Today, the cruise ship docked in Nassau, in the Bahamas. I’ve been here one other time, on one of the Outlaw Country cruises. On that last trip six years ago, we rented a scooter and rode around the island. It was a lot of fun, so we decided to do the same thing again today.
Was it dangerous? Probably. We went to parts of the island where no tourists ever go, where locals would roll down their windows next to us at stoplights and say, “You okay?” as if we must be lost. It was fun.
The flowers were blooming in magnificent spring colors, and riding around on the scooter we caught the smell of everything around us—the rum cake bakery, roasting chickens on the beach, sea water.
I returned once again to see the grave of Joseph Spence, the great Bahamian guitarist who made fabulous records in the 1950s and 1960s (check him out on YouTube if you’re unfamiliar with his playing).
We rode around taking pictures of funky old buildings and colorful houses. Then we went pretty far west to find a beach far from the cruise ships. It was perfect. Just a few locals in the water, and the beach was pretty much deserted. The water was cool and refreshing and clear and blue. It was just a really nice day.
We got back on the scooter and drove back to where the cruise ships dock. As we got closer to town, the car horns and the ambulances and the blare of loud music became overwhelming. I just wanted to go back to that deserted beach and float in that cool water for a little while longer…
Thanks to Sally Jo for being a good sport and riding on the back of a motor scooter with me to find a deceased guitar player’s grave. Another day, another adventure!
Tonight is a light schedule for me! I will be playing with my old surf band The Untamed Youth in Magnum’s, 8:30–9:30 pm. Let’s rock!
See more photos at Deke’s original Facebook post!
