Iguanas

Apparently there was some kind of iguana convention happening yesterday in the backyard (or technically the frontyard of my bungalow).  I was really excited when I saw the first iguana sunning itself on a rock.  And then I saw another.  Two iguanas!  It must be some kind of record since I had only ever seen one in any location - and usually from a distance.  But here were two iguanas not more than 20 feet away.

Then I noticed a third!  And a fourth!  By the time I stopped counting, I must have seen more than 2 dozen of them.

(There's are 3 iguanas in this bottom photo.  Can you find them?)

When I told Beth about this, she said that she had never heard of someone seeing so many iguanas in one place.  We speculated that perhaps it had something to do with the weather.  But it reminded me a lot of watching squirrels in my own backyard - they were everywhere.

They were only out en force for an hour or so.  And the only reason I was able to witness this iguana convention is that I was enjoying a sabbatical day as opposed to a vacation day.

I have been to Guadeloupe on vacation before.  In January of 2015, Clif, Rob and I came to see Beth for a week.  She wanted to show us her beautiful island so each day we went sightseeing and touring beaches.  We wanted to do it all and we only had a week!  It was fun but exhausting.

This time I'm here for 25 days - and it's not to see the sights (although I'll do plenty of that).  I'm here to rest.  And Beth has a very busy week at work.  So yesterday she worked and left me at the bungalow.  I had books, a stocked mini fridge, WiFi - and this view.

Which is how I came to find myself among the iguanas.  I didn't have anywhere else to go or any way to get there if I did.  So I sat.  And watched.  For an hour.

I can feel places of tension in my body beginning to let go.  This is rest - even when awake and surrounded by iguanas.