Lubbers' Landing| Sea Level Cottages| Q & A| PDF Information Library| About Us
I have been coming to the Bahamas since the age of nine, moved to the
Abaco area with my family at age 14, and meet my now wife Amy in 1992.
She was down studying marine biology and I was the boat captain, and like
they say... the rest is history!! We now very much enjoy meeting new guests,
catching up with old ones, and generally being involved in our business
here in Abaco. Our goal is to pass some of our enthusiasm for this area
on to our guests as we try and provide a vacation experience that they
will always remember. To this end I think we has been very successful
thus far... we look forward to meeting you soon!
Austin:
I have always liked
fishing, diving, spear fishing, pretty much anything to do with the water.
Fishing in this area is just unbelievable. I remember going fishing with
my father thinking we were just going out for a few minutes(the ocean
is just five minutes away)to catch a few small Yellow Tail Snapper. Next
thing we know birds are diving "just a little farther out" and we ended
up coming home that day with two 30lb Yellow Fin Tuna!!
We also have great surf here in Abaco and for most of my life I have been a surfer. However, as we get older, work, and the schedules it creates, weave themselves deeper into our lives, so one must find another sport.
For me that sport is Kiteboarding. At 30 something I didn't jump right in like you would, at say 18... I procrastinated. Then after watching somebody out kiteboarding, they came ashore. When I learned he was in his 70's , my excuse for not starting...that I was 30, went out the window!
I get all
(or most of) my gear from Best Kiteboarding Click
Here They have great kites, boards, and other stuff needed, at prices
that won't get the wife too upset!
I also enjoy working with the internet and have built the sites for our businesses. I am happy to hear comments or suggestions So if you see anything left out, or something that we could do to make one of the sites (www.sealevelcottages.com, www.lubberslanding.com ,www.wildislandresorts.com) better, feel free to E-mail from anyone of the sites and let me know.
Amy:
I first came to The Bahamas in 1992 with a class from FIT in Melbourne, Florida
to study Marine Biology. I went to college at Brenau University (link to Brenau.edu), a
Women's College in Gainesville, Georgia which I absolutely loved, but needed to supplement
my biology courses with some actual field research on the water. The year before, I had taken
a summer course at the Shoals Marine Lab (link to Shoals) located on Appledore Island off the
coast of Maine, which was an invaluable experience, but extremely cold for my Georgia blood!!!
So, I chose a warmer location for my next research class and ended up in love. With the islands
AND the boat captain!
Moving to Abaco really changed the way I thought about my world. In the early days, we had only solar power for electricity and living on an island you really learn to conserve water as well. I had a crash course in conservation and my concern for environmental issues sprouted from there. Speaking of sprouting, I also became interested in gardening and botany, especially native plants of The Bahamas. I learned about growing vegetables, propagating plants such as bougainvillea and hibiscus and developed a love of the native trees and bushes of The Bahamas from my friend, Jack Patterson, who raised a family on our island of Lubbers' Quarters, was involved with the Bahamas National Trust and was also the author of Native Trees of The Bahamas with George Stevenson.
I began volunteering at a local school, Every Child Counts, which has been a very rewarding and exciting opportunity for me to spend time with very cool kids who are willing to try anything Miss Amy throws at them! We have worked on various art projects, such as painted wooden papertowel holders shaped like fish, we do yoga for health and excercise, some meditation to help quiet their minds, and we are currently learning embroidery and working on a sewing project making potholders...We have sold some of our artwork at local art shows in the past and I would love to offer some of our pieces for sale to our guests in the future. You can help Every Child Counts, which is completely private in funding, by donating supplies(see link to wish list) or funds (link here).
Another local organization which is close to our hearts is the Friends
of Abaco Animals, which is our community Humane Society, (link to site).
Our kitties have all come to live with us through the efforts of this
seemingly tireless group, which is doing it's best to improve the lives
of stray animals in our area. Many visitors to Abaco fall in love with
an Abaco potcake or potcat(our local term for these mixed breed pets)
and end up taking one home with them as a living souvenier of their amazing
vacation in The Bahamas and an adorable new member of the family! I am
currently caring for one such kitten, which I will be taking with me to
Georgia when we go there to see my family for Christmas. Two of our guests
fell in love with this tiny kitten who was too young yet to travel, named
her Abaco, and went back home to Georgia to their family where they are
impatiently awaiting Abaco's arrival in December...
In my spare time....haha (even though we live in what to most people
is Paradise, we still have a lot to do day to day...for example, to go
grocery shopping, I get in my boat, drive to Marsh Harbour, get in the
car to go to school, run errands and shop for the week, unload the car,
load the boat, drive back out to the island, unload the boat and carry
everything up the dock and into the house or workshop, whew!!! No, we
don't need a gym membership!!!) I like to sew, make quilts, especially
baby quilts(I currently have three in the works, yikes), I love going
to yard sales and antique stores when I am in the States, and I am really
into anything MaryJane's Farm (see www.maryjanesfarm.org) I try to buy
organic whenever I can, and am thrilled that our local stores here are
really making an effort to carry organic items! I am especially excited
about a local farmer who is just now offering her fresh organic eggs in
the grocery stores. Good for her and for us and her hens! I like to eat
as healthy as I can and try to drink fresh carrot, apple and beet juice
every day, what a boost (I am working the Hallelujah Acres plan into my
diet, www.hacres.com)! I try to Recycle, Reuse and Reduce my footprint
on this earth and I learn new ways of doing just that every day. I am
inspired by positive thinking and have been reading such good books as
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Stay Alive All Your Life, by Norman Vincent
Peale, Make Up Your Mind by Margery Wilson, and MaryJane Butters' book,
MaryJane's Ideabook-Cookbook-Lifebook, for the farmgirl in all of us!!!
I am also in love with Flylady, Marla Ciley, www.flylady.net, who is helping
me to get organized!!!