It isn’t difficult to understand why this is called Boulders Beach. Rocks like these are everywhere. But it is the colony of jackass penguins that seem to hold everyone’s fascination.
The colony has grown from two breeding pairs in 1982 to nearly 3,000. What’s most interesting and surprising is the braying sound they make. You’d swear there were some jackasses around.
Stained glass is made by adding metallic salts its manufacture. Small pieces of glass are arranged to patterns that are held together by strips of lead.
I grew up hearing Monty Alexander on the radio in Jamaica but had no idea who he was until years later when I saw him perform some of the music I was familiar with.
Monty Alexander was born in Kingston in 1944. He took his first piano lessons when he was six years old but he’s largely self-taught.
Over the years, Alexander, a jazz pianist who mixes jazz and reggae, has recorded as many as 70 albums. He’s performed and recorded with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson and Clark Terry among others. He also assisted Natalie Cole with her tribute album, Unforgettable, which won seven Grammy Awards.
In addition, Alexander recorded the piano track for the Clint Eastwood movie, Bird, about the life of jazz icon, Charlie Parker.
Alexander was awarded the title of Commander in the Order of Distinction by the Government of Jamaica in 2000 for outstanding service to the country as worldwide music ambassador.
Since that first performance, I’ve seen Alexander in concert several times since then. Give a listen to his rendition of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry and The Monty Alexander Trio playing Grub at the Dakota Jazz Club.
Designed by Norman Foster, London House also known as London City Hall, was opened in 2002. Because of its unusual shape, it has been referred to by the former mayor as “The Glass Testicle” and as “The Glass Gonad” by the current mayor, Boris Johnson. It’s popularly called The Onion.
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
I don’t know about you but when I arrive at my destination, I hate having to wait for my luggage to arrive on the airport carousel. It always seems like such a waste of time just standing there waiting when all I want to do is hit the ground running. So I take just enough to fit into a suitcase that stows easily into the overhead compartment.
I didn’t always travel like that though I can’t pinpoint now exactly when it happened.
I remember lugging what seemed like all my earthly possessions, including the kitchen sink, from one terminal to another to board a connecting flight at Madrid Barajas International Airport. I swore then that I’d never travel with more than I needed. Of course, I promptly forgot that promise as soon as I returned home.
Then there was a period when most people who flew on Air Jamaica brought a change of clothing in a carry-on bag as they never knew when they’d arrive at their destination before their luggage.
Whether you’re packing for a weekend getaway or a trip around the world, the biggest decision to be made is what we take and what we leave behind. Seems simple, right?
As creatures of habit, we wear the same shoes, carry the same purse over and over, even though we might have other suitable ones in our closets. Why then when we go on vacation, we bring more than we usually use?
My first rule of packing is planning – I make a list just like I do when I shop. I think of what I wear in a normal week and pack those items only. I also keep a small bag in my suitcase with mini toiletries – lotion, moisturizer, deodorant, toothpaste, etc., as well gadgets such as my cell phone charger, adapter, batteries, memory cards, etc. That way I don’t have to search for them when I need them.
The week before I travel, I check the list to make sure there isn’t something I used, something I might need that wasn’t on the list. For example, I might have started taking a new vitamin or prescription.
Since I started getting ready for my trip, I’ve been asking other travel bloggers for their luggage recommendations and researching suitable suitcases. Here are two that been highly recommended:
MEI Voyageur: Measuring 22 x 14 x 9, this backpack converts to a traditional looking luggage, so you don’t have to look like a backpacker (though nothing’s wrong with that) when you check into a fancy hotel. It’s hand made to order in the U.S. and comes with a lifetime warranty. Costs $139.
Kelty Redwing 2650 Backpack: This one was recommended by John at Happypoppeye, an intrepid traveler.
Enjoy!
Travel, especially to places I’ve been to before, takes on a different dimension when I know it can be fodder for a new post. Like my recent trip to Washington, DC, a place I lived for ten years. The last time I was there, it was for the usual round of family visits and I didn’t have time to venture off by myself and revisit old haunts to see them with different, travel blogger, eyes.
Before I got to Washington, I knew I had to see the MLK Memorial so the friend I was scheduled to meet decided to tag along as she hadn’t seen it yet.
I hadn’t been on the Mall since the Inauguration of President Obama in 2009 and before that for the Cherry Blossom Festival a year or so earlier. On both occasions, we stayed in a localized area. This time was different. It was a pleasant day and we decided to get off the subway at Gallery Place and walk.
The National Mall is to Washington, DC what Central Park is to New York City, what the Champs Elysees is to Paris. It is like the nation’s living room, or maybe the kitchen, the place everyone gathers for events large and small.
We strolled leisurely towards the general area of the Tidal Basin and bumped into a few unexpected treats along the way, like the Sculpture Garden.
Not much further on, we came upon the National Book Festival, which has been held annually on the Mall for the past eleven years. Being a booklover, it was tempting not to stop and listen to some of the authors and wander through the tents. I settled for a copy of the program, instead.
Each time I see the National World War II Memorial, I’m just blown over by the sheer beauty and expanse of it. Memorials reflect an artist’s vision of how to best capture and express visually our emotions surrounding an event. The World War II memorial, I think, does that effectively.
The Korean War Memorial always hits me in the gut, maybe because it duplicates what the battlefield must have looked like. Dressed in their military garb, the soldiers are caught in mid-step, guns at the ready. Except for the sounds, it’s not difficult to imagine what this war must have been like.
As much as I enjoy being on the Mall, seeing these memorials always wipe me out because there’s usually so many emotions to process. But I wish now I had pushed through my hunger and emotional fatigue and gone over to the Viet Nam War Memorial. It would have been interesting to see the contrasts. Next time.
Last weekend, I decided to go to Washington, DC to see family and friends and also to view the monument to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which was recently unveiled on the Mall.
It was to have been dedicated on August 28th in a ceremony marking the anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech but was postponed because of the arrival of Hurricane Irene.
As with most public art pieces, there has been some controversy. One, that the project did not go to an American and two, that Dr. King’s features look Asian.
I had assumed the sculptor would have been African-American, I had no idea that he was Chinese or that the competition had been open to international artists. But we must accept that we live in a global community. Most importantly, Dr. King’s work was about equality and fairness for everyone, not just black people.
I don’t think, like I’ve heard others say, that the rendering of his image makes him look Asian. I wonder though, if the sculptor’s identity had not revealed, if that idea would even have entered our minds.
Those issues aside, my observation or maybe my preference would have been for a likeness of Dr. King with a smile on his face. So many times, in photos, he’s smiling. Then again, I’m sure there would have been those who would have objected.
The first thing I saw as I entered the grounds were two large slabs of granite flanking the entrance. I couldn’t interpret what they meant until I noticed that the monument itself looked as if it had been cut from the center. Then it made sense. The granite represented the mountain. And as the quote that’s etched into the side of the monument noted, Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.
Dr. King gazes quietly and reflectively over the Tidal Basin towards the Jefferson Memorial. His hands are folded, his legs are slightly apart. It is a peaceful and powerful pose.
Behind the sculpture is a wall that’s been inscribed with quotations from speeches that Dr. King made in the U.S. and around the world.
As I walked around, taking photos, looking at the sculpture, I couldn’t help thinking of the work that went into creating the memorial and the holiday to honor this remarkable man, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
My mom loved Dame Shirley Bassey but I didn’t appreciate her until I realized she sang the theme song to Goldfinger (I’m a big of the James Bond movies). That’s when I really took notice.
Like Tom Jones, the other famous Welsh singer, Dame Shirley worked in a factory. She also sang in local clubs in the evenings and on weekends.
Dame Shirley signed her first professional contract in 1953 and sang in a touring show. Her first single, Burn My Candle (At Both Ends), was recorded three years later. In 1959, she became the first Welsh artist to have a number one single, As I Love You.
Her 1964 recording of the James Bond theme brought her international fame and had a large impact on her career. She also sang the theme songs to Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker.
Recently, my friend Joan, re-introduced me to Dame Shirley by introducing me to her signature song, This Is My Life. I had goose bumps as I listened and as soon as I got home, searched the Internet to find it on YouTube. The lyrics, below, are just as powerful.
Enjoy!
Funny how a lonely day, can make a person say:
What good is my life
Funny how a breaking heart, can make me start to say:
What good is my life
Funny how I often seem to think I’ll find never another dream
In my life
Till I look around and see this great big world is part of me
And my life
This is my life
Today, tomorrow, love will come and find me
But that’s the way that I was born to be
This is me
This is me
This is my life
And I don’t give a damn for lost emotions
I’ve such a lot of love I’ve got to give
Let me live
Let me live
Sometime when I feel afraid, I think of what a mess I’ve made
Of my life
Crying over my mistakes, forgetting all the breaks I’ve had
In my life
I was put on earth to be a part of this great world is me
And my life
Guess I’ll just add up the score, and count the things I’m grateful for
In my life
This Is my life
Today, tomorrow, love will come and find me
But that’s the way that I was born to be
This is me
This is me
This is my life
And I don’t give a damn for lost emotions
I’ve such a lot of love I’ve got to give
Let me live
Let me live
This is my life
This is my life
This is my life
