November 10th – Trip to Negril for show at 3-Dives

With all the craziness here at our house with touch up rendering, painting and, of course, tending about a 20 acre farm with workers leaves little time for anything else. One date has been circled on my calendar since I arrived in mid-October; November 10th at 3-Dives.

My good friend and across the gully neighbor, Mystic Bowie, was headlining a show with a number of guest artists like Ras Noble, Mark Irie and a few I was not familiar with backed up by the 3-Dives Band. I had never experienced a Mystic Bowie concert but have heard him sing many times on the road in front of our neighborhood store.

Mystic Bowie is a rare individual with loads of talent, humility and a staunch supporter of the youth in our community. He and his foundation have recently completed a brand new library with 14 hi speed broadband computers fully stocked with thousands of books next to the basic school. His goal is to make the children of Accompong Town the best educated children in Jamaica. A lofty goal but if anyone can achieve it, Mystic can.

We wanted to get an early start so Marshall and I had our friend and driver Peckish pick us up at 7:00am as we needed to stop in Belmont and to get more fish from Monday in Sav. Traveling with Peckish and Marshall is a whole experience in itself. Peckish loves the music with plenty of BASS until it sounds like being inside a drum while he and Marshall try to carry on a conversation in rapid-fire patois. My senses are constantly on overload waiting for one of them to say, “ya overstand, Bill?” to which I just nod and say “yah mon” and maybe add something if I really do understand what they are saying.

We were looking for someone in Belmont that Marshall knew from many years ago in Kingston. We had a first name and little else to go on except that he was Peter Tosh’s cousin but then at least 2 out of every 3 people in Belmont claim that relationship. It always amazes me that with so little to go on only a couple of brief shout outs put us right on his yard. Business concluded, we were off to Sav. Monday was at his stall but he only had some larger butterfish which we bought 9 pounds cleaned and cut into 4 pieces each to take to Negril to refrigerate while we were in town.

Negril soon come!

Peace and Guidance