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.

Trini Doubles

This is one of my acquaintances here on the island.  I don't even know her name.  But, I do appreciate her.  She is almost always standing at this umbrella stand off of the Coast Road and Rendezvous Rd.  I appreciate her because she treats me as someone other than an "expat".  Like today, driving back home around 10:00, I decided that I wanted one of those trini doubles - and stopped.  She immediately started talking with me saying that she hadn't seen me in a while.  How was I doing?  I like that.  She most always has a smile on her face, too  - as you can see.

So, trini doubles are the ultimate street food!  The food originates from Trinidad.  After you have had one, it is hard not to want one daily.  I guess trini doubles down here is similar to a hot dog stand in New York.  Their very cheap and usually served warm and they are very filling.  Today, I paid 3.50 Barbados dollars for this treat.  Which is equivalent to 1.75 USD.  It is made of this wonderful bread called a bara.  She puts two baras together to form the "sandwich" and then the filling is with curried chick peas.  There are some delicious toppings that can be added to this - like a cucumber relish and a Bajan hot pepper sauce.  Just writing this makes me want to go get another one.  (giggle)

I ask this girl if I could take her picture - and she immediately said yes.  I like it when people don't mind their picture being taken.  These days more and more people don't want their picture being taken - they don't want it ending up on facebook.  I don't really understand this.  It is very frustrating for me at times, because I want to put this stuff in my blog and I know that words are good to read, but let's face it - pictures speak a thousand words.

I remember 2 years ago, when Gary and I visited St. Lucia for a weekend trip - that I was taking pictures soon after we disembarked from the airplane and we were driving in a cab up to our resort.  This man yelled at me from the roadside that I needed to pay him for just taking his picture.  It really spooked me.  Now, here in Barbados - I don't dare take someone's picture without asking their permission first.  I know I'm not perfect, so I guess I need to understand these people and have patience with them.  There are probably many reasons why they don't want their picture taken - and I need to be understanding of this all.  It is kind of like these people that have blanks on their facebook profile pictures - why?  Don't they walk out daily into this public world - where people see them face to face?  What is so different then about posting your picture on facebook - it is the "new age" way of friending people.  More so, than a telephone call or a mailed letter.

Falcon!

Isn't he a beauty?  Look at those big talons!  No guessing what he uses them for.  We have seen he and his mate perched high in a casuarina tree for several days now.  Luckily, I remembered to take my telephoto lens on the camera this morning.  They are a type of falcon called Merlin.  Here is a more up close and personal picture of him.

Cruise Ships

It is nice watching the cruise ships come into port each morning.  Especially when the sun is shining right on them.  I found out last year that these cruise ships time their arrivals into these ports to arrive around 8:00 am.  That way, the passengers are awake and looking at the approaching island with great glee and anticipation for what this new day on this new island will bring.  The captains of these ships could easily have the ship already docked long before it's passengers have awakened in most instances.  But, there is something about watching as the ship approaches an island and also as the ship departs from an island.

Sea Biscuits and Lionfish

I have been told that this is a sea biscuit.  We found this sea biscuit this morning along the shore.  This doesn't happen that often.  I haven't seen one in a while - and this morning, I found two!  I have learned that when you see one of a certain type of sea shell - you will probably see more.

I had heard on the TV news last year that there was a disturbing trend in the increasing population of lionfish, which have venomous spines.  One of our friends had the misfortune this last weekend of coming in contact with one of them - not far from the shoreline on the west coast of Barbados!  He first thought that he had just gotten a jellyfish sting, but the pain did not go away - and he eventually had to be admitted to the hospital with a morphine drip!  WOW!  So, be careful my friends when playing in the ocean.  I have come to learn that after there has been a storm and the sea is rough - it is better to stay away for a few days.

The Hats of Sandy Lane Gold Cup

I had an extremely good time this last Saturday at what is known around here as the "Sandy Lane Gold Cup."  Sandy Lane is this really nice, 5 star hotel that sits on the west coast of the island.  (It is where Tiger Woods was married.)  So, the first two years of living here on the island - if I heard anyone talk about the Sandy Lane Gold Cup - I had differing ideas of what this was all about.  Usually entailing rich people and the west coast.  But, I didn't realize until it was too late last year - that this was actually a horse race.  And that it is raced at the Garrison which is right by where I live on the South Coast.

I went along with 6 other people to this race - and had a great time. Definitely going to be one of my top memories (other than Queen's Park on Christmas Day).  We decided to sit in the stands for this event - so that we could see the horses as they crossed the finish line.  So glad we made this decision - it was ecstatic/electrifying as those horses raced towards the finish line each time.  There were 10 races in total.  The 9th race was the "biggie" - the Sandy Lane Gold Cup!  Each race was rather short in time and then there would be about a 30 minute wait between that race and the next one.  (So that anyone that wanted to bet on the next race - had time to get their bet placed.)

But, it was just so much fun watching the people in between the races, that the time passed very quickly.  I got carried away with looking at the hats that everyone wore.

I like the ribbon and how it was tied into such a nice, elegent, long bow.

                    

Hey, the jockeys had to wear a hat, too.....

Nice strong hat with a very nice, stylish ribbon - on a guy by the way....

Nice hat...

I bet this guy likes Bob Marley...

Here you go.......

Back in Mississippi, my uncle wore one like this to fish in....

This is one of my friends - he wanted to get in on the picture taking by putting on his wife's hat...

Wait, what is this - flowers tucked into the hat?  Nice...

 Now, this guy was the announcer - I think he wins the prize!

Love the ribbon.  I want one of those hats....

Hum, I wonder where this one came from?

Even the little ones had their bonnets on...

Ok, this guy is totally deciding on who to bet on in the next race.  If his horse doesn't win, his hat would.

Pretty good...

This is fantastic - love the white ribbon around the white hat.

Very nice.

Hey bandannas can count, too.

Ok, this young lad just couldn't get it straight.

Love it...

Now how many people do you know have a pair of sunglasses to match their hat?

Love, love it.

Hat matches the shirt - cool!

Totally awesome.

Love the purple accessory.

Man, I didn't realize a hat could come in so many different colors/stripes.

Love them both - I've always wanted to wear a red hat.

You have to look closely here - but this is actually a very cool hat with the gorgeous accessories attached to the side.

Hat?  Who needs a hat when you have all these cute berets?

He was actually walking on stilts - and wearing that hat at the same time!

Barbados colors - blue and yellow - for the sun and sea.

Who says you have to wear the hat actually on the head?  Why not about a foot back of your head?

Nice...

Seriously?

I wish I could have gotten a better shot of this hat - very eloquent!