Picnic Dinner on a Deserted Island

We were hoping to find Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightly still marooned on Petit Tabac, but no dice.  We had it all to ourselves, which was the next best thing.  Famous for being the backdrop for a scene Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, this little dollop of sand in the sea is just that, a tiny island sprouting a few palm trees surrounded by flickering and almost unnaturally crystalline teal water.  To say it's beautiful is an understatement.  It's everything you'd think an uninhabited Caribbean island would be.  I, for one, would gladly volunteer to be marooned with Johnny Depp here.

It's a bit of a trek to get to it by dinghy and we were super glad to have our handheld GPS (loaded with detailed charts of the Caribbean) which allowed us to navigate through the reefs and the lead the way to the beach safely.  Depsite the picturesque landing, we were greeted by the distinct odor of rotting flesh (what is with offensive odors these days?) and as soon as we anchored our dinghies, it became clear what it was.  There was a dead baby lemon shark on the beach, basking (i.e. rotting) in the sun.  It could have been dead hours or days, there was no telling - but it stank to high heaven.  It was very cool to see up close; the skin was thick like leather and felt like very fine sandpaper, the rows of teeth - though small - razor sharp, the body sleek, streamlined and solid - a perfectly evolved predator.  The kiddos had a blast checking him out.  But after ten minutes of ogling it was decided that our stinky beach companion was going to put a damper on our picnic, so we moved him downwind into the brush.  Luuck said it was shocking how heavy he was and grunted as he heaved the dead weight.  Despite his small size (no more than three feet long), he weighed no less than 60-70 pounds.  Pure muscle.  Solid as a rock.

We unloaded our dinner, the kids ran amok, the non-pregnant adults drank cold beers and it was about as good as an afternoon as it gets.  Yet another day where I thanked the Universe profusely for this life.