Nassau 1979 Part 4

Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau Thanksgiving 1979 Part 4

I

A man asked John to take his picture with our Polaroid camera. He seemed friendly but asked to keep the picture and then took off. Wonder if he expected to be paid?  This man was not picturesque.

Prisms here are $18 and $22 while in Nashville they are $50 and $75 ea., and in New Orleans they were $25 and $35. I will regret if I do not get some.
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We see a young man who is oblivious to the hustle and bustle on Nassau Street. He is lying upright against a tree. His hair may have been braided but it sticks out in every direction. The ends are yellow. His beard is matted and he is bedraggled. It seems he and the tree are very compatible. We find more film to record him. Eating places offer a Howard Johnson (very poor quality), Burger King, McDonald’s (no golden arches) and Kentucky Fried. We feel at home. A Honda truck is outfitted as a canteen, serving hot meals to the market workers. John finds some beach shoes and we try to return to Paradise by boat. The sun was hot with a lot of people standing in line. The boat will not leave until full of passengers. No one wants to drive the ferry. It costs cabs $2 to cross the bridge. Room service is $10 more than a bottle of liquor in the store. We get rum for Ida. Houseboats are a bargain as the rent is $100 a day and sleep many.

Tomorrow we will definitely go swimming. We eat cheap and lose the change at the casino. Plans to see a show but 10 pm is past our bedtime.

II

We are losing track of the days. We eat early and walk to the hotel beach. Beautiful sand, wind, and blue/green water. I found two natural sponges and collected sand for Alan. I was painting when one of the bead saleswomen asked to see it. I put it in her box. It got too windy to stay.

We ran into the “People to People” Social Hostess trying to organize musical chairs. The winner would get a bottle of champagne. John would not join in, but I played to the very end, winning the champagne. He entered a beer drinking contest but was bested by a man drinking it in 8 seconds. We could hear the combo, Count Bernadine, in our room. A waiter brought a large bottle of champagne cooling in a silver ice bucket. Very nice.!

III

No dinner reservations so we have an excellent meal at the Bridge Inn. Walking back over the bridge, we are surprised that people must pay 25 cents. Our intention is to take the catamaran tomorrow.

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Gift from Gran’ma

Image via Wikipedia

Image by christine zenino via Flickr

Dear Granchild,

I saw this journal and thought about you. I have kept journals on my trips. Last year I wrote almost every day! They are great fun to do and to read later.

You can choose to have a theme or whatever you decide. I thought for this one you might wish to include all of the places you have been. And if you get your parents and grandparents (or whomever) to write where they have been, you will be able to read this information when you go to some of those same places.

I have been to 28 states (give or take a few) and 5 foreign countries. I saw the bull fights in Mexico; the Picasso Museum in Paris, France; the Archeology Museum in Florence, Italy and changed planes in Amsterdam. Even though I went to Rome, Florence is still my most favorite place in the whole wide world.

There is an interesting website for this book and music:

http://www.putumayo.com

Love, Gran’ma

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Friday Specials – Outdoor Art

Sculpture in Nashville

“Dragon Park”

Pedro D. Silva, sculptor came to Nashville, TN  to erect a large sculpture in Fannie Dees Park. He worked with community people of all ages to create mosaic tiles. When they were put together they formed a very large sea serpent. It is fondly called the Dragon or “Dragon Park.”

The TN Arts Commission received a grant in 1980 from the U.S. Dept. of Education (ESSA) to provide artists in the schools. The first artist hired was Mr. Silva who worked with the Eakin Elementary School children and staff.  The Fannie Dees Park was  conveniently adjacent to the school permitting him to accept the challenge.

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From my Journal

Image via Wikipedia

Childhood home of Jacqueline Bouvier

One Special Summer

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Catching up

Gone fishin’ photo by B. W. Harwell

If you missed the prose and the poetry posts, it was due to a few days of travel The trip provided new insights, new energy and a wide-eyed amazement at the beauty of our country. Travel to the Atlantic Ocean and you are reassured that the tides are moving in and out, even when no one is there to observe. One of the most pristine beaches is Brant Beach, Long Beach, NJ. An island resting between the bay and the ocean. It has a lighthouse on one end (Barnegat Lighthouse) with a walkway and nature paths. Black boulders touched with bright green moss protect both the boats and the land. Take the time to marvel at the rose hips and the variation of colors.

The houses are not typical seaside architecture but offer enough different styles to keep the photographer busy. The annual Chowda contest is said to draw 10,000 visitors. Daddy-O’s may not have won last year (2010) or this year – but got our votes for its creamy version of clam chowder. It is both nice and sad that so many houses had for sale signs in the front yards.

A few hours away, the town of Englewood, NJ offers a pretty business street in the center of town. The Tea Cafe was an intimate meeting place with WI-FI and tasty food. Streets are lined with great old trees. If you are lucky, you may get a glimpse of Gloria Swanson’s home.

Fly into Newark airport on Continental Express and rent a car. You will return home with all kinds of plans. Just thinking about it when the snow is on the ground will be as good as being there.

Who knew?

Each person attending the preview party for the UNCF Auction would receive a copy if the Swann book, African American Fine Art. published October 6, 2011. ( http://www.SwannGalleries.com)  It is a very informative and beautiful book detailing the works of African American artists. Also it was a very generous gift.  Thanks.

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Saving History or Trash

One person’s trash may be someone’s treasure. (from an old saying)

The town histories available on the Internet Archives free website provide valuable information about the early times in this country. They describe  the difficulties in settling areas. The natural  beauty of the hills and rivers had to be balanced with the ability to feed and provide security for the families. They read as easily and as wonderfully as current biographies.

The pamphlet about  Cornwall, CT

"Lookout Vista

explains both the ways in which the settlers and the Indian tribes cooperated as well as the circumstances that tore them apart. The minutes of the first meetings to divide the land, organize the leadership, plan for schools and churches are mentioned in such a way that you know the individuals and their strengths and weaknesses. You understand the reason for starting schools for the Indians, who were considered as undesirables. Intrigue happens when love comes to Cornwall. And unrest develops between  the churches when war (Revolutionary War) and greed arise.

We also are told when the documents no longer exist because someone took or destroyed them. We are grateful for what remained and for the effort the authors took to preserve them along with interpretations of events.

Prepare to spend hours of delightful reading. If you are traveling, take the time to stop at some of these off the road places. See the covered bridges and the hills mentioned in these old town histories. Much of the beauty remains and the people will welcome your visit.

Who knew?

It is easy to put together  your own collections of papers in attractive hard or soft covers. There are still the ways of making books in as complicated a manner you are talented enough to do.  Materials are available at art supply companies, both stores and online. You can invest as much or as little. Artists and journal-keepers are altering books as a recycling and artistic endeavor.

Make a collection of related materials  (drawings, notes, instructions, etc.) as a way of keeping them safe. It says to you and those who come after  “I thought these were worth saving.” The binding machines sold as a craft project are efficient and the covers attractive. Several types of covers and costs are available to choose from. The cheaper ones also come in bright colors to delight and suggest subject matter.

What to save is a personal decision. Letter writing is quickly becoming a lost art and so a bound volume of grandmother’s letters could be a choice. Grandfathers seemed to have that flowing cursive as beautiful as a Turner painting. Most of us can not afford to have the Turner but a book of beautiful penmanship should be preserved.

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Upper atmosphere research satellite

Looking up at the innocent night sky, I wonder where is the 600+ pound chunk of unwanted space junk? The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) has served the purpose it was designed for. It flew first class on the shoulders of the space shuttle Discovery in 1991. No passport was needed. No government identification with a photo was requested. There was no charge for excess baggage. It travelled miles and sky-years that no person on earth has travelled.

In 2005, NASA declared it defunct. It could have stayed above circling around in the sea of junk left by space travel, following its own purposes, until it tired. Then it might have slipped under its own weight down into the atmosphere, to its end.

That bright and reflective, complicated piece of machinery had its own vision. It did as it was told but flying at a high speed, imagination took hold. No longer working long hours, spinning through galaxies nor sending information back to earth, the big idea came †o it. “I will just tumble along and see what interests me up here.”

NASA decided it was better for it to make the decisions about its own satellite. It would bring it down slowly and not listen to the desires of a defunct satellite. After all, it was programmed to have a definite life-cycle by NASA and it could be changed by NASA.

And so the UARS is tumbling at speeds over 500 miles per hour to connect with earth. The number of pieces and their weight on entry have been determined using all of the available technology and brains available. The largest of piece will weigh 330 lbs. “Chances are that no person will be hit. There will
be a warning.” The exact day and time cannot be determined until its path is seen. But it is coming.
And it will be exciting for the satellite is deciding where and how its journey will end.

Follow details:
http://wp.me/p1P35l-4Z

Who knew?
Trees could be grown, like tomatoes, upside down.

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