Rat for Dinner!

We of course had guests in town this weekend. We are slightly sad, yet feeling okay that we don't have another set if guests until September. While I am sick of running a bed and breakfast (mainly washing sheets and organizing meals), we have really enjoyed having people visit us. We have explored so much of the island and it has given me a purpose for the past 2 months. We have so many great family and friends, and people are always welcome to visit in the future. Part of the allure of moving to Bermuda was the idea that people could come visit us in a wonderful location...not that Erie, PA wasn't appealing, but Bermuda has so much more attraction.

This weekend was full of fun and surprises. Sarah and Amy from Erie visited us for four days. We took them around the island, got some good beach time in, and almost served them a rat for dinner! Yes....I had been noticing some odd droppings in our grill, but after cleaning them out and not knowing exactly what they were, we continued to grill away. Grilling came to a screeching halt on Thursday when Ryan discover the source of the dropping was a giant rat making a home on the burners of our grill. I was at volleyball during this fiasco and came home at 9pm without dinner on the table. The rat had to be chased out of the grill with a broom. Once out, the grill was completely torn apart and cleaned. Our guests weren't grossed out and actually said that the heat would burn off anything offensive. Ryan still did a great job cleaning it out and may have spent a few extra minutes pre-heating the grill on Thursday. Ahhh...what do you do! Tropical islands breed big rats and big bugs, it is just one of the adjustments.

Speaking of rats, Bermuda doesn't have a large amount of wildlife. Bermuda actually has no native mammals. There are no squirrels, deer, snakes, chipmunks, etc... There are many feral cats and the rats have become quite active this summer. I am not sure why rats and mice are here, but I am guessing they came in on shipping boats many years ago. According to Wikipedia, "Over 360 species of bird have been recorded on Bermuda. The majority of these are migrants or vagrants from North America or elsewhere. Only 24 species breed; 13 of these are thought to be native." One bird you will see often in the summer is the Longtail which arrives in Bermuda in the spring and means that spring and summer in Bermuda has arrived. The longtails are beautiful birds and have way more appeal than a seagull which is what they remind me off.

We went out to eat this weekend at The Pickled Onion. While finishing our dinner, a camera crew came over to our table. They were from The Travel Channel and were filming a new series titled, "Castaway." They videotaped us finishing our drinks and we may be on TV. If you happen to tune into The Travel Channel and see a clip about Bermuda, look for our smiling faces!

Until next time...