Where is the most exciting place you have ever been? What made it interesting?

The most exciting place I've been to is Grand Cayman, in the British West Indies. It's gotta be exciting if you need a passport, right??

It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, in a lot of ways. 2003 would have been the year of my parents 50th wedding anniversary. Rather than having the usual party with friends and relatives, my sisters and I decided to take them on a trip.

When my father was working, it was their intention to spend their “golden years” traveling. They had already been to many places, near and far, and were looking forward to seeing new ones as well as revisiting favorites. Unfortunately, even before he retired, my mom's health began to deteriorate. It wasn't very long before traveling was too difficult. She was ill more often than not, and had difficulty get around physically.

So, when this milestone anniversary came near, we thought we'd take them on one last trip (although no one actually said that out loud). We would all go, so my sisters and I could help take care of Mom, and Dad could relax and enjoy himself, too.

After searching and searching we found the perfect place. It was beautiful, as you would expect! Right on the ocean, it had 4 bedrooms, a pool, deck area, a gazebo at the shoreline, and a boardwalk from the house to the gazebo (by this time, Mom pretty much only got around in a wheelchair). It was obscenely expensive, as you would also expect, but we knew it would be worth it.

Mom passed away the August before the trip. Of course, she wouldn't have wanted us to cancel the trip, so we went, and had a great time. That hardly does the trip justice, but I'm trying to not write a novel, here!

What made Grand Cayman interesting, I think, was that it was just so different from anything I am used to. By the end of May, Minnesota is usually very nice weather-wise. Everything is green and growing again, and the temps are getting warmer and warmer. Spring breezes can still be appreciated after the winter, but summer humidity and bugs haven't come yet.

Grand Cayman was a pleasant-summer warm. Not too hot, but warm enough for swimming and shorts, and laying in a hammock in the shade. The breeze off the ocean was constant. We were there for just about a week, and toward the end I was finally feeling like I was getting used to it.

There was white sand everywhere. Palm trees. Strange birds, little critters scurrying around, fish in colors I didn't think Mother Nature could create. Even the produce at the little grocery stores looked weird to me. We were able to have a private “tour” of the place known as Sting Ray City, where the rays flock to be fed by tourists (yes, they really are like giant portobello mushrooms), and snorkeling excursions. We ate fresh, fully ripened mangoes for breakfast every day and listened to Margaritaville and other steel drum music by The Barefoot Man. We visited a farm and museum dedicated to sea turtles.

I wish Mom could have gone with, but she was a very common topic of conversation. We cried and laughed and reminisced, and we knew she was with us in spirit.