Soulful Sundays: Ken Boothe
I listen to music a lot, I wouldn't say all the time but pretty regularly. As I cleaning up around the house yesterday, I let iTunes DJ set the mood. [caption id="attachment_8576" align="aligncenter" width="517" caption="Ken Boothe, photo from the Internet"][/caption] At first, the music was jazzy and breezy, then it took a sharp turn into old school reggae with a Ken Boothe song, Everything I Own that took me back, way back. I stopped what I was doing and listened. You…
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New Jamaican Airline Set to Launch
FlyJamaica Airlines, a new Jamaican airline, is set to launch as soon as next month. According to a report in the local news on March 21st, the new airline's principals are Guyanese but the majority owners are Jamaicans. FlyJamaica will operate between Kingston, Georgetown, the Guyanese capital, New York's JFK and Toronto. [caption id="attachment_8569" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="FlyJamaica Airlines, image from the Internet"][/caption] The announcement of this new airline comes days after REDjet, the Caribbean's first budget airline, signaled that it…
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Hiking Jamaica’s Blue Mountain
Jamaica’s Blue Mountain range, which spreads northeast across the island from the parish of St. Andrew to St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary, is better known for the world-class coffee it produces than its hiking trails. However, there are 12 trails of varying lengths and levels of difficulty though not all of them go to the top. I’m not a hiker and prior to a few days ago, the only way I’d been up a mountain was by car. But the…
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REDjet’s in the Red; Ends Service
REDjet, the Caribbean's first budget airline, ended all flights last Friday, March 17th. The company announced that it would offer refunds to its passengers. It cited budget problems as the reason for shutting down. [caption id="attachment_8531" align="aligncenter" width="479" caption="REDjet"][/caption] Ian Burns, REDjet's CEO, said he hoped the airline would be able to receive subsidies from Caribbean governments and resume service. The budget airline, which began operating in May, was based in Barbados. It offer flights as low as served Trinidad…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual
I don't know about you, but I've never seen a carrot like this one. When I looked at it, I saw a woman dressed in a bathing suit lying on her side on the beach. She wore dark sun glasses and a broad floppy hat and had her legs crossed seductively as if waiting for that someone. Then I knew: it looked like one of those 1950s pinup girls, you know the one that GIs used to hang on their…
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Soulful Sundays: Prince Buster
I was out walking one morning and heard this song as a car cruised by. Right away, it took me back to a time of simplicity and innocence. It was planted in my head and I hummed it all day. I wasn't old enough to dance to it but I'm sure the adults around me did. The song is a Prince Buster number called Wash, Wash. I'm including two versions: the live one, which looks to be from a night club performance and…
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#TPT Seaford Town, Connecting Jamaica to Germany
Seaford Town is probably the best known of the German settlements in Jamaica. Nestled in the Montpelier Mountains on western end of the island, Seaford Town is a small community that, in 1835, welcomed approximately 300 German nationals. [caption id="attachment_8508" align="aligncenter" width="669" caption="Sacred Heart Church, Seaford Town"][/caption] There are at least two versions of the story of how they came. By one account, the planters, who were outnumbered by the slaves, feared for their own safety following the 1831 Christmas…
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Grab Your Water Shoes and Let’s Climb Dunn’s River Falls!
When I climbed Dunn’s River Falls several years ago, water shoes were optional. Back then, climbers locked hands with each other, formed a human chain and scrambled up the falls, one step at a time. [caption id="attachment_8492" align="aligncenter" width="587" caption="Climbing Dunn's River Falls"][/caption] Now guides lead daisy-chained groups of climbers and water shoes are strongly recommended. But that hasn’t dampened the fun. The Falls are easily navigated. Missing your footing and falling into one of the many plunge pools on…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast
This is my entry to this week's Weekly Photo Challenge organized by WordPress. [caption id="attachment_8471" align="aligncenter" width="401" caption="Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast"][/caption] In New York City, contrasts between old and new buildings are everywhere. I used to walk by these two almost daily and see but not see them until I started taking my camera with me. [caption id="attachment_8475" align="aligncenter" width="398" caption="Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast"][/caption] This wasn't the shot I aimed for but I like what I ended up with. [caption id="attachment_8472"…
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Soulful Sundays: Byron Lee
Byron Lee, founder of the group Byron Lee and the Dragonaires passed away in 2008 but his band, originally Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, renamed Byron Lee's Dragonaires, continues to entertain. The band has more than 30 albums to their credit. [caption id="attachment_8481" align="aligncenter" width="539" caption="Byron Lee, photo from the Internet"][/caption] "From my mother, who was of African descent, I received the soul, rhythm and love of music and from my father, who was Chinese, I received my shrewd business…
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