tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29233397270367711602024-03-03T19:25:59.974-05:00Wendy In JamaicaThis is my personal blog. The comments and pictures posted here are my own and do not represent CUSO International, their employees, partner organizations nor volunteers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-81641629170728742912012-12-13T08:35:00.000-05:002012-12-13T08:35:52.032-05:00A Cat in My Pyjamas!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am halfway home. Arrived in Toronto last night at about 8 pm and by 10 pm I was ensconced in the Travelodge at the Toronto Airport. Why, you ask, did I not take the connecting flight to Vancouver, which left at 11 pm?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of you know, but others may not as I have not blogged about them, but I adopted two Jamaican kittens from the Jamaica SPCA. They were emaciated and would likely not have survived as kittens in Jamaica are valued less than throw-away dogs. They have been wonderful friends to me and to my friends. Usain and Veronica are now fat and ready to become Canadian cats - I keep telling them to grow more fur. They will either have a new family or join their older brother and and sister, Whittington and LizzyBetty, who I cannot wait to have back home with me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, I am fulfilling by family's fears and becoming the crazy cat lady. I simply could not abandon them: cannot save all the cats in Jamaica, but can save two. Also will continue to support the JSPCA and Animal House Jamaica.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to the Travelodge . . . Could not make the connecting flight because Canada Customs requires a four hour window for inspections and that means I miss the last flight to Vancouver. Also, Toronto Air Canada Cargo no longer has overnight services. So, after two hours of paperwork at both Air Canada Cargo and Canada Customs - fortunately it was all in order, with appropriate health certificates, export permits, import permits - and a taxi fare that we do not even want to discuss, the three of us arrived at the Travelodge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kittens were unsure and a bit spooked, though arrived healthy and alert. And they were happy to explore hotel room, using the "facilitates" (I brought a cat box and litter in my luggage), eating and drinking water. We were all tired, so had a good sleep: me on the bed, they under it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After getting the coffee going and turning on the TV news this morning, I opened the hotel room door to see if there was a newspaper out there. Usain bolted. I immediately went after him and easily picked him up a few doors down: he must realized it was a false start and no sense going any further. I quickly realized that I was standing on the 5th floor of a hotel hall, room locked, no key, and a cat in my pyjamas. (Please excuse the misplaced modifier, but if you know your Groucho Marx you will understand . . . ) Fortunately, and unusually, I was wearing pyjamas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you have any idea how busy an airport hotel lobby is at 7:30 am? Everyone is checking out and heading to their planes. There I was, barefoot with a Jamaican cat under my arm. The clerks were all busy and I simply got in line. People were very polite but they were not too ready to engage - hey, I am back in Canada. Wondering if they thought I had confused the coming Christmas season with Halloween? Or if I was the one who had escaped, not Usain. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Travelodge does not have a concierge, etc. However it is pet friendly and I got a seniors discount, so I was okay to wait. Finally, I spoke to the gentleman at the counter and explained the situation. With neither pause nor humour he asked me if I had identification. Really. I momentarily thought of explaining that if I had had the forethought to go back in the room for my identification, I would likely have taken the key instead. I just as quickly reconsidered that this would not be a fruitful dialogue. How often does this hotel experience a women, complete with bedhead, standing at the counter with a cat in her pyjamas? Anyway, they found a spare person who escorted me to my room and I showed him my ID. Veronica was pleased to see both of us safely returned from our morning adventure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Soon to start our next adventure and last leg on the trip, Toronto to Vancouver . . . stay tuned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did not take Veronica long to be her curious self.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bolting Usain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tired after a long trip . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing like a good wash from your brother to settle things down :-)</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-68781557245292463162012-12-11T20:45:00.000-05:002012-12-11T20:45:39.872-05:00Good Night, Jamaica<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my last blog from Jamaica. I leave in the morning . . . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no list of what I will miss most; as there are too many too list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no list of what I will miss least; as there will be few.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no list of regrets; as there are none. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good night, Jamaica. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-20712891777710417202012-12-08T20:42:00.000-05:002012-12-08T20:42:19.800-05:00Faces of the Homeless<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Four sleeps before I leave Jamaica and return to Canada. Technically I have finished at work, though going to an early morning meeting on Tuesday :-) However, I very much wanted to finish my work here with the 7th annual Day of Care. I participated in this last year - check out blog in December 2011 - but this time was much more involved. I did a report after the 6th annual and I think we made some progress on the organization end this year. These events can always be better and I trust that the Council of Voluntary Social Services and the National Volunteer Centre will make the 8th even better. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This day is always held on the Saturday that culminates the International Day of the Volunteer, December 5th. It is held in Saint William Grant Park in middle of "Parade" in downtown Kingston - not a place we white girls would go alone in the daytime and never, even in groups, at night. However, this is where the homeless live. So we were there today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being homeless in any country is not good and fraught with multiple problems. We think that being homeless in Canada is bad - and it is - but at least we have services to provide. And, of course, homeless in other countries will be worse. I can only speak from where I work. here in Jamaica. While there is assistance for the homeless in Jamaica, it is minimal and mostly provided by wonderful volunteers and many ecumenical groups. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Day of Care provides a one day shopping stop, all donated: clothes, snacks, lunches, hygiene bags (toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, wash cloths, sanitary supplies for women), eye exams, medical exams, diabetes testing, foot care for the diabetic, blood pressure testing, HIV testing and information, and even hair cuts and shaving! And lots of care, understanding, and - yes - loving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a lot of organization and we had 75 volunteers running off their feet to support about 650 homeless who came through the park today. I cannot individually thank all the volunteers here - you are too many! Though please know that I saw each one and what you offered and I will ever hold those memories close. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Faces to remember . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Volunteer briefing as the day commences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Homeless registration was busy from 9 am to 1 pm. We had wonderful volunteers, including three of my Cuso colleages (Brianna, Erin, and Kate) and even Kelly who was here on a week's holiday - she is here for a holiday, is a social worker in Calgary, and spends a day with the homeless in Jamaica. How wonderful is that?! What all the volunteers said was how polite everyone was and that almost all the homeless said thank-you for the meagre provisions we could provide. Gulp.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting in line for registration, where they receive vouchers for food, clothing, and hygiene bags. I love this man clutching his "red Christmas ball". The Christmas tree in the park was lit two nights ago and, methinks, that is now one red ball short. He was not selling it or flaunting it: only holding it closely. I spoke to him later, still cradling the red ball, and he said all he wanted to do was to keep it for Christmas. I think that the ball is in good hands. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Says it all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The clothing distribution was a busy place and the volunteers were amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just because you are homeless, does not mean you cannot dance for the camera :-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) were there to help and support. Thank you, JCF!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURDkhk609imNAmaaNw-XA8fS-wxzXJH3kXv4xKJ5gqQEsW5J9l4exJI4pZ72HwyY9UAyoejnqAe5_j3IoexJsKHT0qJE6Hw6N2PVpX9frN7iAXKS7Uy7WoLNubhaIeF8_Sqn5e4fE8Ms/s1600/IMG_2912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURDkhk609imNAmaaNw-XA8fS-wxzXJH3kXv4xKJ5gqQEsW5J9l4exJI4pZ72HwyY9UAyoejnqAe5_j3IoexJsKHT0qJE6Hw6N2PVpX9frN7iAXKS7Uy7WoLNubhaIeF8_Sqn5e4fE8Ms/s320/IMG_2912.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This chap had his clothes and lunch and wanted to show me the "new" shoes he received. They are my hiking boots! They have seen me through many hashes (hikes) in Jamaica and I thought they might be a better contribution to the Day of Care than an addition to my luggage. He was so delighted with them. What a serendipitous moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This rasta was trying to explain to me that he could see distances, but could not see to read anymore. We soon got him over the eye clinic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know his story. It is in his face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Diabetes Association provided testing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Children First" provided HIV information, testing, and condoms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mickel - my boss! - and Scrappy, who provided transportation for supplies and lunches, sponsored by the Diabetes Association of Jamaica.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Diabetes Association also provided foot care, a very critical and necessary support for people who live rough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7JbPxxdndUcm37AeeMUJ3W-eZA73YBmU9O9my7y-NcXwSs0u379EFJ3th12Ku5Qcv8BXwPMj-b8LqI4_6qWUEX3qhliTZ-uCQasYnfr4mKClcBI2ydj3As3g3UEKSP-gxbnJKq8pl1w/s1600/IMG_2942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7JbPxxdndUcm37AeeMUJ3W-eZA73YBmU9O9my7y-NcXwSs0u379EFJ3th12Ku5Qcv8BXwPMj-b8LqI4_6qWUEX3qhliTZ-uCQasYnfr4mKClcBI2ydj3As3g3UEKSP-gxbnJKq8pl1w/s320/IMG_2942.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A most caring and hard working volunteer (on left) escorting a homeless lady to the services she needs. And giving her hug along the way. Sometimes the hugs were more important than anything else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So much history in this face . . . it would be interesting to know the story. Sad as it might be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwdd14o9JZMxNZ5fq_HHcP436UWifTy3HFSqysNFI_xZRqp-dUqq3-zro6HgW4wXO14H8YZjiHSIW8PzJwstIIZjr89vGX9x-z4neY_bB9HEc5wiLIdOvVO407IyuquFVcIigutVyWIw/s1600/IMG_2950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwdd14o9JZMxNZ5fq_HHcP436UWifTy3HFSqysNFI_xZRqp-dUqq3-zro6HgW4wXO14H8YZjiHSIW8PzJwstIIZjr89vGX9x-z4neY_bB9HEc5wiLIdOvVO407IyuquFVcIigutVyWIw/s320/IMG_2950.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This frail gentleman collapsed in a chair, in the sun, and we thought he was near death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, we called a doctor over from the medical services and his vital signs were stable. He was exhausted and starved, so he had some juice and then soup. The young girl on the left, a volunteer from Hand of Hope, stayed with him all afternoon until he was able to move on his own. The great sadness is that there is no shelter nor hospital to care for this man - the JCF could not even call an ambulance as it would not come for such a case. He is 70 years old. I don't know where he went.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Haircuts and barbering!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A rag on your head, new clothes under your arm, and a pattie in your hand. Not much, but the best we could provide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Volunteer happily engaging with homeless in the lunch line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A man with many serious challenges, a face full of sores now covered with cream from the medical clinic, shows off his bag of clothes and hygiene supplies. </span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-40492696764125087952012-12-05T11:26:00.002-05:002012-12-05T11:26:32.560-05:00One Week to Canada<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is one week today that I will be leave Jamaica, returning to Canada after almost 18 months of volunteering, working, friends, experiences . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much to do and I have serious lists. Seems that as soon as I cross one thing off the list, several others appear. Somehow it will all resolve itself and the list will self-destruct on December 12th. Usain and Veronica had their veterinary inspections this morning, all pronounced <i>"fit for air travel</i>". I keep telling them to grow more fur, but difficult when it is always 30 C outside and inside. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those who think of me as a rather organized person, think again. My wee Jamaican home looks like a war zone and getting worse. Kate was here this morning to bring bags, clothes, stuff, etc. - all adding to the chaos. Kate will take over my lease in January upon her return from Christmas holidays. Coincidentally, she is on the same flight as me on December 12th, then transferring to Ottawa. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It will, however, be perfect on December 12th -:)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Proof . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-13576439957071861532012-11-25T07:53:00.001-05:002012-11-25T07:53:29.868-05:00Thanksgiving Jamaica Style<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We'll pretty much use any excuse to get together for dinner. Considering none of us are Americans and we all work for a Canadian agency, we thought we'd celebrate American Thanksgiving two days late. I should note that Josh, Erin's partner, is in fact an American so that probably gave our dinner some legitimacy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erin and Josh invited the Cuso cooperants to their place, offering to supply the roasted chickens, stuffing and mashed potatoes. It didn't seem right to buy an imported Butterball, considering the availability of fresh, local chicken and vegetables. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were eight of us altogether and everyone brought a contribution to the dinner, I bringing two pumpkin pies. Cooking pumpkins are available year round here and are much better than the ones we get in Canada - yes, I make my pies from scratch cooking and mashing the pumpkins meat the day before. Here pumpkin is only used as a vegetable - which I often do too - but my Jamaican friends find it very curious that we make pies out of it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All was excellent from the perfectly roasted chickens, spicy green beans to the yummy cornbread. A nice evening of fine food and friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As soon as I get this blog posted I am planning on a piece of leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast.</span></div>
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Our host tends to the gravy</div>
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Josh and Doudou deep in conversation</div>
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Tracey, who was visiting from Cuso in Ottawa, and Onyka</div>
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The feast</div>
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Doudou supervises the clean up</div>
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Brianna had a little pie with her whip cream</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-28637175090714273602012-11-22T08:11:00.000-05:002013-01-09T13:35:49.795-05:00Blue Mountain Peak<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is late in the evening of November 21st and I am exhausted, though exhilarated. Since I arrived in Jamaica and particularly since I have been hashing (hiking) around and in the Blue Mountains, hiking to the peak has been on my list. I finally did it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The peak of the Blue Mountains is 2,256 metres, though we drove to about the 1500 metre level to the trail head. We, therefore, hiked an elevation of about 756 metres over 6 km (one way). Doesn't sound like much, does it? As they say in Jamaica, "trust me". The first 20 minutes was straight up on "Jacob's Ladder" and I was wondering how I was ever going to make it all the way. The trail did change after awhile and we had sections of only slight incline through forests, interspersed with very narrow - as wide as my foot! - steep, rocky, slippery stretches. Coming down was almost as hard as going up; coming down Jacob's Ladder was definitely more difficult with my tired knees literally seizing as I inched my way down. It took up three hours going up stopping to take pictures, enjoy the scenery, rest our legs, catch our breath - this was not a race. And over two hours on the way down - would have quicker if we could have flown over Jacob's Ladder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While many go up to Whitfield Hall, camping out in a beautiful but very rustic (dilapidated?) setting and accessing the trail directly from there, we chose to go to <a href="http://www.limetreefarm.com/" target="_blank">Lime Tree Farm</a> A wiser decision could not have been made! The co-owners are Charlie Burbury and Roger Bolton, and they have operated a coffee farm of about 8,000 plants staring from nothing about 25 years ago. They have added two homes, kitchen and dining area, and three guest cottages - all built by themselves. Lime Tree is about 1 1/2 hours from Kingston and they provide return transportation, picking us up at our doors, and nested on its own peak of a ridge at the end of a track - one could not call it a road - into the hills past the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had great conversations over dinner the night before, as we ate family style with Charlie, Rodger and families. We learned that Charlie's grandfather was Sir Hugh Foot, later Lord Caradon, who was the Governor of Jamaica form 1951-57. Hence, Charlie's connection and the reason he came to Jamaica . . . it is a great story and you must go to Lime Tree Farm and hear Charlie tell it himself. Charlie, Suzy, and their son, Alex, live there full time. When he is not working on the farm or guest houses, Charlie is a commercial diver and works a lot in Kingston harbour. Rodger also lives with his wife, Tiff, at Lime Tree but he is only there for about 6 months of the year, during coffee harvest season which coincides with tourist/hiking season. Rodger was our guide. The other six months of the year, he is the captain of a 40 metre yacht in the Mediterranean!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lodging at Lime Tree includes meals, accompanied by wine/beer/rum and their own home grown and roasted coffee, Ratcutt. The meals were some of the best I have had in Jamaica, all freshly prepared with local ingredients. We had a dinner the night before, breakfast at 4:30 am, second-breakfast picnicked at the peak, and were greeted by salad, quiche, and fresh squeezed lemonade upon our return. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The price of this most exceptional guest house is the two hour drive to the trail head, through Hagley Gap and hamlets all perched precariously on the sides of steep hills. The inhabitants afoot sharing the narrow track with vehicles, many of them heading to pick coffee. Most impressive, and somewhat worrisome, were the children, many of them preschoolers, walking many kilometres to school in the dark at 5:30 am and all dressed crisply and spotlessly in their school uniforms. I wish we could have stopped and taken pictures, but it just was not possible for reasons of darkness, no place to safely stop, and we were already trying to make the trip in two hours. We were transported in an old, but refurbished and reliable, Land Rover ably driven by Rodger. The road was so steep, rocky, and narrow in places, up the axles in mud in others, that I am sure we would not have made it without the Land Rover. Or Rodger. These are roads (the word 'road' is too kind) that you have to experience to understand - pictures would not do justice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note that I am rather positive regarding the two hour each way trip to the trail head, as I greatly enjoyed the scenery and the adventure. I must confess that I may have enjoyed it a tad more than my three hiking companions who were hanging onto ropes for stability and trying to remain seated on benches in the back of the Land Rover. While they were being tossed about, I was sitting in the front seat with a seat belt. Age does have its privileges :-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The entire trip and hike are in the many pictures following, all with their own descriptive captions. It was difficult to take many pictures on the trail as I was too busy watching where my feet were going and did not want to keep taking the camera out of my pack. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many groups hike up in the dark to catch the sunrise - you will see this advertised. I am really glad that we chose to go in the early morning light instead. Hiking in the dark on that trail would not be fun and could be dangerous. And chances of seeing the sunrise are very limited as the peak is often socked in weather. We were incredibly lucky to have a sunny day at the peak! The trail in mostly in forest and the temperature in the mountains is much cooler, so the hot sun is really not a threat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enough talking and now to the pictures to the pictures . . . </span></div>
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We arrived by 5pm, in time to take some pictures in the late evening light. This is the view to Kingston from Lime Tree Farm.</div>
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View to the Blue Mountains from Lime Tree. That is where we were going in the morning.</div>
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Room shared with Brianna, beautifully appointed with hot water in the shower! We slept here for a few hours, as we were up at 4 am to get ready for breakfast and a 5 am start. </div>
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Our room was on the bottom level of this guest house.</div>
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Another guest house, with the kitchen/dining room (orange) on upper right.</div>
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The path between guest houses.</div>
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An old Land Rover, no longer in use, but home to Cat perched on soft foam in the back.</div>
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Gate to Roger and Tiff's house.</div>
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Jet, waiting for us to chase him and try to get his orange. Oranges are cheaper than balls in Jamaica. </div>
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Suzy and Keisha in the kitchen. And this was a real gourmet kitchen, not like the fires & pots that you have seen in previous blogs. </div>
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The dining table. Made by Charlie and Rodger out of a pine tree that come down in a storm.</div>
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Dining, sitting area: complete with library and bar. Note the tarps that are brought down in the evenings to keep the bugs out and because it was cool. We wore jeans and jackets to dinner - imagine that in Jamaica!</div>
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Floral arrangement from from plants on the property.</div>
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From left: Charlie, Isabel and Bruno (our hiking companions from Quebec City), Brianna, and Rodger.</div>
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Land Rover had a bit of a mechanical problem on the way up. Brianna, Isabel and Bruno made their escape from the back for a leg stretch. Note the walking sticks, without which Brianna and I would not have made it down. </div>
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Typical architecture along the road.</div>
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One Englishman to fix the Land Rover; two Jamaicans to watch. Roger says he can fix anything and we were very glad he could. </div>
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Parked and getting ready to hit the trail.</div>
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Coffee drying ground.</div>
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View to Kingston less than half-way up. That is the ocean in the distance. The fog came in on the way down, so we were very happy that we took pictures on the way up. </div>
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View to south-east. The Yallahs River is down there somewhere making its way to the sea.</div>
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About two-thirds of our way up we made a stop at Portland Gap.</div>
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Rodger at Portland Gap</div>
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There is a ranger station at Portland Gap, but rarely a ranger. The Forest Service - this is a National Park - simply cannot afford them. </div>
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Calla lilies at Portland Gap.</div>
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Garbage at Portland Gap. This pile is much larger and more horrific than it looks. Is seems that the garbage tins, at Portland Gap, are emptied into this tip in the bush rather than take the effort to remove it and take down the mountain. We caught a quick glimpse from side of trail and went in to investigate. This is so typical of Jamaica and broke our hearts to see this disgusting mess in such a beautiful place. They could literally get 100 volunteers, each with gloves and large garbage bag, and clean this up in a day. Hopefully a group could get this organized and maybe make it a project for the next Earth Day.</div>
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Sign along the way. Assuming we passed through the gully?</div>
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Signs were sporadic and most have not survived vandalism. This one did. </div>
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We made it!</div>
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Me too.</div>
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Kingston is below me in the very far distance.</div>
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We were above the clouds, with Cuba somewhere out there. </div>
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Brianna tending to blisters - not from hiking boots, but from shoes she wore last week!</div>
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Through the forest on a gentle part of the trail.</div>
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If you can read this, it is worth it. Curious that they say that "Litter is ugly and unhealthy. Please use the bins." Then they empty the bins into the forest!</div>
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The fog rolls in. </div>
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Felt like we were walking in the Ewok forest.</div>
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Done!</div>
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On the way back we stopped to pick up Alex, Charlie and Suzie's son, from his school in Mavis Bank.</div>
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School and yard.</div>
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While we waiting in the Land Rover, this little girl peaked up by my window. She wanted me to take her picture and show it to her: which I did many times and she squealed with delight. Wish I could have given her a print.</div>
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She soon brought her friend to join the fun. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-39282833743643576162012-10-03T20:44:00.000-05:002012-10-03T20:44:43.403-05:00Thongs vs Flip-Flops<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have new flip-flops. Delightful Ipanemas, with right foot pandas and left foot zebras - too much fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I grew up - back before the earth cooled - we had these things too. They were called thongs. We all had them. And they were cheap, functional and fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How did this language change? If I send a message to my family that I have new 'thongs', they will all cringe and wonder what I am doing in Jamaica :-) As my very wise (and much younger) sister told me, "<i>I've spent a lifetime picking my underwear out of my ass; and now they want me to put it there!</i>"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here is a picture of my new <i>thongs</i> or <i>flip-flops</i>: you decide . . . . </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiac8YWHoowxORxTl-YaiQ7I0TwauN7Bv7HJqrBGKJrT08CT7pB2ewmBwczWwBSZHfdgXruL-VzWv7MGzS82ucDgyFKQBF8zv3OMBNkU7FJ3TpiDg9FDJzOSn2TfrsrCeqrPDEMnU28CXs/s1600/IMG_2085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiac8YWHoowxORxTl-YaiQ7I0TwauN7Bv7HJqrBGKJrT08CT7pB2ewmBwczWwBSZHfdgXruL-VzWv7MGzS82ucDgyFKQBF8zv3OMBNkU7FJ3TpiDg9FDJzOSn2TfrsrCeqrPDEMnU28CXs/s320/IMG_2085.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-45492295729358854472012-09-23T14:19:00.000-05:002012-09-23T14:19:23.828-05:00Sunday Morning at Mona Reservoir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A popular and safe place to walk/run in Kingston is around the Mona Reservoir. It is a open from dawn for a few hours and monitored by security guards. Friend, Kate, often runs there on Sunday mornings to get her weekly two-hour run. This morning Brianna and I met Kate there, Brianna running for 1 hour and me walking and enjoying a morning with my camera. B & K are running the Reggae Marathon (half) in Negril, early December, so have great motivation! I just needed the exercise - no hash this weekend - and enjoyed the morning air.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On way back we walked to Martha's Corner, stopping at <i>Cafe Blue</i> in Sovereign Centre for delightful coffees and croissants - thought we were back in Canada! - then taxi home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A rather lazy weekend of housework, errands, emails, and CDN consulting . . . morning respite was perfect.</span></div>
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Very Jamaican: one sign says it is 1600 metres; other says it is 2600 metres. From experience, we would all say the latter. </div>
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Heading out on the trail - the 2600 metre trail :-) The morning mists were delicious.</div>
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Great egret (egretta alba)</div>
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Great egrets and Night Heron (nyctanassa violacea). The buildings in the background are the University of the West Indies (UWI)</div>
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White Ibis (eudocimus albus)</div>
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Half way around the reservoir, looking back towards northeast Kingston</div>
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Two brown pelicans (pelecanus occidentalis) with friend, great egret</div>
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Mexican Vine (antigonon leptopus), very common in Jamaica though very beautiful. Particularly with the reflections of the hills in the background.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYgA1wB00doU3HbNZXCHRJoDNma6usO8JaK3Nepy7kkuF-Ic8q7YL5HkqRrCAMIUXx_MwUGQUFg68isqBkwIJkE3tNXiVH5tBbf_HcOxLEQYRsNiLPesg4C778tViN0Ivx_E1GXxqrfE/s1600/IMG_2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYgA1wB00doU3HbNZXCHRJoDNma6usO8JaK3Nepy7kkuF-Ic8q7YL5HkqRrCAMIUXx_MwUGQUFg68isqBkwIJkE3tNXiVH5tBbf_HcOxLEQYRsNiLPesg4C778tViN0Ivx_E1GXxqrfE/s320/IMG_2013.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I so envied Brianna and Kate with their "young knees" and ability to still run :-(</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyoZ-Gsu7b0IMdu54kcQxdTh6S3Skb-BTUOoTdo2aeHJ3JIDbqNCjVPnMxwhJhIAA0BIuH4ngw2rYCEaaS-n3fBE9EiyBzihyw6g_JcTdU0Xaipl4S8hbaqmQR-70n8numLTCxYqlOHc/s1600/IMG_2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyoZ-Gsu7b0IMdu54kcQxdTh6S3Skb-BTUOoTdo2aeHJ3JIDbqNCjVPnMxwhJhIAA0BIuH4ngw2rYCEaaS-n3fBE9EiyBzihyw6g_JcTdU0Xaipl4S8hbaqmQR-70n8numLTCxYqlOHc/s320/IMG_2031.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Looking back toward Long Mountain</div>
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Old aquaduct that used to supply the sugar plantation, on which the reservoir and University of the West Indies now sit. The Blue and John Crow Mountains in background, to the north of Kingston.</div>
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Tower on the aqueduct</div>
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Hard to believe we were 15 minutes (by taxi) from uptown Kingston</div>
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Long Mountain from the far side of the reservoir</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-27318686388518101612012-09-19T21:27:00.000-05:002012-09-19T21:53:23.317-05:00Strings and Tings<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been a very busy few weeks in Jamaica since I returned from Washington, DC. Work and meetings at the National Volunteer Centre are ramping up after the summer doldrums; Canadian Women's Club is back in gear with busy plans for the fall; and there seems to be a plethora of volunteer get togethers and social events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Highlights were a volunteer pot-luck, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (strings), and the toughest Hash. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Previous weekend we went to the quarter finals for the football World Cup (2014) regional selection, Jamaica vs USA. It was a wild night of vuvuzelas - yes I had my own! - and waving of Jamaica flags. And we won!!! First time ever Jamaica has beaten the USA. 'Twas a night to remember. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Friday evening we had our second volunteer pot-luck, hosted by Brianna at her and Ivy's apartment as farewell to Ivy who left on September 18. It was a Jamaican food theme and everyone brought their best. Delicious. I brought a callaloo and pumpkin quiche. A delightful evening of friends, food, and laughter. We miss you already, Ivy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday evening at the Royal Philharmonic - their first ever trip to the Caribbean! - was magical. It was held in the newly renovated Holy Trinity Cathedral: while the setting was equally magical, it was incredibly hot. It was a full house (about 1,000) with no fans and no AC. And we were all in our orchestral finery: luckily for the females this meant strapless dresses; unfortunately for the males this meant suits and ties. Jamaica's finest were there with prime minister, governor general, etc. I think the male:female population ratio in Kingston dropped significantly on Saturday night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday was another hash, this time about 15 km inland from Annotto Bay travelling over the famed Junction road. All about two hours from Kingston and on the edges of the Blue & John Crow Mountains. I was driver again and happy to be so. It was at River Edge, a beautiful hostel and campground nested in the foothills. A number of hashers and hangers-on chose to stay and cool in the pools, enjoying short walks around the property. Wise people!!! Included were Kate and Onyka who wanted to discuss a project; and Brianna and Dad who chose discretion as the better part of valour. All of these decisions after the Hashmaster, Owen, declared that the first half of the hash was in a river, that falling in with your camera and cell phone was a probability, that we had to 'climb' to get out of the river . . . A number of hashers turned back after the first 10 minutes of horror.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, I have no pictures. Left camera with smarter people than me. I spent the next 35 minutes struggling up a river while my four friends and car-mates were lolly-gagging in the shade: usually up to my hips; climbing boulders; sinking into sand over my ankles (while wearing hiking boots); climbing waterfalls; traversing rapids. Only to come out of it all and climb straight up to a trail - and I do mean 'climb'. The other 45 minutes were the usual, delightful hashing along trails, false trails, crawling through barbed-wire fences, dodging goats and wayward cows, wending our way back down steep embankment, a final 10 minute river slog, and home to a well deserved beer and Ting! It took me about 10 minutes to untie and get my hiking boots off: I was so tired and my legs and arms were literally shaking. Thankfully I had my new Tevas and dry clothes to change into.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The beer and Ting are combined: my Jamaican version of an English shandy. Can't drink my beer straight. What can I say?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A highlight for the whole weekend was that Brianna's dad, Bob, was visiting for four days. He lives in Las Vegas. I never knew that people actually live in Las Vegas, but apparently they do and they are very nice. I am learning a lot in Jamaica.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to Kate for most of these pictures. I did not take my camera to the Royal Philharmonic (purse too small) and too dangerous to take on hash, and too tired after hash to even think about pictures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of pictures . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a picture of hash of September 2 - didn't get that one blogged, but like this picture of the mists rolling through the hills near Guava Ridge. It rained for most of the hash, so few other pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our tickets to a very special event in Jamaica.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These fans were lifesavers for the audience and the orchestra. The conductor asked if we could possibly at least fan in sync with the music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holy Trinity Cathedral</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob, Brianna and I outside the cathedral (excuse my ridiculous windblown hair!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fabulous frescoes and mosaics on the ceiling of the beautifully restored cathedral.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kate and I waiting for the concert to start.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting for the hash to begin at River Edge, where there were cool pools to splash in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brianna and her Dad enjoying walks around the property at River Edge</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stream - not the river! - at River Edge</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The beginning of the hash. Yes, that is the beginning of the trail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">View to the hills where we ended up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Doesn't matter where you are in Jamaica, there is always a laundry line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harvesting coconuts so they wouldn't fall from the trees onto our cars!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Usain Bolt's "Tracks & Records", where we stopped for a very good dinner on the way back into Kingston. Great food, cool decor, and reasonable prices. I am definitely going back for more jerk chicken spring rolls. Thank you, Bob!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brianna, looking like a giggly 15 year old, and Kate, all googly-eyed at they meet the famous Usain Bolt. They were buying groceries in MegaMart and apparently he shops there too - but doesn't have to wait in line. He was very gracious and stopped for autographs and photographs. Fortunately, Brianna had her camera in her pack. And where was I? At the office working - drat!</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-86304320626178805882012-08-22T20:28:00.001-05:002012-08-22T20:28:38.268-05:00Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today we went to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, a quiet and unique escape just 30 minutes outside of downtown DC. As anyone who follows my blog knows, I do love gardens of all kinds and this was no exception. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The gardens are part of the National Park Service and situated in the tidal flats of the Anacostia River. In addition to the ponds of many lilies and aquatic plants, there are birds, beavers, dear, egrets, herons, dragonflies and damselflies - to name a few.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was pushing the the stroller, so Allie took at least half of these pictures. She used my camera, but she has the same one so familiar with the settings. And she has an artistic eye. You can recognize which ones are hers because they are the best ones! Thank you, Allie.</span></div>
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We were there just after 9 am, though we understand that 7 am is the time to witness many birds and the lilies opening their flowers for the day in the blooming months (June to October for most species)</div>
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Difficult to capture the beauty of ponds, ponds, and more ponds of lilies.</div>
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I like the light filtered through the back of this lily leaf, still sparkling with the morning dew.</div>
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Lots of ducks in the tidal pools and river.</div>
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You can maybe see the Great Blue Heron out there in the water. For some reason I did not bring my big telephoto lens. How silly is that?</div>
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'Tis the season for Monarch butterflies. </div>
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Most curiously shaped lily pads - a frog jumped off just before this was taken.</div>
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We thought this reminded us of a Monet painting. Though I think he did it better. </div>
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If you look closely, you will see the bee in the centre of the flower. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-64459607803483111872012-08-22T20:02:00.000-05:002012-08-22T20:02:16.348-05:00Washington, DC, with Twins - Again!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am finishing six days in DC with my daughter, Allie, and her twins, August and Geroge, who will be eight months old next week. Doug is away at a symposium for ten days and I arrived to help out with little boys and spend some time with Allie exploring the corners of DC. I am also pretty good at cleaning the cat box.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As in previous posts (January and April) I have posted many pictures of the familiar sights of DC, and some sights not so familiar. This time we also did a bit of both, trying to get out each day - for the fresh air, exercise, and keeping the lads happy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weather has been quite delightful, having cooled down from the earlier heat wave and with hints of fall in the evening and early morning air. Heading back to summer heat and threat of tropical storms in Jamaica on Thursday afternoon after a wonderful trip. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We visited the Smithsonian Arts & Crafts Museum, which had a 40 Under 40 exhibit - delightful; the National Art Gallery with its Joan Miro special exhibition; toured Embassy Row with our ZipCar; the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (across the river from the National Arboretum where we went in April); DuPont Circle Farmers' Market; some shopping and many daily walks all over the Adams Morgan district and beyond. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yes, and we saw where President Obama and Michelle Obama were going to have dinner :-) We were on our daily pre-dinner walk and found a huge blockade closing off a street, with tent in front of the Mintwood Restaurant. They let us pass (this was about 5 pm) and we found out the next day that they dined at about 6:30 pm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pictures are mostly of twins and our tour of the Capitol Building. The tour was was very good - free, though you had to have reservations. A very historic place and we learned quite a bit of history that we didn't know. Lots of Americans, of course, making a pilgrimage to their nation's capitol, though there were many countries represented in our group: Canada, France, China, and the Netherlands.</span></div>
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Jamaican Embassy - I couldn't resist the signs of celebrating Jamaica 50</div>
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Sunday morning on the way to the market - time for a nap.</div>
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Allie buying us almond croissants, which were huge and wicked!</div>
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White hydrangeas at he flower stall</div>
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White hydrangeas home with some eucalyptus and roses on the dining room table.</div>
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Close up of the arrangement.</div>
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Ready for dinner! Note cat (Robin), knitting and wine glass on table behind :-)</div>
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George as "The Littlest Nun"</div>
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Allie & August share smiles</div>
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Curious George in his jungle.</div>
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George gets his bath. . . </div>
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. . . . August too.</div>
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We all had to wear stickers for our Capitol Building tour - August wore his on the stroller.</div>
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George had his on the stroller for while until it rubbed off and stuck to the back of his head :-(</div>
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Model for "Freedom", the sculpture on the top of the rotunda of the Capital Building</div>
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Rotunda, 18 stories high from the floor to the dome.</div>
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Rotunda</div>
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Frieze below the dome</div>
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Allie, listening to the audio of the tour, keeping the boys far from the madding crowd</div>
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Each state is allowed two statues in the capitol building - interesting and curious to note which ones they have chosen.</div>
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This said it was the Declaration of Independence - but I think it is a copy and that the original must be in the National Archives.</div>
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Our tour group - Allie is in the middle somewhere. I think I see her feet.</div>
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After tour of Capitol Building, we had a leisurely lunch - as leisurely as one can with two 8 month olds - in the Garden Cafe Catalonia in the National Gallery. We drank sangria and had a Catalonian buffet. I lovely time.</div>
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Ready for his morning romp and a trip to the aquatic gardens . . . </div>
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. . . . both of them.</div>
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August loves to crawl all over George and George is so patient . . . should have named him Job.</div>
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Catch us if you can!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-37176402355536222552012-08-13T14:59:00.001-05:002012-08-13T14:59:47.365-05:00Pot Holes R Us<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In spite of the catchy title of this blog, there are no pictures of pot holes. That is because we were too busy navigating them and it as much too dangerous to stop in the middle of one, lest one is rammed by an overzealous Jamaican driver, to take pictures. Let me start of the beginning of a very interesting and excellent Sunday . . . </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have been following the last few blogs you will know that some friends and I were in Portland parish on the northeast shore for a few days of relaxation out of the heat of Kingston. We usually drive up and back over the Junction. However, I have wanted to drive around the eastern end of Jamaica so that I could say I have circumnavigated the island. Also wanted to see what is out there. This is in spite of what all the locals kept saying: "you can't drive that road", "it is too dangerous", you will get many flat tires", "the road will be flooded", "the higglers will put trees across the road and stop you, wanting money to remove the trees", "you will have to turn back", and on and on the warnings went. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, with support of my brave passengers - Brianna, Ivy, Britta and Fred - we decided we would try the road, stopping at Reach Falls along the way and the statue of Paul Bogle in Morant Bay. We could always turn back :-) </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turns out that it was folklore and we had made a serendipitous decision. The eastern shore is extra-ordinarily beautiful: sometimes we felt like we were driving through the countryside of northern England or Ireland, complete with stone fences and hedgerows; and sometimes I felt like we could have been on the north shore of Oahu watching the surfers. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the road was just fine and much better than many roads I have driven in Jamaica. The pot-holed section lasted about 25 km, started a while after we left Reach Falls and lasted until just west of Port Morant, and took us about 90 minutes to navigate. And I do mean navigate: these are caverns or dugouts or whatever you want to call them and they cross the entire road, with little respite in the entire 25 km stretch. Sometimes you can drive through them slowly, rarely can you drive around them, and often you have to ease the front tires hesitantly and hope they come out the other side before the back tires get stuck. Fortunately, we did not get stuck and no flat tires. Though I certainly would not want to do this in the rain or at night. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately we did not see the famous Edna Manly statue of the equally famous leader of the Morant Bay Rebellion. According to Brianna's Lonely Planet book, which she wisely brought with her, it has been removed for restoration after damage from the last hurricane. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was good to be home. But I would do it again. And next time I'll try and get some pictures of the pot holes. In the meantime, here are the pictures I do have . . .</span></div>
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The green farmlands of eastern Portland parish, between Priestman's River and Manchioneal.</div>
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Long bay. The strong surf and undertow prevent large tourist developments, but it is a gorgeous beach.</div>
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Fred walking the beach.</div>
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Ivy soaking up the beauty and the sun.</div>
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Rest stop across from Long Beach</div>
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Road along the cliffs of the eastern shore.</div>
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Sheltered harbour of Manchioneal with painted dugout canoes on the shore.</div>
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Drivers River at Reach Falls</div>
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Reach Falls. There were more falls higher up, but we did not want to take the tour up there as we were more keen to cool down in the waters. It was very hot and humid. You can swim here in the pools under the falls; and also enter the falls midway and come down and out through the curtain of water.</div>
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Sunny and her little cousin Raj. They sat with me and kept stroking my hair and saying "soft". I had to stroke their hair and say "prickly!" They laughed at that and had a lot of fun looking at their pictures on my camera. </div>
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Upper pool at Reach Falls</div>
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Upper pool at Reach Falls</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-16321491476358358002012-08-12T09:42:00.005-05:002012-08-12T09:42:49.879-05:00Blue Lagoon<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After Castleton Botanic Gardens, we arrived at Frenchman's Cove and San San Tropez. I have stayed at San San Tropez previously and was happy to be back - it is right across the road from Frenchman's Cove. We had a wonderful dinner of fresh tomato bruschetta, pasta, and salad . . . such a treat. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want pictures of San San Tropez, go to my blog of March 25th, Frenchman's Cove.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Saturday morning we decided to be tourists and went to Blue Lagoon . . . </span><br />
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Our raft awaits us . . . </div>
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Blue Lagoon with beach on the other side.</div>
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Kate and Jinty boarding the raft for our tour and transport to the beach on the other side of the lagoon. </div>
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Villas, some for rent and some under construction, on the edge of the lagoon. The lovely white villa comes with 4 bedrooms, maid and a cook and rents for $1,000 US per night.</div>
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Earl, our punter.</div>
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Kate trying her hand at punting . . . </div>
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Kate just about punting herself into the drink :-)</div>
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Villas under construction - for a very long time!</div>
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Used to be a restaurant and bar on the lagoon until Hurricane Gilbert came along . . . and now sits as a reminder of the past.</div>
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Jinty was the first in! Waters were wonderfully cool and we all enjoyed a good long swim. It is about 60 to 80 metres deep with limestone caves below, giving it the wonderful blue colour and eponymous name. </div>
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Almonds washed ashore and everywhere else.</div>
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Freshwater spring and pool on edge of the lagoon.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-62499552600073653962012-08-12T09:09:00.000-05:002012-08-12T09:09:20.306-05:00Castleton Gardens<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a month back in Jamaica from my Canadian summer holiday, it was time to get out of Kingston for a long weekend. It is very hot this time of year, with days of very high humidity due to the rainy season. Once the rains come, then it cools for a day or two and then the temperature is on the rise again . . . </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kate's Mum is visiting from Florida - even she finds it too hot here! - and they had plans to go up to Frenchman's Cove in Portland parish on the northeast shore. And they didn't have a ride. That was all the encouragement that I needed. There are no nice, air-conditioned buses that go to this part of Jamaica - unlike the ones that do service Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, and Santa Cruz and Negril. Only coasters - and that is another story (see previous blogs).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I rented a car and planned to take Friday off work. Not wanting to leave two empty seats in the car, Britta and Fred joined us. I have driven the route from Kingston to Port Antonio several times - very twisty, beautiful and interesting - and always passed Castleton Gardens on a lonely stretch in the mountains, though did not know much about it and difficult to find out any information. This time we planned to stop and take a look. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we did and it was beautiful. As so many places in Jamaica, it is long past its glory days however giving you a glimpse of those days. The gardens are vast, covering both sides of the road. There are no maps, booklets or information, etc. However a deaf tour guide did attach himself to us and showed us many treasures and surprises. He was a gardeners at Castleton for many years and then let go (retired is probably the more appropriate term) but he is allowed to approach visitors and earns a small living from our donations. Of course, because he is deaf you can't ask any questions . . . you just follow along and listen. We never did find out his name. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope you like pictures of flowers because there is a lot of them.</span></div>
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The Wag Water River in Castleton Gardens.</div>
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Fred and Britta</div>
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Have no idea what plant this is, but impressive. I have a book on Flowers of Jamaica but left it home in Kingston. How useful is that?</div>
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Crossing the road to the upper section of the gardens.</div>
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The gardens are about 145 years old, originally a sugar plantation and established by the plantation owner and named after him. There are many species imported from all over the world.</div>
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Some nicely shaded picnic areas throughout the lower gardens. It was very quiet on a Friday morning, though would expect it to be popular with families on the weekends.</div>
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This feathery tree flower was lovely. Can't wait to get home and look it up.</div>
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Britta studying a most interest growth around the base of a very tall tree. </div>
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I always like it when I get a serendipitous shot, such as the ant exploring the flower :-)</div>
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Kate and her Mum, Jinty.</div>
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Our deaf tour guide. I rather liked his "Barbie" bag.</div>
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A vestige of glory days . . . </div>
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Hibiscus after a rain shower.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-41503730833361773582012-07-23T07:46:00.001-05:002012-07-23T07:46:30.344-05:00Wonderful Hash in Portland<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After missing the last three hashes - 3 weeks vacation in Canada rather got in the way - I was glad to be back hashing on Sunday. We went up over The Junction to Portland and into the hills behind Annotto Bay. It was very beautiful and such a treat to be out of the summer heat of Kingston.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was about 90 minutes from Kingston; or just over an hour when Marti is driving. Many thanks to Marti and Albert for giving me, Britta, and Fred a ride. And good to have know two new friends!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We walked from the parking area up along a aqueduct to a small waterfall and 'blue pool' - blue, I think, from the algae similar to that which colour many lakes in Canada. This is the place for the local lads to show their stuff jumping off the ledge into about 10 ft. of water: most of them just hang around, some of them jump, none of them can swim. The pool was wonderfully refreshing as it is fed from the runoff from the Blue Mountains where it rains daily this time of year, and some hashers - including moi, Britta, Fred, Marti, and Albert - went for a swim. Not having brought my 'swimmers', as they say in Jamaica, it was the wet T-shirt/dripping shorts look post-dip. I did change to dry T and shorts for drive home. Moral of the story: always take dry clothes to a hash. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Local resident and young farmer, Richard, and his band of merry men cleared an area in the forest to provide a beautiful area for our pre and post hash socializing. They also cooked the soup - which was the best I have ever had in Jamaica! - and tasty meal of some kind of chicken, pork, rice & peas, and breadfruit roasted right in the fire. And they were, indeed, merry men: most of them were higher than kites, particularly Richard's younger brother Junior; you didn't need your own ganja because all you had to do was breathe deeply. Ah, the benefits of second hand smoke . . . </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a very sad note, while we were there Richard was on his cell phone to find out that his 3 week old baby had died. He was not even sure in which local hospital his girlfriend and baby were located. We all bowed our heads in moments of silence. Then we made a collection from individuals and the JAH3 organization to help Richard with whatever he might need. A poignant reminder of the preciousness of life and of how these wonderful Jamaican people, who live a hard-scrabble life in the hills, love their families above anything.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As always, now to the pictures!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard's Merry Men stoking the fire and making the best soup ever that it cooked directly over the coals.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cooking fire.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwj7yD_hwjmtdtCLBHrU-kx23D1r6eRoReiQhgrBn80spnA_-PleqzyXeBGa7F0nqWQgI6Edmj8GX65ogu_aEBim_J7W8vNwKDpnyNACTtd-Lyr4N4kpjda3bhocaBLxnuY6h4QthzWg/s1600/IMG_1605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwj7yD_hwjmtdtCLBHrU-kx23D1r6eRoReiQhgrBn80spnA_-PleqzyXeBGa7F0nqWQgI6Edmj8GX65ogu_aEBim_J7W8vNwKDpnyNACTtd-Lyr4N4kpjda3bhocaBLxnuY6h4QthzWg/s320/IMG_1605.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The aqueduct, along which we walked to the hash site and then further up the mountain on the hash. Amazing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1J9Zpl4R9QJ8bnG0cr4ifJxh21GkMXw-dvz3mI_wSwNQlRBpH1NAORB1s6o4HZjmHj2rl67rPtLsWhtSbRs0S0sOXaq7l7w04akAuN2iVaJWUVaaye4W0iI9Ql9tfAsH2kc6MxOV2Aw/s1600/IMG_1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1J9Zpl4R9QJ8bnG0cr4ifJxh21GkMXw-dvz3mI_wSwNQlRBpH1NAORB1s6o4HZjmHj2rl67rPtLsWhtSbRs0S0sOXaq7l7w04akAuN2iVaJWUVaaye4W0iI9Ql9tfAsH2kc6MxOV2Aw/s320/IMG_1606.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blue pool.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXl-QMYu0c5T4PQp7YjKt2M4w7QTpLJYIe0fQ0oh5lLB5Y0d3rGxLS8uGd85Kky469TkyapMgX2cfDf_Gxbu4II5oUy-3kiD6PemGZjP65tqHTA7mB9rqXVNdiQPIMGz6_Fg_aPkm2ss/s1600/IMG_1614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXl-QMYu0c5T4PQp7YjKt2M4w7QTpLJYIe0fQ0oh5lLB5Y0d3rGxLS8uGd85Kky469TkyapMgX2cfDf_Gxbu4II5oUy-3kiD6PemGZjP65tqHTA7mB9rqXVNdiQPIMGz6_Fg_aPkm2ss/s320/IMG_1614.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think that inner-tube is the Jamaican version of a life jacket.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4WQe65OCwOlO1IPvqkuclUkKN_19JxpxKuKXvlpzgXFwA_BDsyUvXXiqfAWjZMMjlULoDwIDFcezM8WJXbaj_nHFlqiz1SflQgASQuiTAV8ybdfRxeg9os9J3E4nrZLzv7FxT_7lNUE/s1600/IMG_1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4WQe65OCwOlO1IPvqkuclUkKN_19JxpxKuKXvlpzgXFwA_BDsyUvXXiqfAWjZMMjlULoDwIDFcezM8WJXbaj_nHFlqiz1SflQgASQuiTAV8ybdfRxeg9os9J3E4nrZLzv7FxT_7lNUE/s320/IMG_1619.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lad was a regular swinging off the rope and into the pool. The chap on the right sat there all afternoon and never ventured into the pool.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNoSZPVssmax6mbmjFGscXje6wXtjOyvBqYGMwBSJC_R8ES5FgU4QpnLzfha_D4pQjulSnKVfzwit_ANYnBKz55T7KGSSsFOGZ86yR2c1w48mT_NusH8Gvt4Ci982Xi1LSP8-e4Hm9WQ/s1600/IMG_1628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNoSZPVssmax6mbmjFGscXje6wXtjOyvBqYGMwBSJC_R8ES5FgU4QpnLzfha_D4pQjulSnKVfzwit_ANYnBKz55T7KGSSsFOGZ86yR2c1w48mT_NusH8Gvt4Ci982Xi1LSP8-e4Hm9WQ/s320/IMG_1628.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hash site. On right in black, back to camera, is Richard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVn2MqSzfMn7XGn9lMwNgR7gAIBhQ9kJA80ioBdva3roczzpj3jjDGDBwg2gFjuOv1tDOy7PNN03AI7ehoCzzbSDyn7kMw2INpFnRkMMYzNtyObegFT9cJTWsZP0T6SWVrVikV2V1t1c/s1600/IMG_1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVn2MqSzfMn7XGn9lMwNgR7gAIBhQ9kJA80ioBdva3roczzpj3jjDGDBwg2gFjuOv1tDOy7PNN03AI7ehoCzzbSDyn7kMw2INpFnRkMMYzNtyObegFT9cJTWsZP0T6SWVrVikV2V1t1c/s320/IMG_1629.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every hash, Lois (pronounced "Loy") keeps us honest collecting the hash fees and making sure everyone is registered.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9C_Zh6gLU62zC2N5JjcT3Y_n7-oYkRMNlvbFITlHgRvGINaYuBiPgKjGcOp_kjim2_NXfeYZche_C8sVw27z2WZqH9Aj-mWfWjNMEywR8N3QUzXB7jhDpKo-Pq4FLdBwlGkEjWpDyp8/s1600/IMG_1631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9C_Zh6gLU62zC2N5JjcT3Y_n7-oYkRMNlvbFITlHgRvGINaYuBiPgKjGcOp_kjim2_NXfeYZche_C8sVw27z2WZqH9Aj-mWfWjNMEywR8N3QUzXB7jhDpKo-Pq4FLdBwlGkEjWpDyp8/s320/IMG_1631.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the drive home, we stopped at Annotto Bay for the view. It was worth it.<br /></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-91631967021602361302012-07-11T06:44:00.001-05:002012-07-11T06:44:44.947-05:00Summer Holidays at Keats Island<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am on my way back to Jamaica after three wonderful weeks with family and friends. Spent the first week visiting my Mum and then to my niece's wedding and time with my daughters, grandkids, sisters and many other relatives. I posted the wedding pictures, Hayley & Matt's Wedding, on my Facebook album if you are interested.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I spent two whole weeks at the cottage on Keats Island, towing my two Russian Blues with my for their summer holiday - they are being fostered by wonderful people, Mihai and Alexandra, while I am in Jamaica. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was much to do - there always is at Keats, but I did read a couple of books and spent a good deal of time sitting in the window seat watching the world go by. The first week of weather was very wet: 6 adults, two 4 year olds, one 16 month old, a dog and two cats are bit much in a small cottage on a rainy day :-) However, everyone made the most of it and the sun finally came through. We had good meals, lots of laughs, and daily boat rides. Even went swimming with Owyn on Sunday night. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also visited with summer friends at Keats, always an enjoyable time. On Saturday afternoon we went to the 45th Annual Lamb BBQ, sponsored by the Bingham family. Always a great occasion with everyone bringing their best to add to the pot-luck table. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As always, it was a sad parting early this morning as I loaded cats and luggage into the boat and made my way to Gibsons (boat is moored at Smitty's Marina) and the ferry back to mainland. Had a nice visit with Jenn, Warren, and Lizzie; with Mer and Owyn and Auntie Jane joining us; for a casual farewell dinner - and great playtime with best friends Owyn and Lizzie. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now at the airport in Vancouver and hoping to finish this before I board . . . which did not happen, but now in Toronto airport and they finally have free wifi here!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know this blog is not very exciting, but I have been offline for most of the past three weeks and need to slowly get back into the habit. Maybe the pictures will make it more interesting . . . .</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhUpcRqZQnwDXUZjw1Gr_lUel-cCGC9j-A4W604F7Q1knr3ZXld85Avl_gjaMHBT4ILZvqrBuPVHX5ulNIj_bzmsO4URV9mqzWVJ9j0UvTfZu6Lbe-0LE8ku-MJVKaT2qPwLo93h904g/s1600/P8154438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhUpcRqZQnwDXUZjw1Gr_lUel-cCGC9j-A4W604F7Q1knr3ZXld85Avl_gjaMHBT4ILZvqrBuPVHX5ulNIj_bzmsO4URV9mqzWVJ9j0UvTfZu6Lbe-0LE8ku-MJVKaT2qPwLo93h904g/s320/P8154438.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you who have not been to Keats (or forget) a reminder of the place I am talking about. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breakfast on the deck.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The deck - taken in summer 2011</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTzp-egfTdPWkApXk1isWpzWfa269aRFb7jHp04q7ETDKf1o6c7khIsjKRcy6WHqLRO_NWCbgUz7lceCOTsbCgubHVstR8D2WYZo1p3SREppmYyIfTQLa5HHmzHl5Kl7YVORuIXt27P0/s1600/P9034454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTzp-egfTdPWkApXk1isWpzWfa269aRFb7jHp04q7ETDKf1o6c7khIsjKRcy6WHqLRO_NWCbgUz7lceCOTsbCgubHVstR8D2WYZo1p3SREppmYyIfTQLa5HHmzHl5Kl7YVORuIXt27P0/s320/P9034454.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ramp, dock, kayak, boat and water-play area</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTThp1sCKKTWUrPtn3RDlnnRgn-x1jvpR3-eA7f0wJnPcF6lORKfS8pbC6b7yD_g1etP5CQxIhYFfpFoI88X1ncVDRAn6lGsfuSYtB6DAIoOVUub4V8sUwK4N9_eaqvHgsnt3-Ki4QNog/s1600/IMG_1376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTThp1sCKKTWUrPtn3RDlnnRgn-x1jvpR3-eA7f0wJnPcF6lORKfS8pbC6b7yD_g1etP5CQxIhYFfpFoI88X1ncVDRAn6lGsfuSYtB6DAIoOVUub4V8sUwK4N9_eaqvHgsnt3-Ki4QNog/s320/IMG_1376.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Always ready for a run to Gibsons for groceries or ice-cream</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jenn, Owyn, Lizzie, and Warren enjoying a weiner roast on our one non-rain day.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQxmBAZyKF5asv2PLPkDIBK_NhGS7IgcOzn37_GDJWZAiVPsbz2a7nfc0LzpbHj88zS39cysWdad1TszidNBmZJTsY4GLOQHLSnC1PMXIW-B6SdASe0TE47jqbtt6B82ajXLiRdyjKkU/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQxmBAZyKF5asv2PLPkDIBK_NhGS7IgcOzn37_GDJWZAiVPsbz2a7nfc0LzpbHj88zS39cysWdad1TszidNBmZJTsY4GLOQHLSnC1PMXIW-B6SdASe0TE47jqbtt6B82ajXLiRdyjKkU/s320/IMG_1378.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fire is always a scary thing at Keats, except on the beach, and Jenn takes care of extinguishing it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Miss Maisie rather proud that she has commandeered her Nana's favourite window seat</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New chairs for growing numbers of kidlets</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friends, Wendy and Julie, came for their annual visit. This picture must have been taken early in the day because we were actually drinking water :-)</span></div>
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Bingham cottage, where the lamb BBQ was held on the beach in the forefront.</div>
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Guests arrived by trail and boat</div>
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Owyn (on right) with his new friend Eli.</div>
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Always interesting things to find on the beach</div>
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Chief chef, Walter, roasting the lamb over the fire pit on the beach. You have to time this so that the lamb is done before high tide, which takes care of extinguishing the fire pit.</div>
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Lot of kids; fun to watch the next generation grow</div>
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Edna May, who has summered at Keats every year for over 80 years, having first arrived at 6 months old. She is helped to the beach by her youngest daughter, Bronwyn.</div>
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A boy, two dogs and a beach - doesn't get much better than this.</div>
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Never too old for belly laugh!</div>
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The gathering and the blessing before the feast.</div>
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Jesse and wife with twin boys, Moses and Jack, born in October but due in January. They were a couple of pounds each, but now weight 19 lbs! Big boys and all is well.</div>
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Owyn helped himself to his first Nanaimo Bar.</div>
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LizzyBetty enjoys a morning with me on the window seat.</div>
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Whittington find room on my other side</div>
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This is what two 4 year olds can do to a room on a rainy day in the cottage . . . </div>
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. . . and this is how the little angels look after their bath, eating chips and marshmallows for bedtime snack and watching Finding Nemo.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-62980586394388184442012-05-27T19:49:00.000-05:002012-05-27T19:49:17.133-05:00Photography Course<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After many years of telling myself that I would one day take a photography class, that day finally arrived. Actually, it was two days. I have just completed a two-day photography class with the Donnette, head of photography at the Edna Manley School of Art and a professional photographer, Marvin, who is one of her former students. The course was sponsored by <a href="http://www.socialcalendarja.com/">www.socialcalendarja.com</a> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I now know the difference between freezing, blurring, and panning; what all the controls and settings on the camera mean and how to use them. I also know fancy words and expressions like depth of field, white balance, bracketing, leading line, and rule of thirds.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have learned a lot and have a lot to learn. Though am feeling much more comfortable using all the manual controls, which I did today - think my pictures are better. We also learned a lot about composition, taking a walk into Papine and working in the garden at UTECH.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Marvin says, 'practice, practice, practice . . . " So I will.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few photos from the weekend. None of them are photoshopped; these are how they came from the camera . . . </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRoDJ_JWTJKwcu4MIexMCzY4SUid2F-X3zOZDH9dU2CUEWkQYOACXp_2ZJ6nEDcaWj1I62O2S-V0efsIQhvZ98CDpRZOPuyW5xg6jqfH9MK28PYM_9f_JAw5uwdrto_v9NUZRztpcClA/s1600/IMG_0862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRoDJ_JWTJKwcu4MIexMCzY4SUid2F-X3zOZDH9dU2CUEWkQYOACXp_2ZJ6nEDcaWj1I62O2S-V0efsIQhvZ98CDpRZOPuyW5xg6jqfH9MK28PYM_9f_JAw5uwdrto_v9NUZRztpcClA/s320/IMG_0862.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think I have 'freezing' figured out. This young athlete spent a long time in the hot sun jumping, twisting and running. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo50fq_ZG-zwV5LwXTm8Z_lBBcdflUCFG-RuW78L8VtzM_QPXs6qh0Iw6Nr4NCwjiX4f5dJTp4PrWWQEVY-UAbhwO0rfz-qtOHLgQIMLT1EmlTb_bjJgGOFv8lZyaml_alyBCBLtUu2U/s1600/IMG_0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo50fq_ZG-zwV5LwXTm8Z_lBBcdflUCFG-RuW78L8VtzM_QPXs6qh0Iw6Nr4NCwjiX4f5dJTp4PrWWQEVY-UAbhwO0rfz-qtOHLgQIMLT1EmlTb_bjJgGOFv8lZyaml_alyBCBLtUu2U/s320/IMG_0887.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not an artistic shot, but rather fun to see everyone lined up taking pictures. We were practicing 'panning' as the athlete ran back and forth. I am better at 'blurring'.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT4YFqYOpERM0U0Pp4anglVg5Xy8bxvBxOMA-Gcp93d9RZhIczUMiK7SSDdpmqbndU0vfG3CP_GyjhDMsmVhwYhlH5u58qqC-QswCtdGZ_-WuHXGgujhrFcXAnVOFcgnbsGCW6OGrl9U/s1600/IMG_0907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT4YFqYOpERM0U0Pp4anglVg5Xy8bxvBxOMA-Gcp93d9RZhIczUMiK7SSDdpmqbndU0vfG3CP_GyjhDMsmVhwYhlH5u58qqC-QswCtdGZ_-WuHXGgujhrFcXAnVOFcgnbsGCW6OGrl9U/s320/IMG_0907.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Statue in the garden at the UTECH Art Centre</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeNPTUsSUL_eoBEdpaA39x6it0Yz0Jo_3KuzdW0t-80hTQOSlGN6-wQ_UVgEDKw4P1e2AYf-rz04lqT1gWVdHH2Aruc5pBiSyK6SkYGcaD5NJfIcvNjh5FB2aGlG_x-E3xZQn4F83J18/s1600/IMG_0923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeNPTUsSUL_eoBEdpaA39x6it0Yz0Jo_3KuzdW0t-80hTQOSlGN6-wQ_UVgEDKw4P1e2AYf-rz04lqT1gWVdHH2Aruc5pBiSyK6SkYGcaD5NJfIcvNjh5FB2aGlG_x-E3xZQn4F83J18/s320/IMG_0923.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would be difficult not to take a good picture of this sweetheart :-)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZUyZ6lkWlAlI3BaCQMjK2oIIYIJouJU3MNBtvCo9O4zUK_7qBKHUOHKMuRAQSj30FJGhvtbeOz__VgUaTOdyx8emtU9Q_BjtCc3cY7H9wwFmsVcBP_khxnS4Kb3g9UPkYnbj_0t5pVU/s1600/IMG_0934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZUyZ6lkWlAlI3BaCQMjK2oIIYIJouJU3MNBtvCo9O4zUK_7qBKHUOHKMuRAQSj30FJGhvtbeOz__VgUaTOdyx8emtU9Q_BjtCc3cY7H9wwFmsVcBP_khxnS4Kb3g9UPkYnbj_0t5pVU/s320/IMG_0934.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love this one, taken in the Papine marketplace. I had taken a carefully posed picture of the dad and his baby, when older brother popped into the frame with this wonderful grin. I took it very quickly and hoped for the best. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywZoW0e4kBm_ZClbEd_Z-kCci3CONlhmB-W-ua-Cajyh8hYvxXIwV_R1rLkW0NAalNV7uL39Xda-CdHUlzFJpuhCjr-rWkXG1YjvdvYGKhNp1riSF_LfjGprklrzRNM2wymA0KjsGsW4/s1600/IMG_0960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywZoW0e4kBm_ZClbEd_Z-kCci3CONlhmB-W-ua-Cajyh8hYvxXIwV_R1rLkW0NAalNV7uL39Xda-CdHUlzFJpuhCjr-rWkXG1YjvdvYGKhNp1riSF_LfjGprklrzRNM2wymA0KjsGsW4/s320/IMG_0960.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was practicing 'freeezing', using a 1/500 shutter speed and focussing on the flag which was flying furiously in the wind. The bike's young owner was quite fascinated that the flag was my interest and kept offering to hold it still for me. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXopURkfiZ7wSXTqN0OoZfm6nItXxoZf-t4UNscGJcQuPriq__Iibj67taajIzPCTIYmvc-xBueoOyR9INNygDU2ktXvOr-8DoBYpxzmwJhnP_e3aDs7Uh6v5ognGfREanLLVckOTVlA/s1600/IMG_0990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXopURkfiZ7wSXTqN0OoZfm6nItXxoZf-t4UNscGJcQuPriq__Iibj67taajIzPCTIYmvc-xBueoOyR9INNygDU2ktXvOr-8DoBYpxzmwJhnP_e3aDs7Uh6v5ognGfREanLLVckOTVlA/s320/IMG_0990.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still life session: shells in a jar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More still life</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought I would not be so interested in the portrait session, but found that I quite liked it. They hired a model to work with indoors and out, practicing different angles and lighting techniques. I enjoyed experimenting with the monochrome setting.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Learned different settings and diffusing light while taking portraits in the midday sun.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-63844488311057396122012-05-25T19:23:00.003-05:002012-05-25T21:29:10.200-05:00Bat Girl in St. Clair Cave<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have been "off blog" for a while. No real reason, other than being fairly busy and thinking that I did not have anything interesting to say. I now have something interesting!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May 23rd was Labour Day and a national holiday. In Jamaica it is not about celebrating organized labour, it is about labouring on projects: fix your fence, clean your house, paint the house, work party at the local school, repaint the crosswalks (citizens do this, not government employees), spruce up the local park. I saw many Jamaicans out and about and participating in community projects. If Jamaica had a Labour Day every month, this might be a solution to the garbage-everywhere syndrome that is endemic here.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I, however, was labouring in a different manor. Opted in to a hike to and tour of the St. Clair cave, located near Polly Ground west of Ewarton, about 90 minutes from New Kingston. I and 3 CUSO friends were connected with Meg, who organizes island adventures about once a month - she is not a hasher, but knows many of us and is always trying to 'out do' the hash. She succeeded beyond expectations and all of us swear that we will never again complain about difficult hashes!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While Jamaica has a number of caves and some of them well known and accessible to the public. St. Clair cave is not on the tourist track and you will see why. It would be impossible to find, yet alone get into, without a guide. However, it is known internationally with cavers and is the model for the newly re-opened bat cave at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), complete with bats endemic to Jamaica. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upon researching St. Clair cave, I discovered that it is home to the endangered yellow boa which is endemic to Jamaica. For those of you who know me, this scares me rigid! I am comfortable with bats, rats, spiders, lizards, creatures of all kinds: but I have an indescribable, irrational, and complete paranoia of snakes. This usually applies to the water and garter snakes that I find at home (on Keats) but the thought of a wild boa on my path . . . Fortunately he/she was full of his bat-dinner and must have been sleeping when we were there. Though I was vigilant. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are not a lot of my own pictures because I kept my camera in backpack most of the time - too busy using hands to stop from falling. Many thanks to Britta who had her pocket camera handy and forwarded some of the following pics. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took about 3 1/2 hours for the hike/cave/hike. The hike to the cave was not far, difficult to determine the distance but took about 45 minutes each way, though extremely hazardous as we clamboured over slippery boulders and fallen trees. Much of the trail is through a river bed and we were simply lucky that it was dry, as it can be a metre deep on a day's notice - which it was a few days ago.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In sum, this was 3 1/2 hours of slogging, scrambling, climbing, and slipping . . . all in the most beautiful country around Ewarton . . . and all covered in mud and bat shit. Stefan, our guide and head of the Jamaica Caves Organization - and a Canadian! - told us to always have 3 points of contact: eg. two feet and one hand; two hands and one foot. I thought that if 3 were good, then 5 would be better. Hence I spent much time (in the cave and without) sliding down on my backside with heels in braking position and hands grabbing anything. And anything was always covered with bat shit. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the cave that we explored was open caverns. However, we also had to slither through a narrow opening - less than a metre high - and also inch along a narrow ledge without falling into the abyss below.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all had to strip and change into clean clothes for the drive home. This was no time for modesty as there were no facilities and no shelter where we parked our cars. The overwhelming urge to get out of these clothes was supreme; and we had to put our cave clothes and shoes in the back of a pick-up truck because nobody wanted to drive home with them inside the car!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was the toughest challenge I have done in a long time. Ranks right up there with my triathalon. I think the combination of age, arthritic knees, and lack of upper body strength was giving me a message . . . it is two days later and still having trouble moving my arms, rolling over in the night, and watching my black and blue bruises come into full bloom.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had the most appreciative shower of my life when I got home - I even turned on the hot water tank for 15 minutes! And, miraculously, my clothes are now clean. I even had to wash my backpack. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all look so clean and raring to go</span></div>
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Stefan, our guide</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jDDH-Wlaus3QlOrZlyVbufbIo42GqFaTVSYEaHebJKhtjXwc8oR70UUJmajIsPvOq5oD_WVdnQWJje5-jkT-XJUhp8zpxe7sPCUdeDAsq9QTA_vLg2qLquqROvPhyT7g2pMTmzqT4eU/s1600/IMG_0842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jDDH-Wlaus3QlOrZlyVbufbIo42GqFaTVSYEaHebJKhtjXwc8oR70UUJmajIsPvOq5oD_WVdnQWJje5-jkT-XJUhp8zpxe7sPCUdeDAsq9QTA_vLg2qLquqROvPhyT7g2pMTmzqT4eU/s320/IMG_0842.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the path through the river bed . . . </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimLkdBb-LXtD7l7ovjzLvLS-MIiiSFB2w8Fg7ixymZ3MzgCXu_bk71Ceh1VMw8mIbdOakIl34pBrdW3kv1JuZSgB9jiSUyhtI94inY_jP9aODSKad9emY5QklkTR5yRYgO32yiD79VZc/s1600/IMG_0844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimLkdBb-LXtD7l7ovjzLvLS-MIiiSFB2w8Fg7ixymZ3MzgCXu_bk71Ceh1VMw8mIbdOakIl34pBrdW3kv1JuZSgB9jiSUyhtI94inY_jP9aODSKad9emY5QklkTR5yRYgO32yiD79VZc/s320/IMG_0844.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . and this, too, is the path . . .</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_VY70F7jzUgzwHiuQdsv-qfWfn3MSP2oCACT1_YGgEU6_e1WdYr65CBnuj0lYTzcXwCGV7vU1XZ15M1umuZ7pJ_G0O9Tc9xrn0TV7fCu6UEFjIuVtr1K80XBhau8SA1WtuBYFb0wmb4/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_VY70F7jzUgzwHiuQdsv-qfWfn3MSP2oCACT1_YGgEU6_e1WdYr65CBnuj0lYTzcXwCGV7vU1XZ15M1umuZ7pJ_G0O9Tc9xrn0TV7fCu6UEFjIuVtr1K80XBhau8SA1WtuBYFb0wmb4/s320/IMG_0847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the easy part!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw01_EdFhfgtjVDrgWHdo5lg1aCz8JQV3-rMF5nG38_Vj2RsVQfuBcVhyYeTvSExfXQRsjlLciD6wQ8TItDn7FyaPqgoCJVaQ_nzqIMevwyYSJ7KeetpShk8Z3y_7DlRPvF3s9_DWhF7U/s1600/IMG_0848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw01_EdFhfgtjVDrgWHdo5lg1aCz8JQV3-rMF5nG38_Vj2RsVQfuBcVhyYeTvSExfXQRsjlLciD6wQ8TItDn7FyaPqgoCJVaQ_nzqIMevwyYSJ7KeetpShk8Z3y_7DlRPvF3s9_DWhF7U/s320/IMG_0848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entrance to the cave; straight down and deeper than it looks</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beautiful formations on the ceiling</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we go deeper into the cave</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LF1oJyAAOqKhWfwsWcl-3r1SwjK3SolAne5bMK5wXpnwi_0QQe4J8U2o1fFZJbVtwPGjhuPCdLfQFBpyNPgzM7p4L4nxV3s4GihE9AOjfcqQRnkpOgtF52kuJX39jrZasxDgIjIn5F8/s1600/DSC01435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LF1oJyAAOqKhWfwsWcl-3r1SwjK3SolAne5bMK5wXpnwi_0QQe4J8U2o1fFZJbVtwPGjhuPCdLfQFBpyNPgzM7p4L4nxV3s4GihE9AOjfcqQRnkpOgtF52kuJX39jrZasxDgIjIn5F8/s320/DSC01435.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why is there always water?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcvO70lbGQNmbCGi0THLgjGPvdnSK2ECHKBjBDABaaN4FQX5gvQF4DFBMVg8pil5fp2PtsusKmTIzF2Yez8D8ahOC1H9hMQa5buHwCfy5cuL_JN0Lh8H0kKU5u24hAZCwZ1k1ytsKa4U/s1600/DSC01437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcvO70lbGQNmbCGi0THLgjGPvdnSK2ECHKBjBDABaaN4FQX5gvQF4DFBMVg8pil5fp2PtsusKmTIzF2Yez8D8ahOC1H9hMQa5buHwCfy5cuL_JN0Lh8H0kKU5u24hAZCwZ1k1ytsKa4U/s320/DSC01437.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note the 'flahses" - those are bats. And we look so happy!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0chCbWb_z1K7H0rMbrBkHIGKvdJreNVd7P0Civwy8iGymreciAxoVNbU-P9uoRMCq6KOPJMZo1FGyHfDQLDdkamjdMWdN8OhohgUCkrMCySSfamDkl42XwbNqgOjsQCJ9XUXFrd9b5tY/s1600/IMG_0854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0chCbWb_z1K7H0rMbrBkHIGKvdJreNVd7P0Civwy8iGymreciAxoVNbU-P9uoRMCq6KOPJMZo1FGyHfDQLDdkamjdMWdN8OhohgUCkrMCySSfamDkl42XwbNqgOjsQCJ9XUXFrd9b5tY/s320/IMG_0854.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The climb down and the only way back up</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ro8BR2-EbsyKRHf6oVeCpcavoRDo4_hSJuo4ZsNkvSU4QlWqBLO23YfgdQnAngKZMoKcTA7-BJG-evbrMuu4aJKOyGl1zEnq0vNvue_pnFm9dIRWS418Tl1vg-k2Wu6jHpSvMb1oxa8/s1600/Backup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ro8BR2-EbsyKRHf6oVeCpcavoRDo4_hSJuo4ZsNkvSU4QlWqBLO23YfgdQnAngKZMoKcTA7-BJG-evbrMuu4aJKOyGl1zEnq0vNvue_pnFm9dIRWS418Tl1vg-k2Wu6jHpSvMb1oxa8/s320/Backup.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me with my spotter, Stokely, on the way back up</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DW6pLayoirEmOEuCyN0bjAmd353Z6AaygaHu4O0zAqqvEDy3JMqk396ajfBOdHWadTrocAKADatVv_zEczA58nqbZ94TV0gTs2QeTsXyz9kqUyX58T9acnzpqyo-GfSGnyhsjw8V6yU/s1600/Britta+&+I+on+slippery+slope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DW6pLayoirEmOEuCyN0bjAmd353Z6AaygaHu4O0zAqqvEDy3JMqk396ajfBOdHWadTrocAKADatVv_zEczA58nqbZ94TV0gTs2QeTsXyz9kqUyX58T9acnzpqyo-GfSGnyhsjw8V6yU/s320/Britta+&+I+on+slippery+slope.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Britta and I on a slippery slope</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFtKo0JXgzZjy7o_iwPRe4ORvyZV1yWrct-vl0FTEwdx0IYrCHqRqmg6IBRS-QWFNp-toPwcb7HmZubxpCKZt7uS8E9hGDB77TKPm3vZqrLWgXPEqQ_Nf4Vs8Uc7Mho9MPZJ6YiIvNrI/s1600/Further+into+crevasse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFtKo0JXgzZjy7o_iwPRe4ORvyZV1yWrct-vl0FTEwdx0IYrCHqRqmg6IBRS-QWFNp-toPwcb7HmZubxpCKZt7uS8E9hGDB77TKPm3vZqrLWgXPEqQ_Nf4Vs8Uc7Mho9MPZJ6YiIvNrI/s320/Further+into+crevasse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 points of contact</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSkZSMYTXSN7LIIwz6oHQ7ThLSw0d7AWbKwVMARxj-mTeSFdmhAQHwV5jc1GpIIbnZLj1qkUoQAodwqtZctn29IrkbYdqjWRf5VVom_yaUO0fniiSWUZwpqjI4Rws1hBiZr3GT1RuViI/s1600/Into+the+crevasse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSkZSMYTXSN7LIIwz6oHQ7ThLSw0d7AWbKwVMARxj-mTeSFdmhAQHwV5jc1GpIIbnZLj1qkUoQAodwqtZctn29IrkbYdqjWRf5VVom_yaUO0fniiSWUZwpqjI4Rws1hBiZr3GT1RuViI/s320/Into+the+crevasse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Down the crevasse</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOOuelK5JCTdwk-UsI6RrlYjMVPLNITnH9Gem7bAwd4F1tAMlL7LqR7tDg9hk-TP76vEw4cgk_-K4lgkoDhET17xibj89yHW28Ex7SgYwaQgpEZ2GHarDFIsakwEgO1tv_0yaLAfhuz4/s1600/WL+on+way+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOOuelK5JCTdwk-UsI6RrlYjMVPLNITnH9Gem7bAwd4F1tAMlL7LqR7tDg9hk-TP76vEw4cgk_-K4lgkoDhET17xibj89yHW28Ex7SgYwaQgpEZ2GHarDFIsakwEgO1tv_0yaLAfhuz4/s320/WL+on+way+down.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the way down - you can tell by the clean backside</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpw8M4wS3WX3Nlud4-WpWFnMXacvcl-BZR0f4gId1q3fuQMxz2ZgaKPLXnKryuM0kesxYC8hR3KU04R3gD1RBSEZOpGX5xlCsHE48H8y2tsHpt_Wa-eyHbnlI7_UX1aasmRZMt6KvPRM/s1600/climb+out%3f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpw8M4wS3WX3Nlud4-WpWFnMXacvcl-BZR0f4gId1q3fuQMxz2ZgaKPLXnKryuM0kesxYC8hR3KU04R3gD1RBSEZOpGX5xlCsHE48H8y2tsHpt_Wa-eyHbnlI7_UX1aasmRZMt6KvPRM/s320/climb+out%3f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do I really have to climb back up?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-30369006342874174902012-04-29T13:09:00.001-05:002012-04-29T20:32:37.729-05:00April in Washington, DC<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arrived in DC on April 25 for a six day visit with Allie & Doug and to celebrate the 4-month birthday of August and George! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I barely made it here on the 25th, having scheduled two hour plus in Miami to change planes from Kingston - only to find myself in a 1 hr 45 minute line-up to go through US Immigration! They were taking at least 10 minutes with every person and it was painful and ridiculous. Then I had to go through security all over again, and even the expedited line was long! I put my runners back on - no explosives found in them - but had no time to tie them up, ran to the 'train' to get to another set of gates and was the last person on the plane as they were pulling up the ramp! The video with safety announcements was already playing when I sat down. Whew!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weather has been cooler than recently, though no rain and we are enjoying long walks and outings every day. Went to the "Newseum" on Thursday, which was incredible: the history and impact of the news, complete with originals of the earliest newspapers from the 1500's. We spent many hours there, then walked to August's pediatrician appointment, then walked home. A long, excellent day and both boys were good as gold. We treated ourselves to delivered sushi for dinner! Friday was walking to the National Zoo, beautiful and very well designed. Though it was a weekday, it was very busy with school trips - so it was a zoo inside and outside of the enclosures. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Saturday we went to the Kreeger Museum, which we found in listed as a "hidden gem" in the Washingtonian magazine. It was, indeed, a hidden gem! A private collection housed in the home of the philanthropists - incredible to see 9 Picassos in the hall, 10 Monets in dining room, and many other works by Pissaro, Sisley, Renoir, Mondrian, Miro, garden of Henry Moores and many others all in one private collection <a href="http://www.kreegermuseum.org/">www.kreegermuseum.org</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shopping, chilling out and Sunday dinner today. I'm cooking. Made butter tarts last night :-)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Family dinner in the Lee-MacKay household</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Doug reading with August. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">August with Pierre on his 4-month birthday, his blue shirt making his blue eyes sparkle</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">George with St. John on his 4-month birthday, smiling as always</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brothers on their 4-month birthday</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Allie at the entrance to the 'big cats' exhibit at the National Zoo</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lions basking in the sunshine</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More lions, more basking</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burrowing Owl</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pygmy Falcon</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bronze statue of otters outside the otter exhibit (which was closed). But reminded me of the Vancouver Aquarium</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Graves of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. We had a Zip Car to go to the Kreeger, so went for a drive and to Arlington on the way back. Very interesting, historic site</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arlington, with some of 320,000 graves</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arlington</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Beezoo, Allie & Doug's 8 yr old Maine Coon Cat. She has very long hair and ruff, which is prone to matting. And now the hot weather is here. So Allie took her to the groomers and decided on a "lion cut" to keep her cool in the summer . . . </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . and here is the resulting "lion", feeling rather foolish and not sure how to sit down without the fur padding on her behind :-)</span></div>
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Beezoo the Lion</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . and she is now outa here!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-74537890849776546862012-04-22T16:16:00.001-05:002012-04-22T16:16:25.054-05:00Earth Day Forest Trek to Cinchona Botanic Gardens<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is Earth Day! (Sunday, April 22). In recognition of Earth Day, the Jamaica National Forest Service organized a "Forest Walk", this being the third or fourth they have done. I was very fortunate that my CUSO colleague and friend, Delphine, knew about this and sent an invitation to join a team. Very un-Jamiacan, we had to sign up and pay registration six weeks ago and I have since been looking forward to the trek.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a team of 10: 9 able to arrive on the day: 4 Canadians - 2 West Coast (1 having recently emigrated from Kyrgystan), 2 Montreals; 2 Netherlands; 1 Jamaican; 1 Trinidad/Tobago; and 1 Guyana. One of the many delights of living/working in Jamaica is the mix of cultures . . . I am blessed to count them all as my friends.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jamaica has a National Forest Service and, like many worldwide, is under-funded. However, good to know they are active and passionate and with an incredible lot of work to do. Check them out <a href="http://www.forestry.gov.jam/">http://www.forestry.gov.jam</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day was long, but well organized - well almost. We had many notices to arrive early for the 6 am departure and lists of what to bring and how to prepare. The lists included things like "wear comfortable underwear" and "cut toe nails". Really. I figure if anyone needs these reminders, they should not be trekking in the forest. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our team was on time arriving at UTech parking lot before 6 am. Of course, the buses all departed promptly at 7 am. We were all keen, in good company, and most of us accepting Jamaica-time (though we were all there at 6!) The weather was perfect, clear and sunny all day. This was serendipitous as we have had a lot of rain and, as I write this on Sunday morning, it is an overcast day with continuous rain and drizzle. I digress that my laundry is on the line, though may have to take a detour to the dryer if the sun does not come out by late afternoon. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The outbound hike was 2 hours (for me and my hiking partner), though 3 to 4 hours for many; all of it uphill for 7.5 km. We did not have to worry about 'trail', as it was an old road though very uneven and overgrown. The hike down was 1.5 hours. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The prize at the top was the Cinchona Botanic Gardens, established in 1868 under the supervision of the Chief Gardener from Kew Gardens in London, England. This is at 5,000 ft. above sea level. Originally the hillside grew tea; now the hillsides are covered in the famous coffee that the Blue Moutains produce. The gardens grew cinchona trees (to produce quinine and export to counter malaria in British colonies around the world). Hurricane Gilbert took a serious toll on the mountain top gardens in 1988 and the place has fairly gone to ruins since then. Difficult to understand why the botanic gardens where established at such a remote place: while the weather conditions and the view are unparalleled, the trip up by horse and carriage must have been very difficult for both horse and rider.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were about 200 trekkers, estimated by the fact there were 10 'coasters' (familiar small buses that each carry about 20 people). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bus ride, both ways about 1.5 to 2 hours, was amazing and on roads that were new to me. Incredible scenery always on the side of a precipice; narrow one lane roads, accompanied by the backing-up of a vehicle to a questionable 'passing' section; and a few sections where the road has washed out and we were not sure the coaster could navigate without falling into the abyss far below. At one point, the coaster was stuck in a 'crossing' (river/stream across the road - I use the word 'road' loosely) and we all had to exit the coaster, walk up to the top of the next hill, where lightened coaster allowed us to pile back in. No one seemed to mind as this appears to be a regular practice on the mountain roads.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apologies, no pictures for the bus rides. I was in the back and not driving :-) Stunning though it was. I limped in the door at about 7 pm, after an excellent day, to a nice glass of red wine and homemade lasagna. I was asleep by 9:15. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enough talk . . . now time for pictures to tell the rest of the story . . . </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not quite there yet, as we made a pit stop at the Jamaica Defense Forces (JDF) camp in the Blue Mountains. Not sure why they would want a camp up there, but the view was stunning and there were toilets. That is Kingston in the distance below.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOhpurvH3E1UTHcGPTXxjkRhxm5b9QULRPRTKqfgqQUjqEaFV_ejThs61o2R4D1hfVb5-PpOpC1qXr_WMNXHEQwNUMkJkDjDj-dxCqDIYVQ77OGBd3mm2xb5rLpqiz8H2Sh8Nc0wehbE/s1600/IMG_0752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOhpurvH3E1UTHcGPTXxjkRhxm5b9QULRPRTKqfgqQUjqEaFV_ejThs61o2R4D1hfVb5-PpOpC1qXr_WMNXHEQwNUMkJkDjDj-dxCqDIYVQ77OGBd3mm2xb5rLpqiz8H2Sh8Nc0wehbE/s320/IMG_0752.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arrived at the national park entrance, with the usual chaos of trying to get 200 hikers organized and on their way. The forest workers and trek volunteers wore red shirts and yellow shirts, and were numerous and helpful.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPP1cz0mTvNOSkPA0D-bxqeNa1-xHz3KwtlWWdIbGyeaXbFA57MUGMu4lC1kPoef0gP4cLc2nFKTR5Ssu5LveYUJt1nfyFVmbFe45PuoDj0pvDImndOw97IsTpL6BwtXjPQlrH_JIOgUQ/s1600/IMG_0753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPP1cz0mTvNOSkPA0D-bxqeNa1-xHz3KwtlWWdIbGyeaXbFA57MUGMu4lC1kPoef0gP4cLc2nFKTR5Ssu5LveYUJt1nfyFVmbFe45PuoDj0pvDImndOw97IsTpL6BwtXjPQlrH_JIOgUQ/s320/IMG_0753.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the first 2 km there was a water and fruit station at the old Clydesdale coffee pulpery. Little did we know that was the "easy" 2 km! There was another water/fruit station at about 4 km, just before the brutal 4 - 6 km stretch.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clydesdale coffee pulpery</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24dMIUB_4tot8ORcknPv7sRwM-7o_MOoN8eZjaXUeGp52bZsJOu5s4YS36rTWtsFrrOAF6jbLu1CCliNVClm5DGyD3g6PhDq86qxFeeNA1lIFP6JbNFgALxxfZcFX894yrIq4HyMu3yk/s1600/IMG_0757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24dMIUB_4tot8ORcknPv7sRwM-7o_MOoN8eZjaXUeGp52bZsJOu5s4YS36rTWtsFrrOAF6jbLu1CCliNVClm5DGyD3g6PhDq86qxFeeNA1lIFP6JbNFgALxxfZcFX894yrIq4HyMu3yk/s320/IMG_0757.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Outbuilding at Clydesdale</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking down on Clydesdale</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coffee on the hillsides, which are covered with coffee bushes. They are on hillsides that are so steep it is difficult to stand, yet they thrive in the environment and farmers hand pick the crops. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIkUc-Udvku9Hu_Yj9fswkS7agRu6Ll0hyphenhyphenvB7g9GjbCTa6bQ-KwqG_kgS8V1p-fHqYyrzzFlpfGBAaXwO6Fp0XSNWvafBOJgncfxPhtSdysaY3-SshwwXM1YMjaFcC2duRm_jZrDSjj8/s1600/IMG_0762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIkUc-Udvku9Hu_Yj9fswkS7agRu6Ll0hyphenhyphenvB7g9GjbCTa6bQ-KwqG_kgS8V1p-fHqYyrzzFlpfGBAaXwO6Fp0XSNWvafBOJgncfxPhtSdysaY3-SshwwXM1YMjaFcC2duRm_jZrDSjj8/s320/IMG_0762.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Difficult to see in the picture, all the hillsides (called the Blue and John Crow Mountains) are covered with coffee plants. Some of them are cultivated and cared for, though many of the bushes belong to old, abandoned plantations. However, all of those bushes still produce the famous Blue Mountain coffee with the independent, local farmers taking the beans to central coffee plants for processing and shipping. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDfZvrS6PSCiPC6m-aReqV6WdDffSZvyQYjMKU5crOo-_Fsc-4XmxYkU6omoen1YoxPqwJDGExZn_a6CSwmUT7TfzkL1BpUs7FBnbvj8CCdnG06rievEIPcaX6PfV71itOUZrudflEgw/s1600/IMG_0763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDfZvrS6PSCiPC6m-aReqV6WdDffSZvyQYjMKU5crOo-_Fsc-4XmxYkU6omoen1YoxPqwJDGExZn_a6CSwmUT7TfzkL1BpUs7FBnbvj8CCdnG06rievEIPcaX6PfV71itOUZrudflEgw/s320/IMG_0763.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">High up and far from anywhere, a very small, family community. They welcomed us along our way.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNCVGwEdBMlpxtNEe1GIqnAYBWS_QBJjcNK7PGoUmrVYxwFSi1KqVvvFgUHKr7Imno3kEV_xGvgk754cbNZ4udgG3glOcsS9WPHKnY_is07X8BsziFV-mmVy45eUfdNPL5OLwXJvdiWU/s1600/IMG_0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNCVGwEdBMlpxtNEe1GIqnAYBWS_QBJjcNK7PGoUmrVYxwFSi1KqVvvFgUHKr7Imno3kEV_xGvgk754cbNZ4udgG3glOcsS9WPHKnY_is07X8BsziFV-mmVy45eUfdNPL5OLwXJvdiWU/s320/IMG_0764.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Family in the Blue Mountains. Not sure if they were smiling or laughing at us.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erin pausing before a very steep climb - it doesn't look so steep in the picture, but it was an over 45 degree incline.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Almost to Cinchona, barely visible is a coffee plant on the nearest hill top.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqQw2qS9gkYlylhTK-Twb7DWieqi63gnTTJBhA6LAmvU4gB1ni4VpMJDsx-KELeudD-giGDrDkcxNftTLaEk0C3muYQ1DmSKl9tLFniqbYUtm_1zb5hwAANXSUfyJ8GvaaPX6DQLqaAU/s1600/IMG_0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqQw2qS9gkYlylhTK-Twb7DWieqi63gnTTJBhA6LAmvU4gB1ni4VpMJDsx-KELeudD-giGDrDkcxNftTLaEk0C3muYQ1DmSKl9tLFniqbYUtm_1zb5hwAANXSUfyJ8GvaaPX6DQLqaAU/s320/IMG_0769.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cinchona Botanic Gardens, with old governor's house. We had our lunch under that skeletal tree.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we arrived at Cinchona, we were directed along a further trail - much further than we would have rathered at that point! - and everyone had an opportunity to plant a pine tree. This is Erin. Deforestation is a serious issue in Jamaica, as the hillsides were denuded of their natural pines for the plantations. Many of the plantations are now abandoned and the forest service is trying to restore the natural vegetation.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The nasturtiums are self-seeding everywhere and quite lovely, decorating the abandoned buildings.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs39t9o_HFrFGrEqGB59U2phCzM9-DmbTN_Ckr92fTYoqbEqA6M7K0UhVNYVyN9xmXIqN-Y4IqyplPFCCfiLj_DggIBmD8VOfgIs-xq-5qburjU7hKfx3kLG87NCuDHrig44kaDPWV6nE/s1600/IMG_0775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs39t9o_HFrFGrEqGB59U2phCzM9-DmbTN_Ckr92fTYoqbEqA6M7K0UhVNYVyN9xmXIqN-Y4IqyplPFCCfiLj_DggIBmD8VOfgIs-xq-5qburjU7hKfx3kLG87NCuDHrig44kaDPWV6nE/s320/IMG_0775.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">View from the peak at Cinchona, framed by nasturtiums in the foreground.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Behind the main building, I found this old potting shed with bike perched nearby defining the incongruity that one sees daily in Jamaica.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bamboo tunnel</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Forest Service had set up lunch and refreshments - and cut the lawns! It was a lovely respite after the climb. We stayed there for two hours before the decent.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erin used a portion of those two hours for a nap.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the flower gardens are no longer blooming, though these red iris were stunning.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-71084315486988480412012-04-10T15:42:00.000-05:002012-04-10T15:42:26.384-05:00Jacks Hill<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Easter Monday morning, a statutory holiday here - well, actually the whole day is a statutory holiday - Fred and Britta joined me on a drive up Jacks Hill. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Normally, I would have returned the rental car on a Monday morning, but due to the holiday the car rental was closed. Which is a bit odd, considering it is open on Sundays, etc. However, decided to go for a local drive and take advantage of the car. The trip exceeded expectations!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jacks Hill is both a long road through the foothills above Kingston and, I now know, is also a neighbourhood and community with its own identity. If one drove quickly, which is difficult on pot-holed narrow roads, it is only about 15 minutes out of Kingston yet in a world of its own. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a delightful morning, stopping many times for pictures and to express our amazement to find such a beautiful place right in our own Jamaican backyard. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, on the way back to made the obligatory stop at MegaMart - every other store in Jamaica was closed, but MegaMart is always open. Hey, if you have a car then you stock up on the heavy stuff and store it: if there is a hurricane I will not only survive and eat well, but will be able to feed my neighbours. And wash their clothes and clean their homes :-)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRupirNf4fWeUUdrhsiOA6Y8F11-koWieCsN89PA2uDsQOqGr6j8jBo1jw0r8lZlBvB-RzBNuxWJ8nRyaopQL2qYASB0GdrhSPdqVCqgoi3YoOUKGMNI3ZSAps6VYzeuCqwmPmd1PJNM/s1600/IMG_0712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRupirNf4fWeUUdrhsiOA6Y8F11-koWieCsN89PA2uDsQOqGr6j8jBo1jw0r8lZlBvB-RzBNuxWJ8nRyaopQL2qYASB0GdrhSPdqVCqgoi3YoOUKGMNI3ZSAps6VYzeuCqwmPmd1PJNM/s320/IMG_0712.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part way up Jacks Hill Road, we stopped to view Kingston. This was after we passed through many beautiful homes and estates. I am from BC, so this was rather like the upper reaches of West Vancouver.</span> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIXqggfDynElgSDxJKyssfUq76vbnX5b-xgUtt46-xjEOrQg74T1Fg5KmI6C_WSDHkcg0jRHuiE_lB-XoX9dZKISLmTe_woMI-8a4lncBT22cNKhTA0P_13dVQzAirtn2JsMWFdyNECo/s1600/IMG_0715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIXqggfDynElgSDxJKyssfUq76vbnX5b-xgUtt46-xjEOrQg74T1Fg5KmI6C_WSDHkcg0jRHuiE_lB-XoX9dZKISLmTe_woMI-8a4lncBT22cNKhTA0P_13dVQzAirtn2JsMWFdyNECo/s320/IMG_0715.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking down upon an estate on the slope of Jacks Hill.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3yPqgHwZ7faiPHSAWGfZGMqaMvWgplTU4W3VwQBGsx4QRU3Co5UTKvuR1PAixVGXcsBbsWgz96EaONB2gq1Ne0VB4qCuSfpWdZfS3WA9trFlHbbmWQfjTp96eReBTP-xmG6P0Hpfnbo/s1600/IMG_0716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3yPqgHwZ7faiPHSAWGfZGMqaMvWgplTU4W3VwQBGsx4QRU3Co5UTKvuR1PAixVGXcsBbsWgz96EaONB2gq1Ne0VB4qCuSfpWdZfS3WA9trFlHbbmWQfjTp96eReBTP-xmG6P0Hpfnbo/s320/IMG_0716.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The flora on Jacks Hill is more exquisite than on the lower reaches and in town Kingston.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2MSp469l2HBvqUBTLfg8gzL377vr4ymmGZMVytHlF4ycHf0xdRtW1H12X7jIgqPnXw-2N8QX4Jxm9ZLwhv0Drt9XVqfBlqmcViOVW87kIYFPbMlOT6dN2ezAOxJ1lpM4L1ns8JgCiwo/s1600/IMG_0718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2MSp469l2HBvqUBTLfg8gzL377vr4ymmGZMVytHlF4ycHf0xdRtW1H12X7jIgqPnXw-2N8QX4Jxm9ZLwhv0Drt9XVqfBlqmcViOVW87kIYFPbMlOT6dN2ezAOxJ1lpM4L1ns8JgCiwo/s320/IMG_0718.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the palatial homes we came, rather delightfully, to the true community of Jacks Hill. This chap was perched by his shop, defunct stove to the right, and proudly pointed out to us the small poster below the store awning announcing that the afternoon would see an Easter Monday Fete at the Jacks Hill Community Centre for all the children and their families. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKMJ3LugoWQnOthAK3fG0lMglurbLRueN_c8Zot7do8c4OSYH_P6wXi1_5tBaS07dLNR1HHGm0ov9qhoc3s4C1kSMrdZAhrVyANVusVGUUbNOZyv8M0gylr9Agw9D2qJisZrEIiKvgRk/s1600/IMG_0720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKMJ3LugoWQnOthAK3fG0lMglurbLRueN_c8Zot7do8c4OSYH_P6wXi1_5tBaS07dLNR1HHGm0ov9qhoc3s4C1kSMrdZAhrVyANVusVGUUbNOZyv8M0gylr9Agw9D2qJisZrEIiKvgRk/s320/IMG_0720.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was trying to take pictures of the many flowers and this little bug decided to get in the picture </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIGdHe5O0etTYHeWqa-B4x87l9qHVAoIhvaN0hK8S1q12pBlNQ6KgAWJ82z8kY7MxmmLt5_ykqu45SEb02QyyPTOiBndRpSYdQhBGnNasZQPD6exE05w0MhsngliWFvqKt302BCx6ZuA/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIGdHe5O0etTYHeWqa-B4x87l9qHVAoIhvaN0hK8S1q12pBlNQ6KgAWJ82z8kY7MxmmLt5_ykqu45SEb02QyyPTOiBndRpSYdQhBGnNasZQPD6exE05w0MhsngliWFvqKt302BCx6ZuA/s320/IMG_0724.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The back of the "yellow store" in previous picture . . . all precariously perched on the steep hillsides.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7fFXLTPoPsAwCsJbl0ePy1TJp9Lq6hGRhV8tMzel-5xFehiT-ELS3r5nO6c4oCRlJk_vq_vJxt0_lwSvPnAEBnGz09PzkKyFVn9Ed_swsRojGsNIr4aeU6gY9WKdDDoPe6-51pTZXtA/s1600/IMG_0725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7fFXLTPoPsAwCsJbl0ePy1TJp9Lq6hGRhV8tMzel-5xFehiT-ELS3r5nO6c4oCRlJk_vq_vJxt0_lwSvPnAEBnGz09PzkKyFVn9Ed_swsRojGsNIr4aeU6gY9WKdDDoPe6-51pTZXtA/s320/IMG_0725.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More perched houses with Constant Spring in the background.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7amYtDyvw0vmyMPESRqInPrSRcKAM_Q9n8VFsl5Uyw-27BpiBQr7r0gB08aYllwFpI0NFEA4y3Hi-ScshLjIbQrvPpAX7Nq-3JKd2iVphKeFuK-lCbctkqria4lTBTa-imUrKZSftpg/s1600/IMG_0728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7amYtDyvw0vmyMPESRqInPrSRcKAM_Q9n8VFsl5Uyw-27BpiBQr7r0gB08aYllwFpI0NFEA4y3Hi-ScshLjIbQrvPpAX7Nq-3JKd2iVphKeFuK-lCbctkqria4lTBTa-imUrKZSftpg/s320/IMG_0728.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scenery to the north of Jacks Hill.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7CMMXJybh2H6krJnRqY-Jg_KcOkoxtIi-S2XQ099dt9OqYYD-R6FBru5ngqey-kByvJSzkxXAIapSmimC8sw3vPQ5IyBDDtndSSigoHKB59xhvCPqUyBDxHcMj_ewbkH4R2TvMJxLZQ/s1600/IMG_0730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7CMMXJybh2H6krJnRqY-Jg_KcOkoxtIi-S2XQ099dt9OqYYD-R6FBru5ngqey-kByvJSzkxXAIapSmimC8sw3vPQ5IyBDDtndSSigoHKB59xhvCPqUyBDxHcMj_ewbkH4R2TvMJxLZQ/s320/IMG_0730.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">View to Kingston, through the screen of bamboo, from near the peak of Jacks Hill.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJj-Ro85mIV47NcrncJtda1SM-rvjEO5jhfTvdBF_8c-JdJqh5vS9pQpnlDmKEsUiWhCIuhSyc5gbBtEuH5W_oKGWug8RLYoOTeeq_dPLDZcyGmMH734COWRPTDVm7S5xtfXRkF2AwZA/s1600/IMG_0732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJj-Ro85mIV47NcrncJtda1SM-rvjEO5jhfTvdBF_8c-JdJqh5vS9pQpnlDmKEsUiWhCIuhSyc5gbBtEuH5W_oKGWug8RLYoOTeeq_dPLDZcyGmMH734COWRPTDVm7S5xtfXRkF2AwZA/s320/IMG_0732.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey, there is always someone who needs a bit of furniture or a few plants . . . in the middle of the mountains and tropical forest. . . </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRECgbKJN0_cirN_ZnaYlypgM5uCIJ61YrLQGne6nU7pHUWy7QpVKXH2xB7bWHhWRf6rCN7QdWKLGuFkvA22ngYiZuoRQCT8_sYhFnKZIK42h8AL7O7hhAA1qJDbYfKZwoxgrFpU2Jyc/s1600/IMG_0733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRECgbKJN0_cirN_ZnaYlypgM5uCIJ61YrLQGne6nU7pHUWy7QpVKXH2xB7bWHhWRf6rCN7QdWKLGuFkvA22ngYiZuoRQCT8_sYhFnKZIK42h8AL7O7hhAA1qJDbYfKZwoxgrFpU2Jyc/s320/IMG_0733.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . . and always a dead car or twenty . . . </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KkVZqJeV60vDsF89dWX6roaJafMnlwICKDhxTZgTLROOUb1IUUX5gn5iRvXARLHZH06MTZ8R0b1FSUjkLtCUHk9Ucn1glW4I_T70tuy8YrQBDb9UhMgeKRMXovmbkbGZqhrVKQV6ESI/s1600/IMG_0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KkVZqJeV60vDsF89dWX6roaJafMnlwICKDhxTZgTLROOUb1IUUX5gn5iRvXARLHZH06MTZ8R0b1FSUjkLtCUHk9Ucn1glW4I_T70tuy8YrQBDb9UhMgeKRMXovmbkbGZqhrVKQV6ESI/s320/IMG_0735.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . and always an edifice that you simply cannot figure out</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG91kksZfhneDnrfmSKGY8bfYaIHbYXfQgpmjtCCr50bbO_7VxXoJKpAJd-37cmWcShKldTOJQ2KUaHzrDvk19quHS6iz1ad-Whnx2H9do0T4MlMHsaa1_AnIb_fiM_NYJ0fuVbOn7pLU/s1600/IMG_0736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG91kksZfhneDnrfmSKGY8bfYaIHbYXfQgpmjtCCr50bbO_7VxXoJKpAJd-37cmWcShKldTOJQ2KUaHzrDvk19quHS6iz1ad-Whnx2H9do0T4MlMHsaa1_AnIb_fiM_NYJ0fuVbOn7pLU/s320/IMG_0736.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was the end of the road. About a hundred metres beyond (to the right, not through the gate) the road continues. However, there has been a severe wash-out and there is a considerable engineering project in process to build a massive retaining wall and connect the two pieces; allowing one to cross Jacks Hill and descent on the other side above University of the West Indies (UWI). We had to turn back and re-trace our steps. Though not after marveling at the gate of the estate at the end (temporarily) of the road: there are many symbols here and not sure if I have figured them all out. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-65862397267620292972012-04-09T14:56:00.000-05:002012-04-09T14:56:45.569-05:00Way Home from Treasure Beach<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few pictures of our last morning at Treasure Beach and the way home. We arrived safely back In Kingston after driving for an hour through sustained torrential rains from Mandeville to Spanish Town; and then just after I took my friends home and arrived back at Waterloo Square, the rains started again. Though I was home and dry, with two very happy, healthy Jamaican teenaged kittens . . . Usain and Veronica stuck to me like velcro for the rest of the night. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to Irina, Kate, and Tim for being good friends and amenable traveling companions . . . even if you were all snoring on the drive home :-)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RG_WSqtEIehGmYfvou5lhdw9dX4P6Nkk7TvZ5O5P5UCPIpjW94F4-LNpPnxChlAbnAk6eRAiqqIA1JFgwxSLR7J-5bQLz08k2T-FGTxKU0I6U3EAO0AbCJ9kmLdCWCA8-fp6JST9oO8/s1600/IMG_0692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RG_WSqtEIehGmYfvou5lhdw9dX4P6Nkk7TvZ5O5P5UCPIpjW94F4-LNpPnxChlAbnAk6eRAiqqIA1JFgwxSLR7J-5bQLz08k2T-FGTxKU0I6U3EAO0AbCJ9kmLdCWCA8-fp6JST9oO8/s320/IMG_0692.JPG" width="224" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was up at 5:45 am, walking on the beach . . . and here is the remnant from the previous evening's impromptu football game. Referring back to my March blog of Treasure Beach, this happens almost every evening with the local lads. They don't usually leave their balls behind. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR11RGCor50RekrrTdsPoc0640ij3cFxxoMykIeysn0a7wlWynbHJz9X4abnSioC8CaVnn3l6WGKYZTrcFPa9YZqLuqFGe3QD4-4tnaZ2DlYABjj2l6AV5YJK8D63C_Txrts3VDoFcfOI/s1600/IMG_0695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR11RGCor50RekrrTdsPoc0640ij3cFxxoMykIeysn0a7wlWynbHJz9X4abnSioC8CaVnn3l6WGKYZTrcFPa9YZqLuqFGe3QD4-4tnaZ2DlYABjj2l6AV5YJK8D63C_Txrts3VDoFcfOI/s320/IMG_0695.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have no idea of the true history of the nomenclature . . . . I prefer to believe that the high tide mark defines the term "treasure beach".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9Ez_EXuNVROq7LeJ3WRA4jFiF-xHlcd_tlxzLs6TK6qiWwzhNjYrgtor8IWFP1fQW-PHG6ZRv6dhWS0DHYZzh5Kngt8X1rH5lSfDJ-LLOa8Hg1misKbjeVBGoqCFUv60ocfld7fSCwg/s1600/IMG_0699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9Ez_EXuNVROq7LeJ3WRA4jFiF-xHlcd_tlxzLs6TK6qiWwzhNjYrgtor8IWFP1fQW-PHG6ZRv6dhWS0DHYZzh5Kngt8X1rH5lSfDJ-LLOa8Hg1misKbjeVBGoqCFUv60ocfld7fSCwg/s320/IMG_0699.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meet Jim and Sue, from New York, who have lived on Treasure Beach for 15 years. Last time I was at TB, I saw them every morning ambling out of their gate at 6am and then walking up and back covering the distance of the beach - about .5 km - taking about an hour. This time, I went out to great them adnd had a lovely conversation. Sue carries a bag to collect shells for her great-grandchildren and Jim carries a cane to help him along the way. Jim was concerned that his coif might not be just right for the photograph (he is bald) and I assured him it was perfect. When showed the picture on the camera he said "it looks like I have been retouched!". A serendipitous moment.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmIOVCab1T9PODv8KJcrV_NfbxNhgBc8q-Etj5xPaTS2Y-XtcfUT3KlaXcx_3u3O80D8ydQNpFMIe9fTzb5FYewXd7fGI6rNlYdV8FRvxxoGUJI4EJ1UZNRvaJGpxU6QlsWkxdMIaf6M/s1600/IMG_0700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmIOVCab1T9PODv8KJcrV_NfbxNhgBc8q-Etj5xPaTS2Y-XtcfUT3KlaXcx_3u3O80D8ydQNpFMIe9fTzb5FYewXd7fGI6rNlYdV8FRvxxoGUJI4EJ1UZNRvaJGpxU6QlsWkxdMIaf6M/s320/IMG_0700.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The gate to Jim and Sue's.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLzOEyHu_WdMor55GSZJwCbLVO-oJOk6fynYXnuVK_Ff0zzfuMMMwobu2qoSctYiCzcF5p6RoXNUBeT70_AyEiAuTZN6pjYiP6OR2okeua-GCWyzJFLW2b8ne0X_S9_sklo9rwhjz8D4/s1600/IMG_0702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLzOEyHu_WdMor55GSZJwCbLVO-oJOk6fynYXnuVK_Ff0zzfuMMMwobu2qoSctYiCzcF5p6RoXNUBeT70_AyEiAuTZN6pjYiP6OR2okeua-GCWyzJFLW2b8ne0X_S9_sklo9rwhjz8D4/s320/IMG_0702.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bamboo Avenue, near Lacovia, which is 2.5 mile tunnel of bamboo with plantations on either side. Planted in the early 1700's is agreed; though depending upon which version of history one reads, it was either planted as shade for the slaves or shade for the plantation owners and guests on their way to the estate. You decide. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmO3F7iWnNf8hXSTC51cEJwVs6wph3kJAqU5EK4d3RXFK34IPdaTagCd50oK947uY1fQiVZoQv9mFcyhk-KXZOlx1CnVJng8OOUKrFOCJB_p751IWrdwmMS9pxwwM0d77hU1l-C7pYsQ/s1600/IMG_0709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmO3F7iWnNf8hXSTC51cEJwVs6wph3kJAqU5EK4d3RXFK34IPdaTagCd50oK947uY1fQiVZoQv9mFcyhk-KXZOlx1CnVJng8OOUKrFOCJB_p751IWrdwmMS9pxwwM0d77hU1l-C7pYsQ/s320/IMG_0709.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stopped in Porus to buy fresh fruits to bring home to Kingston. That is Tim (hiding behind the bananas), higgler, Irina, and Kate.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEKBy8yWF-2m7gx52lnBGk4WF7wkVNAgkUt9CC4vSKww0QdtHUyqA8j-ludVpuNT5SWrNyBN8s9eoUqOI1WBQCs3dwmcY4Q8onHPJlImfVbOX7Gr1d59hAOn51FX4WJL4uUmjGZxdPh8/s1600/IMG_0711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEKBy8yWF-2m7gx52lnBGk4WF7wkVNAgkUt9CC4vSKww0QdtHUyqA8j-ludVpuNT5SWrNyBN8s9eoUqOI1WBQCs3dwmcY4Q8onHPJlImfVbOX7Gr1d59hAOn51FX4WJL4uUmjGZxdPh8/s320/IMG_0711.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My purchase from a beach higgler. This parrot will soon be gracing Keats Island. I have named him "<i>Captain Ted</i>".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-5655269518938737392012-04-07T21:34:00.002-05:002012-04-09T14:16:19.369-05:00Captain Ted's Boat Adventure<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I am back at Treasure Beach for the Easter Weekend. Kate, Irina, Tim, and I drove up on Friday morning arriving at about noon. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you who are not familiar with Treasure Beach, see my blog of March 3, 2012 , "<i>Treasure Beach Weekend</i>", for pictures of the beach, surrounds and Rose Cottage in which we are staying again at the Golden Sands.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have the same wonderful time reading, napping, swimming, and eating delightful fresh fish as we did a month ago. However, this time we decided to go on a boat tour on Saturday morning. We had a bit of a mix-up on Friday afternoon, with us confusing Captain Allan for Captain Ted and mistakenly booked with Captain Allan. Apparently, the Golden Sands is Captain Ted's "territory". After dinner on Friday when met Captain Ted and Richard, manager of resort, we were rather embarrassed to confess what we had done. All was made right by a phone call from Richard to Captain Allan and we were assured that we would be going with Captain Ted in the morning. Though I think Tim worried all night that Captain Allan might accost us with some kind of weapon when we tried to about the wrong boat in the morning . . . . </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All was well in the morning and after my favourite breakfast of calaloo omlettes, off we went for a memorable three hour cruise on the <i>Di Evil Tings</i>. Yes, that is really the name of the boat.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were back by noon for curried fish lunch, followed by reading, naps, and more swimming. The day ended with a fine - if a bit tardy, "<i>soon come</i>" - conch fritters and lobster dinner at Frenchman's Reef restaurant next door. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will head back on Sunday afternoon, rested and relaxed. Easter Monday is a holiday here, so we have day back in Kingston before work beacons on Tuesday. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwIFQBL87jYJYNw3B1a2lb3rdv6exTemRVFBWsT0XW-rXKmnDx7KLYpyCrGsHK-I2vc7bwOYe8DPAbx5CGTlKjWEMk3hAZwvNMFJo9AMya87PpkmhVpGE9GBKhozIP3MHbjjTq8tvAmg/s1600/IMG_0601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwIFQBL87jYJYNw3B1a2lb3rdv6exTemRVFBWsT0XW-rXKmnDx7KLYpyCrGsHK-I2vc7bwOYe8DPAbx5CGTlKjWEMk3hAZwvNMFJo9AMya87PpkmhVpGE9GBKhozIP3MHbjjTq8tvAmg/s320/IMG_0601.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flora is the 11 year old dolphin spotting companion of Captain Ted. She is never far from his side and waits anxiously for him to bring the boat in so she can hop in and show us all where the dolphins breach. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She is one of the few long-haired dogs I have seen in Jamaica. And one of the oldest!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfC1I7iL5Wqr6b9LhvgSngKZFvHESCbJkYSOc0AaTJTCNe7lBkKH3fVtRdotR5RhwGgI8aBD9KIabX1B0YqcIRc-LDB3yThjMbMMqsnhg43tYmrJCzGUMB32jUeLAfd37p45QZowehHc/s1600/IMG_0606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfC1I7iL5Wqr6b9LhvgSngKZFvHESCbJkYSOc0AaTJTCNe7lBkKH3fVtRdotR5RhwGgI8aBD9KIabX1B0YqcIRc-LDB3yThjMbMMqsnhg43tYmrJCzGUMB32jUeLAfd37p45QZowehHc/s320/IMG_0606.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On our way along the coast to Black River there were some lovely estates . . . </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLAS16ANjy8KCpyd6Vasz8zhuXgcWRT19Qguy0WZLepZ0GEcZvh1wbGndFYooqj-Ibnxx0e-3vPqeXpI1sKAcAuzv1TXZqUdTAzv4j_NBadAryHoKCFqmYOxsslY45209EovjpMIyu0E/s1600/IMG_0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLAS16ANjy8KCpyd6Vasz8zhuXgcWRT19Qguy0WZLepZ0GEcZvh1wbGndFYooqj-Ibnxx0e-3vPqeXpI1sKAcAuzv1TXZqUdTAzv4j_NBadAryHoKCFqmYOxsslY45209EovjpMIyu0E/s320/IMG_0609.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . and some lovely fishing villages.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilJcPn92vHUBIIzcqB6XxlWF-Ae_hRN6TfbSF313sGvUMSll-otklLkTeRDwxJNEgSfu-44k1wra1w6nCny1G-7A1T6RvY2VWCXsY3mgUzsjPFQghyqGq2RRmefgXuPRPN7H-NI36pmE/s1600/IMG_0620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilJcPn92vHUBIIzcqB6XxlWF-Ae_hRN6TfbSF313sGvUMSll-otklLkTeRDwxJNEgSfu-44k1wra1w6nCny1G-7A1T6RvY2VWCXsY3mgUzsjPFQghyqGq2RRmefgXuPRPN7H-NI36pmE/s320/IMG_0620.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Didn't someone tell these people that you should not build your house upon the sand? </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpHu7tNfamBauxsnhXvKDO87GdXg9uyyKogq8K4C9KJJkB4HHkiQg-txz1Hyj_WpYB1pmDO2DApa134_qtzTndY-fWVB6ZNxgY_NwlIz7pkFk5d-O9L89oJvAYVT670BSy36AmFTi20A/s1600/IMG_0623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpHu7tNfamBauxsnhXvKDO87GdXg9uyyKogq8K4C9KJJkB4HHkiQg-txz1Hyj_WpYB1pmDO2DApa134_qtzTndY-fWVB6ZNxgY_NwlIz7pkFk5d-O9L89oJvAYVT670BSy36AmFTi20A/s320/IMG_0623.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Local fisherman pointing out where the dolphins are breaching. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWj3mP-BFl4-RbiOyt5s9ZmIyzujoGuBE3AUyXiX0zAMxBEMKMYsU-ZTKXeiojZTYP81RLRWLUiXdWQLGpclzAmra90jg0BuAyKxwWP2G2KpbxmeevEL2ko73E7cV3gn_mJlL6roux98I/s1600/IMG_0634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWj3mP-BFl4-RbiOyt5s9ZmIyzujoGuBE3AUyXiX0zAMxBEMKMYsU-ZTKXeiojZTYP81RLRWLUiXdWQLGpclzAmra90jg0BuAyKxwWP2G2KpbxmeevEL2ko73E7cV3gn_mJlL6roux98I/s320/IMG_0634.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just as Captain Ted said she would, Flora was on her feet looking for dolphins - hearing them long before we could see them.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIJo33hKqiZ2f3ijDcocvHjYx4_PpUfrzihPR-JcT-1-WjzXhuHfA0huh6KWYpoqGFhNrpdadZx9UxvQlwfUb_-OrXIQvSypxhkxOs-K1DGM1TY8sXzEZSubg5R157WpPx1V1HHLj5Xc/s1600/IMG_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIJo33hKqiZ2f3ijDcocvHjYx4_PpUfrzihPR-JcT-1-WjzXhuHfA0huh6KWYpoqGFhNrpdadZx9UxvQlwfUb_-OrXIQvSypxhkxOs-K1DGM1TY8sXzEZSubg5R157WpPx1V1HHLj5Xc/s320/IMG_0636.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dolphins beside the boat (with Flora's head in the foreground).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsTFjqaR4x3w1nL2k9brAeYD8jQiZ69NAZTEWTla0mkZn-w5BeLRQgp01W_PGiY-ck11WiiETDUzqrmK7nUoaRsVJWkNAJUYC6EPfZvwTR7jz9L5kBIFXMMC5IGgSTrPZh8iDiEB8AV0/s1600/IMG_0637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsTFjqaR4x3w1nL2k9brAeYD8jQiZ69NAZTEWTla0mkZn-w5BeLRQgp01W_PGiY-ck11WiiETDUzqrmK7nUoaRsVJWkNAJUYC6EPfZvwTR7jz9L5kBIFXMMC5IGgSTrPZh8iDiEB8AV0/s320/IMG_0637.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tim and Flora. The black plastic bag is to keep Tim's camera dry. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbg2bEJAaAepn4-qi8z7ABomzaOwLs0-_OZ2bcsldeqHuN2eV6OdgldMjOkIm2DbF_DTblg5cGmpz6-6TCTdAlggMmmkI_Wb_f1fSfK5Nd_GJnanvj6KprTRVqTzDU2Q9zkcP6oqzyXI/s1600/IMG_0641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbg2bEJAaAepn4-qi8z7ABomzaOwLs0-_OZ2bcsldeqHuN2eV6OdgldMjOkIm2DbF_DTblg5cGmpz6-6TCTdAlggMmmkI_Wb_f1fSfK5Nd_GJnanvj6KprTRVqTzDU2Q9zkcP6oqzyXI/s320/IMG_0641.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know, I know . . . more pictures of the dog than the dolphins . . . </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUz5khRYvNZjl8yD0NL6bPyNjArui18EPY5lrbG8_xpX10NKBx__mJHtXwG9MvMRJotruV_IBabf3L0kI1DiMFTTXmn1b52a6GCq42TVrYwebu2VwiMNZLgk2i0Wpkv2Q2bz6WIn_R-XI/s1600/IMG_0648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUz5khRYvNZjl8yD0NL6bPyNjArui18EPY5lrbG8_xpX10NKBx__mJHtXwG9MvMRJotruV_IBabf3L0kI1DiMFTTXmn1b52a6GCq42TVrYwebu2VwiMNZLgk2i0Wpkv2Q2bz6WIn_R-XI/s320/IMG_0648.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entrance to Black River, the longest river in Jamaica, known for its crocodiles. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJmH_7GmYyxCVeUjL6rdI_VSe_42DZl_xA4DKUqEmpxmmPnPk97r5QHO1xjXc0-HPChyphenhyphenq2AVEmDJMWB7V1oPLncl6DIKEunKRGWGPFobwDDKysuGFGike7aZejM_dm7As7XilbD7Z05Y/s1600/IMG_0653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJmH_7GmYyxCVeUjL6rdI_VSe_42DZl_xA4DKUqEmpxmmPnPk97r5QHO1xjXc0-HPChyphenhyphenq2AVEmDJMWB7V1oPLncl6DIKEunKRGWGPFobwDDKysuGFGike7aZejM_dm7As7XilbD7Z05Y/s320/IMG_0653.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entering the Great Morass up the Black River</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHvwO_g8gTlcT0pyVQgNDGQJtzYtRCiIlM8uAeBLdfzU1zWRMRrNwngGvfNU45SeYNj24mBu1gbadCjvNCYzN9YQ4pZ-6vVvG3PtLdozh3kZhp9ad7oXElBaTbo-2bH9aPTRsdD0eY94/s1600/IMG_0656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHvwO_g8gTlcT0pyVQgNDGQJtzYtRCiIlM8uAeBLdfzU1zWRMRrNwngGvfNU45SeYNj24mBu1gbadCjvNCYzN9YQ4pZ-6vVvG3PtLdozh3kZhp9ad7oXElBaTbo-2bH9aPTRsdD0eY94/s320/IMG_0656.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fishing in the Great Morass</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RBp4YJBVhpJR2_k3zZYfWpo2bENDv6casc0tS9bGFpWSuUlhhzqs-QnggnlOLYee9rkTpm5FNOIAnVGkxUOZyd987tRDK5UBrEcnVoO7WOJt6SkrDBss2qoF_nF1wyYMOP1ruUvp_LE/s1600/IMG_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RBp4YJBVhpJR2_k3zZYfWpo2bENDv6casc0tS9bGFpWSuUlhhzqs-QnggnlOLYee9rkTpm5FNOIAnVGkxUOZyd987tRDK5UBrEcnVoO7WOJt6SkrDBss2qoF_nF1wyYMOP1ruUvp_LE/s320/IMG_0660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still on the Black River, now heading into the mangroves</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fvRupBLR7hanQ_uNyxukYrc0s_v1LEptpMo_Xu64Yz0-Qoh8HGrDI3Q9IVh_X-7tyy_YtAnUOfytKzhA69mMcsIxsI_dhj7a9_DXqYOul3lUDsUlX6jPHLri4jmlB-F0Ge_-XtBM1FA/s1600/IMG_0661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fvRupBLR7hanQ_uNyxukYrc0s_v1LEptpMo_Xu64Yz0-Qoh8HGrDI3Q9IVh_X-7tyy_YtAnUOfytKzhA69mMcsIxsI_dhj7a9_DXqYOul3lUDsUlX6jPHLri4jmlB-F0Ge_-XtBM1FA/s320/IMG_0661.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Irina taking a picture of me taking a picture of her; Kate on the right; Captain Ted on the tiller. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB2zQKj_1ym_jdV1HylYpaYsNyEWfhSAEZVbbDat373nxTIdbdJFLR6cX91elf78fRK0IhGhajZ0BjIpPOtUJxAXZRwVOEm08Kuwqasw-ec0fRi0EE6_Bgp6SYj-7beHQUvtKcMmrAUk/s1600/IMG_0667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB2zQKj_1ym_jdV1HylYpaYsNyEWfhSAEZVbbDat373nxTIdbdJFLR6cX91elf78fRK0IhGhajZ0BjIpPOtUJxAXZRwVOEm08Kuwqasw-ec0fRi0EE6_Bgp6SYj-7beHQUvtKcMmrAUk/s320/IMG_0667.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flora is as keen on spotting crocodiles as she is dolphins.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPc6CLkpm5fJ9cRaTRRd37Eq0ThXIvXDqpa23bTURdtDh8cJ6GhHogcctw5FRj7BHaLou6eWLgekW0CuVAUOH4-N-o38IJWivt4DYg1tVdfXhdpR2MmrXzBfNNI3v2Gw1SDtplzP_Feg/s1600/IMG_0671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPc6CLkpm5fJ9cRaTRRd37Eq0ThXIvXDqpa23bTURdtDh8cJ6GhHogcctw5FRj7BHaLou6eWLgekW0CuVAUOH4-N-o38IJWivt4DYg1tVdfXhdpR2MmrXzBfNNI3v2Gw1SDtplzP_Feg/s320/IMG_0671.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pelican Bar, perched on a reef about 500 metres off shore. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUITbMzJeJtzBv6KG43Y4FIFsfxnw8Ff9pW3fmEKzVGvBtmqeuzq0_ktFM6WdNd_wRWjwukmCWygMfuLJVa2Bv_MAhnO1ZAyzxxKVa4Nd3c6yghvMWBMK6BQUsTEruIvhW1N0PVJct1I/s1600/WL+Pelican+Bar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUITbMzJeJtzBv6KG43Y4FIFsfxnw8Ff9pW3fmEKzVGvBtmqeuzq0_ktFM6WdNd_wRWjwukmCWygMfuLJVa2Bv_MAhnO1ZAyzxxKVa4Nd3c6yghvMWBMK6BQUsTEruIvhW1N0PVJct1I/s320/WL+Pelican+Bar.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is me getting off boat at the Pelican Bar: note the strange angle of my left leg - due to arthritic knee that mostly works but I don't take chances and am very careful (particularly after 2 hours of sitting in a boat); the fact that the boat was drifting from the stairs; and that I was last of the boat! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note that no one was offering assistance; but Tim was taking pictures :-)</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPSBsZAOcwNx5WJqmYLs-_9rNF-7rSqL3rQUxQA0-RWTe06QtnzWT6aV7xtAOd1DS28vBnutSDtGkRirkveRfN0HCQHmebajhQYeL-ktxelNJbuAI3bC3sx0frD5kVx_vPaHVDhxbcpg/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPSBsZAOcwNx5WJqmYLs-_9rNF-7rSqL3rQUxQA0-RWTe06QtnzWT6aV7xtAOd1DS28vBnutSDtGkRirkveRfN0HCQHmebajhQYeL-ktxelNJbuAI3bC3sx0frD5kVx_vPaHVDhxbcpg/s320/IMG_0674.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kate posing beside the bar, which was not open, and pointing to an Ontario licence plate - Kate is from Ottawa. There is a collection of memorabilia from all over the world in the Pelican Bar. Kate is fairly new to Jamaica and we all thought of her as a rather sensible girl. However, when we left the Pelican, she announced "I forgot my flip flops!" - so back we went for them; leaving for the second time, she said "I can't find my camera!" - so back we went for it; leaving for the third time, someone came running out with her clothes which she could not even remember that she left behind (I would note that she was wearing her bathing suit). We pointed out that even Usain Bolt doesn't get a second false start. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7CiSeaOw5QtsvZPxdD7F-xco81OzjpbS-TB3uU0kX2O9taegrcavBnc6Ny7MepKBQpHAfAjEjBP7HdV2G3q20x3zlXaoJw3tucZWz_xIxwdn1Xlo05eOPhYKL2bHO55GS8WQ9TyFDi8/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7CiSeaOw5QtsvZPxdD7F-xco81OzjpbS-TB3uU0kX2O9taegrcavBnc6Ny7MepKBQpHAfAjEjBP7HdV2G3q20x3zlXaoJw3tucZWz_xIxwdn1Xlo05eOPhYKL2bHO55GS8WQ9TyFDi8/s320/IMG_0675.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deck at the Pelican Bar. The water is very shallow so falling off after a few beers will likely get you a bump on the head rather than drowning. We went snorkeling from here, though there was not much to see except a few small fish. However, the water was warm and very clear. We did see a large stingray as we were leaving.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvj3cmRX_mpPsQwPy0D5tuC01BzdMgQtmkLL72dGFshtGamBr4MvSW0lRx1MDjH4Y3YSpQgtaHo5sLsViffNMXcoUV-NQA8cQ4XRCbrD8GF8JMJHIflgVBUpOSrztYvrOnCnjxF9GShJs/s1600/IMG_0687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvj3cmRX_mpPsQwPy0D5tuC01BzdMgQtmkLL72dGFshtGamBr4MvSW0lRx1MDjH4Y3YSpQgtaHo5sLsViffNMXcoUV-NQA8cQ4XRCbrD8GF8JMJHIflgVBUpOSrztYvrOnCnjxF9GShJs/s320/IMG_0687.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Canadian flag was on the ceiling of the Pelican Bar. It is lined and stitched, me thinking that it is quite old.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0Hwn-NFUs7p6wud7vN8glNq7-DOIbQdMoCN_UWV7ipa0fX5M3zb0yEWmVr17vXlLExt2pv3uX5kE_QBpOVvKWAbRHOcXnqL8K_naqkyPka9sUADu4UcMgK0HRrHQjtiVx6iZkge3-kE/s1600/IMG_0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0Hwn-NFUs7p6wud7vN8glNq7-DOIbQdMoCN_UWV7ipa0fX5M3zb0yEWmVr17vXlLExt2pv3uX5kE_QBpOVvKWAbRHOcXnqL8K_naqkyPka9sUADu4UcMgK0HRrHQjtiVx6iZkge3-kE/s320/IMG_0688.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just before we left the Pelican, the owners - operators? - arrived to set up for the afternoon business. They brought coolers of beer and assorted things to cook - can you imagine open fires in the middle of this driftwood edifice? Of course, no bar in Jamaica is without music. Difficult to discern in this picture, but this chap was climbing to the top of the hut - note that it is open so that the smoke from the cooking fires can escape - to place a small solar panel that was attached to a car battery (resting on the counter) which was attached to a stereo system. Never mind connecting it to a fridge or a stove; the music was the priority.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vjySIGj_UTi8O7CZ9HRQkGRvNPYscLen_T9_StVtRx8Sy37in9gcX7ZhovIFQKIU1PuyjhhmgD_uHL-PhcNyoJTgrJo-Pp_5H_OrNJTDa2jnpVpTZAsNM1hBMYLDS5jKWuP1aaYjoXA/s1600/IMG_0690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vjySIGj_UTi8O7CZ9HRQkGRvNPYscLen_T9_StVtRx8Sy37in9gcX7ZhovIFQKIU1PuyjhhmgD_uHL-PhcNyoJTgrJo-Pp_5H_OrNJTDa2jnpVpTZAsNM1hBMYLDS5jKWuP1aaYjoXA/s320/IMG_0690.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you, Captain Ted!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-13932575266458261392012-03-25T22:36:00.000-05:002012-03-25T22:36:28.628-05:00Frenchman's Cove & Hashing in Maroon Country<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once more, home from a wonderful weekend exploring in Jamaica. Headed up to Portland Parish on Saturday morning, traveling over The Junction (again!) and through the delightful towns of Annotto Bay, Buff Bay, and Port Antonio on the way to the San San Tropez. San San Tropez is across the road from Frenchman's Cove - tried to get reservations there, but place was book. Though if you stay at San San Tropez, you ca use Cove beach. Actually, I prefer the San San beach (see September blog) as it is more sheltered with better swimming and snorkeling. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I enjoyed an afternoon at the beach and a real treat of linguine carbonara for dinner. The owners are Italian with Andrea (male), with significant dreadlocks, being the porter, clerk, gardener and cook. The spanish omelette for breakfast was equally tasty. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then off on Sunday to Charles Town, a maroon enclave in the Blue Mountains. If you are interested in the maroon culture - runaway slaves established themselves as guerillas in the mountains beginning in the 1600's - the history is most interesting and I am sure there are many online links that you can find. I had done a fair bit of reading on the maroon culture before I came to Jamaica - hoping to hike the old maroon trails in the mountains! - and refreshed my knowledge with some good beach reading on Saturday. The maroon culture is alive and celebrated in several mountain communities, some in the east and some in the west. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another installment in my bi-weekly Sunday addiction to fording rivers, climbing steep hills and coming down again on slippery stones, often on a trail that is unrecognizable as such. And safely back with no broken bones or twisted ankles, which is a miracle.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots of pictures and some stories attached . . . </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjAkncqKR1ftJlHjiTS8jXvooG2YPrVKD1ECCAnugAN5oKKiYyLxjWMazXQWsQ0gxaru3yEQnX1lKsybLQlpgqvkEwZgdykDGtpeMOfo21W4pgNmLLY-IEr9ukl3luUttqXz5Oklt3BU/s1600/IMG_0483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjAkncqKR1ftJlHjiTS8jXvooG2YPrVKD1ECCAnugAN5oKKiYyLxjWMazXQWsQ0gxaru3yEQnX1lKsybLQlpgqvkEwZgdykDGtpeMOfo21W4pgNmLLY-IEr9ukl3luUttqXz5Oklt3BU/s320/IMG_0483.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">San San Tropez Hotel</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBX2U2DNtwTIss0pYvv2vX5RrF668mbMwQfJhJmu8oxQMJvarF9ffy4ZDMud6yhNpSvGy0vFyOcPkSskg_YsKzkF6f5GxNnExPeOR12H8c-wkGhriWi6akYffP05a2oRYMIP23nF6NXw/s1600/IMG_0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBX2U2DNtwTIss0pYvv2vX5RrF668mbMwQfJhJmu8oxQMJvarF9ffy4ZDMud6yhNpSvGy0vFyOcPkSskg_YsKzkF6f5GxNnExPeOR12H8c-wkGhriWi6akYffP05a2oRYMIP23nF6NXw/s320/IMG_0481.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The patio off my room.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsatboT6xPZkDewE3gCQG3mPaiEndLA3e-2POPjOeFC9xOSc88ECChl3eKv1GbsYwPBcToDn4fNfa0hWeGz4pIJTp99FBDLibj1FTFRlNSz3750jZ4lHefDDKazRu7-j8dSU9a61tqIU/s1600/IMG_0496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsatboT6xPZkDewE3gCQG3mPaiEndLA3e-2POPjOeFC9xOSc88ECChl3eKv1GbsYwPBcToDn4fNfa0hWeGz4pIJTp99FBDLibj1FTFRlNSz3750jZ4lHefDDKazRu7-j8dSU9a61tqIU/s320/IMG_0496.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pool, which I did use as enjoyed the beach across the road.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDBVJu3FPpH3OEK68I5DVdNgL69hThnI2sHr6tEy_Y4E7cAO3Gt99eJweSGFgfPgu7u6iTvVXOCmnchjROEvpjRRBo0XcXHBi_CssYb28Kck1N1qLwCZ92RL1bpOb4yo7VhR6hphzmwI/s1600/IMG_0497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDBVJu3FPpH3OEK68I5DVdNgL69hThnI2sHr6tEy_Y4E7cAO3Gt99eJweSGFgfPgu7u6iTvVXOCmnchjROEvpjRRBo0XcXHBi_CssYb28Kck1N1qLwCZ92RL1bpOb4yo7VhR6hphzmwI/s320/IMG_0497.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gardens at San San Tropez where I spent several hours reading in the shade.</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLE6JFPbzozASPuPa_ywkrz4ym7umoRqxeNbOKkJsqWqILpkauVrxMRAEEfXYoG_cpbTTxwKotoGzjJR3_nma3H2N8nm9YB5Z-vDRmreZE7qwyF9YY7b0HQxYVg_3-l1O4tCp64ShZdF4/s1600/IMG_0485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLE6JFPbzozASPuPa_ywkrz4ym7umoRqxeNbOKkJsqWqILpkauVrxMRAEEfXYoG_cpbTTxwKotoGzjJR3_nma3H2N8nm9YB5Z-vDRmreZE7qwyF9YY7b0HQxYVg_3-l1O4tCp64ShZdF4/s320/IMG_0485.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frenchman's Cove</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7PS6O5v0KTwhVLrnM-_P_iLgNcDC_56qW4MBD6AQvgu9NEL1gpjRETClePJZuGuIhXzAHa7L8zfB1dx8TI0msK3tDlE3kICgxQNibUSxdh7b8rUKrknW2pgqptyS7Q89pTnULAWsD_c/s1600/IMG_0487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7PS6O5v0KTwhVLrnM-_P_iLgNcDC_56qW4MBD6AQvgu9NEL1gpjRETClePJZuGuIhXzAHa7L8zfB1dx8TI0msK3tDlE3kICgxQNibUSxdh7b8rUKrknW2pgqptyS7Q89pTnULAWsD_c/s320/IMG_0487.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beach at Frenchman's Cove. Note villa on top of bluff, which is one of the cottages available for rental.</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23f1KlT3e0V6cihnY8okB3wCHPiyyWNRYzNKMCw7W_-jMAmtdL-3nLpTRjGKSR13-eLNlw964vEKHDdSpgPQDRTsO8ZZnXoGAhMq_cfAn_jnqNeCik3uEbRIFY6NA-tkjCvYDY0auXE4/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23f1KlT3e0V6cihnY8okB3wCHPiyyWNRYzNKMCw7W_-jMAmtdL-3nLpTRjGKSR13-eLNlw964vEKHDdSpgPQDRTsO8ZZnXoGAhMq_cfAn_jnqNeCik3uEbRIFY6NA-tkjCvYDY0auXE4/s320/IMG_0501.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weather Station.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFm_7XHnv609jXvvZHTdHer05Xx5DHLRQzlun2oo5s9o8rF7w1AXqzePTJDF86710s6-ECPr2tsTs8HYkOsiZvt_2-Ln5-vlFiTobUGnXocW5Nrr3s0Eykf22MRUX3cNcgZILxxRLcYw/s1600/IMG_0504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFm_7XHnv609jXvvZHTdHer05Xx5DHLRQzlun2oo5s9o8rF7w1AXqzePTJDF86710s6-ECPr2tsTs8HYkOsiZvt_2-Ln5-vlFiTobUGnXocW5Nrr3s0Eykf22MRUX3cNcgZILxxRLcYw/s320/IMG_0504.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Port Antonio. A lovely town in Portland Parish, the 'garden centre' of Jamaica. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY-44VPppqCQcv5zIyIBZmABeVKx-N26eY9Y0pj2d-jz9qv6bgoOqQo2HEqsPE0XPJ1fJt2dbC7o8WihSVFWxRK7qzW3l7hxz4_NpTtlga66OFAVeKwfyrmbIBWubLo7dzNO6WNmuRTA/s1600/IMG_0503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY-44VPppqCQcv5zIyIBZmABeVKx-N26eY9Y0pj2d-jz9qv6bgoOqQo2HEqsPE0XPJ1fJt2dbC7o8WihSVFWxRK7qzW3l7hxz4_NpTtlga66OFAVeKwfyrmbIBWubLo7dzNO6WNmuRTA/s320/IMG_0503.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trident Castle which was originally built as an estate, then failed as an hotel and is now, I believe, vacant and falling into ruins.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY8S8ubUHRsHvp-IZ7es4QP48r4R1Z4N25v4EzqNW6mYYw7RPnsTWbExwgfqjy38lXfN7cUSblW-3t15BEQrouK8PQBR6dSlQb6MTzn9uSJgPoKij7mI2uTOyzF_5fBDyBEMFOH4a_-w/s1600/IMG_0513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY8S8ubUHRsHvp-IZ7es4QP48r4R1Z4N25v4EzqNW6mYYw7RPnsTWbExwgfqjy38lXfN7cUSblW-3t15BEQrouK8PQBR6dSlQb6MTzn9uSJgPoKij7mI2uTOyzF_5fBDyBEMFOH4a_-w/s320/IMG_0513.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Start of the hash.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwyqAZgmAGZWt5PCVt-Y2I-AyfesFaiZKHBIA_nuvbkP77QuqnqwapyQvP_ieOEZuO3UKwvgV_bcUoUehy_aefq1DS-qFa-l6lx1PkkRNnsdYlidF-OyLhe0y5vc0f7IddWDaNDr0flQ/s1600/IMG_0509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwyqAZgmAGZWt5PCVt-Y2I-AyfesFaiZKHBIA_nuvbkP77QuqnqwapyQvP_ieOEZuO3UKwvgV_bcUoUehy_aefq1DS-qFa-l6lx1PkkRNnsdYlidF-OyLhe0y5vc0f7IddWDaNDr0flQ/s320/IMG_0509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The asafu yard, or meeting/ceremony compound on the left and the Maroon Museum (in blue) on the right. Many of us arrived early to visit the museum. Usually we hash right from our meeting place, but this time we car-pooled to the beginning of the trail about 1 1/2 miles away - the hash was longer than they intended and we wanted everyone back before dark! But there wasn't much parking at the trail head so we had to share. It is quite usual to see many people in the backs of Japanese pick-up trucks on the streets of Jamaica, often waving orange or green banners! It is unheard of to see such a sight when some of the faces are white: there were nine of us crammed into the back, receiving many stares from the locals. Of course, I would never let my children or grandchildren so that but when in Jamaica . . . alas, no pictures as could not move to find camera.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHU4Gnm-q0ppavWQfYhsyDC0YzXiXG4imUpXG-IS96pc_tm98nXIONH3wnHRGNMOaSjQTbWn1cYXK39cYEt6Zk-8mbSLh5KBk5qgf_fTNm4FSnHyPAgtc7vYbd46MalobI9QefIRsgzo/s1600/IMG_0507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHU4Gnm-q0ppavWQfYhsyDC0YzXiXG4imUpXG-IS96pc_tm98nXIONH3wnHRGNMOaSjQTbWn1cYXK39cYEt6Zk-8mbSLh5KBk5qgf_fTNm4FSnHyPAgtc7vYbd46MalobI9QefIRsgzo/s320/IMG_0507.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This gentleman, a maroon from Charles Town, stood at the entrance to the asafu for hours, simply watching us come and go. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6YFb7neu5T2WNn7ami82MTb5MW4lB5QUzS1icK-FGE2gz3MQM3Sq3SsjwXv7lIPJR6Pi97MrvGoebZRyjFKi_XKTyVvzRb7bwPVtTEmnNBPMcCaK1c67hQLfkIZhp40dEyCjegxZa84/s1600/IMG_0508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6YFb7neu5T2WNn7ami82MTb5MW4lB5QUzS1icK-FGE2gz3MQM3Sq3SsjwXv7lIPJR6Pi97MrvGoebZRyjFKi_XKTyVvzRb7bwPVtTEmnNBPMcCaK1c67hQLfkIZhp40dEyCjegxZa84/s320/IMG_0508.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, he had his machete handy just in case . . . </span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWBhbg949isRkbWqXxf0aGa5Syk1ufv5HyTnalWpH5Zf23lASoupwsugt9OibgzyaOaCppuL07bzPsbo5hOI8b5BFHFjfChdZITcsvZP7yL3R-EtBqK0UtoZm3njigdVcQh8YQy8eXdE/s1600/IMG_0511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWBhbg949isRkbWqXxf0aGa5Syk1ufv5HyTnalWpH5Zf23lASoupwsugt9OibgzyaOaCppuL07bzPsbo5hOI8b5BFHFjfChdZITcsvZP7yL3R-EtBqK0UtoZm3njigdVcQh8YQy8eXdE/s320/IMG_0511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">House in Charles Town, with bicycle proudly parked at the front gate. If you look closely you will see that it is comprised of parts of at least five different bikes put together to make a whole. I love it. </span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjZGr_OymZ0fCrbK5TuKu1zva1Z1CXRn_v-DqChRcHeXz16bZEIONt0kiz6eF-pGJKPrwbMM_YE103JkBEupGZp9FU8Mlj0lVJDQDNMIE52UTxXscBbBy525-NEZ_PrdXppREl1I8cTo/s1600/IMG_0515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjZGr_OymZ0fCrbK5TuKu1zva1Z1CXRn_v-DqChRcHeXz16bZEIONt0kiz6eF-pGJKPrwbMM_YE103JkBEupGZp9FU8Mlj0lVJDQDNMIE52UTxXscBbBy525-NEZ_PrdXppREl1I8cTo/s320/IMG_0515.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These little girls, "Nana" on the left, loved having their picture taken. Little Nana later took part in the dancing. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0jUg9m46gREHOIjM4QH8uMJiWTibwc3UztVdHX6Xh2iTcUQk7L8BhyphenhyphenH_NqNbqquXkyga8YFycHlg7zDk5moLFcuiKVGaxY2fKqqeA4ENtbKq3mOR0DPwe6HMFf1iTPIWSBZtuti3M4o/s1600/IMG_0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0jUg9m46gREHOIjM4QH8uMJiWTibwc3UztVdHX6Xh2iTcUQk7L8BhyphenhyphenH_NqNbqquXkyga8YFycHlg7zDk5moLFcuiKVGaxY2fKqqeA4ENtbKq3mOR0DPwe6HMFf1iTPIWSBZtuti3M4o/s320/IMG_0519.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These lads were having a wonderful time using dried banana branches as hockey sticks! They had a great game going. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJe66R95QL5MSJuH4qf22NNN4-UrG4nXtNtezbPhiCkY00o6nCEn4zL9jVZKfOUjDq885A_5JUW-X6RnVzwjn6JWWFV65LPk0QzRH1yuiYUqk7YtAM7AlkhjAF_gptZ2MFCwwagrI_X40/s1600/IMG_0520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJe66R95QL5MSJuH4qf22NNN4-UrG4nXtNtezbPhiCkY00o6nCEn4zL9jVZKfOUjDq885A_5JUW-X6RnVzwjn6JWWFV65LPk0QzRH1yuiYUqk7YtAM7AlkhjAF_gptZ2MFCwwagrI_X40/s320/IMG_0520.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sundays in Jamaica are the day to put on your best dress.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6pZiPMcTHz15s4sVjQXS3gbhtvde2IQTx1Mz6MVLZER4bxzeVS_wMeFGmfWRkGZNAXCxjMORcTygbdR-CFjNf3WEOjHR8Hm0k-V5J_48rHgLxl8-6gjok1dPdSVYF4Sx5iG1BZoxC88/s1600/IMG_0524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6pZiPMcTHz15s4sVjQXS3gbhtvde2IQTx1Mz6MVLZER4bxzeVS_wMeFGmfWRkGZNAXCxjMORcTygbdR-CFjNf3WEOjHR8Hm0k-V5J_48rHgLxl8-6gjok1dPdSVYF4Sx5iG1BZoxC88/s320/IMG_0524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">House in Charles Town. It is a hard scrabble life.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7MwivswVb89OgWaPNEug-txmkMk97R5wCARfnDXA8aiHV82eiHChtrMAQH-43_wtEvRjcOECxUY4gApgxZd0JlCNydjrqIqoT-lonRiUVODXzQL9C-JGyhVU-5HE4y6v_K0t8NmMQzs/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7MwivswVb89OgWaPNEug-txmkMk97R5wCARfnDXA8aiHV82eiHChtrMAQH-43_wtEvRjcOECxUY4gApgxZd0JlCNydjrqIqoT-lonRiUVODXzQL9C-JGyhVU-5HE4y6v_K0t8NmMQzs/s320/IMG_0529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is where our post-hash tasty meal was cooked. Really. Note there are a few chickens scratching under the tree. After the hash there were noticeably fewer chickens. Curried chicken was on the menu. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTb5lPOj_moaUM325N8guZTP4WFDXUPaXBcDVpO4ertDdDB-onXXSLEnQBfc_R-WWZ1J-PDD_kCORAK8S4bMuijGbTGy9Nz1AHc_eUBXL3vZsIdrhmvZionHmMUrVOdN0jSfeQ7ks3o0/s1600/IMG_0531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTb5lPOj_moaUM325N8guZTP4WFDXUPaXBcDVpO4ertDdDB-onXXSLEnQBfc_R-WWZ1J-PDD_kCORAK8S4bMuijGbTGy9Nz1AHc_eUBXL3vZsIdrhmvZionHmMUrVOdN0jSfeQ7ks3o0/s320/IMG_0531.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Colonel Frank Lumsden, the leader of the Charles Town maroons, calling everyone together with the abeng (cow horn). Not sure of what he is a colonel. However, a very nice chap and a fine artist. I bought two prints of his work. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkex5WyzdHCKhIV6Qr4KRUROSk0sCFarPwkCsWrtqMyUU7A3hLKP5lEEbHfQxW20LNVyqkcvN1iz0uNR_Xv4FmWXARucPweLB6ROtF4v7wCkMn35LlDjWPPzRoOkchEPGkM4kz4pGqyw8/s1600/IMG_0539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkex5WyzdHCKhIV6Qr4KRUROSk0sCFarPwkCsWrtqMyUU7A3hLKP5lEEbHfQxW20LNVyqkcvN1iz0uNR_Xv4FmWXARucPweLB6ROtF4v7wCkMn35LlDjWPPzRoOkchEPGkM4kz4pGqyw8/s320/IMG_0539.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hashers watching the drumming and dancing before the hash. Notice how clean and dry they all are.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRXm4xT-5ZRAFdfrAqu2_4hnn3BoijGNaBCjMSeopVi3wkvluL3RjiEsTh1IdLsRbNkwQHwRlgroFniVIJvHC0y8jb8aprNGBxio0kbO0F77cpEBfnGn5csIvd5cfSBN2oRpg1YMqUBI/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRXm4xT-5ZRAFdfrAqu2_4hnn3BoijGNaBCjMSeopVi3wkvluL3RjiEsTh1IdLsRbNkwQHwRlgroFniVIJvHC0y8jb8aprNGBxio0kbO0F77cpEBfnGn5csIvd5cfSBN2oRpg1YMqUBI/s320/IMG_0553.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where there is music, you will find Erin in the middle!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjrdT99DFDC46GVqcPXklbOU-eFUG9L8jY3rSPRWTyMK3LVUsXGm2w86zoaqlO5E38j9A9lvUhl-ViNhNP6JI9Le7unNEHQ9JDKntBtXJdEoALUtrjSl5ou2FKvLTy1l_YBZ_d_h_8gw/s1600/IMG_0555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjrdT99DFDC46GVqcPXklbOU-eFUG9L8jY3rSPRWTyMK3LVUsXGm2w86zoaqlO5E38j9A9lvUhl-ViNhNP6JI9Le7unNEHQ9JDKntBtXJdEoALUtrjSl5ou2FKvLTy1l_YBZ_d_h_8gw/s320/IMG_0555.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why does the hash invariably begin with fording a river, ensuring that we have wet boots and socks for the rest of the hash?</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OozelJOZGSnjOc5mpq3tiBvQM9oXb1CV2kkSAHeLfP9oNVpLP3PWlV1FUOUcXMZy3sBuwl8WUk8RPHG0j5rBFUvyxSWY8jY1vIDdVL8srbaohg0gJRRszz-dI3ligDiHvmhxn76bHXY/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OozelJOZGSnjOc5mpq3tiBvQM9oXb1CV2kkSAHeLfP9oNVpLP3PWlV1FUOUcXMZy3sBuwl8WUk8RPHG0j5rBFUvyxSWY8jY1vIDdVL8srbaohg0gJRRszz-dI3ligDiHvmhxn76bHXY/s320/IMG_0556.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erin on her way up a waterfall - you can just see Danielle (in red) up top - both soon to be joined by Delphine. They went swimming in the pool at the top. Convinced that discretion was the better part of valour, I stood in the river and took pictures. This fall was about 3/4 of the way up the trail.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSI_bMdDeiJToSFQRb9AL203b-XWfyaiDGdsaXmyl1kMbEd5BSeabvn9COQYKVv_ZApvp_b4URrppj093yj7pkqNcuZ_FHAG0d8iEJ1p0uS1xOjgT77h1ufh0FSaaUd2L360UTTHEndI/s1600/IMG_0562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSI_bMdDeiJToSFQRb9AL203b-XWfyaiDGdsaXmyl1kMbEd5BSeabvn9COQYKVv_ZApvp_b4URrppj093yj7pkqNcuZ_FHAG0d8iEJ1p0uS1xOjgT77h1ufh0FSaaUd2L360UTTHEndI/s320/IMG_0562.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After an hour's climbing, we came to the top of the trail and the ruins of an old coffee plantation from the 1700's. Many buildings, walls, steps, and roads all overgrown by the tropical forest - and all of it originally built with slave labour. Almost inconceivable when you see it, understanding that all the stones were brought to the top of the mountain for the structures. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzX3gsjnP1sSLMJxRR-fXi0gaPUc9dM2TKo_RevWLBpJ4rwQWD2FRiXhzNjwBJ91z1JoOfGbViYg6S92nl43krAtnLmWu9-ndRlUPUYZFWlisIE0IkHyxx1BmNa2Fe79hqSdgM05mUE6I/s1600/IMG_0563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzX3gsjnP1sSLMJxRR-fXi0gaPUc9dM2TKo_RevWLBpJ4rwQWD2FRiXhzNjwBJ91z1JoOfGbViYg6S92nl43krAtnLmWu9-ndRlUPUYZFWlisIE0IkHyxx1BmNa2Fe79hqSdgM05mUE6I/s320/IMG_0563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ruins of the slave quarters.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvCvKlaIUT-LAoDtTEF6GMxO-5ZN3vVSmQqOPJoclafx1QurV1IxPh7EBpM7VrzcWKFw-JrErO_L5Z5G-1cPSacSlCvePLSy-Xd6ONwJ5QGUQPPEdn9Uu1Od7Pqc4XS5sDuUeZDXL_K4/s1600/IMG_0568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvCvKlaIUT-LAoDtTEF6GMxO-5ZN3vVSmQqOPJoclafx1QurV1IxPh7EBpM7VrzcWKFw-JrErO_L5Z5G-1cPSacSlCvePLSy-Xd6ONwJ5QGUQPPEdn9Uu1Od7Pqc4XS5sDuUeZDXL_K4/s320/IMG_0568.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is spring in Jamaica and the forest flowers are at their best.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923339727036771160.post-25860665543252663082012-03-17T21:07:00.000-05:002012-03-17T21:07:12.225-05:00Yard Sale Success!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Canadian Women's Club (CWC) in Jamaica held their annual Yard Sale today. It may have been St. Patrick's Day for the rest of you, but we were all dressed in red and white! \Somehow last fall I got appointed at a meeting as the coordinator for the 2012 sale. I think I was scratching my head at the time and my eager colleagues took it as I sign that I was volunteering. I was too embarrassed to confess that I was simply itchy. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Yard Sale is an annual event and one of the major fundraisers for the CWC. All proceeds go to the charities that the CWC supports through its Outreach Committee. A few that have received the support of the CWC over the past year are: Maxfield Park Home for Girls, Verley Home for Gentle Women, Jamaicans for Justice, Bustamante Hospital for Children, Jamaican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA), and Trench Town Reading Centre. (Please forgive me if I have spelled a few of these wrong: it is late, though a long and rewarding day, and I would rather share our success and feeling of accomplishment than check minutes for details :-)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a successful day with more vendors than in 2011 and a 28% increase in the number of attendees - ie. shoppers!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was such an amazing array of goods: baking, second-time-around clothes and stuff, books, plants and produce, jewelry, accessories, art, food, preservatives, and much more . . . .</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too many people to thank, from the vendors who provided amazing wares to the CWC volunteers who spent many hours on the Yard Sale - and all of their partners, families and friends who came to help!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A particular thanks to Maree for providing the beautiful garden of her home as a venue.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few pictures to give you an idea of what a delightful day it was . . . my apologies for those who do not appear here, this is only a sampling . . . </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOQ-CW0JBOWgnRXokBNEgC0ImfvovSQwmZthYgmqoD15mqOF-vLxsXb7JPTNY8L9FaDyvuHQsmK2tn8LDsst7f6DkGqAyhYsu5pxuwZJ26G6140Ygy7zasfei9HMJ4BbanLIBfTcFuOs/s1600/IMG_0459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOQ-CW0JBOWgnRXokBNEgC0ImfvovSQwmZthYgmqoD15mqOF-vLxsXb7JPTNY8L9FaDyvuHQsmK2tn8LDsst7f6DkGqAyhYsu5pxuwZJ26G6140Ygy7zasfei9HMJ4BbanLIBfTcFuOs/s320/IMG_0459.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erin & Erin greeting guests</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VYuJqcGdE16Cz96zjUwQhEf6VGLaXe0z811sJp-mlmJcgnLHm7DLjf2lJWuLDrqy3bKU5hwgtJb_RaddO8akYYzMrtq9MRwGkWxyszfFcs-EKVRJfcjYPCQb4SDFjhUcNYvEnCcQ1Io/s1600/IMG_0460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VYuJqcGdE16Cz96zjUwQhEf6VGLaXe0z811sJp-mlmJcgnLHm7DLjf2lJWuLDrqy3bKU5hwgtJb_RaddO8akYYzMrtq9MRwGkWxyszfFcs-EKVRJfcjYPCQb4SDFjhUcNYvEnCcQ1Io/s320/IMG_0460.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brenda and her orchids</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB97Os2AsC8L_o8gNh5dxkWvU3AgR3XU5FhPtAhn1vKBM_UsZzE9MMMXQ58MY-4aa2HGP4fdOY2D5Hk4CtKuEhBwMmTj4nsNlMIuJfhyphenhyphenhazM_MwqFMGX1eqytuwWMPDNo0GpC2vx5mD8/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB97Os2AsC8L_o8gNh5dxkWvU3AgR3XU5FhPtAhn1vKBM_UsZzE9MMMXQ58MY-4aa2HGP4fdOY2D5Hk4CtKuEhBwMmTj4nsNlMIuJfhyphenhyphenhazM_MwqFMGX1eqytuwWMPDNo0GpC2vx5mD8/s320/IMG_0461.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marlene & Sybil at "Second Time Around"</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakS3JaMjDCxhIHsLnSV471Tmhx577Ja0N_xmryEnibs93xv9XxJ9C7z9G3qYd1MCA2mT-yClaA3Jh9MB7LUbThWOLPlHRAZCM7mpNf6_HdnKQaYBkxUKylauV-ILP5RA8-hVlSJrsnIY/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakS3JaMjDCxhIHsLnSV471Tmhx577Ja0N_xmryEnibs93xv9XxJ9C7z9G3qYd1MCA2mT-yClaA3Jh9MB7LUbThWOLPlHRAZCM7mpNf6_HdnKQaYBkxUKylauV-ILP5RA8-hVlSJrsnIY/s320/IMG_0462.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laura with her all-natural accessories</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu6ROOpIKbwLBLU-fbWj_7bayrtJ1RWWgKY9b99jx2Yq6l0snxTNKY70or6to10N56mK42mpw0vCG74R4BnppG1Yeq9jGIYoRyyhUBP0czhkfVKcufSSTKfqOI9HI3StopADVsmopolA/s1600/IMG_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu6ROOpIKbwLBLU-fbWj_7bayrtJ1RWWgKY9b99jx2Yq6l0snxTNKY70or6to10N56mK42mpw0vCG74R4BnppG1Yeq9jGIYoRyyhUBP0czhkfVKcufSSTKfqOI9HI3StopADVsmopolA/s320/IMG_0463.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book table and produce/plants table were very popular</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVblChTFPoKr4A80TaLUlQj-r74gF47XNvYkb2-jz8XNlkSZdP6_va5Qymhp6_R9ZDnb0GtmLl1X8UauPogD5k0Vca6ycEyf2XxMlhKmJZTr0fWkM3Qxi3xcNZ3oOFG5t3QbZ6hzKNr5c/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVblChTFPoKr4A80TaLUlQj-r74gF47XNvYkb2-jz8XNlkSZdP6_va5Qymhp6_R9ZDnb0GtmLl1X8UauPogD5k0Vca6ycEyf2XxMlhKmJZTr0fWkM3Qxi3xcNZ3oOFG5t3QbZ6hzKNr5c/s320/IMG_0464.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pauline's orchids</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aoqrayIxwnnSHfOVFxbsdJAHH2iIxu-rZBZRzf3xqvKWA9SN7h7HoU-InB7Obs1Dif7YeFoKVTwKRUzPlFQs7vrA1KFe1Ry69hyphenhyphenPBnO7CrbrujOLhijw4tREleSUlTThYExKMHbv6Gg/s1600/IMG_0467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aoqrayIxwnnSHfOVFxbsdJAHH2iIxu-rZBZRzf3xqvKWA9SN7h7HoU-InB7Obs1Dif7YeFoKVTwKRUzPlFQs7vrA1KFe1Ry69hyphenhyphenPBnO7CrbrujOLhijw4tREleSUlTThYExKMHbv6Gg/s320/IMG_0467.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This stunning orange hanging orchid is now hanging on my patio - my indulgence of the day</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssHjrQtMNSxlVNHdHMbg-jK0ft1SqOt-UAdnBOM_rSdMYRkkbDJu8crF6LnrTBFsE2EWOC5YG2TJKVmJICJTJwFRG8Ntw5vrTjE7Ke2GhyeeAvFMAEBkvWR4-3jeGSiMtfn3BEFL5aEA/s1600/IMG_0469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssHjrQtMNSxlVNHdHMbg-jK0ft1SqOt-UAdnBOM_rSdMYRkkbDJu8crF6LnrTBFsE2EWOC5YG2TJKVmJICJTJwFRG8Ntw5vrTjE7Ke2GhyeeAvFMAEBkvWR4-3jeGSiMtfn3BEFL5aEA/s320/IMG_0469.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bougainvillea in full bloom in the garden</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIp7eG5oKKZh5vAXw-ISM3WABpMV8d5rjyh_ZlNJIRn4OiFihbwtWUKWZM8E9vLasC7xjtZoUgHIV2Up7bsDTYRSPnYbDnuh7GsIeLC0bNITFEUOBrYNIz5Yy_DdRiDLKYsD-RS3mxcPA/s1600/IMG_0470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIp7eG5oKKZh5vAXw-ISM3WABpMV8d5rjyh_ZlNJIRn4OiFihbwtWUKWZM8E9vLasC7xjtZoUgHIV2Up7bsDTYRSPnYbDnuh7GsIeLC0bNITFEUOBrYNIz5Yy_DdRiDLKYsD-RS3mxcPA/s320/IMG_0470.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The garden and sale went far beyond this shot . . . such a lovely setting.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See those little red tents? We put those up on Friday afternoon, incredibly successfully with no instructions, no idea what the finished product should look like, with a lot of laughter and teamwork. Miraculously they were still up when we arrived at 7 am the next morning! </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LgTr-Myl7CXfqI6CqWBsUaVS9py8duSrLIn-8ptrCHBumyko7bhC3qT7jPUexg3-29Sufv9MO6WnxMstCeyU6ynnE894Gt9Hat7yuJU3UnDMpok4hwhkN-f-QX5qpjumKIolTP0ULKc/s1600/IMG_0472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LgTr-Myl7CXfqI6CqWBsUaVS9py8duSrLIn-8ptrCHBumyko7bhC3qT7jPUexg3-29Sufv9MO6WnxMstCeyU6ynnE894Gt9Hat7yuJU3UnDMpok4hwhkN-f-QX5qpjumKIolTP0ULKc/s320/IMG_0472.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A long story as to why Maree has a dinosaur, who has moved with her to several residences . . . and it is bigger than it looks</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fw_EnNJlxGJ1rDfKT9OQrL1hJ0c55aQ8HhBcSdcywFh38gk2pE9IoGvh0thsYKi2GDwS08a14TEcGPFtwL7whFsxidq3ZiRqIdetnl1x2kWIGITkjb8aMXkRrObAnhnxFD-7y1u9lCI/s1600/IMG_0476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fw_EnNJlxGJ1rDfKT9OQrL1hJ0c55aQ8HhBcSdcywFh38gk2pE9IoGvh0thsYKi2GDwS08a14TEcGPFtwL7whFsxidq3ZiRqIdetnl1x2kWIGITkjb8aMXkRrObAnhnxFD-7y1u9lCI/s320/IMG_0476.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wee Alex, riding the dinosaur</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0