Guirigay and Sweetie Pie’s PaRedux It’s all true and it never really happened…

That's perfect. Not sure if Rob has announced the date of the 2013 Boardie Bash, but I'm pretty sure it's the last Friday in April. We'll be planning around that.

Flip- It's true
I have met nothing but the greatest people through this board and travels to Negril, it's truly like instant family and it is great
I agree with Tizzy completely and I just love my new family!

The Boardie Bash is always the last Friday in April, as it get's closer Rob will announce the location and times and any other activities or surprises he has planned, fun times for sure!

And you can see the (Already started) April 2013 roll call for where and when most are planning to be there.
Really hope to meet you then!

I will be there the last friday in april for sure. Just need to decide what dates surround it now.

Sweeeeeeeeeet!

A note on the Wednesday photos – Sweetie Pie had no interest in shooting this day. Fortunately we hung out with Katho and she did. Thanks Katho, great work!

A quick scramble pulls us together and we head down to the gate. The Love Bus is sitting there with GerryG and SuzieQ aboard! I’m still not sure how Lenbert knew to have us called. We hadn’t reserved and if we had we wouldn’t have known we were going to be at SeaStar. I must have mentioned something to Gerry in the morning and when the bus showed up he put the call out. Thanks Gerry, and even if you didn’t I’m sure you’ll say you did with a wicked little smile :) SuzieQ is seated on the Queens Seat, the big solo seat across from Lenbert. I think Lenbert is sweet on SuzieQ, she commands this seat through the entire afternoon, regardless of circumstances… :)The Love Bus has waited a little while for us and by the time we’re on board and headed down toward West End road we see Narley Minja headed up the lane. We’ve turtled this thing up nicely.

We share the situational update and the new and revised plan. SeaStar again tonight, down to the beach tomorrow for a night at SeaSplash so Sweetie Pie can experience a beach hotel with some of the gang, and probably back to SeaStar for Friday and Saturday. As for today? What can we do? We can’t change what’s happened and have decided against the course of legal intervention. We do have absolute certain knowledge from previous experience that an incredibly fun time awaits us if we can put ourselves in the right headspace. We commit to a headspace management routine…

We pick up Katho and another couple from Xtabi, a lovely young lady who appears to have married GonJons long gone brother. I have to do a double take. We will make a long run of the day with this group - with Katho to the sweet, sweet end. We had introductions with Katho at the Belly Flop, how can you miss her? Well you could, cause she’s tiny and a bit of a sneak to the corner girl like Sweetie Pie, but she’s so darn cute and has that crazy cool hairdo that stands out even when she’s trying to press herself against the wall. I bond with the Jizzlette doppelgangers when they introduce themselves as wpyogi +1 and inform me that the wp stands for Winter Park! That is an epic ski area in Colorado and since I happen to be wearing a Snowbird t-shirt (an even MORE EPIC ski area in Utah! :) ) we have a very fun and amusing conversation about winter sports as we bask in the Caribbean sun this afternoon. Fellow ski bums and Negril nuts? How could I NOT love these people?

Lenbert drops us off at Swordfish and says he’ll be back with the beach crew. We have a very nice little pre-party to the party here with just the nine of us. It takes a while for Lenbert to return and we really are able to soak up the Swordfish. It’s almost like two establishments in one with the lower bar and restaurant and the upper bar and roof deck. Very cool and a great location. Great drinks and a little GG/GerryG ruckus get the whole afternoon headed in the right direction.

I’m just noticing, not only is +1 a GonJon doppelganger, but wpyogi herself seems to be feeding off of Marley’s aura… ;)
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Sweetie Pie was SO HAPPY to get a salad at Swordfish
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This is a dangerous couple of doppelgangers…
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The Love Bus returns from the beach run and tons of people pile out. Hubbity eventually disembark. None of the other beach turtles managed to tottle off the sand this afternoon. We’re a little bummed, but as it will turn out later this evening we have exactly the right number of neutrons, protons and electrons circling each other to create an atomic event.

The big party is rolling now, even when stationary. We are at Swordfish for quite a while because of the early dropoff so the early arrivers get a bit of a heads up from Lenbert when it’s time for the next stop. It’s going to take him multiple trips between most of the bars this afternoon. SuzieQ is ensconced up front once again as we make our way out to C&D’s Country Bar where we pile out.

SuzieQ gets boarding privileges…
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Now I was a little bit dismissive of C&D in my last trip report. I have to say most modern country makes my body want to go into full egestion. The bar itself, though, I gotta say is a lot of fun. We have a great time here. Connie is a great hostess and we do get a kick out of the 10 square feet of Texas business. A certain luggage toting member of the bale is mentioned and missed numerous times. As I’m enjoying some ridiculously pleasant conversation out front the Mighty Californian strolls up with a big ball of aluminum foil. “You know about the cake here?” he asks. “I’ve heard she’s related to Jenny and it’s her recipe,” I say. “Ya, mon,” says MC, “I’ve heard about it but never tried it, you want to split it?” I think he knows the answer, we both have monster sweet toothes… It’s good, very good, but Gerry and I both agree later that it might not be the high fructose corn syrup variant some have reported. Of course, this is a GG/GerryG evaluation and might not be applicable to the general population. I think we both may have overactive pancreas’s, or something like that…

Katho – “Give me sexy!” GG and SP – “Like this?”…
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We load back up on the Love Bus and SuzieQ gives the royal wave to everyone as they board. I’m excited because I figure next stop is a twofer and a damn good one, No Limit and Pee Wees. We don’t stop though, we keep on rolling. Somewhere up the road we turn into a big yard and there is a lovely lady who is waiting to give every last bus rider a “Welcome home my long lost child!” hug as they exit the bus. I’ve heard about this, we must be at Bella Donna’s! I had a ton of fun at this place, it kind of reminded me a little of a Spanish/Mexican hacienda. Open air rooms and porches built around a bit of a dusty courtyard. Very cool and the vibe was terrific. I did have one little problem that I think is very funny and reflective of the way things can happen in Jamaica. The bar line was long as soon as we got there and I still had a leftover from C&D so I was floating around for quite awhile. When I see the line get short, which is after we’ve been there a while, I take orders and head to the bar expecting to get 4 stripes 2 ting and a wata. This is not going to happen. We have essentially emptied the cooler. A comical back and forth between several bar staff with multiple visits inside leaves me still standing at the bar. At one point, well into looking through the entire property for any remaining stripes I’m asked “Now, what did you want?” I have to laugh. There is a very nice lady who comes out of one of the buildings with a Dragon and a Ginger Ale. She tells one of the other staff to run off and check another location but this doesn’t happen very quickly. People are starting to get back on the bus. I look around and the turtles are waving me back. I buy the Dragon and the Ginger Ale and return to the bale. “Where’s my stripe?” I’m asked a couple of times. “Didn’t get anything I ordered!” I say with a smile and recount the tale. Second time in two days a bunch of turtles have showed up and emptied an establishment of beer…

The yard – very cool, great party –
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The bar of unquenchable thirst…
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By this point in time Lenbert has decided that everyone who remains on the pub crawl can fit into the bus for one run to the next bar. He is a very optimistic man. Did you know you can have an insanely good time packed like sweaty little sardines into a Caribbean charter bus? You can, you really can. The bus ride itself was hilarious. As we blow by Sexy Rexy’s and Sir D’s it becomes obvious where our next destination is – The Westender Inn. We’ve driven by but never stopped so this is exciting. The grounds are gorgeous and the cliff area is very interesting. It has what looks like a hot tub built right into the cliffs and there is a nice jetty that shoots out into the sea. We roam, but Sweetie Pie and I stay mostly on the cliff side of the road. We should have checked out the other side a little more from what I was told. Markus and I get into a long and animated discussion. By this time I’ve already developed my Readers Digest version of last nights events but Markus dives in and we go deep. We share a very similar philosophical outlook and he offers viewpoints that comfort me. My favorite from the conversation is defining, I think - Good things don’t happen. Bad things don’t happen. Things happen and we decide if they’re good or bad. I decide then and there that things are happening RIGHT NOW that are good. We continue on different topics. The human condition is a favorite of mine if you couldn’t tell and it ranks right up there for Markus I believe. I am a scientist as well and value observation. I discuss with Markus a plan I’m considering that concerns a risky fascination with the observation of some unusual human behavior. Markus puts the squelch on it. “That’s not happening!” he says and checks my head. Alternate plans are considered and pursued. Man, I love this guy…

Gerry was very comfortable all week at the Westender
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Jetty time. Markus and I are in deep –
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The lovely Sweetie Pie wonders “Who is Guirigay more interested in right now?”
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Somebody says something about Lionfish being served at the bar and Daisy just about literally runs over to try some. Sweetie Pie and I try some and are hooked. Delicious, I say. I’m starting to get a little bit of the Jelly Legs, I think from a sugar overdose. In all too short a time we’re crammed back into the bus for our run to the Sunset Spot – Sir D’s Firewater Love Nest.

Again I’m excited because I’ve yet to make it to Sir D’s. Seen many pictures. Amazing pictures. Pictures don’t do it justice. An absolutely incredible place to watch the sun go down. It seems to be just the right size for the crowd we have tonight. Full but not packed. People everywhere but you can move around. It’s just the best time. It is a perfect Negril Sunset. At one point, Katho, in full on photographer mode, leans so far out over the rail to snap a shot I’m afraid she is going to fall. I’ve seen the pic, it was probably worth it. We met several boardies that I’m having trouble remembering their names but I had a fuzzy conversation with Denise where she made me feel pretty special. Thank you lovely lady. With the sun down we saddle up for home. We’re trying to figure out dinner plans. We had talked about Bentley’s with GerryG but I swear I haven’t seen him since we toasted the sunset on the deck. When we get off at Catcha Katho sees Sweetness through the window and blows up! C’mon, Katho, get off that bus! This thing ain’t over by a long shot!

We weren’t the only ones having a great time today
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But we did peg the fun meter
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Katho leaned out for this shot – spectacular –
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I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to have this much fun…
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And a perfect last shot of the most beautiful woman in the world…
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:D

Man, I wish we wouldn't have missed this one..... Popper needed some down time and being the wonderful husband that I am I obliged. :mad: It is nice to live it thru your lens and realize that yep, you have one mad man crush on Mr Marcus. While the rusty trombone is not in order, I am pretty high on the guy myself....

Carry on please.

I have to comment on the Peg fun meter shot - The sunset is spectacular! And y'all are sitting there giggling - it shows that when in Negril, the sunsets are so rich and generous and amazing that life goes on in their presence.

Oh - and snowbird, eh? I live in Utah and we really do have some amazing snow!

What an amazing trip report !!! I'm only just catching up on all the "Turtle Report" ... Loving this one! The way you tell your story much like Clarity and Hubby-Man I feel like I'm there with you .. and then I come to realize I was!! lol Those photos of me .. thank you for taking me along ! It seems I really got around much more than I realized. The flop videos had me in real tears this morning .. and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my Saturday morning (while at work).

Wish I'd made the pub crawl.....I had to chill out for a little bit lol....but eventually went riding around looking for yall LOL...at the wrong end of town at the wrong time when I finally got Shauna on the phone. Hearing about it now makes me really wish I had sucked it up and left with everyone....Looks like fun times!!! I love your updates they always make me laugh and leave me feeling just a tad bit confused. :P

Long delay, I know, life continues to be interesting...

wpyogi - I smile back :)

Booger - I didn't think you'd have the Rusty, I understand you stay lubricated...

sbeth - terrific fun enhanced by a magical location. I've skied everywhere in norther Utah many times. Love them all, well maybe not Deer Valley, but Alta/Snowbird is Nirvana... :)

Manda - We ALL had a lot of fun with you, some more than others...

Tizzy - we missed you until tomorrow! :)

So the party stumbles in like rock stars but we’re caught by Ivans before we can fall into a stupor. From this point forward it seems as if every visit to Ivan’s is with a large group of people – 7, 8, 10, 14 – and has to include one or more rounds of chilly blended cocktails. The gang at Catcha can ALL work a blender with some serious skill but tonight Kevin and Ty throw down a terrific Dirty Banana. It takes a while to make a bunch of blender drinks so we have a few stripes to tide us over. Then we have the DB’s. Then Marley starts talking about the Pineapple Upside Down Cake shots that they had with Hubbity and Hubbity start raving about them and I start raving about why are they talking about them and not serving them? “You’re right!” says Marley and leads a turtle contingent back to her house.

We’ve been on a little bit of a round and round about what to do for dinner. Our indecision, and numerous tasty beverages, has put us well past the typical Negril dinner window. We manage to agree that we’re going to try to hook back up with GerryG at Bentley’s. If that fails there are several great options in the general vicinity. We finish up our pre-dinner dessert (Holy Crap!! They are delicious!!) and have Louis rustle up van to run us down to Pee Wee Lane. The driver does not know where Bentley’s is. I ask him if he knows where Pee Wee lane or Ella lane is. He doesn’t really. I find this kind of amusing. “Just past Xtabi,” I say, “slow down and I’ll point it out.” There is much revelry in the van and before I know it Marley asks, “Haven’t we gone too far?” and I see Canoe fly by. We never slowed down, not sure the guy knew where Xtabi was either! So we get the van turned around and head back to Pee Wee Lane and turn up the road. When we pull up to Bentleys and I can see lights on up on the deck so I hop out. A quick romp up the stairs reveals GerryG, SuzieQ and wpyogi +1 hanging out on deck with Bentley. “Bentley!” I yell and get a great smile in return. “Can you do Crab Cakes for 7?” I ask. “Ya mon, of course, come on up!” He laughs. GerryG has a big smile on his face as well. It’s on. Down the stairs quickly and the bale is out of the van. “Prepare yourself for ecstasy!” I say as we amble up the stairs.

As we all pile onto the deck Bentley is quite happy, he has quickly arranged the available table and chairs into a banquet setup, extremely fitting. As everyone is saying hello and finding their seats Bentley works his animated way down the line until he sees Sweetie Pie. When I had come up to see if he could cook for us I’d received that wink of recognition from Bentley, but you can never be absolutely sure of these things with a Jamaican business person you’ve only met once before. They know it’s in their best interest to REMEMBER you ;) It’s funny because sometimes you can catch them actually remembering you a little bit later. This had happened with Earl Lockes on Sunday. With Bentley there was no question he remembered Sweetie Pie, after all, she was a “Movie Star”. Bentley is a man who smiles and emotes vociferously for a living, so when I say he was excited this is above and beyond his normally gregarious personality. His arms fling open and she is enveloped in a big hug. Bentley steps back with his arms on her shoulders, “It’s so good to see you again! I’m so glad you came back! Come sit down! This is wonderful!”

Yes, Bentley remembered Sweetie Pie!
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And he is right, this is wonderful. We’re on the deck at Bentley’s with GerryG. That makes me smile. I don’t know the whole history of Bentleys but I know that Gerry has been a huge supporter. I know that I took Sweetie Pie to Bentley’s in February because of the stories Gerry and Rum-pole-phoreskin told about it. I know Rum went because of what Gerry told him about it. I know that Gerry loves Bentley and not only wishes him success but actively tries to help him. I know that Gerry is very happy tonight to share “his” place with us. Bentley is very happy to have Gerry there with SuzieQ!! We had experienced in February how those who are close to Bentley become enlisted in the operation, tonight SuzieQ takes the role of ScubaPro. Whenever Bentley is short a pair of hands he calls for Suzie. Eventually he doesn’t even begin with, “Suzie,…” He just says what he needs and Suzie does it. She is incredibly good natured about it, such a lovely lady.

Bentley enlists SuzieQ for assistance
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So everybody is down for crabcakes. It’s the right thing to do. Everybody except Ninja who just can’t do crab. He gets the crabcake dinner, except no crab cakes. This ends up being perfect. Bentley could not have actually made him a complete crabcake dinner as he had only one crabcake left at the end of the night. On the way to Bentley’s I had thought how I would have liked for a few more of our cohort to be there. As it turned out we had exactly the right number for the time and place. Gerry is in his element, Bentley’s benefactor is the deity of the deck tonight. The interplay between him and Bentley is fun and funny. Early on, as we’re trying to get drinks in order, hoping for a couple of those refreshing Red Stripe Lights – “You can drink lots of them!” – Bentley is talking up the amazing fruit juice he has made. “It’s fruity and delicious! It’s good for you! You gonna love it!” he says before he asks who wants one. “It’s also the only thing he has,” says Gerry with mischievous little laugh. We all get the fruit juice. It IS fruity and delicious and we do love it. Apparently Markus gets a batch that was allowed to ferment because it’s rocking him…

Markus was very animated!!
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We have a great time on that deck, kind of hard NOT to have a great time on that deck. Funny stories abound as we are all repeat Negril visitors sharing our histories together. Bentley has a lot of history to add. At one point Ninja has left the table for some sort of relief when Bentley comes out of the kitchen. He scans the table and notices the empty seat. “Where’s this guy?!?” he asks excitedly as he sort of simultaneously lunges toward and points at Ninja’s unoccupied seat. The entire table busts out in laughter, Bentley is hilarious. “Hey, you’re back!,” says Bentley on Ninja’s return, “I thought you were gonna run off!” Another big laugh rolls around. We decide that Ninja is Bentley’s favorite tonight, quite a feat considering the high quality babes seated everywhere on the deck this evening. Bentley manages to make everyone feel a little special, though, he definitely has a talent for this. After everyone is served and the five things are pointed out in classic Bentley fashion and everyone has oohed and ahhed and moaned and offered many kudos, Bentley starts coming out of the kitchen with the pots and pans to serve up the leftovers. He starts with me on every dish before spreading the wealth to the rest of the table, which mostly involved Markus as everyone else was pretty much overwhelmed by the quantity of food. Everyone except Katho that is. You hear a lot of funny stories about what the tiny ones can put away, Katho holds up her end of that tale. A couple of the pots and pans, most importantly the magic sauce, come back to me for the last. If I had only been dealing with my original plate I would have finished it, might have even got close on the seconds but the thirds are going to require a doggie plate. Only this time there is only one dog going to get these leftovers. Woof woof…

Where’s THIS guy!
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Good God did we laugh!
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Sweetie Pie for dessert! :)
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At some point well into our meal, GerryG, SuzieQ and wpyogi +1 gather up for goodbyes. They had to have been there a long time, they had just finished their meals when we arrived. It was truly an epic day with the MC, I have to thank him for a lot. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. He bought me dessert! :) I’m sure the only reason Bentley had enough crabcakes to serve all of us was because Gerry told him to be ready for a crowd. And it ends up being the exactly right number! Thanks for everything Gerry, you helped my head and you helped my heart this day and I will remember it forever. And I don’t think I’ve passed this on yet but later in the evening in a conversation I was having with Bentley the topic of Gerry came up. Let me be very clear about this. Dude loves you. You been berry, berry good to him. Respect, brother…

A great day with some awesome people – wpyogi +1 – or the Doppels… :)
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Chillin’ with the Dude at The Man’s… Thanks Gerry!
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We carry on for some time after Scooter Team Bravo and the Doppelgangers have left. We are well past knowing we are dealing with some extraordinary people here. Future talk starts to enter the conversation. The first seeds of return are planted. Family planning and its impact on the future are discussed. By this point Bentley has joined us. I think that only on Bentley’s deck in Negril could the conversation have swerved in the directions it did. Apparently Bentley is something of a fertility god and has offered his services as a backup plan to a few of our bale. It’s all in the soup from what I understand. The whole episode left Sweetie Pie “Hankering for some conch!” She continues to hanker for some conch to this day, thank you ladies… :p

As things start to wind down Bentley grabs me and pulls me to the kitchen. “$15,000 for everything,” he says, “You collect it, OK?” Yeah, baby! I’ve been enlisted! What a strange feeling, to be honored to help at a dining establishment. That is exactly how I feel.

As we’re pulling together the bill we talk about what to do. We could call the taxi that dropped us off, he said he’d come back for us and left his card. I mention that we’re a couple of hundred yards up the lane from Pee Wees, one of the great bars of the world. I go on and on about their Pina Colada, the second best one I’ve ever had after the Caribe Hilton in San Juan where it was invented. I remind folks we had met Perrell, Pee Wees son and the current operator of the bar, on the pub crawl and he had invited us to come by for a drink. I am apparently relentless and eventually successful. We say happy and heartfelt farewells to Bentley and head down the lane. I am sure every one of us will be back. Maybe next time I’ll set the table…. :cool:

Before we leave I ask Katho to take a shot of the phone/power pole across from Bentley’s. I had tried to get a good shot of this Steampunk/Post-Industrial masterpiece on our last visit and was defeated by the lighting. Katho gets a decent shot but we’ve had a laugh about it since we returned. Next time we’ll get it right with a tripod and a low light long exposure shot. Yep, gonna have to come back…

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As we head into Pee Wee’s drive it looks like we might be out of luck, things look dark. The bar is closed up and the lights are out. We step down to the cliff deck and out toward the ledge. “Let’s give our eyes a couple minutes to adjust and see if we can make anything out,” I say, “the view here is spectacular.” We mill around a little bit and must have made something of a small racket because within a couple of minutes a light switches on on a porch up past the bar and the door swings open. A somewhat droopy looking, shirtless Perrell steps out on the porch. “Oh, hey, it’s you guys!” says Perrell, “Give me just a minute.” It does not take him long to have the bar opened for us. Nobody, however, wants to put him through the ringer for a Pina Colada. A bunch of Red Stripes are ordered. Perrell is an excellent late night bartender. He tells interesting stories, has a great capacity to appear interested in drunken stories, has great bar trick skills and is an entertainer at heart. He plays a memory game with everybody’s name. He asks relevant questions regarding everyone’s drunken stories. He comes back and remembers everybody’s name. He serves more beer. We must be looking a little late in the day because suddenly Perrell jumps up and says, “Do you guys want to hear some live music?” This crew? “Well, of course!” we say and he’s off to grab his guitar. A few locals have gathered at the bar since we came in. As the music situation is being prepped an attractive ex-pat comes into the bar speaking loud and vulgar Patois. Perrell and some of the regulars get right into it with her. It is very amusing. “Fix my drink,” she says, “It’s too weak!” and she puts a cup on the bar. Rum tops it off. As we move up to the stage room to listen to Perrell I look over and notice she is wearing 5 inch plus platform high heels. She was a little wobbly walking in. I think about her navigating West End Road in those heels. It can be a challenge in places with hiking shoes. I gotta say, “Respect!”

Perrell is very lively for this time of night!
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He waves a little hocus pocus before telling Markus his name…
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Marley says, “nah, it’s not late, but I don’t want my leftovers to spoil…”
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The vibe in the stage room at Pee Wee’s this night is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Bare light bulbs illuminate the heavily patched plaster walls. The place feels ancient, as if we’ve drifted back in time several hundred years. The air is thick with humidity in the cooling evening air, but it is not cool. It is perfectly warm. The sea can be heard against the cliffs below us as we sit against the ledge wall. Perrell serenades us with a couple of lovely songs and we are all drifting in a beautiful sea of tranquility. Except for the occasional loud interruption from our ex-pat bar mate. She is merciless with him and he gives it back a little here and there with a wink and a smile. “Now I’m going to play a little love song,” says Perrell and as he kicks into it she is running up to the stage floor. “Dance!” she exhorts, “Get up and dance!” and she is all arms waving and legs kicking. And she keeps her feet! Again, mad respect in those hooker heels ex-Patty! ;) Well, you ain’t gotta tell me twice and with that I’ve grabbed Sweetie Pie’s hand and we’re up and swaying. We notice a few moments later that Hubbity have joined the party. It was a beautiful song and a perfect moment. A private concert, serenaded and dancing on the cliffs at Pee Wee’s in Negril, Jamaica with an absolutely incredible group of people. Still today when I think about it, and probably forever, WOW!!

A private show in the stage room at Pee Wees
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A moment of a lifetime captured on film, thank you Katho!
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Perrell closes with an original that he composes on the spot. He hilariously incorporates all of us into the lyrics using some of his memory trick stuff as well. Katho is blown away by this and is talking about it while he sings so when it comes to her verse she is chastised for talking during performances. He is really THAT GOOD. We are in heaven. No need to carry on. When Perrell finishes we get the taxi hookup working. The ride home is relatively quiet, we are all in a state of fully sated bliss.

We get out at Catcha and walk up SeaStar lane. Last night we headed up this lane feeling uneasy, violated and most unfortunate. Tonight we head up this lane in a different place altogether yet nothing has changed, really, except our outlook. Tonight we feel comfortable, cared for, protected and lucky. Lucky, yes, very lucky. We must certainly be some of the most fortunate people on the planet…

What a difference a day makes. It’s all true. And it never really happened.

Just beautiful..but I was waiting for at least 1 pic of the ex pat in 5 inch heels!

Thank you for keeping this going... as i stated to marley these trip reports of your "epic adventure" are amazing and very touching to me... i have been with my boyfriend for 9 years and we are going on our very first vacation together to negril. I feel so inexpirienced and so young and nieve about the whole traveling thing but all of the reports are very comforting, in such that I shouldnt be afraid and just let it happen and jamaica will do what it does, what seems to be to all pepole with open eyes and hearts. You all are very beautiful pepole with very beautiful relationships, new and old, and there seems to be absolute love with no descrimination between any of you, about age, place of origin, gender, race, and especially personality, the worst discrimination is on personality, you accept each other for who you are much like a family. and that! is to be respected so with these thing said, Thank you again, and I'll definatly be watching for the next entry to this amazing report.... btw on a lighter but totally serious note you guys ever think about publishing this thing, you guys could totally pull it off!!! I'd definatly buy it! :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rastagal

Just beautiful..but I was waiting for at least 1 pic of the ex pat in 5 inch heels!

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oh yeah me too i wanna see this!

Beebeluv....what you said rang SO true to me. In fact I was thinking about it on my way to work this morning. I think about these people every single day...apparently pretty early in the a.m. and I dont think about much at that time. LOL I've never in my life met a more diverse group who accepted me (and one another) in whole, and bonded on that kind of level in that short of time. I think Jamaica absolutely played a part in that....it knocks down barriers and allows people to be free. Gerry said that yesterday in his report and i could almost hear the hammer hitting the nail on the head. That's it. In Negril you can be free....whatever that means to you. I've never felt more like myself lol, and all my friends accepted me and all my crazy....think they might have even liked it :P What makes me laugh is the fact that I went to Negril alone but that changed the second I took that first breath of JA air. Left rich with friends

I can't wait for future trips to Negril and future friendships that bloom there.

Anyways, dont mean to get long winded but I just loved your comment and just wanted to add that I also love reading all the trip reports and awesome times that people experience in JA. Just something about it...makes you itch to get back there even more.

Guiri...you know I'm diggin the TR...it's so cool to hear about the bits that i missed. This night in particular I know was very special. :)

Beebeluv and Tiz, I couldn't agree more

For many many years Jamaica has given me something that I just can't ever seem to fully describe....happiness, freedom, a time to de-stress, a time to reflect, a time to be me again, life lessons, happy memories, good times, adventures, etc etc.

This last trip it gave me probably the best gift yet.....a new family!
And I love all of them so much!


P.S. There actually was a photo of the crazy ex-pat (funny enough I actually thought she was Jamaican) with the crazy heels...Katho took it.....but then was soon told later not to post it! No offense but that lady was (to quote Sweetness) "Cray Cray" I still laugh remembering her antics that night.

P.S. There actually was a photo of the crazy ex-pat (funny enough I actually thought she was Jamaican) with the crazy heels...Katho took it.....but then was soon told later not to post it! No offense but that lady was (to quote Sweetness) "Cray Cray" I still laugh remembering her antics that night.


omg soo funny i just want an image descibe it, u marley are good at that.... lol cray cray... im a white girl but my best fiends are of african american decent and this is hillarious..... omfg... i cant breathe rite now! you know what this prolly is gunna sound irrational but i dont care... i luv u guys as much as i can luv pepole i have never met so if im cray cray let it be!

Lol....we love you back Beebeluv.....and if that makes us cray cray then so be it!

When are you heading to Negril? Maybe some of us will be there.....or you could always book for next April/ May....when we will ALL be there! :)

Oops....I guess I could just read your ticker lol

(LOL) @Marley (cray cray)

;)

Sweetness! You home yet cray cray?..let's get some drinks... n stuff...chill out by the pool...pretend its a beach :p

okay i'm all caught up - you can continue now - lol

I wish all the turtles would continue with their reports. I think it's the law that you can't go back until you finish the previous report. Well maybe Daisy slipped through the cracks but what about everybody else.

@Seveen-when this thread popped up I thought it was a new posting by GG.

Thanks Seveen and Mo! We've had a lot of things popping the last month or so. I do want to close the loop on this one. I'll try to get something up soon. I'll also be breaking out a BRAND NEW TICKER here in the near future... :p :D :o :cool: !!!!

yeay more of the migration yeay

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guirigay

Thanks Seveen and Mo! We've had a lot of things popping the last month or so. I do want to close the loop on this one. I'll try to get something up soon. I'll also be breaking out a BRAND NEW TICKER here in the near future... :p :D :o :cool: !!!!

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I was hoping that I would not miss those sexy swim trunks...

Booger, Why do I have the feeling you have a photo you're waiting to post? :) I know someone has a photo of all the guys draped around the beer wench at Country Country and I've never seen it... :)

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

:rolleyes: hmmmm

I let Clarity get ahead of me? How the hell did that happen? December rolling up on our azzes? Let's wrap this up soon and get back to the rock...

Thursday

We wake to a sunlit room this morning and decide to take a new path. We fall back asleep. In a likkle bit. When we rise to the day it’s late, we scoot down to the restaurant to grab a bite of breakfast. We talk about what to do for the next few nights. Yesterday we had talked with Hubbity about going down to the beach for a night, hanging at the SeaSplash with them. They had talked with Jim about our situation before going on the pub crawl and he had told them how bad he felt about it and he’d take care of us. We figure we’ll go down there for a night, hang on the beach and come back up to the SeaStar for Friday and Saturday. We pay our bill and make a reservation for the weekend. We thank everyone profusely for the past couple of days. I’ll say it again, SeaStar is a fantastic place.

Percy has been around this morning and we had scheduled with him to take us to SeaSplash. We also want to stop and see Fr. Jim Bok at the Catholic parish. I had talked to my Mom a couple of weeks before we left and told her we were heading back down to Negril. She says, “Jim Bok, who did James funeral service, has a church in Negril. You should go see him.” I mention the St Anthony’s Kitchen and she kind of laughs, “Oh yeah, that would be him!” Well, we’re going to see him.

10 years ago, July 15 2002, my brother James fell asleep watching Sportscenter on his couch in a fourth floor walk-up in Cincinnati. He never woke up. He was 33 years old and a physical specimen. 6’3”, 220 lbs, fit and healthy except for a smoking habit he was trying to kick with the help of Wellbutrin. A full autopsy was unable to find a cause of death. It was a crushing episode for my family, especially my Mom. Fr. Jim, who at the time was a parish priest at St Francis in Cincinnati, was very helpful to my folks and was a key part of a beautiful service for him.

We have a great conversation with Percy about this on our way to Mary Gate of Heaven church. We will have many more interesting talks with him in the next few days. When we get to the church Fr. Jim comes out from the rectory to meet us. When I mention my folks he slips into an easy smile. We do a little catching up and talk a fair bit about what the church is trying to accomplish in Negril. He is happy with the success of the Kitchen but acknowledges that it is a band-aid. He is now working on trying to address some of the structural problems of the poverty that is so prevalent in Negril. They are trying to address it through education, which is very close to my heart. They are trying to incentivize attendance and are also doing a Sponsor a Child program where you can cover the cost of a child’s attendance for a year for a pretty nominal cost. They are not quick fixes but I truly believe the path sufficiency comes through education. Fr. Jim said that if you want to get a tax deduction for your contribution you can make your donation through the Franciscan Friars and designate that you want it to go to Mary Gate of Heaven in Negril.

https://franciscan.org/MAndM/donate.asp

We get to spend about 45 minutes with Fr. Jim this morning, leave a donation and have a fond farewell. We look forward to seeing him on our next reach. He truly is a remarkable man.

Attachment 19408

Percy has been wandering the grounds while we talked and when we’re ready to leave he comes up with a handful of hard red seeds. “I don’t know what they call this but it comes from that tree over there,” he says pointing, ”You can take a hot needle and it will burn a hole through them, then they string them together for jewelry.” I’m looking for a necklace with these in December. We brought these home, hope we don’t get in trouble…

Attachment 19409

Percy drops us off at SeaSplash and we make arrangements for him to take us back to SeaStar tomorrow. It turns out that we don’t really need to do this. Percy will be just about everywhere we end up being the next couple of days. We head to the front desk and say we were told to mention Daisy and Markus. “Oh, number 6,” They say and make a phone call. “Jim is back at the bar and wants you to come see him.” We leave our bags at check in and head back to the bar. We sit down and have a drink. And a conversation. What a conversation. Very enlightening. It makes us feel better in most ways, worse in some, but all in all more comfortable about where we are and where we’re headed. And it all ends with Jim saying, “What can I do for you? What do you need?” And true to his word, he helps us. Thank you, Jim Hurt, you’re a good man in my book and SeaSplash won’t be the same.

We get settled in and hook up with Hubbity. We get word that a bale of turtles is coming ashore down at Country Country. We get set for a beach day. Sweetie Pie wants me to wear THE swim suit. When we had come down in February I had picked up a couple of new pairs of swim suits. One was a more traditional pair of swim trunks, the ones I wore at the flop. I had actually packed THE swim suit for the flop but backed out at the last minute. Went for the more conventional route. That right there should tell you a whole lot. The second suit I had left entirely up to Sweetie Pie. “You pick out what you want to see me in ‘cause if it gets your motor revving that can only be good for me!” I said at the time. It was an extremely successful strategy in February.

Now I’m happy to make Sweetie Pie happy and these shorts make her happy… :D Fortunately (for me, maybe not anyone else besides Sweetie Pie) I’m very comfortable with my body. Fortunately we’re in Negril, where a skin tight pair of beach volleyball trunks can seem modest comparatively. Unfortunately, Booger is who we are going to meet at Country Country…

So we gather up and stroll down the beach to meet the bale. A big group is here already. Jizzy and Pooger, Narley Minja and the SpottyCatz, Indy Bob and Cindy Lou Lurker. They’re getting a big order from the Patty Man as we walk up. “Want one?” says Booger as I’m walking up looking in my general direction. “Sure!” I say thinking this is another of those classic Booger treats. Ewww, Booger Treats! I think that’s going in the lexicon, gang… :eek: well, wrong! Somehow Sandie had managed to swing in behind us on our way to the group and he was asking her. “No dude!” says Boogs with a gesture past my shoulder and I turn to see Sandie, “but you want some Coco Bread?” Yup, Booger Treats! They are delicious.