Body Surfing

We went to Miami Beach last Saturday and these two guys show up - and start body surfing right in front of us.  I could tell that this was not their first time to do this.  I got out my camera and set the shutter speed for fast speed and did a multiaction click.  The pictures really turned out good.    Who needs a surf board? :)

Bittersweet

13 days until we leave Barbados.  This is my second give away.  It is called "Crown of Thorns."  This was my favorite of all my veranda plants.  I hope to get another one of these when we settle in Texas.  I had one last farewell last night at our place with Devron and Annette.  They are the proud new owners of this plant.  We played for the 1st time the card game called Canasta.  Had a blast.  You see a different side to a person when you start playing them in cards - Annette, you have a very competing side to you, girl!  Wish we had started doing that before last night.

Had a lady hug me today in my gym class.  This is so bitter - leaving my friends and home for the past 3 years.  It is also sweet that I am returning to friends and family in the states.  Bittersweet!

Let the packing begin......

 15 days until we leave.  This is a picture of a poinsettia that I bought at Christmas time.  Imagine this - it actually stayed alive and has been growing!  Doesn't happen for me in the Dallas area.  So, this is my first thing to say goodbye to.  I am giving it to Betty today when she leaves my condo for the last time.  Betty is getting married and wanted to take off the last two Wednesdays in the month - so, I will not see Betty probably ever again.

I am giving away all of my plants that I have loved so much for these 3 years.  I have a  fig tree that is in a planter that has the name of Tomas - we named him this after he rolled back and forth on our veranda 2 years ago during the Hurricane Tomas that came through.  And he survived!  No one has claimed him as of yet.

Joesette wants my beautiful variegated plant.  Annette wants my crown of thorns plant.  I have many more to give away.

I'm trying to use up all our food that is in the pantry, freezer and refrigerator - we are starting to eat some weird combinations of food.

I don't know if I have already put this in a blog or not - but, one of my friends told me that I have given her "ex pat fatigue."  It is a problem when you have made friends with someone - only to have them leave you.  Of course, with facebook - it isn't as bad anymore.  I can keep up with friends from all over the world - and I do!

Got to go.  I have lots of packing to do.

Hidden Jewel - The Savannah Hotel

Isn't this picture beautiful?  This is the inner courtyard of the Savannah Hotel located on the South Coast.  The picture was taken from the cafe that overlooks this oasis.  There is a pleasant breeze always blowing through the open walled cafe - and on Sundays, there is music going on in the background - ever so pleasant to the ears.  On our first visit to the Savannah, it was a steel drum player.  Yesterday, it was two ladies singing in perfect harmony.  I really must write the Savannah up in the Trip Advisor - it is a definite hidden jewel amoungst the many.

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  It is very much a celebration on this island.  Mothers are honored and held in a high place of love and admiration.  Gary took me to the Savannah for the Mother's Day brunch.  The restaurant staff are just good people.  They are genuine.  No put ons.  They are friendly.  They really wanted to make my mother's day special.  I even had one of the waitresses remember me from the previous visit and she came up and hugged me and wished me a Happy Mothers Day.  Gary's water glass was never empty!

The food is awesome as well.  I noticed many a Bajan with heaping plates of food coming from the buffet.  I honestly had to stop after the main meal - there was no more room for dessert.  Shame, really.  (I picked up that way of saying things from Ann in the UK.) I like saying that - really.  It just fits - smooth and easy.

This is the outside of the Savannah:

I love this tree - with it's white flowers.  I must find out what it is called.  I really hope to have one blooming in my backyard someday.  The fragrance that comes from these trees is intoxicating!

After the service at my church - I asked a lady that had a new baby - if I could hold it.  She didn't know me, but somehow she knew that the correct answer would be a yes.  So, I picked up that precious child.  That was my mother's day gift!  Words can not describe the feelings of contentment that washed over me by that simple act of holding a little baby.

I don't know

I don't know what type of tree this is - but, it is very old.  As you can see the base of the trunk is massive.  23 days until we leave our beloved island.  I went and visited with an elderly woman who lives in my set of condos this afternoon.  I will not state her name, but she is a Lady.  Meaning, her husband was knighted - and that automatically made her a Lady.   She is a very kind person.  She always gives, gives food to everyone in the condos.  I really like to sit and talk with her.  She is a wealth of information about the goings on of the island.

All that I am going to say is - that it is no different here than anywhere else in the world.  The rich people own all the land and businesses!  And, I think there could be a good book written called "Bajan Help".  (You know, like the book written called 'The Help')  There would be many amusing stories to tell and unfortunately some sad ones as well - I am sure of it.  I have been told that I should write a book - message me if you are willing to tell me your story!

Oh, and one more thing - I hear ALL the time how fat Americans are.  Actually, it is true.  Gary and I couldn't believe our eyes after we had lived in Europe for a while - and came back to the states to visit - it was shocking the difference in the average weight of people.  But, I will have to say - that it bothers me.  We Americans need to figure this thing out - and change it!

Friendships

23 days until we leave Barbados as our home.  What I am going to miss about this island the most - is of course, the people.  Why, do you ask?  After all, other countries have great people as well.  And that is true.  So, why is it?  Why do I tear up when I think of us leaving?  Is it because we live near an ocean - No.  Is it because the weather is always nice here - No.  Is it because we live in paradise - No.  It's the people.  Plain and simple.

All kinds of people - from my dearest of friends at my church's ladies bible study group to the ladies at my gym class each week, to my golfing gals, to our beach vendors, to the coconut man, the newspaper guy, my house cleaner, my neighbors, Gary's coworkers and their families, to my ya ya sisters - everyone on this island (almost).  I will miss them all!

I love helping people.  I love the feel of community and friendship.  I love the idea of a world being made up of all good people.  Of course, I know that will never be - but, here in Barbados - they do get close to this reality.  I get a real kick out of stopping my car in the traffic to let others cross the street.  This morning, it was a lady crossing in the pouring down rain - and the wave and smile she gave me after she had crossed.  I love letting the two little brothers hold each other's hands and cross the street on their way to school.  I love the street life that I see each morning and each evening when picking Gary up from work.  There is always a man standing on his front porch in the evenings - watching everyone drive,bike, and walk past.  I love watching the rasta guy make his rounds along the street.  I love watching the pretty young girls walk across the street and even more fun is watch all the guys heads turn as they walk by.  I love seeing someone with a car stop and invite one of their friends to jump in and they get that free lift.  I love seeing people laugh and talk and lime.  Man, I'm going to miss this place!

Knee Deep in Paradise...

So,  the Zak Brown Band has a song out called Knee Deep and it features Jimmy Buffett - and Gary and I love, love that song.  Part of it states that the only thing he had to worry about was where to put the chair in case of high tide.  It is amusing to us because a lot of times when we go to the beach, literally our main worry is where to put the chairs - high tides and coconut fallings.  So, this picture was taken Saturday afternoon - showing how the high tide had come in so far - that the first set of beach umbrellas were completely under water.

So, it is 24 days until we leave our home of Barbados.  As one person put it to me last week, it is the end of an era for us.  Yes, it is indeed.  We have changed a lot - have different views on a lot of things than we used to.

Oh, the children that are 11 years old here on the island, are really in a stressful situation at the moment.  It is called the 11+ testing - but these poor children are having to take a test and depending on their score, will determine pretty much the rest of their lives!  Depending on the score made, is where the child will be sent to school for next year.  And you know how that goes!  I did overhear one mother sitting back fat and happy stating that she didn't see why other mothers were paying for their children to have extra lessons etc. - that she was just going to let it be - what would be, would be.   I wanted so badly to say to her - that I felt she was wrong - that it absolutely makes a huge difference.  The better/harder the school - the better/more challenged her child would be - and also, the child will have a better self image of himself - which will dictate a whole lot of things for the future.  But, you would be proud of me ---- I kept my mouth shut!  :)

How can you not believe there is a God?

I'm still in shock that I actually got to see the full moon rise over the ocean.   You can ask Alisha and Gary and Ruth Hoad and Caesar and many more people - they will tell you that I have longed for this event ever since I moved to Barbados - 3 years ago!  Every time in those 3 years that there would be a full moon - it would be too cloudy on the horizon to catch that first glimpse of it.   One time, I even drove early on the following morning to hopefully catch it as it set over the ocean - cloudy then as well.  I can remember dragging Alisha out of bed to go to that one and she will tell you of the time that we raced across the island in hopes of seeing the sight.  Gary has been rushed across the island with me many, many a time.  I had really given up hope of seeing it.

Then, I saw where someone had posted on Facebook that the super moon was happening last night.  You can ask anyone that is currently living in Barbados - that this weekend would not be the time to go searching a cloudless horizon!  There has been a tropical depression settled over the island for the past 2 days.  Rain, rain, and more rain.  But, Gary and I decided we would give it a shot this one last time.  You see, we are leaving the island at the end of May.  Very sad, I'm not ready to talk about that as of yet.  But, still now you know why last night was my last shot at seeing it.

I had asked people on Facebook to pray or keep their fingers crossed that I see this.  The reason I worded it that way, is because I have many dear friends on Facebook that are not Christians.  If you have noticed, I do not post a lot of those pictures/sayings on Facebook that state things like post this if your a Christian, etc.  The reason being - is I know these dear friends of mine don't want this stuff shoved down their throats.  They know that I'm a Christian and if they want to know more about how to have faith in Jesus Christ - they will ask me or someone else.

But, this one time - dear friends - I have got to make an exception to the rule.  Literally, the clouds parted at just the right moment - and as you can see from the picture above - I got to see the moon rise over the ocean!  I do not believe that this was by accident!  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for allowing me to see this - no matter how stupid or insignificant it might seem to others.

So, back to the story:  Gary and I left in plenty of time to get to the east coast - but, we were slowed down on the highway and roads by traffic.  My iPhone has two apps on it for moon stuff - one is moon phase, which tells me what phase the moon is in and when it will rise and set according to my location.  The other app - which is awesome - actually will show me where the moon is at in the sky at any time of the day or night.  So, I knew that the moon was to rise at 5:56 yesterday.  I didn't wear a watch - we were going to go to the Crane and watch the horizon from their lookout point and remember we had plenty of time to get there.....  But, with several setbacks - when we got to the lookout point, something just told me to check the time on my phone - it was exactly 5:56!  So, I quickly got the app to show me where the moon was supposed to be - pointed it at that location - and the picture above is the first picture we took - you are seeing what I saw!  I exclaimed to Gary (because he was talking with a man from Russia) "Gary, look it's there!"  I was ecstatic with glee.  And thanking God that he had indeed answered mine and others prayers for me to see this.  :)

What I am disappointed about though - is as you can tell - the moon is not that glowing gold/red color that I have seen elsewhere.  I think this is probably because the sun had not actually set yet - and so, we were still getting sunlight as well.  Probably, maybe tonight if I went back - the sun is going to set a few minutes before the moon rises - it might have a more golden glow to it - but, then again, it will not be full.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  And thank you very much for praying for me or keeping your fingers crossed for me that this would happen.  Love you all so much!

Brighton's Farmers Market, Barbados

It has been over a month since I posted a blog.  A lot has gone on in that month - my son got married and we went on a sailing trip to the Grenadines.  Both of these events warrants major blog activity, but since my memory is fading, I want to blog this morning about going to something here in Barbados called "The Brighton's Farmers Market."

Oh, before I start on this mornings adventures - I just want to say - that I was told recently by a friend of James' that she had read my entire blog!  She loved it.  That made me feel so good - so, if you are out there - thank you!  Oh, and she also told Gary that he was "smoking hot!"  He now reminds me of this on a daily basis.  :)

OK, so this is going to be a rainy weekend and I will not go to the beach today as we normally do.  So, I got up early this morning and went to something that happens every Saturday here in Barbados - called Brighton's Farmers Market.  It is a nice way to buy flowers and fresh fruit and vegetables, but it is also a way to buy some yummy, yummy food!  Everyone knows everyone else on this island - so, a lot of folks get up and go there to socialize with their friends and have a cup of coffee.  I actually knew 5 people today!  I'm a Bajan!  :)

There is a fruit that grows here on the island called a soursop.  I find it very hard to come by.  I asked a local farmer yesterday when I could buy a soursop and he said probably next week, but that they are hard to come by because of the monkeys!  Now, when tourists come to Barbados - they love seeing the monkeys - but, if you live here - you come to despise them - they eat your bananas, mangos and soursop!  It was funny to hear this farmer talk, because he was an older gentlemen and I could tell he is a good man - respectable in his community - but, when it came time to talk about the monkeys and his soursop - he called them "the little bastards" and then he looked at me out of the corner of his eye - like, oops - I shouldn't have said that to her.  But, I thought it was funny and very true. Anyway, I was thrilled today to find that someone was selling the soursop drink!  So, I bought two - one for me and one for Gary.  There are studies out that state there is a property in soursop that actually kills cancer cells!

I should have been going to this market before now.  I was able to get some brule jol (salt fish recipe that is a Bajan favorite), fried fish in a bake (bake is a type of sweet bread - very good), chocolate chip monkey bread (I bought two - but, I think Gary is not going to get his share (shhh)), sugar free freshly baked oat bread, and a smoked salmon quiche!  Oh, so good!

So, if your ever in Barbados - be sure and get up early on Saturday morning and go check out the Brighton's Farmers Market.

Sunrise at Conset Bay and Bath

I have joined the Barbados Photographic Society.  I have a new camera - a Sony Alpha 65.  The society invited all of it's members to meet out at Codrington College this morning at 5:15 am.  From there, we would all go to Conset Bay for photos of the area and the sun rise.  While waiting on all the group to arrive, I stood in the cool darkness of the morning, taking in the fresh air and the sound of the day coming into life.  I really think that people should take moments out of their day to do this.  It doesn't matter where you are in life - you should be able to stop somewhere and just breathe!  The above photo was shot at Conset Bay prior to the sunrise.  The society wanted to be able to walk amoungst the little bay areas - but after getting to Conset Bay - they realized that the water level was too high to do this.   So, they decided to get back in the cars and go to Bath beach which is just one area over to the left.  The cars were driving really fast to get to Bath, and I was having a hard time keeping up - but, I realized after the fact that the reason was - that we were going to miss the sunrise if we didn't hurry.

Here is the sunrise at Bath.  It was a cloudy morning, but you can see the sun rising behind those clouds.

The society didn't talk amongst themselves or socialize, it was everyone going about taking pictures of the sunrise, the beach, the waves, the shoreline, the old train tracks - anything that intrigued them.  I really enjoyed being there and becoming part of this group.  It is a way for me to go to parts of the island - that I otherwise would not do on my own.  One of the experienced photographers gave me some good advice this morning on how to get a photo of that water splash that I am trying to capture.  I will show one photo below of my first attempt at this, but hopefully I will improve and get just the right one before we leave.

Here is a good picture of the starting point at Bath of the railway that used to be in existence that ran from Bath to Bridgetown.  What a shame that it was allowed to deteriorate and stop running.  I can just imagine the thrill it must have been to ride alongside the east coast with the ocean on one side and the lush countryside on the other.  The ability to see some fabulous locations along the east coast - that are hard to find and get to otherwise.  (Sigh)

I almost titled this Blog "Something's Gotta Give."  Have you seen the movie?  Gary and I watched it last night and even though I had seen it before - enjoyed some of the parts of this film.  If you have seen the movie, do you remember the spot where they were walking along the beach and she would stoop down and pick up the white stones?  He jokingly picked up a black stone - representing him in their new relationship. She started picking up the black ones from then on.  I just love the following picture of a beach scene taken this morning - representing humanity - some of us are white, some are black, some are coral, and some are a mixture.  And I wasn't referring to the color of our skin in this last statement.  :)

One of my water shots - exposure: 1/2000; max apperiture 4.96  This picture in the blog does not do this justice, but can you see the water droplets at the top?

Another one:

One of my fellow photographers mentioned how nice the sea weed can look up close.  Almost like Christmas Holly.

Piece of coral:

Coconut Husk - probably didn't need to even explain that one.

Sea sponge

Sea Fan

I don't know what this is, but it is all over the place.

On the other side of Bath beach is the chalky hills - I think this is limestone. Each year Barbados grows further up, out of the sea.  You can see this with these limestone areas - where there will be lines and ridges from where it was once at sea level.  Interesting.

And so, another day has begun.

Easter Bonnets

I can't believe that I have been here for 3 years - and am just now realizing that the children have a big todo with their Easter bonnets!  This was the picture in this mornings newspaper.  I am hoping that maybe there will be a parade of these cute little bonnets on Easter morning at Queens Park.  Just like they do with Christmas morning at the park.  If so, more pictures to come.

I was in a toy store earlier this week and while standing in the checkout line, noticed that the lady in front of me had some really cute Easter things - like bunny rabbits on a stick.  I smiled.  It brought back a lot of great memories of mine as a mother with small children.  I loved making up their Easter baskets - almost as much as Christmas morning.  I asked her was she getting her Easter baskets ready and she said, "Oh no, this is for the Easter bonnet!"  She told me that the schools usually have Easter bonnet parades.  Now, a few days later - this was on the back page of the newspaper.  I sure hope that I can get some real pictures of these adorable children and their Easter bonnets.  Isn't it interesting how different cultures/countries celebrate these holidays? In the USA, I'm not sure I have ever heard/seen a school that put on an Easter bonnet parade.  But, there are tons of children that wake up to an Easter basket on Easter morning.

I saw this submarine outside my kitchen window this morning.  Man, what a view!

This is what I'm saying!  :)

I can not leave Gary for a minute on the beach!  He's just a chic magnet wherever we go!

Two guys drive onto the beach last Saturday - pulled out their scuba gear (plus these harpoons!) and walked right into the water and climbed right into their boat - and they were off.  I bet they had fun - probably as much fun as other guys do at playing golf?

You know, I mentioned earlier in this blog about how different countries celebrate holidays.  But, it became really clear to me after living here for a little while - that Barbados enjoys a sport that is not seen much in the USA - cricket!  I don't understand the game, but it is fun to watch them.  This particular beach that we were at on Saturday - there were a group of men that showed up around 4:00 - and really wanted all the sunbathers to move so that they could set up their cricket game right there on the beach!  This is the second time this has happened at this particular beach - I think we are on to something here.  It is a lot of fun to watch them, though.

Well, since the cricketers wanted us to leave the beach, we just went back home and did a sundowner.  I like this shot of the sunset - with the 2 stripes going through it.  Kind of neat, I think.

This shot was taken a couple of days ago.  This is sea weed from the Sargasso Sea.  It is just way too much.  The island is really having a problem with it now.  This is Gary looking at it along a stretch of our morning walk.  That seaweed was at least 8 inches thick in most places!  If you are wondering how Barbados dealt with it:  they left it for a few days - it dried out somewhat - and the tide rising and falling also engulfed some of it back and also covered more of it with sand - and then, the government workers came in to the popular beach sites and shoveled the remaining portions up and put in heaps at the edges of the beach.  But, this seaweed is really bad for the island in a number of ways:  bad for the tourists, bad for the fishermen, and bad for people like me that wanted to collect sea shells.

This, my dear friends, is a jellyfish.  It had washed up on shore amongst all the seaweed.  This is what you do not want to come in contact with in the water.  Oh, this reminds me of a few weekends back.  Gary and I went to Crane Beach for our Saturday beach day - and this little boy started screaming bloody murder.  He had gotten a bad sting from one of these fish.  His mother scooped him up and ran toward a group of local men.  One of them immediately went into action and took the little boy consoling him, asked for a jug of fresh water and poured it over the sting, got some ointment and put that on him and then told the mother to walk her son up and down the beach, that that would help the pain subside quicker.  

Enough of the sea weed and jellyfish - look at this garden!  This is a lady's yard that sits right on the beach.  Can you believe that people actually get to live out the remainder of their lives in a paradise such as this?  

Notice the smirk on Gary's face?  He loves this board that has been built in the back of a hotel that is being torn down and then rebuilt.  It is funny to him because we know there is no way that the hotel will be opening in 2012!  :)  About 3 years ago, a Marriott Courtyard was being built here - and so Gary went to the website to see when it would be opening and it stated "coming soon 2007" - it was then 2011!  So, I guess when we visit Barbados in another 2 years - that this board might still be up?  :)

I put this picture from the back of the newspaper in here.  It is featuring the story that I had put in my blog earlier - about the guy that was shot in the knee because he was allegedly stealing some hams from the Super Centre and was fleeing the scene.  I love the way the newspaper releases these type of stories.

Sea shells by the sea shore

A few months back, I had been noticing an elderly couple stooping down, picking up sea shells along the sea shore  I finally got up enough courage to stop them one day and ask what they were doing.  They said that they were collecting shells for one of their friends that makes jewelry and sailors valentines.  I had seen some displays of sailors valentines at the St. Nicholas Abbey and knew what they were referring to.  Here is what one looks like.

The original Sailor's Valentines were started in Bridgetown, Barbados.  There was a shop in Bridgetown that carried the mahogany, octagonal cases.  The sailors would collect shells while they were stationed here in Barbados and would make these valentines to take back to their lovers overseas.  They can be quite intricate.

So, I got the grand notion that I wanted to make Gary a sailor's valentine before we left Barbados.  I asked the couple if they knew of anyone on the island that made the sailor's valentines and they gave me the name and number of a lady here that did them.  I called this lady - she invited me to her home - and when I got there, she showed me her studio.  It was awesome.  It was loaded with antique sailors valentines as well as some very impressive shell art displays.  She showed me the certain shells that I would need to collect and what supplies I would need and that after I had these materials - she would help me with starting the design of my valentine.

So, now I can explain to you the first picture.  That is one of my counter tops in my kitchen - which has been turned into a shell center.  I don't think Gary was that thrilled about this - but this condo is too small to have a separate work center anywhere else.  These shells that you see in this first picture is what I collected over last weekend!  It has turned into a major project of mine.  It is a lot more time consuming than I had thought.  I could go out and just buy a bag of shells - but, I want this valentine to be extra special - one in which every shell is a one that I painfully picked myself off the sea shore here.

So, we have less than 2 more months here on the island - and I am busy collecting shells.  I hope this doesn't turn into another violin project!  (Secret joke of Gary's - where I bought a violin and wanted to learn to play it - but only stayed with it a few months and then put it aside to never be picked up again.)

There are only certain beaches that have certain shells.  That was new to me.  I didn't realize this.  I guess a lot depends on the variety of reefs around the island - as to what shells will be found there.  I have also realized that the best time to collect them is at low tide.  It is also very painful on your back - after you stoop down several times to pick up the shells.  Oh, and another thing - be careful not to pick up one that still has the critter inside of it - it will walk off your counter later on in the evening.  (LOL)  And if it doesn't walk off your counter, will create a nice little aroma in your kitchen before too long.  I made the mistake about a week ago of putting the shells in a combination of vinegar and water.  Wasn't a good idea - it put a whitish film around the outside of the shells and they lost their luster and color.  Live and learn!  I now know the names of a lot of shells and it is very interesting - I just hope I finish the project and it doesn't become my next violin.

Here is a closeup picture of some of these shells - there are doves, limpid, rice, pinkies, coffee beans, etc.

This collection of shells is a time consuming process:  finding the shells, washing them off, letting them lay out to dry, painfully categorizing them and putting them together with their kind in storage bins.  And this is not even considering the time of actually designing and gluing them to the board.  But, I feel it will be worth it.  I know I want to write the word Barbados on it and I want to say something like "with love" or "to my other half" on it.  If you have any ideas - please pass them along to me.

Ok, for some other things that have happened lately.  I found out that yesterday, a man was caught shop lifting at the super centre - and the security guards shot him in the bottom as he was trying to escape!  Hum, maybe if more security guards did that in the states - I bet the shoplifting problem would become a little less of one.