New York City at Christmas

Christmas decorations start going up on stores, office buildings and private homes in New York City right after Thanksgiving. The decorations are sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate. No matter, they put a smile on my face and help me get into the spirit of the season. I’m sure they do the same for others, which is why there are usually scores of people milling around.

Screen shot 2012-12-18 at 9.07.35 AM
All Dressed Up for Christmas

Each Christmas, this building on 6th Avenue near 50th Street decorates with these large red balls but every year when I see them, it feels like the first time (at least to me). A little Christmas magic, perhaps?

Red balls decorate building in New York
All Dressed Up
Lipstick lights decorate a building in New York
All Dressed Up in color
Radio City Music Hall tree
All Dressed Up – Radio City Music Hall

Continue reading “New York City at Christmas”

Pigeon Peas

One of the sure signs that Christmas is around the corner is the flowering of the pigeon peas. Also known as gandules, they are called gungo or pigeon peas here in Jamaica and are the essential ingredient in the rice and peas dish most families prepare on special occasions and, in particular, on Christmas Day.

Pigeon Pea plant
Pigeon pea plant

The pigeon pea originated in eastern India and was brought to east and west Africa, and eventually to the Americas by African slaves probably around the 17th century. It has been cultivated for at least 3,500 years.

Small in size and light green or white in color, the pigeon pea takes on a light brown hue when it’s been dried. Besides its use in rice and peas, pigeon peas can also be used in soups.

Pigeon pea plant
Pigeon pea plant

Pigeon peas are rich in protein, fiber and essential amino acids.

What fascinates me about the pigeon pea is the plant. The leaves look velvety and the ‘flowers’ are so colorful, they look as if they could be cut and put in a vase. These ‘blooms’ will last about a week then will be replaced by pods that are long and have individual pockets that hold each pea. Each pod can hold up to 8 peas, and grow in bunches of 5 to 7.

The green pigeon peas can be frozen for later use. When cooked, they have a slightly different taste from the dried ones.

Have you tried pigeon peas?

This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

Boats

I was so taken by this boat – its color and design, and the way it contrasted with the blue of the water – that I had to take a photo.

Dragon boat near Montego Bay
Dragon boat

It also gave me the idea for today’s Travel Photo Thursday post. Here are a few other ‘boat’ photos I found in my archives.

Treasure Beach Boats
Fishermen and their boats

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need: a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing. – Jerome K. Jerome

Glistening Waters Boats
White boats

Any damn fool can circumnavigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk. – Sir Francis Chichester.

Falmouth Boats
Lazy boats

Only the guy who isn’t rowing has the time to rock the boat. – Jean Paul Sartre

Boats going out
Little Ochie

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. – Martin Luther King

Boats waiting for sunset
Negril

I still remember my first time on a boat. I was nervous as we sailed away from shore, and overwhelmed by the vast expanse of water around me, and the smell of it. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for the early navigators and explorers who set off in search of lands they thought were there; how endless days at sea could easily discombobulate and disorient.

I’ve been on many boats since then, though I’m not confident that I could navigate one, even with a compass. There are no reference points on water!

What do you think of when you see a boat?

This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

Entrances & Doors

Doors cover entrances. They provide protection, separate one space from another, and allow free movement in and out.

They can be small or large, ornate or plain, narrow or wide, keyed or sliding, swinging or revolving, open or closed. They can even be false.

Doors can be made of wood, iron, glass or mesh, and have knobs, handles, pulls, plates or nothing at all. Whatever their composition or design, they describe motion. They also tell us something about their owners and about the places they guard; some even inspire narratives.

Automatic doors test our faith – will they open when we approach?

Glass doors sometimes propel us beyond the immediate moment, causing us focus on the inside, our destination. Have you ever walked into one? It snaps your attention right back to the present.

Entrances and doors have been used as metaphors for hope, opportunity and inspiration. An open door suggests welcome. We recall happy times, laughter, and loved ones. A closed door piques curiosity. There’s mystery there, or is there?   It can also suggest a missed opportunity. There’s no mystery, however, when one’s been shut or slammed in your face.

Our lives are a series of entrances and exits.

How many entrances and doors will you walk through today?

Wooden Doors
Paris

Continue reading “Entrances & Doors”

Getting Married in Jamaica

Approximately 5,000 couples get married in Jamaica each year making it one of the sought after locations for destination weddings.

With miles of white sand beaches, historic great houses, and beautiful gardens, it’s no surprise that the island has been voted among the most romantic wedding destinations, and counted among the Caribbean’s and world’s leading honeymoon destinations.

Riu Hotel, Negril
Getting married in Jamaica

Jamaica makes it simple for straight couples planning a destination wedding. There are no residency requirements, however, couples must have been on the island for 24 hours. No blood tests are required.

Couples who have been granted a marriage license by the Ministry of Justice can be married on any day of the week, however the nuptials must be performed by 6 p.m. (or by dusk) on any day of the week, and must have at least two witnesses, aged 18 or older, present. Continue reading “Getting Married in Jamaica”

Jamaica’s Rockfort Mineral Baths

Rockfort Mineral Baths is located in East Kingston, at the foot of the Long Mountain. It includes an historic military fort which gave the area its name. The complex operates as a subsidiary of the Caribbean Cement Factory.

Rockfort Mineral Baths
Entrance to Rockfort Mineral Baths

The fort was constructed around 1694 to defend the island. Though it has been around since the 17th century, the mineral spring was discovered only in 1907 following the earthquake which caused extensive damage to Kingston and took 800 lives.

Rockfort Mineral Baths
Rockfort Mineral Baths

Mineral springs occur naturally and produce water that contain minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value. The water at Rockfort is piped from a cold spring into a swimming pool. It contains sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and copper. To avoid overexposure to the minerals, patrons are advised to spend no more than 45 minutes in the water. Continue reading “Jamaica’s Rockfort Mineral Baths”

New York City Before Hurricane Sandy

Last week, I waited anxiously for Hurricane Sandy to arrive here. Though western and central Jamaica were spared miraculously, when Sandy changed course, the eastern side bore the brunt of the damage and large parts of it are now disaster areas.

This week, I’ve been glued to the television, once again feeling powerless, switching from one channel to the next, looking in absolute disbelief at the images from my other home, New York City. Thankfully, so far, everyone I’ve been in touch with is fine. But my city isn’t.

Continue reading “New York City Before Hurricane Sandy”

Wag Water River Jamaica

The Wag Water River in the eastern parish of St. Mary is, to me, one of Jamaica’s more interesting rivers. It rises in the mountains of St. Andrew, flows for just over 36 kilometers through St. Mary and empties into the sea west of Annotto Bay, in the parish.

The Wag Water, which used to be called Agua Alta, is one of two rivers that supply water to Kingston, the capital. Continue reading “Wag Water River Jamaica”

Devon House Jamaica

Devon House is a Georgian style mansion that was built in 1881 for George Stiebel, Jamaica’s first black millionaire. Though having a German Jewish father, Stiebel’s mother was black and in photographs, he appears to have more of his mother’s color. Stiebel was born in 1820.

When he was 20, Stiebel’s father, Sigismund, gave him start up money to buy a ship which he used to transport cargo between North and South America. Eventually, he acquired two more ships and became involved in the lucrative gun trading. This landed him in jail in Cuba.

Continue reading “Devon House Jamaica”

Oakton House Jamaica

The Oakton House, a stately wooden structure caught my eye. Located in Half Way Tree, Kingston, it’s a stone’s throw from the Old Courthouse that I wrote about a few posts ago.

It was probably built in the 19th century, during the height of Jamaica’s Georgian period (1702-1910), but no records have been found to show who the original owner was. Continue reading “Oakton House Jamaica”