“Eleuthera isn’t for everyone,” resident expats warned Bobbi. But she and her family took to the quirky piece of paradise right off the bat when they spent their family vacation on the island in 2002. The watercolor-washed striated shades of aquamarine to cerulean were captivating. Salty evening breezes wooed them through coconut fronds, “Come live on the island, mon”. But it was the people of this Bahamian Mayberry that convinced her that this could be home. They have been welcoming her and her family home for more than a decade. Bobbi and her husband Mark are getting away to where “everybody knows your name, and are always glad you came”.

Church fairs and gospel festivals are settlement staples. Menu boards boast souse, peas and rice, and conch fritters, but the charcoal-grilled chicken and pork chops are served up in generous helpings Mayberry-style. Homemade pies and cakes created by island ladies rival those of Aunt Bee and church women’s auxiliary.

Bobbi and Mark have owned their home on the island for 10 years, and each winter, they move closer to planting their feet on the limestone rock permanently. Right now, they navigate months on the island with sojourns to the mainland to see the grandchildren and check in on the business in Pennsylvania.

Hubby Mark recently built Bobbi a star-gazing bench where the SkyGuide app makes the island indigo nights and star-splattered skies almost as captivating as the sun-dazzled pink sand beaches. On the island, Bobbi love gardening, snorkeling, and beach-combing; most of all, she loves the “sip-sip” – being part of the ebb and flow of the lives of neighbors and friends.