**on-site Trip Report [[ Monday evening ..... 01/06/14 ]]

[smith744]

Hello, Fellow-Boardies..!!!.

it's a WONDER-full day in the *neighborhood* (aka Jamaica)

wish you were here
lol
lol
lol
the weather is so nice --- sunny,,, few clouds,,, breezy,,, slightly humid,,, temperatures are GREAT ... not too hot .... can wear long pants if you like/want, or (of course) you can do the short-thing-y

'member mi-tell-you:::>> my bert-day celebration is a 7-10 day event..??..

well,
YESTERDAY, Sunday,
i got two (2) nice gifts.

1...my landlord's mom brought me a nice new BLUE (to go with the white-one) ball camp ..... see pic below
i looove-ed the white-one .... and love even-MORE this new blue-one
.
.

.
..
2...the next gift, (in pic)
i received at the early-church service

some-how i was up & out of bed early-early,
so
i opt-ed to go to the early-er of the two Sunday morning services

i was late.... just in time to hear 1/2 of the sermon .... was a nice topic/sermon --- very appropriate for the new year

well,,
,
at the end of the service,
the preacher read off a long list of names
of those born in January

and ask-ed them to come to the front of the church
to recieve a gift, which were in a big pretty-pretty shopping bag.

preacher also said
that ANY-body else with a birthday in January should feel free to come-forward, TOO..!!..

:-)

i paused/thought/ponder-ed for about 6-nano-seconds,
and
POP-ed UP..!!!... out of my pew-seat
and
briskly (and proudly) strolled to the front

to get my gift::: a VERY taste-y cupcake pretty-er-ly gift wrapped

the congregation, choir & pastor sung happy that familiar happy-birthday-song,
and
prayed for me & my fellow January-ians

smiling
i walked back to my pew-seat

[[[ continue in a few minutes ]]]

[Kiknback]

You're missing it Smith! The coldest temperatures in DC in 20 years!

I'm sure you feel bad. One more month and I can join you down there and warm up.

[smith744]

[[ continue-ing ]]


small world na tru

'member when i told you about the sweet-female-voice coming out of the police station, calling my name...??..

well,
the other day
i'm sitting on the Lucea-verandaH,
and
the *voice*-lady
walks up

see's me

she-SAY:::>>> "..you doing ok, Bill.."
me-SAY::>>> "...YOU tell me, Officer .... AM i do-ing OK..??.."

we chuckled together.

well,
,
guess who else was in church,
AND
is a January-an, TOO

yep
yep:::>> the-*voice* inside the police station-lady

small world na tru

.
.
.
without going into a LOT of detail,
i was recently (within the past 2-3 days)
astonished & amazed
to *learn*
after spending over 10-12 years
in-cou
.
.
.
WOW...!!!!...
you-all should have seen this Jamaican BEAUTY that just walk-ed by

* whew *

my heart jumped-OUT of my chest
.
.
opps.
i'm sorry
got diverted

ummmmmmmmmmmmm
where did i left-off..?..

.
.
let me start again:::
/.

without going into a LOT of detail,
i was recently (within the past 2-3 days)
astonished & amazed
to *learn*
after spending over 10-12 years
in-country,
that within about a 1/2 mile radius
of my bed
EVERY-body is related in some form or fashion

EVERY-Body...!!!!..

dem cousins, sisters, brothers, aunties, uncles, etc etc ,,, sons, dawtas, etc etc.
.
.
this revelation,
reminds me of stories i used to hear from foreign-ladies,
who say they spent time in-their-Ja-boyfriend's yard.

and boyfriend told them NOT to venture out of the house, when he wasn't there, 'cause of safe-ty issues, or some such foolishness.

would somebody PLEASE tell me HOW in tarnation is anything gonna happen to a person, if EVERY-body within a 1-mile radius is family..??..

* sigh *

[[[ continue in a minute or so ]]

[smith744]

[[ continue-ing ]]

.
FINALLY,
today,
things are BACK to normal here on-island

holidays are OFFICIALLY over & DONE..!!..

children are BACK-in-school..!!!..

the pace has changed, SIGNIFICANT-ly

more about this later.
.
.
'member i told ya/posted that party-time was over last Saturday-night..??..

well,
i couldn't have been MORE-wrong

:-(

when i got back to yard,
after sundown
went down the road to get a nice ital-ish-ous something from RastaVin --- had the a GREAT soup/sip.

on the way
at the cross-road
there was a DJ set-up playing music (loudly)
a bar-selling area was set-up and ready to go/sell

a guy had a jerk-cooking set-up
with some drinks for sale

idiot-me,
had forgotten
about the annual back-to-school par-tay
that they have in the neighborhood

although i didn't hang around,
'cause i was PARTY-ed-OUT,
i heard today that they did party until about 6-am-ish

:-(

* whew *

i don't know how *they* do what they do when it comes to party-ing
moi, CAN'T manage,,,, no-Sir..!!.... can't dew-wheat


nevertheless,

'member::>> i'm 'spose to be fasting (a likkle bit), and eating good-er stuff, than I had been. .... less meat, and other things.

well,
on the way to get my soup/sip/ital-something
i saw that the party-cook had what looked like jerk-pork on the grill.

* sigh *

mi not had jerk pork, yet

but i was strong, and resisted the temptation
.
.
went home
chilled on my bamboo bench
listened to music
counted stars
smoked CravenA's

when voice/oink whispered in my ear:::>> "...go eat some pork.."

so,
i got up and went BACK down the road
to buy some pork.
.
.
i walked up to the party-cook
"..you got any more pork..??.."

he paused
pondered
looked a likkle puzzled

then,
he-SAY:::>> "... COME, with me Bill.."

we walked into the yard,
approached the big-house

he paused at the verandaH
to asked a friendly-looking elderly lady::>> "..Do you/we have anymore pork..??.... Bill wants to buy some pork....."

she-too,
paused
pondered
looked a likkle puzzled

then,
she-SAY::>> "..Whatcha want..??..... $100, $200, or $300...??.."

mi-SAY::>> "..just a little .... $200, will be fine.."


to-party-cook, She-SAY:::>> "..GO, look in the oven,,, slice off some pork for him.... just be SURE to leave some for my Sunday dinner.."

to-me-She-SAY::>> "..you want bread..??."
mi-SAY::> "..yes mamm,,, please.."

jumping ahead:::>> the pork was WONDER-FULL

:-)
.
.
as i munched glee-fully
on my pork
listening to the DJ's music
tapping my foot
watching the party-cook do his thing

i saw him pull off the grill
a meat.... that *looked* like pork,
to sell to a customer

"..what's that..???.." <<<<:: mi-SAY

"..jerk chicken-back.."

".ooooooooooooooooooooooh." <<<<::::mi-SAY
.
.
i felt like an idiot
AND
i felt really & true-ly blessed

here's the deal::>>>> under the darkness of the night/evening, to my stupid-from-foreign-eye-balls,
the chicken-back looked like what i thought was pork.

they party-cook
AND
the lady-of-the-house
went out of their way to please ME...!!..

they weren't selling pork..!!!..
pork was NOT on the party-menu

* sigh *

i love this place and (of course) it's people

"...land we love.."
.
.
[[[ continue within the hour or so ]]]

[smith744]

The coldest temperatures in DC in 20 years!

I'm sure you feel bad. .

lol
lol
lol
lol
lol
lo
lol
lol

moi...???..

*feel* bad...???..

lol
lol
lol
lol
lol
lo
lol
lol
.
..

the GREAT-thing
about these cold temps
and hopefully [[fingers crossed]]
severe Winter-events::::>>>>> if things go as i pray they do,
then that'll mean i can extend my trip,
and not return until March-ish
to begin my yard-work gig.

i'm praying for a LATE-Spring in DC

:-)

[Big_frank]

Love the hat. What a great present.

[smith744]

[[ continue-ing ]]

a Realizations & Observations

1....my from-foreign legs (and body):::>> looonger than the average Jamaican-legs/body

it' harder for me to get in & out of a route-taxi
and
my knees always press-ed up tighter/closer to the seat-back in front of me

:-(
.
.
2...Older more-mature Ja-women *seem* to be eye-balling me.

:-(

i need to shave, and color my hair --- get rid of the grey na tru

.

.
3...never forget:::>> it' always about::>> what you WANT versus what you NEED....
those *want$* are gonna always cost ya ---- more expensive

4.....Each one teach one ... Ja-stylee ,,, remember the two likkle boys drinking RedStripe at the wake (in an earlier post)..??.. ,,,,,, Well,
in video below (parental approval to post granted)
you'll see of 'em
now working with RastVin,
to help and to learn
.
.
note the INTENSITY in his face .... focus focus focus

gonna try to do another one, with better quality later
,
,

.
.
.
f.y.i..... Cafe Goya .... a must-do on your next visit

Big Roy has done some nice things to the place
GO check him, his place, the food, and MissIda .... nice spot
.
i went there after church
.
..

.
.

,
',',
.
..
good good night, you-all

mi done & gone for the day

will post more on Tuesday

stay warm

likkle more

[lawngirl]

thanks for your reports Smith, enjoy!

[DConkle]

I am really enjoying your report! Looking forward to more!

[Kahuna3]

[[ continue-ing ]]


[
WOW...!!!!...
you-all should have seen this Jamaican BEAUTY that just walk-ed by

* whew *

my heart jumped-OUT of my chest
.
.
opps.
i'm sorry
got diverted

ummmmmmmmmmmmm
where did i left-off..?..

[/I]

Bin der . . . done dat . . .