May 12, 2022

 Physics, mathematics, philosophy, the sciences, all consider themselves as cutting edge answers to the deepest questions--the how, what and why of everything. So it was when the earth was flat and the sun revolved around it.  Stars were peepholes leaking celestial light and plagues the wrath of God. It is just exactly so now. Our time is a flat earth modernity soon to succumb to unimaginable global realities. Ultimately salvation will not come from the mind of mankind, but from exploration of consciousness prior to mind. I only hope mankind survives long enough to realize this. Not looking too good these days. 

Nevertheless, I can still remember my father stepping off a windowless part of our basement to be reshaped into a bomb shelter not long after the "Cuban missile crisis. "

"Here's where we store the canned goods. Here's where you and your sisters sleep. What do you think, sport?"

Ah, sweet memories of growing up. On the brighter side, I'm still here sixty-some odd years later to type about it.

Speaking of survival, Susan's unguarded conversations with the locals just might put us in jeopardy here in paradise.  Apparently while I sleep she has been observing small speedboats running lightless through the wee hours into the harbor below our villa. They come in out of nowhere at a fast clip, make very quick stops, then speed off again into the darkness. This is very reminiscent from my old overnight fishing days in Ten Thousand Islands, which were and probably still are a center for drug smuggling traffic. There we were, camping and catching giant snook and redfish hand over fist, while off in the midnight darkness we heard the constant din of these same unlit speedboats wending through an island labyrinth perfectly suited for smugglers. Some nights it was Grand Central out there and I still don't know how they avoided crashing into each other (this was pre-GPS and night vision gear). A year or two later I read headlines in Miami that DEA and FDLE literally surrounded Everglades City and busted half its citizens for trafficking. 

Well I mentioned this to Sue--a mistake--and sure enough we had another loose lips sink ships moment. We were checking out  the  resort below us that also happened to be the destination of those night crawlers. At a grocery store there she made light conversation with one of the employees, an islander girl. Employee asked Sue where she was staying. Sue pointed up the hill at our place and for some reason said "I watch the boats, especially the ones that come here at night without their lights on. I know what they're up to!" The poor girl's eyes widened in fright and she whispered to Sue "Don't say that! We don't talk about that here!" Too late. We had already made reservations at the adjacent restaurant for dinner tomorrow night. All I can say is, if this is the last entry in this journal, don't bother looking for us. We sleep with the lobsters.

And of course headlines in this morning's British Virgin Islands news recounted a recent bust of a speedboat guy who threw $2.5 million dollars of coke into the drink while fleeing police.  And more. The prime minister of BVI was also arrested by British authorities for offering smuggling access to Virgin Gorda ports for $700K.  He reportedly  laughed when he told the undercover DEA agents "this ain't my first rodeo."  I sit here overlooking one such port.  That restaurant below better have food to die for....