While we were in Carriacou we met and were befriended by James T and his wife Ellen…..capitan & crew of the S/V Boldly Go (Trekkies?). We spent quite a few evenings getting to know each other and found out that Ellen and I both grew up in Orange County, CA. She went to Corona del Mar HS and I to Tustin High. Our fathers both worked for the same company, Autonetics that became North American Rockwell and spent a lot of our teen years along the beaches of Newport and Corona del Mar. Small world. We also met JT and Jayson, at a local birthday celebration. They are father and his young son who had sailed over from Trinidad aboard S/V Stillawa to enjoy the regatta. They had lost their dog a couple of days before and everyone had been on the lookout for her. She turned up that day and they were as delighted to have her back and she was to be back. I spent a little time showing Jayson the hand slapping game of Over the Top and how to Thumb Wrestle and we became good friends. The Birthday celebration was in honor of, Cigarette…..yes that is a nickname. Owner along with his son, of the Lambi Queen Restaurant and Bar. There was food and drink in abundance and everyone was having a great time. We enjoyed the music provided by a local DJ and after singing the traditional birthday song, it was time to……as they like to say, Stick the Cake. This is a fun local tradition of raising money to help pay for the party. It is something like a cross between the dating game and a wedding cake cutting ceremony. People pay money to nominate who will have the honor of Sticking the Cake. That person has to stand in front of the cake and other people then pay to nominate who they think would be the best match to share the honor as well as the first bite of cake and a kiss. There were a number of changes to both the female and male participants over the course of about 20 minutes along with much laughter and banter back and forth. At one point a gentleman teasingly nominated a very young teen girl who seemed more mortified than delighted to be nominated for the honor. In the end the Birthday Boy and his Ex-wife were left standing together to Stick the Cake. Amidst howls of laughter, they shared a bite of cake but the kiss was conspicuously absent .
Living the Dream 