A Special Little House

People remember momentous events in their lives. They recall in detail where they were and, in many cases, who they shared the event with.   I have never forgotten my very first green flash, a fleeting spectacle caused by the refraction of light as the sun sinks below the horizon on clear evenings, and I certainly remember where I was when I saw it happen! There are many west-ward facing locations on Bequia that are perfect for green flash spotters, and May Dale’s house was one of them.

May Dale was an English woman who lived in a tiny cottage situated on the bluff overlooking Lower Bay. She was a real character, a vivacious woman with a raucous voice and ribald sense of humour who loved a good party. You couldn’t mistake her presence; May’s voice, loud and carrying, was recognizable from a distance, and old-timers will forever associate her with the Friendship Bay Hotel’s parrot. One evening, May over-turned her moke when returning home from a party and lay trapped under the vehicle calling for help throughout the night. No-one went to rescue the poor woman although many heard the raucous squawking – everyone assumed the hotel’s parrot had escaped!

Mac and I were invited to May’s house for cocktails one evening, and arrived just before sun-set. I had passed the small cottage many times on my way to Lower Bay beach, a tidy wooden dwelling set on a patch of grass with an amazing seascape from its vantage point on the bluff.  Mac commented on its wisely-chosen location; the house was situated well back from the bluff, a cliff made up of porous rock which he was sure would crumble and erode with time. The cottage was simple, with two small bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen, living room and a porch looking out to sea. The view of the wide bay was beautiful from the porch and, as the evening was clear, I was promised a green flash. Our hostess gave us a drink, hefty shots of neat whiskey because she had no ice, and some canned smoked oysters served atop Crix crackers. May talked non-stop until the sun began to sink into the horizon, at which point we quietly watched with bated breath for the green flash to occur. What a sight! As the last of the bright sun sank there was a brilliant emerald-green flash, and we clapped with delight. I have never forgotten my first green flash from May Dale’s porch, it was truly spectacular, and to this day I stop whatever I’m doing to watch for the elusive flash as the sun sinks below the horizon.

May Dale left Bequia not long afterwards, and new owners took over the little house on the bluff. Jane and Bruce King were from Maine, a charming couple who contributed quietly to the island. They spent the winter months on Bequia, and over the years their tiny house was filled to over-flowing with visiting children and grand-children. The wooden cottage didn’t change much; other than fresh coats of paint the “King House”, with its green lawn and stunning view, remained the same simple dwelling it had always been. I liked the Kings tremendously and was sorry when they decided to sell the cottage, but understood that advancing age had dictated their decision. The new owner promised Jane and Bruce that she would keep the “King House” intact, a promise she kept in a rather tongue-in-cheek fashion.

An English woman named Wendy had previously bought “Retreat House”, the only other dwelling on the bluff, and had transformed it from a ramshackle dwelling into a beautiful villa. Once Wendy had purchased the “King House” she owned the entire bluff, prime Bequia property indeed! She sold “Retreat House” to a Scottish fellow named Derek Coates, a man I never met and who has since died. Wendy then proceeded to develop the King property, using pretty well every square inch to construct a fancy “Mustique style” villa. She DID leave the “King House” intact; the old cottage now serves more or less as an entry hall for the new house, a house that boasts 2 swimming pools, 5 bed-room suites, 4 bathrooms, a large gazebo, 2 kitchens (one indoor and one outside) and several terraces. Wendy then sold the King House to some people from Maine, who I understand rent the property out when not using it themselves.

Both “Retreat House” and the “King House” are now heavily gated, and neither the view nor much of the buildings behind them can be seen from the Lower Bay Road. I can understand the need for privacy (well, kind of) and at least the gates are more or less attractive, but I sure miss seeing that simple blue cottage from the top of the Lower Bay hill! I also remember Mac’s words when commenting on May Dale’s house;

“lucky ‘ting dat house built far enough from de cliff edge, dat rock porous and gonna crumble and erode”……………………