How I got to Jamaica

[TuffGong]

Great timely post Cap for those of us stuck indoors not only because of Covid but also cold temps. Was snowing here this morning! ):

[captaind]

So off we go from Mandeville. We're driving along and Nicky say "we a come to Spur Tree Hill".

OK we start down a fairly steep hill and I'm thinking what's the big deal. I'm sitting on the left side since he's driving and all I see is a tree line,

We break out into the clear and I'm looking down from 2,200 feet to the land below. Freak out. This is not today's roads, this is a two lane potholed, no guardrail road going down one steep hill after the other connected by tight switch backs so we can traverse the "cliff"

At each section there are signs that say "check your breaks" with run off areas at the switch backs. That immediately boosts my confidence immensely (BTW...going up the hill behind a big truck at 10mph for what seems to be an eternity is the other option)

We finally get to the bottom and pass into what I now know is St. Elizabeth parish.....Nicky says "you in the wild west now mahn"

Cap

[captaind]

So we're driving past places like "hey boss over there is Frome" and a little later it's Sav-la-Mar" whatever that means!

It's getting dark and I start asking like a pickny "are we there yet?"

Nicky say "we soon there mahn"

Cap

[captaind]

So now it’s totally dark and the VW lights (6 volt) are not the best. At that time there was little to no electric
service in the West of Jamaica,

We’re going down the road and then we turn off onto what to me looks like a donkey trail. “hey Nicky, where the hell are we?“

Nicky - “ Everything irie. We soon reach where we sleep tonight” Down this winding trail and we come to a cross road. It’s pitch black but I see a house with some kerosene lamps burning. I’m kinda nervous.

Little did I know that I was about to meet lifelong friends and arrive at my future home district.

Cap

[captaind]

Nicky introduces me to Mas Hugh Peynado and his wife Miss Ivy. We greet and Mas Hugh says you must be hungry. I don't remember what we ate but it was wonderful.

They said I was sleeping in the front room. At the time I didn't know that was an honor. Nice double bed and screens on the window and mosquito netting.

Here are pictures of Mas Hugh and Miss Ivy a few years later, (she's on the left) And years later in their final years. I loved them both beyond words. This is they're graves in the church yard at St. Paul's in Spring Garden.

[captaind]

A digression,

Years later after I had become part of Mas Hugh and Miss Ivy's family we were sitting on the verandah one evening. Miss Ivy was always ragging on Mas Hugh for not joining the church. She was a member of St. Pauls Anglican in Spring Garden. The Anglican church was for the upper class at the time and they were part of the gentry in the district. Hence the "Mas" title which is short for Massa or Master from slave days.

Any way she's going on about how he can't be buried in the church yard with her when they die.

Mas Hugh goes into the house a gets out the book of common prayer and turns to the wedding ceremony and points out "till death do we part" Mas Hugh say "Mi no care where you a go when we dead"

As you can see by the previous post he finally did join the church and they are buried side by side RIP

Cap

[JohnNYC]

and I'll bet she's still raggin on him for sumtin
That's why I want to be cremated and sprinkled off the beach & cliffs. Let my wife come find me to continue naggin