as the Cayman Logwood, Mahogany and Silver Thatch Palm.  The Silver Thatch Palm is Cayman’s sacred national tree.  A unique tree which is indigenous to Cayman.  I find that there is a greater abundance of Silver Thatch on the eastern side of the island.  It is a spectacular view to see the Silver Thatch palms swaying in the refreshing sea breeze, untouched, scattered along the remote and undeveloped areas in East End and North Side. When I hear the words Silver Thatch the first thing that comes to mind is Caymanian Heritage.  I think of the wonderful items handcrafted by Caymanians such as Silver Thatch, baskets, hats, fans and rope.   Back in the olden days Silver Thatch had two primary uses, such as: making thatch rooftops and rope.   A thatch roof would last up to 5-6 years.  There is an old folklore claiming that the thatch palms would be harvested during the night of …