Hurricane Dorian

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved that Hurricane Dorian decided to stay off the east coast of Florida instead of coming right up through the Gulf this time around.  Hurricane Micheal left its mark on the Forgotten Coast and panhandle of Florida just about everywhere you look last October. If it's not a house blown out along the coast, it’s the iconic pine tree snapped in two half way up the trunk that is left as a reminder of the power of Mother Nature.  Parts of Panama City and Mexico Beach are still total disasters that will take years and years and a ton of money to rebuild.
 
So when I first saw the video and pictures of the Bahamas and the beautiful Abaco Islands, my heart sank into the pit of my gut in anguish.  Our family was just there the end of July.  This was the second year in a row we had been down with friends and felt like it was a second home already.   We hit all the right spots, Nippers, Grabbers, Pete's, Miss Emily's, Harbor Lodge, Sea Spray, Firefly, Green Turtle Dollar Bar, Cocoa Beach, Tipsy Seagull.   We wandered the sleepy streets of Man O War,  climbed the lighthouse at Hope Town, feed the pigs on No Name and swam with the stingrays, turtles and sharks at Manjack.   After a few nights in Treasure, we rented a house on Lubbers Cay, boating from one island to the next and just enjoying what it felt like the most beautiful parts at the end of the world.  Our flight out of Marsh Harbor was delayed our last day so we had time to ride around and get some local flavor and see the town or what there was of it.  When people say they are on island time they mean it as no one really gets in a hurry about anything and they are happy just to be.  Most of the locals have very little monetarily and tourism is the economy that feeds them.  
 
Now they really have nothing at all as the Abaco Islands have been reconfigured, trees stripped of their leaves and houses, bars and lives destroyed. It is truly still hard to wrap our minds around the damage that was done to this slice of Paradise.   This Cat 5 storm did its best to erase these small specks of land from the planet and off the map, but it didn't happen.  One thing I do know is that nature, and the human spirit, are resilient and will recover with time.  Nature has its own way of doing things and when we try to change or direct it's path, we only seem to make a mess of it all.  I have seen a lot of disasters over the years, from forest fires, floods, volcano eruptions and more storms than I would prefer to have experienced; but over time nature will heals itself.   It is not our place to ask why, rather it is our place to help our fellow man in need.  Sure, in a year or so we will be on to the next thing and the memory of Hurricane Dorian will begin to fade , but for those who's lives are forever changed due to this storm the memory will never fade.   We must keep them in our prayers and please help in any way you can.   Best part is we know our fans, our customers, our friends, are all helping already, so thank you.   Let us keep the spirit of the Abacos alive!   

We have decided to sell our Bahaman Man Tee and donate 100% of the profit to various Hurricane Relief Funds so the money will go directly the people in the Bahamas that need our help.   Every little bit helps at this time.   Click on the link below and order up and you can not only help with your monetary donation but you also can show your support by wearing your shirt often and always.