Easter Weekend...Update on John...Football...and New Stuff..

 Raining like S.E Asia outside...the little ones may need snorkels and masks to dive for Easter Eggs!

 

Easter Weekend...and to be honest, I'm exhausted. Seeing a hot bubble bath...some good food and a nap or three in my future.

John's week has been rough...on everyone.

Especially John.

Full of therapy...inability to eat more than a minimum...pain...difficulty sleeping...and knowing that Sunday is his 10th day.

Faced with the decision of 14 more days in rehabilitation or leaving on Monday.

Realizing he was weak...tired and had lost another 8 pounds...bringing him down to 160 pounds.

...absolutely skeletal... 

 As of last night...he has decided to go home...to his food...his bed...his cat.

Our friend, Jan, has an 1100 kcal. smoothie she wants him to try.

Our friend, Kathy, promises milkshakes.

We are so hopeful.

He just says he is so tired.

I'm just sad and scared. 

We're taking it one day at a time...isn't that all any of us have, anyway? 

...tears...

The football season is going to be interesting...after all the coach firings and replacements.

Also us signing Indiana Jones for 2 more years...Tua going to The Falcons...Minnesota taking Wentz back...Kansas releasing Pachenko...and more.

In-trading has been like musical chairs...I've never seen it like this before...and the draft hasn't even started.

We shall see.

 

The new stuff...

The best is that MY Dunkin' Donuts opens soon!!!!

 

And MORELS are back!

I'm getting mine next week. 

 And I've now tried the new Big Arch Burger from McDonald's.

 It was very good.  Kind of a Big Mac on steroids.  A full 1/2 pound of fresh beef. All and all worth the price.

...and it is a bit pricey for a burger...think 5 Guys prices...

 

Have a Wonderful Holiday Weekend!

 

 

 

 

Virtual Jamaica: St. Mary~ GoldenEye Resort

 Welcome to Ian Fleming's Paradise...

 

Now a luxury resort.

https://youtu.be/BiOl0XOqmcc?si=6Bi7dKJde5-auJXL 

With all-inclusive villas...cottages...lagoon side and beach side rooms...spas...kayaks...outdoor work out areas...3 pools...several beaches...restaurants...bars and live music...there is something for everyone!

https://youtu.be/kyd9CZIZKgE?si=S_7sDNtckRaBzVHt

Although the beach-side with its sugar white sand is inviting...I am thinking the lagoon villa will be perfect for our time in St. Mary's.

 

Including a claw-foot tub and an outdoor shower!

 Which, of course, were MY selling features.

I can see starting each day in this shower and finishing each night in a deep candle-lit bubble bath.

Right now, though, I just want to enjoy the seclusion of this hidden gem with an ice cold fruit/rum drink from my private deck overlooking the lagoon.

 

It just doesn't get much better than this.

 Until Monday...

Virtual Jamaica: St. Mary~ Firefly Estate

 

But first...

 

OMG! 

Had to talk about my Jerk Steak adventure for a minute. I am not sure the word "adventure" is really appropriate here.

Got the mildest jerk that Walkerwood offers...and it was hot...like really hot...like surface of the sun hot!!!

 

Contains Scotch Bonnet Peppers...Cayenne Peppers and Black Pepper.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo HOT.

If this was mild I can't even imagine how HOT that the other sauce would be.

Jerk may not be for me....no matter how good it smells.

Anyway...

In the 1950's the writer/playwrite Noel Coward bought the Estate once owned by pirate turned Governor Sir Henry Morgan.

Noel Coward

 

 

 

 

Sir Henry Morgan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...if he looks familiar...yes...it's Capt'n Morgan!!!

 

A delightful bit of trivia...I might add.  

 

The Estate was known at that time as Lawrencefields.  Coward would change the name to Firefly Estate because of the thousands of fireflies that lit up the grassy property at dusk.

Firefly Estate

https://youtu.be/BwF1kmWr7ZU?si=c8ouE-IWhyV0s1dX

 

Coward wrote in his diary: "Firefly has given me the most valuable benison of all: time to read and write and think and get my mind in order . . . I love this place."

Along with other authors which he convinced to come live on this beautiful island was Ian Fleming who would later pen all of his James Bond series, here.

The (now named) James Bond Beach

https://youtu.be/S1jaOSiCBjQ?si=sgSfKW1R98GrbT9o 

was the beach featured in the Bond film Dr. No.

Fleming also opened The GoldenEye Resort.

We will give it a look on Friday!

 

 

Virtual Jamaica: St. Mary's Parish...Jamaican Patois...Jerk Beef

 

Today we begin exploring St. Mary's Parish...

The port city, St. Mary's was instrumental in Spanish & British Colonial times as both a sugar export and slave center.

Because the slave were shipped in from numerous places with varied languages the Jamaican Patois you hear today was developed by these slaves as a means to communicate with each other.

Lesson One

https://youtu.be/R1hfbI99Pgc?si=iFq39GyNy2ekVFOz

And you can follow the tutorial if you are interested in learning more.

Many things in this Parish are holdovers from colonial times including the architecture and even an old Spanish bridge.

...the churches and bridge we will trek to on another day...

The Parish is basically countryside outside of the port...filled with goat herds...banana and sugar-cane plantations...coconut palms and more!

This afternoon I am using the Jerk Spices to make Jerk Beef.

https://youtu.be/F5KCXaeYYS4?si=iOlZdEutT1WsJkNi

Smells amazing.

The jerk I picked up was Mild as it has Scotch Bonnet peppers ground in with the spices.

 

Hopefully not too hot!

 

Until next time... 

 

 

 

Hannah is 19...John....Afroman and Lemon Pound Cake

 

They grow up so fast...

 And this is actually last year's photo...they are still together and happy...he has significantly less hair, and she is working and in college...and 19, now.

John has been through hell and back...but we think he is on the road to recovery.

 

Eating again...in-house rehab until at least next Sunday.

Doing better...

It has been scary and an uphill battle. He nearly died.

Eric and Melissa came down.

Jonathan, Robert, Jan and Kathy visited.

Everyone has brought good food and/or milkshakes!

He is up to 50 minutes on the Nu-Step...and can walk again for short distances.

It is looking good!

The baby isn't a baby anymore.

Joked with Chris that he finally got the little freeloader gainfully employed!

Lennon is good and busy with Spring Breakers. Coming up this summer!!!

James and crew are fine, and he has been devoting a lot of time to his music and dropped a new album recently.

https://youtu.be/_DFXTJlPnHM?si=Sm6apOdGcK2sJdUp

 

And then there's AFROMAN.

You may remember him for this little ditty.

https://youtu.be/GfZRgCLE4yw?si=Kf_eIpi9CUehYeTB

but recently...because of an erroneous police department decision...and the kerfluffle which ensued...he dropped this gem.

https://youtu.be/9xxK5yyecRo?si=Ul5-B7GwNJI6zCRx

and the explanation behind Lemon Pound Cake

https://youtu.be/003qdTg5yME?si=HFZh2RWoYr4pPQ0f

By Josh Johnson. 

 Raising him from near obscurity to a National Hero overnight!

Teaching everyone...but especially the police department...never get in a pissing match with a man who wields a microphone (or records music).

And...I may be, sadly, losing the Battle of AI.

To be honest, I'm not sure I really care.

It is more difficult than I gave it credit for...

But, it does have its uses.

Recently it asked if I would like to see my pet as a human.

...who wouldn't...

 

and

 

 "Still think that whole neuter thing was a good idea???"  ~Tux

 

Finishing dinner and getting ready to start all over, Monday!

Love,

Carla

 

 

 

 

 Lachlan...almost 2...

Virtual Jamaica: St. Ann's Parish--Sandals Ocho Rios

 

Worn out from the week and decided to just enjoy the resort today.

Our last day in "Ochi" as the natives call it.

The all inclusive is the way to go.

From the perfect room...to the sumptuous breakfast bar with everything...to an afternoon swim-up bar...

 and pristine beach.

And an afternoon stop at the thatched-roof Jerk Shack...

 for some of the best Jamaican Jerk!

...I bought a bottle of Jerk seasoning so I can try to make this...

I also have the recipe for Coco Bread, now!

Feels like I have only scratched the surface at what his amazing island has to offer.

What a wonderful adventure this will be!!!

Picked up a black Sandals Ocho Rios baseball hat as a souvenir. 

Dinner at the end of the day.

 Next week we check out Saint Mary's Parish and Port Maria.

 

See you there! 

 

 
 

 

Virtual Jamaica: St. Ann's Parish--Green Grotto Cave

 

Today we discover Jamaica down-under...

Green Grotto is one of the largest yellow limestone caves in Jamaica...with an amazing history.

Used as a hiding place by first the indigenous people, then the Spaniards to escape the British, then the runaway slaves to escape sugar cane plantations, used as a cool place to store rum casks, and even a large underground nightclub in the early 2000's...now a major natural tourist attraction and the home for many many many bat species.

...seriously...if you have a problem with (literally) hundreds of bats chittering overhead...this is NOT the tour for you...

For everyone else...let's explore!

https://youtu.be/XKf1QVd7ogg?si=XP9gy_ZwDrEZdy01

 

...yeah...I told you about the bats...

 Not to worry...they are nocturnal...eat fruit...bugs or nectar...and just want to be left alone and sleep.

From OMG...

...relax...he's just unhappy because he got woke up...
 

To adorable flying sky-puppies...they are everywhere down here!

 The slight greenish tinge to the cave is from algae growth...the sporadic natural openings are the flight windows for night-time food forays for the bats...during the times of hiding the beach passage was a way for hiding people to escape and sometimes make their way to nearby Cuba.

Try as I might, I could find no photographs of the nightclub...but the evidence is still inside and you can see the man-made stone structures inside the opening. Also learned that there are other functional cave clubs on the island...so we will have to  explore one while we are here!

A well-worn cave, the stalactites and stalagmites  have long since stopped growing because of centuries of human touch (oils) and the Wishing Well grotto is more than a little campy...but it was cooling from the 90+ degree heat outside and the history was neat.

Until next time...