Dreaming of Jamaica

This morning I woke to a wonderful temperature of 18 degrees, a sure sign that old man winter is well on his way or in some cases already here and quite settled in.  It is a far cry from the recent vacation we took before Thanksgiving.  Vincent and I spent a wonderful 7 days in Jamaica.  It was a wonderful birthday present as well as a wonderful way to relax before all the wackiness of the holiday season.  It was the first time either of us had been to Jamaica so we were not sure what to expect.

 

  Touching down in Montego Bay the sun was just beginning to set.  Our resort was on the other side of the island so we had an hour and a half drive to our destination. We sat back to enjoy the ride.  The roads are narrow in Jamaica and we had to drive over the mountain.  The manner of driving was a bit different than what we were used to.  First they drive on the other side of the road which really was not all that bad.  The other thing was the way they would swerve to miss either pot holes or people walking along the road. Many times it appeared that we were driving straight towards an oncoming car, only to have one of us swerve out of the others way just before impact.  It was a bumpy ride at times and a bit scary but we eventually made it.

 

  Our room was facing the ocean and right on the beach.  After a quick supper we spent the rest of the evening just sitting on our deck watching the waves and enjoying the warm weather. Our early flight that morning and the bottle of wine we shared led us to an early bed time. 

 

Because we arrived after dark it was difficult to see much of the country side.   The next morning our view was much clearer.  We were served breakfast on our balcony.  What a wonderful way to wake up each day.  A beautiful sunrise and wonderful weather.  I have to say that it definitely did spoil me. Because of the time difference we were up by 6am each day.  Early maybe but the sun set earlier as well so we did not want to miss any of the wonderful sunshine.

 

We did not do much extra while there.  It was an all inclusive which I think is the only way to go if you can.  Our days consisted of breakfast than down to our place on the beach.  It was set up and ready each day with towels and a wonderful ice chest full of Red Stripe, water, and ginger ale.   We ate our lunch each day on the beach as well.  Jamaican Jerk was our mainstay for lunch.  I grew to love the spicy flavors as well as the variety of items served.  I am not much of a banana lover but I grew to love fried  plantains.

 

  Our afternoons were either on the beach or in the pool.  It would usually cloud up a bit as the day neared late afternoon.  It would then rain for a bit then let up before evening came.  A couple times while it rained we indulged ourselves and had couple massages.  Afterwards we would walk back to our rooms in the rain.  It has been years since I walked in the rain and splashed in the puddles it made.  (Something I used to love to do)  These walks as well as the many mojitos we had were my favorite part of the afternoon. 

 

Then off to the room for a brief rest and then supper. A wonderful way to end the day.  A relaxing supper and maybe a little time listening to the local musicians.  I do not know how it  could be any better.   Yea I know it doesn’t sound very exciting but it was the most wonderfully relaxing vacation I have ever had.  In fact, we decided from now on if possible we will do a similar vacation each year.  The dates fall just perfectly around our anniversary (Oct 30th) , my birthday (Nov 19th), and Vincent’s birthday (Dec. 8th).  It is a wonderful way to celebrate all three as well as give oneself a bit of a breather before the holiday season gets in full swing.   A different island each year should be something nice to look forward to. 

 

We did not get to see many gorgeous sunsets as it would cloud up and shower a bit each afternoon.  I did manage to capture this one though.  

The Aftermath–Good and Bad

It seems like just the other day that we went to Chicago for Lollapalooza.  Yet it has already been two weeks.  It was wonderful to get away for a few days and even better to be able to go somewhere where the weather was considerably cooler.  We did have to tend with a bit of humidity but that was just fine.  I truly think it was the first time this summer that we actually spent three entire days outside all day long.  For me that alone was the best thing of the whole long weekend. 

The whole event was a blast.  I will say though since we were there a few years back that the number of people attending seemed to grow considerably.  It was the 20th anniversary so that could have had something to do with it all.  It was sold out all weekend which meant that 300,000 total were present each day, not to count the few that managed to sneak in one way or another.  Despite the crowdedness it was still fun.  The first day was the best as many had not gotten off of work yet and it did not seem to be as hard to find a good spot to just relax and listen to music.  Also of course Muse played Friday evening.  I was bummed as they put Muse and Coldplay up against one another.  Yet in the end my loyalties won out and I was smack in the middle for the Muse concert.  As always they were great and I was not disappointed with my choice at all. 

The rest of the weekend was filled with acts like Flogging Molly, Foo Fighters, Manchester Orchestra, Celo Green, Foster the People, and so many more.  We stayed at the Hard Rock which was nice yet it was also where many of the bands stayed.  Needless to say it was much like grand central station there at times, especially in the evenings.  If I had been a mere 20 years younger I probably would have enjoyed it much more. 

The only downfall of the whole weekend was the morning we came home.  In our drive to the airport of course we were stuck in morning traffic.  I managed to leave my camera in the cabbie when we got out at the airport.  I realized it immediately and we called the Cabbie Co first thing.  Although we made valiant efforts, we did not retrieve it.  I was depressed for days as my camera had become a bit of an appendage for me.  I lost all my photos from the weekend as well as some family photos I had shot before we left.  I will say that I was a bit upset about the honesty of people after it was all over.  We called immediately after we exited.  The cabbie had told us that because of the traffic he would just go down to arrivals at the airport and get his next fare there.  It would have been so easy to retrieve the camera then.  And even if he decided otherwise reporting it found would have likewise been as easy.

Sometimes I feel like I give too much credit to others that I just assume they will do the right thing.  Although also I do not want to become so cynical that I don’t trust anyone and look suspiciously at any who may give me a funny feeling.  I know that we live in rough times these days. Because of that it can lend some to do things that in other situations they may not even consider doing.  I also know that I have to accept that there are some who will do such things despite right or wrong.  I just tell myself that for some reason of which I will never know that maybe he needed it more than I.  Maybe in some way the possession of my Nikon D80 will aid him in a way that it did not not aid me.  I miss the rabbit charm that hung from the handle of my camera case almost as much as the camera.  I had received it from a friend in Ireland.  It was hand made with green stones and a pewter bunny at the end.  It was my good luck charm or at least it was suppose to be.  Yet no use crying over spilt milk.  It is what it is…

 

Mother Moon

My Mini Vacation

Last week I traveled back east to finally visit my daughter and her family. It was a wonderful visit. Of course I was excited to see the new baby Nathan. He is a nice big baby which I have always loved. Of course he is a wonderful baby. He seldom cries and even giggles already. The other two kids are crazy about him as is to be expected. It was also my granddaughter’s 7th birthday. As of yet I have been fortunate to be with her for all of her birthdays. This is something I hope I am able to continue for some time. She is a great big sister to her two younger brothers. My middle grandson likewise is a good helper with the new baby. He loves showing his ability to help out in whatever capacity he can.

We managed to tackle a variety of events while we were visiting. Aside from hours of playing, reading stories, giving baths, and just hugging each other, I managed to cook a little with the kids, hunt for bugs, have a birthday party, go shopping and of course go out for ice cream. Truly it was just enjoyable to be able to be with them on a 24/7 schedule. I am already looking forward to later in the summer when they will be with us for some time. Being a grandparent has truly been one of the greatest joys I have had the pleasure to experience.

While I was away of course we did have some spring storms. Fotunately they did not cause any damage to us yet they did pass a bit close for comfort. It is Oklahoma though and something you learn to live with. Likewise while I was visiting Tennessee I was able to see some of the major flooding that had occurred there in recent weeks. I was so amazed at the wonderful manner in which the people came together to help one another. They truly do earn their nickname of “The Volunteer State”. Sadly it seemed that national news did not do the damage justice in regards to reporting the severity of it. There was little talk about Nashville yet there was much damage in other areas as well. Some smaller towns were totally isolated for days.

I returned home to find my grass grown, in need of mowing, and my flowers begging to be tended to. I was glad that the weather was moist and cooler as it helped with the lack of watering that I knew they would receive, yet the moisture also brought its own issues. So my first Monday back was spent in the yard. The birds likewise were glad to see my return as the raccoons had once again drank the majority of the hummingbird juice and the crows did a job on the suet cakes. Yet all in all it was an easy fix. I knew that I would need to complete  much of the work early in the week as we are expected to get more rain and storms this week also.

For the summer months ahead I am looking forward to creating a blog schedule which will enable me some free time. Already I have my Celtic Tree Lore posts each Monday and recently I started my Thoughts to Ponder posts each Thursday. I am thinking about a couple more throughout the week leaving the other days free for me to post a spontaneous writing if the urge moves me. I enjoy the set posts, especially when times seem to be busy, as it lends me the ability to post ahead of time. I apologize for my lack of comments on everyone’s blogs as of late. Yet know that I have been reading as much as I can. I do not think I could stay away for a very long period of time as I have grown to enjoy some of the daily visits so much.

Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday filled with sunshine and special blessings. Remember to take a moment to stop and listen to the sounds around you…. Take in the aromas that surround you and delight in them… and find someone special and give them a hug. Whether it be for you or them, it will leave both of you smiling.