Category: Uncategorized

On the 15th day after Juneteenth, we out here! That is it. Those are the words. That is the post.

It took me years to start a blog because I didn’t want it to be one of those ones with no new entries and always in need of a refresh. Well! The first few years were good, then the posts slowed to a trickle and now here we are, almost at the end of the year and I’m just posting my second entry. And 2024 was a year! I was too busy living it to write about it 😉. It may be a while before I’m prolific again, but I’m firmly in the “something is better than nothing” camp. Hopefully the posts are worthwhile even if they’ve become few and far between.

I was torn about whether to go back and finish an old piece to post or focus on the one that’s been percolating this last week. You’ll see soon 😁. One of the books I’m currently using for blog notes was gifted to me eons ago by my friend Grace-Anne and is called The Traveller’s Companion. It’s of course a travel journal and you can guess why it was a great gift for me. Fittingly, I’m scribbling in it while on my latest adventure, staying on a floor called Adventure. Is the universe speaking to me or what?!

As I sometimes do, I started writing in this note book at the front, then started a different set of notes from the back page and now I’m down to my last few pages. The journal is interspersed with interesting quotes, like “life is unchartered territory. It reveals one moment at a time,” attributed to Leo Buscaglia. As I read that, I thought of one from my ride yesterday “time is the only currency you will ever spend without knowing the balance” (Tunde O). My two cents? Spend life/time wisely, adventurously, meaningfully, joyfully!

Two Marathons

Marathons in Bim and in my current backyard bookended 2024 (sort of). I’ve written before about the Colin Hudson Memorial Great Train Hike (it’s meant to be around 24 miles, not a marathon, but miss a turn off…) as well as hiking in my current backyard. I completed the train hike mid-February and from October to December, the Santa Clarita Challenge.

I first did the Great Train Hike in 2003, the inaugural year, missed many years, then did it again in 2020. In July last year I did 10ish miles of it with a group of friends to show them that side of Bim and did the full hike again this February. The experience of the train is different every time – mentally, emotionally, physically – though a constant is remembering hiking with Colin. One major difference is the fact that was originally done in June but long since moved to February, to benefit from cooler temperatures. Another big change is while the hike officially starts at 6 am, many participants start long before that time, starting as early as midnight (again I’m told, to take advantage of cooler temperatures).

This past February, there were very few people left to start at 6 am. This initially bothered me and I wondered if many of the early start hikers even cared about why it was called the Colin Hudson Memorial. Was it simply some intense exercise for them? Just another hike challenge? As I reflected on my last few experiences of the train hike, I wondered if I should even do it again. After all, my big toe nails are almost back to normal (finally!), my time constraints, make it complicated to train for a hike marathon, and mid-February is not the most convenient time for me to do a long-haul trip. But the importance of the hike for me is not about other people or the inconveniences. Rather, it’s about my friend Colin and the fact that he had a significant impact on my life. So maybe there are more Great Train Hikes left in me, whether hiking the full train line from Bridgetown to Belleplaine or only a segment. Time will tell.

So that was the first bookend. The second bookend marathon was very different with the 26.2 miles done over 8 days in my other backyard. There’s a story. Of course there’s a story, there’s always a story. What had happened was… I did four 5Ks this year. The first three were not local. After the third one, I figured I should do the one that’s in my backyard. I’d done it before (running alone during COVID) but never with others.

In my search for info about this year’s 5K event (Santa Clarita Marathon series), I happened upon the Santa Clarita Hiking Challenge – hike a marathon along trails in Newhall Pass Open Space between mid-September to December 31^st. Hmmm. Hike and challenge. In my backyard. How could I resist?

I discovered the challenge early October but couldn’t start until later in the month. That would still be enough time to knock out 26.2. As with the Colin Hudson Memorial in February, where Harry and Ras tag-teamed so I would have company along the entire train line, I also had friends with me for this one. Thanks to Jennetta, Teri, and Jessica, I only did one mile of the Santa Clarita hiking marathon challenge on my own. Solo hiking is fine, but hiking with my sisters and friends is a lot more fun.

Another happy part of doing this challenge – I found out that one of my former grad students is the city’s outdoor coordinator and managed this challenge. It was lovely to catch up with Sean over tea, discussing the challenge and other outdoor opportunities. I look forward to doing more with the city in 2025.

According to Hike Santa Clarita “the Newhall Pass Open Space was once a proposed 550 acre multiuse development. Partnering with the Trust for Public Land, and other state and regional agencies, the City was able to complete the purchase of all 540 acres of the former development in March 2016. This area is a critical wildlife corridor that allows animals to safely migrate through their habitat area.” Prior to the marathon challenge I had hiked Wildwood Canyon and McHaddad trails. Gates Trail is my favourite of the new ones. Today as I was writing this, I realized that Jennetta and I could complete the marathon as one of our trifectas. I can see that happening in 2025.

Here’s how my 26.26 miles in 2024 Newhall Pass Open Space challenge went down. I did the challenge in 8 days between October 20 and December 22, fitting hikes in between 3 out of town trips, a big conference, the Santa Clarita 5K, other fun events, and WORK (since I’m not yet independently wealthy). A few of the trails start at the same trailhead.

Upper and Lower Northwest Passage – 3 miles

Wildwood Canyon Trail – 6 miles

Wildwood Canyon & Peach Motorway – 2.15 miles

Heritage Trail – 4.19 miles

Pine Street Trail – 2.89 miles

Wildwood Canyon Trail – 1.2 miles

McHaddad Trail – 3.5 miles

Gates Trail – 3.33 miles

Can you tell Gates Trail was my favourite? This is probably the least used of the trails done in this marathon. We saw no one while we hiked and parts of the trail were like grave yards for trees, with the burnt remnants of many trees, some with green plant life growing around them. It was haunting, surreal, and beautiful all at the same time.

Now on to the next post. How soon will it be published? Only time will tell 😆.

And California native plants. And water conserving plants. And wildflowers. And trees. And my backyard. That is all. 😊

I’m not religious but I believe in something ‘other’, something greater than me (whatever various religions or believers may call it), because look at nature. Human beings certainly didn’t create our natural world; we’re still trying to figure it out. To the best of our knowledge about 5-30 million species exist on earth, but we’ve only described about 2 million of them. We have a lot of work left to do. If you’ve read any of my previous posts, my immediate segue into nature or comparison with our natural environment should not surprise you. True to form, here comes another one. Two ways in which we describe the natural world, is to talk about the web of life (not just a food chain) and ecosystems. Those concepts apply to human beings as well, and similarly we talk about villages and communities and the connections therein.

This post is not about travel (unless you contextualize travel as thoughts and relationships through time and bridging continents) nor will it have many photos. It’s about a particular village, a community and a reflection on how actions, though seemingly minor, can have long-lasting impacts.

Getting back to where I started (as much as such a thing is possible), I’m not religious and I seldom go to church, but I try very hard to live in a ‘certain way’ and that ‘way’ rests in large part on how I was raised. In my blog posts I frequently allude to my family and friends who are family. Sometimes I share a detail or two, often it’s a mention, but I felt the urge today to write about a group of special friends and tell them thanks. Thanks, because they have been positive influences in my life in innumerable ways. Influences that I have taken for granted or not even recognized.

Today is the birthday of one such friend and as I was sending him birthday wishes, it struck me that I had never thanked him for being the role model that he has been for me for most of my life. So, I told him. Then I started to think about childhood and teenage friends and how they have factored into me being the person that I am (blame them if you will 😊) and am becoming; because let’s face it, if we’re lucky, it means that who we are today, is not exactly who we will be tomorrow. We should always be learning, growing, evolving, manifesting, becoming … the best version of our selves. The person I am today, felt the need to pay tribute to these friend- and other kinds of ships.

Usually, when I talk about my family, I acknowledge their love, support, value of education, hard work, determination, innovativeness, striving for more, dreams, etc.. From my family I learned and copied these characteristics, but it wasn’t only from family. I saw these and other characteristics mirrored by my family’s friends and by my friends and their families. All of these people have been role models and/or mentors forever. They were my village, my community, long before I knew what community meant.

Growing up, I went to two churches: a Nazarene church that is walking distance from my childhood home and an Anglican church that is a bit further away. The latter is where I had most of my church experiences from age 9 until my late 20s. I remember both churches very fondly and know that my years in church helped to mould me in ways from which I continue to benefit and rely on as I navigate life.

Church, St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church to be precise, by way of Sunday mass, Sunday school, youth group, the Anglican Young People’s Association (AYPA) and more, was central to a particular community of friends/role models/mentors. These people were so integrated in the fabric of my community that their impacts could (and did) easily go unacknowledged. The deeper aspects of these relationships are the parts we seldom notice or take stock of as we are experiencing them. As a child, teenager, and adult in my early 20s, I was certainly happy to be around all of these people, but the understanding of what they represented and the weighty roles they played in those years, would take a lot more introspection. With age comes wisdom, or something along those lines. Hopefully we all have the benefit of similar relationships and the opportunity to recognize them, reflect on them, appreciate them, and give voice to them as I’m doing today.

When you’re young, age is distorted. A 2-3 year age difference seems big, a 5-10 year gap is huge, and a 20-30 year one is a gulf. I think that’s the age continuum (yes I like that concept, therefore I use it regularly; black-shades of grey-white, all of that) for those in my church community who most influenced me. At St. Bart’s I had friends in my age group, some 2-3 years older, and others a bit older. I also had my aunt’s and cousin’s friends, my honorary aunts and uncles. In addition to Sunday school, youth group, and AYPA, I had the altar servers group, though I was never a server, but my sister and cousin were. Hmmm, I basically followed those two (or led them … perspective) everywhere. I think Harry and Ras have friends from school who still don’t know that I didn’t go to their secondary school, because I was always at their fetes and reunions. But I digress.

In my church community I saw disagreements between adults that didn’t involve curse words or brawls. I had meaningful conversations with adults who didn’t make me feel like I was too young to have worthwhile thoughts. From my godfather who was also one of my Sunday school teachers, I learned tricks to remember passages and numbers. By example and conversation, he also taught me (though to this day I still don’t always follow) about eating healthy, not over eating, not wasting food. I called him by his first name, which was unusual, but it was never done disrespectfully, it was just something I did. He recognized and acknowledged that. He is one of the people I respected most. My godmother, who I’ve talked about in another post, was a role model at church and at school. I lucked out on godparents. I’m also sure that my mother chose them because of their roles in church, school, and our community.

My older friends and role models not only reinforced what I learned at home, but modeled it. I saw my friends go from secondary school, to community college, and university. Some worked part-time or full-time jobs while studying; others, full-time jobs after graduating. I saw them become “successful” at home and abroad, by societal standards and by their own. Some of these friends are public servants, others engage in voluntary public service and have done so for decades. Some have stayed involved in the church; others like me have not, but continue to live by tenets of doing good, treating people with respect, being kind, and so on.

I saw how my aunt Jenny and cousin Cheryl interacted with their friends from church. How those friends were like a part of our family and called my grandmother ‘mum’ or ‘Dor’. These people are still their friends today, despite the thousands of physical miles that separate them. I still think of them my aunts and uncles.

I’ve discussed the value of church and the community we had there with my cousin B, who is also not religious, but like me, believes that our church changed our lives for the better. I’ve also had similar conversations with another friend during our catch ups when I’m home. Though St. Bart’s is in a very distinctive location, and the physical structure holds meaning for me (ask me about finding peace in its graveyard) it’s not hard for me to separate the church I grew up in from the structure that housed it. The church was the people with whom I built ships: friendships, mentorships, relationships (that biblical/sea/fishing analogy is happenstance not intention). Yes they participated in the rituals, taught me the gospels and the new testament, witnessed my confirmation, and so on, but they also taught me a lot more (patience, calm, the need to seek peace …).

I haven’t even gotten to the social side of church. We had a lot of fun. Perhaps yet another reason why I have remained connected to various friends from that time in my life. Also, as we’ve gotten less young, 2-3 years is no longer a big difference, 5-10 years not huge, and 20-30, while still significant, is less gulf-like, and more like a small gully. So reconnecting and maintaining friendships have fewer restrictions now.

I know that as a child and teenager, I was not privy to much of adult life; that was as it should be. Even as an adult there is a lot that goes on in relationships between others that is known only by those in the relationship. Again, that is as it should be. So I know that my friends, role models and mentors were not saints, or even saint-like (and I certainly may be closer to the other end of that continuum). We’re all fallible and have our foibles, but none of us need to be saints to be decent human beings. I’m just grateful that I had many relationships outside of my family, with a group of people that I can still look to and appreciate. How many of us can say that?

This post is a shout to my people from the St. Bart’s community (some still with us, some who have left us), who are my friends, role models, mentors, or some combination thereof. Thank you! I appreciate you. I am blessed that you are or were a part of my life.

Thora, Elridge, Richard, Roy, Andi, Merlene, Harriette, Raphael, Mr. Best, Collis, Rosina, Corliss, Horace (II), Selvin, Virgie, Jean, Kelvin, Paul, Dale, Madge, Euclid, Jenny S.

If your name is not on that list, though you’re on the 2-30 year continuum and a part of my St. Bart’s community, know that it’s not an exhaustive list. My excuse is that I wrote this post while I was cooking – something I’m still not fond of and do infrequently, because it requires too much attention that I could be paying to something else. That is my excuse, give me some grace 😇.

I periodically think of the relationships I’ve had and continue to have with members of the St. Bart’s community. I reflect on how I looked at these individuals when I was younger and saw, even then, how I could behave, connect, achieve, and overcome adversity and humble beginnings to become someone better. Through them, I saw the type of person I could aspire to become. Did they impact me, my life? They still do.

What’s an island girl to do when home is calling? Find a way to answer the call! 😁🍹

I’ve been longing for the sea, but not just any sea, the Caribbean Sea. The longing was not about relaxing or swimming in balmy waters. It was more about seeing it everywhere I turned, feeling its presence. Digging my feet in the sand as the sea water laps around my ankles. Seeing its vast expanse as I eat. Watching the waves and ripples. Smelling the salt in the air. Looking at the various shades of blue and guessing which spot of water would be cold or warm, shallow or deeper.

I can’t fully explain the longing, but for the last week I felt like I could finally breathe deeply again. My breaths were actually different, more effortless. More relaxed, more unburdened. Maybe that was more mental than physiological, but it’s been 10 months since I was last in the region and the way I feel now is surely a sign that I shouldn’t let another 10 months pass before I head back home for another dose of renewal and reconnection.

I started to feel this need to be by the sea in August. Perhaps I was missing Cropover and home a lot more than I realized and my soul was expressing itself through a longing for the sea. Perhaps six months away is my limit. Maybe it’s a newly formed anxiety about another long stretch of time away from Barbados and the Caribbean (because 2 years away were hard to bear). It’s hard to forget that period of time from March 2020 to January 2022 when I didn’t physically touch anywhere in the Caribbean. The longest time in my life that I’ve been away from the region. I know it’s not just about being away from Bim. Wherever I land in the Caribbean I am able to renew/refresh/reconnect. The Caribbean is in my bones; in my soul; in my very being.

So back to August when this longing kicked in. I envisioned spending some time by the sea where I could sit and reconnect, or write, or stroll or do anything, as long as I was by the sea. I tried it in Ventura for labour day weekend at the beginning of September. I had a lovely time and it helped, but it didn’t fix the problem. Then once the fall semester got going, I had a lot more to keep me busy. That also helped, but the yearning for my Caribbean didn’t go away.

In early November I was offered the opportunity to facilitate a virtual course as part of a festival tourism accelerator programme for participants throughout the Caribbean. My engagement in this course over a 6-week period, ramped back up my longing for home. The participants were practitioners working with a range of festivals across the region and they inadvertently did an excellent job of reminding me of what I was missing by being away (NB, I didn’t need reminders). Then on the final day of class, before the session started a few of us were chatting about Junkanoo and it was too much. I decided right then I was going home – to the Bahamas that is – for Junkanoo.

That was December 6^th. On Christmas eve I boarded a flight for Nassau. Two weeks may seem like a lot of time to decide on a trip and make it happen. Two weeks before #BackOnBay, the first Junkanoo since 2019? Not so much. Getting to Nassau was not the problem, finding a good place to stay in Nassau was. The last time I went to Nassau for Junkanoo was 2015/2016 (Junkanoo takes place Boxing Day and New Year’s Day) and I’d been looking for a hotel from October. So you can appreciate what it was like to do it just two weeks before the event. It cost more than I wanted to spend. The location was great but the hotel was not ideal (the hotel staff were tops though). I reconnected in multiple ways: with place, friends (on island and across the region), the natural environment, the Caribbean Sea, culture (Bahamian and regional), food and beverages, industry, research (I can’t always turn off my brain), and more. It. Was. Worth. Every. Penny.

There is a sentinel on an islet close to Junkanoo Beach. That sentinel, a lighthouse on a slip of land felt like a beacon to me, as if it had beckoned me and then lit my way back to Nassau. I don’t recall noticing it on any previous trip. Maybe I’ve seen it before, but wasn’t as drawn to it as I was during this visit. Other than Junkanoo, I probably took more photos of that lighthouse than anything else during the week I was there. Imagine what tales that lighthouse could tell. It stands in a position to witness much of what happens along that coast of New Providence Island. It certainly witnessed my reconnection to the waters of the Caribbean Sea.

I didn’t do a whole lot last week. In fact, I stayed on pacific time and because I wasn’t working on this trip I was basically like a vampire, the folks at the front desk saw me late afternoon and onward, usually close to sunset. The one time they saw me in the morning was the day I left. I didn’t go to any of my research sites. I didn’t go sightseeing. It just wasn’t that kind of trip. I rested well; went over the street to the beach in the late afternoons and to the Tiki Bikini Hut Restaurant; walked around Bay Street during Junkanoo set up on Boxing Day and on one other day; and went to Junkanoo.

On my last night I went to a party with friends. We went around midnight and stayed until 4ish … good times and reminiscent of very good times. It was as if the DJs were playing just for me: old dub, dance hall and reggae (no soca, but I didn’t hold it against them because I’d heard it all week on the beach 😊), and the company of my friends who have changed, yet at the same time remain the same. Unfortunately, I left Nassau on Old Year’s, so I missed one friend’s NYE fete. I also missed seeing another friend, but we’re already making plans to fix that.

An aside. Even when I’m truly on vacay, my mind is never quite at rest. It’s hard to “shutdown” when I travel for vacation because travel and tourism have been my profession for so long. Throw in the social scientist in me and I come up with some mental deliberations that sometimes stay in my head and sometimes make me reach out to friends for some stimulating conversations. That happened on this trip and my Madhouse crew basically told me to stop thinking and relax, but we did have a great chat about tourist arrivals, types of tourists, etc. However, before I reached out to them about my research ruminations, I came up with this gem: I am a Cohobblopot. I’ll get to that after we Dance to the Junkanoo.

Dance to the Junkanoo

Why Junkanoo? What makes it so special? A few things. For me, great memories are often tied to a coalescence of timing, event/activity, and people – essentially, being in the right place and the right time with the right people. I have great memories of Nassau/New Providence Island because the aforementioned elements coalesced there to form them. My roommates from Nassau are still my very good friends today. The five of us don’t see each other often as a group, but we keep in touch. It’s them who told me last week to relax and turn off my brain 😁. Plus I got a light telling off for going to Nassau on vacay without them. It was last minute!😇 I’m actually messaging with them while finishing up this post. I also have Bahamian friends that I’ve stayed in contact with and try to connect with every time I visit (CF the partying til 4 am).

I was pre-disposed to at least like the Bahamian celebration of Junkanoo because of my wonderful memories of other things Bahamian. Like Nassau, Junkanoo is special to me because of a coalescence of factors. Junkanoo has its roots in slavery and is celebrated in a few countries in the Caribbean. Junkanoo in the Bahamas is the most well-known. In fact, it is globally renown. It is said that the enslaved were given a few days off around Christmas and their celebrations during those days were the foundation for Junkanoo (Saunders, 2003). Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are the days when it is usually celebrated in the Bahamas, though there’s also a summer celebration in which children and youth are central.

On Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, Junkanoo starts at midnight, my kinda time. It’s an awesome display of creativity, craftmanship, artistry, colour, vibrance musicianship (especially with the cowbells, you can guess why my video is sometimes shaky), stamina (they carry the floats, they’re not on trucks), etc.. Group (not band) members paste their own costumes and this can be a year-round activity. You can’t simply go to a group shack and buy a costume to join the parade.  I love that!

Tourists are welcome to participate in the main events, but usually as observers. Last week at the Boxing Day parade there were few obvious tourists around, but there was a sea of Bahamians engaged in and enjoying their culture. This was one of the topics during a very stimulating conversation with my taxi driver on the way to airport on the day I left.

In cultural-heritage tourism, we analyze authenticity of experiences and products. When I think about Junkanoo as I’ve experienced it (in terms of costuming, participation, etc.), the authenticity score is high. But of course, that is the perspective of an outsider observing. A conversation with their cultural gatekeepers would undoubtedly yield different perspectives.

I love the thought that goes into theming and creating the brilliance I’ve seen on parade during Junkanoo, though for one particular big group, my friends were very disappointed and wondered what depth of thought, if any, had gone into their preparation. “They had two years and this is what they came up with?!” Trust me, the comments were actually not that banal, they were as colourful as the costumes 🤣. When the parade is in full swing, the atmosphere is ‘lit’, literally and figuratively. It pulses and thrums. The spectators in the bleachers move as if they too have choreographed their performances (again, if my video is a bit shaky, know that I still remember how to move, even though it’s been 6 years 😉).

I love that revelers “rush” in full costume for 2-3 circuits of Bay Street and its environs that constitute the parade route, so though the event starts at midnight, it lasts well beyond sunrise on the day. I’ve been to Junkanoo three times. This last time, the Boxing Day iteration was postponed from 12 am to 6 pm on that day because of the heavy rain forecast (it rained nonetheless). I arrived around 6:30 pm and the first group got to my location just after 7 pm. I left after 3 am the next day and that was just the end of the first circuit. Hopefully you get the picture.

Some of the bigger, more well-known groups are The Valley Boys, Saxons, The Roots and One Family (winner for A groups for both Boxing Day (deservedly so from what I saw) and New Year’s Day parades). Within each group there are different types of costumes and floats, with musicians playing live as they rush. They’re also sections of each group that perform choreographed dances. These and other elements are judged at different points along the parade route.

Highlights of One Family Warriors who won the Boxing Day Parade

The Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades are separate competitions and the floats, costumes, etc. are not repeated. Each competition is in two categories: A (big groups) and B (small groups). The people I chatted with during the parade couldn’t give me cut off numbers for the groups. There are also groups that are called scrappers, but are likely more in keeping with how Junkanoo groups were many years ago. I love the rivalry amongst the groups, especially the big groups. I also love that children and teenagers are able to rush with these groups.

One aspect of this event that I saw a lot of during last week’s parade and did not like, was how the media sometimes blocked the route and prevented a group from moving. They also tended to walk through some B groups and scrappers as if those groups were not important.

Here’s a catchall to remind that most of Junkanoo was excellent!

Another downside to Junkanoo that I’ve experienced is the sometimes lengthy period between the groups rushing. It’s understandable given the size of some of the floats, but still. Of course there are DJs and other entertainment during these sessions. I like the deejaying, the other entertainment (like hoop competitions), not so much. During one of the interludes I heard some old and new Bahamian music. The following tune is one of my favourites from the old ones.

A high note before rushing to the Pot. If I heard the announcer correctly, some years ago this group was the one that introduced a full brass section to the parade.

I am a Cohobblopot

One of the basic concepts in the study of tourism is the definition of a tourist. A typical definition looks at distance travelled (50/60 miles or more), time stayed (overnight, more than 24 hours), and activities during the stay. We look at international tourists (e.g. travelling from Barbados to the Bahamas or from California to the Bahamas) vs domestic tourists (travelling from Cat Island in the Bahamas to Nassau, New Providence, also in the Bahamas). Then there are typologies of tourists: ecotourist, cultural-heritage tourist, adventure tourist, diasporic tourist, etc..

In tourism studies we also categorize tourists as short-stay (a few days) vs long-stay (over a week); short-haul vs long-haul. For the sake of the natural environment, the long-stay/long-haul combination is preferred. A critical concept is visitor spend and the effect of how tourist spending generates economic activity; simplified, how many times a dollar spent by a tourist circulates through the local economy (multiplier effect). So it’s particularly important that tourists spend money locally and that there is local ownership of tourism businesses and services.

In some countries in the Caribbean, we refer to people as being from ‘foreign’, meaning from other countries, typically North America and Europe. So, tourists are from foreign. Consequently there is this notion of tourists being foreigners or strangers.

During one of my days relaxing at the beach (I think), I tried to develop a typology for me and answer the question, am I a tourist in Nassau, in the Bahamas? My response was no, I am not just a tourist, I am a Cohobblopot. This is akin to how my friend Andrew is a tourism pracademic vs a tourism professional or academic, but that’s a tangent for another day. I’ve categorized myself as a Cohobblopot because I’m too many things to be just a tourist. Here’s why:

• I travelled over 2,500 miles from Los Angeles to Nassau (long-haul trip). I stayed for 7 nights (longish-stay). My primary purpose for the visit was to experience Junkanoo and I also engaged in other activities. I did not do any work for which I was paid locally, but I certainly spent money in Nassau. By definition I am a tourist, more specifically, a cultural-heritage tourist. However,
• I’m not from foreign and I’m not a stranger. Although, I’m not Bahamian, I studied in the Bahamas for two years (students are not categorized as tourists) and have visited many times since then. I have a connection to the country, especially Nassau, that a simple visitor would not have.
• I have research sites in the Bahamas and I’ve been conducting research there since 2015. Much longer than that if I consider lived experiences and how those have influenced my research.
• There is kinship with the Bahamas. The country is a part of the Caribbean and is part of CARICOM (Caribbean Community). We have shared ancestry and historic relationships. I’m a Barbadian and Caribbean national. Though I’m not currently residing in the Caribbean, those facts do not change.
• I am a part of the Caribbean diaspora and therefore, a Caribbean diasporic tourist.
• I am a Caribbeanist and I feel at home in the Bahamas (does that count?).
• Interestingly enough, when my paternal grandmother migrated to the US, she did so via the Bahamas. I don’t know how long she stayed there before moving on the US. I have a familial connection to the Bahamas.

I am a Cohobblopot . You’ll need to visit Barbados for a deeper understanding of that word, but to provide a frame for understanding why it is suitable to describe my typology and since I’m talking about types, definitions and so on, I’ll help a bit. A cohobblopot is a pot-pourri or “a brew of things” (Barbados Pocket Guide). It was the term that the enslaved in Barbados used for “a stew with a variety of ingredients” (Collymore, 1970). It is similar to what Harrichellette Rawlins calls “wha dey, wha dey” food – whatever is available goes into the pot or becomes part of the meal. As an event, Cohobblopot was the penultimate major event and one of the highlights of Barbados’ Cropover Festival for almost 40 years. It was an extravaganza that included the Kings and Queens of the bands competition, along with a showcase of the best of the entertainment acts from the current and previous festivals.

When I considered my “findings” about being categorized as merely a tourist, Cohobblopot was the word that first came to mind to capture my type. I hadn’t had any Kalik … yet. The word just fit. While it is rich with symbolism and depth, it is also nuanced. Barbados is the only place I’ve ever heard Cohobblopot used, yet I’m using it to describe myself in the context of being a tourist, or not, in the Bahamas. I think anyone who was at Junkanoo on Boxing Day would give me a bligh, after all, the group that won was One Family, and the tune they were kicking was Togetherness by the Bajan band Square One.

This concept of Cohobblopot as a typology is worthy of further study and therefore requires additional trips to the Bahamas to collect more data. Such data would then need to be refined and analyzed, perhaps necessitating additional trips to the Bahamas for further data collection. I’ll then need to triangulate my findings … back to the Bahamas. Since I’m a Caribbeanist, and feel similarly at home in various countries across the region, I’d have to test the typology across the region. I’m sure you get the drift. Academics and pracademics have received research funding for less sound research ideas. Since I’ll need to make tracks to the Caribbean in about 6 months for a top up on renewal and reconnection with the Caribbean Sea, the final questions to ponder are where next should I collect data on my Cohobblopot typology and who can I get to fund this research?

Uh gone! Back tuh de islands!

#IslandGirl
#CaribbeanLust
#BackOnBay
#itsbetterintheBahamas

Bim, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnet 43). Well I really can’t count the ways, but I’m going to highlight one for each year I’ve been away.

Bim, I love you more than …

1. De Barbados green monkey love crops they neither sow nor grow
2. Gorg want tuh keep drinks coming … wid no chaser
3. I love Bajan cussing and consider it an underrated artform
4. A coconut cooler
5. Sugar cakes, tamarind balls and guava cheese
6. A rum shop cheese cutter
7. Mars barring Puff on his bicycle
8. My aunt’s cou-cou and flying fish (without slush)
9. I love hiking and hiking on de Rock
10. Annie’s macaroni pie
11. Ras loves music, Harry loves gardening and B is easy like a Sunday morning
12. S-Bend pepper sauce
13. Sunset on the west coast
14. A recycling bin, an LED bulb, a low-flush toilet, and a solar panel
15. Bajans love rum and pork, and Kadooment
16. Fat porks, cashews, sea grapes, dunks, and tambrinds
17. Hard Wine, Ruff Wuk, A Brekin’ A Slow Wine, Head Gone, Ladies Rule, Tequila, W.I. Cultuh, Benup, Culture, Volcano, Ragga Ragga, I Want a Plantation … Let me just say Bajan soca and calypso
18. Heaven on Earth by De Opels
19. Auntie Jenny’s fishcakes
20. Miami beach on a hot day … And a few extras because I miss you and 20 just aren’t enough 😁
21. Roast corn
22. Azizah’s jewelry
23. My batik wrap shorts that are over 20 years old … that I wear every single time I’m in Bim 🤣
24. Liming
25. My fountain pen …
26. Hendy loved his gutter perk and Slade aka Tony loved his roller
27. A cream soda
28. Views of the east coast
29. Cassava pone
30. Oistins Library

Bim, How do I love thee? I could never count all the ways, but here are 56 more reasons why 😊.

More than anything else, no matter how far I roam, Bim-Barbados will always mean home, family and friends 🥰.

Happy 56th birthday Barbados. Love Always, Mechelle 😘.

More about Bim

Yassssss!!! I finally experienced Costa Rica! What bliss!

I’ll happily share my experience with you but it would of course be better for you to experience it yourself. How else would you sit on the verandah of Daniel South’s chocolate farm and take a deep inhale as you look out over the lush greenery (including a mammee apple tree) that surrounds you? How else would you would stand under a sea almond tree, watching the two-toed sloth in its branches, while reminiscing about eating almonds and sea grapes and fat porks at the beach as a child in Barbados? How else would you meet Karla, the best interpreter/naturalist/culturalist I’ve met in over 35 years of international travel? How else would you have that special opportunity to witness a country that is internalizing ‘sustainability’ and wielding it as a verb – as ongoing action, rather than admiring it as a static concept?

That fresh, cacao-scented air at Daniel’s, the nostalgia of growing up in the Caribbean, the common ancestral memories, drinking lemongrass tea at Don Juan’s Organic Farm, and more, are expressions of the interconnections, inextricability, and importance, of our natural and cultural heritage. They epitomize what this Costa Rican experience was for me.

After years of studying and teaching about this amazing country, I was finally able to immerse myself in its bounty, though for too short a time. It was humbling and glorious. I was at home in the Costa Rican ‘Caribbean’ though seeing it for the first time and it was magnificent!

In the next few (or six) blog posts I’ll share more thoughts, maybe some sounds, and many, many photos. At the end, I think you’ll understand why I hope this trip was just the first of many in-person interactions with Costa Rica. I plan to return, maybe you’ll join me on the next adventure.

So … talk about a smorgasbord of delight. Where to start? How to choose what to share? How many posts? How much research to do? Photo dump? Educational commentary? Edutainment? Interpretation? I was thinking of all of this and more during various bus rides from site to site. I still have no definitive idea, so I’m jumping in. Wha dey, wha dey! Just kidding (kinda). I’m going to do a brief intro, to get you situated (aka sort out my thoughts).

So you’ve never heard for Costa Rica?! Here’s a quick rundown (not ‘rondon’, but I’ll get to that). Costa Rica is in Central America, sharing its northern border with Nicaragua and its southern border with Panama. Its east coast is the Caribbean Sea and its west coast the Pacific Ocean. It’s known for disbanding its army in 1948 and instead investing in public education and health. Costa Rica ranks high on the World Happiness Index, depending on the source, as high as 16th in 2021. Its currency is the Costa Rican Colón (¢) – uno colón, dos colones.

Costa Rica’s population of approximately 4.89 million is diverse. Indigenous populations include the Bribri, Chorotega, Maleku, and Boruka. Descendants of formerly enslaved Africans and of Jamaican, Chinese, and Italian immigrants, among others, make up the rest of the population. In the natural world, Costa Rica is small but mighty, providing habitat for some 5% on the world’s biodiversity despite accounting for only 0.03 percent of its landmass. Some 30% of its territory is protected (and not because of tourism). If you know me you’ll appreciate that I smile whenever I think of this statistic, that is really so much more than a statistic.

With its abundance of natural resources (and my interest), you may have surmised that tourism is one of Costa Rica’s main economic drivers. Agriculture and manufacturing (e.g. of medical equipment) are others. Like many countries around the world, Costa Rica was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but recovery is ongoing (Information sources: visitcostarica.com; The World Bank; Costa Rica (N. Solano for Moon).

Did you guess that San José is the capital?

Did I whet your appetite? Are you ready for more? I’m not sure that 7 posts will suffice (I have to cover national parks and conservation; greening tourism; food and restaurants; guava, plantains, cassava, and gallo pinto; adult beverages; sorrel (flor de Jamaica, pronounced ha·mai·ka aka Hibiscus sabdariffa; red sorrel, Roselle) and tamarindo; The ‘Caribbean’; the hotels I want to stay in and the places I want to re/visit on my next trip; how I wish my extra day in Costa Rica had turned into an extra week or month …) but we shall see.

Next post coming soon. Pura Vida! 😊.

What’s a child of the 70s to do when Lionel and Sting both have residencies in Las Vegas? Work remotely 😁💃🏿.

This experience happened months ago and it took me this long to post because so much living happened since then. It’s going to be a short post because I have more living to do right now … 😊.

This was my first time traveling by plane since the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed my travels. I decided to fly rather than drive so I could use the trip to test the air travel experience of taking the Flyaway Bus to the airport, spending time in the airport, and then being on a plane. It’s ironic that in the boarding line for the bus (outdoors) the 6ft markers were on the pavement to remind passengers about social distancing, but there was no social distancing to be had on the bus.

I love Las Vegas and while the name alone may evoke pictures of casinos and bright lights, there is so much more to this City of Sin. I celebrated my 40th birthday here with some Thunder from Down Under 😉😇. I’ve seen Janet, Bruno, Lady Diana, Boys who have become Men, and many more. I’ve gone around the world with National Geographic. Solved a crime à la CSI. Played with the one-armed bandit, then pressed buttons to spin the wheels (a lot less fun than pulling the arm). Melted in the 100+ degree sun and bought my first and only ‘tourist cap’ to deal with it. Got caught up in the tide on the Strip. And more.

Vegas is a smorgasbord of food, drink, accommodations, attractions, entertainment, characters, sights, sounds, smells, etc.. Whatever suits your palate. You only have to choose. Last fall I chose Lionel, Sting, and The Conrad. This was my fourth time experiencing Lionel live, my third with Sting (first time with Sting as a solo act) and my first with The Conrad. I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes to another serving of Lionel and Sting, but The Conrad was a bit bland for my taste and there are many other offerings at the same price point.

It was opening night of Lionel’s residency since closing in 2020 because of the pandemic. And Sting was in the audience 😊. I loved the backdrops. Lionel deserved some shimmer, bling, and heels …

Lionel’s Performance …

Sting’s outfit lived up to his moniker and there was a bit of gold in mine to complement his … 😆

Sting’s Performance …

My one complaint about these experiences was that Lionel didn’t sing Lady, but on the upside, Sting sang Fields of Gold with entertaining commentary 😊.

Late February 2020 to mid-January 2022 was the longest period of time that I’ve spent away from home and without visiting anywhere in the Caribbean. In fact I can remember only year since 2004 that I didn’t go home, though I at least visited other “homes” in the Caribbean. As you can imagine, my recent reconnection with Bim was particularly special. It was needed. Long overdue. Much anticipated. Even better than I expected. And needless to say, not enough, though an initial 10 days became 19. People who know me well understand that I still think I live in Barbados, though I work elsewhere. That’s been my mantra for almost 20 years and probably still will be 20 years from now.

For the last two years I’ve missed my home. Yet, I didn’t realize until I got there how much my body, mind, and soul thirsted for it, needed to connect with it. Upon seeing “the rock” as we approached to land, I felt the deprivation keenly, to my bones. Not the deficit of a specific thing, but of everything. The totality of what makes Barbados my home, the place where my “naval string is buried.” On reflection I can see that that singular connection, the pull of my naval string, is akin to a female sea turtle’s connection to the place where she was born, evidenced through her innate ability to return to that place, irrespective of time and distance, to give life to new generations.  

I experienced so much joy in reconnecting with family, friends, places, spaces, food, land, smells, nature … Joy in living, laughing, loving … in just being, in the place that birthed and moulded me. I think every relative and friend who saw me, witnessed that joy. I have limited evidence to show you, just take me at my word.

The wellspring that created my joy included:

Ras & Harry picking me up at the airport

Seeing and spending time with my mom, aunts, uncles, cousins, good friends, and my brother from another mother. The hugs, love, dancing, laughter – so much and yet not enough ❤️.

My cousin Annie’s Macaroni pie, that she made specially for me. The tears she shed on seeing me for the first time and that tight hug that went on forever 🤗.

Cou-cou and saltfish, made by my eldest aunt Joyce 😋.

Dunks (Ziziphus mauritiana)
Cassava Pone; Sweet bread; Turnovers
Mauby (Sweet & Dandy … 🎶)

Cheese cutters with S-Bend pepper sauce (sometimes with fish, or turkey ham, even if I didn’t always remember to add either before eating half of the cutter 🤣).

Shirley biscuits; Teatimes (dead or alive); Ovaltine biscuits; Rusks.

Eclipse biscuits

Brown rum; white rum

Sugar cakes; Tamarind balls; Guava cheese

Cream soda

Coconut coolers

Roti (and doubles). Whose roti is the best? Lisa’s Doubles & Roti in Kendall Hill.

How the heck did I forget my mango chutney that Ras made and saved for me?! I’ll have to go back soon just to get it! 😁

Did I mention salt bread? Real salt bread, not the whole wheat stuff that it’s blasphemous to call salt bread.

Fishcakes made by Auntie Jenny and Annie, fresh from the pot.

Gifts from Cheryl that remind me she’s often thinking of me.

Sorrel (imported, but brewed by Ras, so delicious Bajan sorrel)

Mr. Dip/Choc Ice from the gas station (you had to be there 🤣🤣🤣). It wasn’t as tasty as two years ago and nostalgia can only do so much, so I didn’t return for seconds. I suggest a look back at the original Mr. Dip recipe

Sucking cane grown in my aunt’s yard. Peeling said cane with knife and teeth. All the while reminiscing about doing the same in the cane fields when we were children, as the adults cut and loaded cane.

Reminiscing. Bonding. Reconnecting.

Harrichellette Rawlins in the same space, place, and time. Our original space, despite the passage of time and in celebration of the passage of time (B, my brother-cousin, celebrating 50 not out 🎉 – my primary reason for going home). Being with this original crew and their loved ones who joined the fold. Connecting the past with the present. The constant with the constantly changing. The same with the different. Reminiscences juxtaposed with new happenings that soon will become part of our memory vault (and my infamous archives).

Sunrises and Sunsets. No words.

Sleeping through the rain. Hearing the rain. Walking in the rain/drizzle. Walking at the crack (but not the ass-crack) of dawn. Walking in ‘de hot sun’.

Walking and jogging almost 40 miles with Ras in familiar (though changed) neighbourhoods like Thyme Bottom, Pilgrim Road, the Pond Hill (first home of my first best friend, my original ride or die, Dr. Tull!), Parish Land (what’s up Lynn?), Providence, Gibbons, Pegwell, Enterprise, Oistins, Lodge Road, Coverley, and Charnocks. St. Bartholomew’s Girls School, my original stomping ground, now sadly in ruins, though I think there’s still hope for it. Harry’s guest appearance at the gymnasium.

I love that on this trip I seemed to have the ability to wish people into appearing. Thankful that I got to see them, say hello, catch up, break bread, share wine, and in a few instances, do the same things that we’ve consistently done for so many years. I wonder if in two decades hence this will differ.

Taking a ‘sea bath’ at Miami Beach, having walked the 3 odd miles to get there as I did countless times in my earlier years. Watching the retirees who take a sea bath daily and thinking about how much I look forward to doing the same in retirement or sooner.

So much to reminisce about.

To love me is to hike with me. At my pace, kinda, sorta. Even if for every 3 steps I take you take only 1 😆. Thanks C. Barbados is beautiful. I say this with minimal bias 😊

I took fewer photos than I normally would. And astonishingly, none with my camera. There were many sacred and poignant moments captured only by my senses. Some hilarious moments that I wish I’d been fast enough to photograph or video; even an audio recording would have been great because they were epic. Hopefully those un-photographed, unrecorded moments will always be alive in my memories (John Slade 🔫!). Happily, there were many, many wonderful moments, though I’m sharing just a few snapshots of people, places, and spaces that are too beautiful to keep to myself. The rest I’ll savour and share like I will my Mount Gay® XO Triple Cask Blend 😁.

It is always hard to leave Bim and at the end of this trip it was especially difficult. As I leave, two thoughts are always foremost in my mind: my next trip to Bim and how I can spend more time in Bim. I have some ideas about both … I’m working on them! 😁 Until they come to fruition, I’ll keep reminding myself that I leave so I can return.

To all that is Bim, know that I love you and yearn for you ❤️ 💋.

#Barbados

“Soon” is clearly relative. Nonetheless, here is part two of We Trippin’ (I almost gave up on this one 😏).

While parks across the spectrum typically work together, co-management like what is in place for Redwoods National and State Parks is unusual. In these parks we hiked/meandered along Prairie Creek Trail, Cathedral Trees Trail, Fern Canyon Loop Trail and Klamath River Overlook.

Prairie Creek & Elk

Cathedral Trees

Fern Canyon Loop

Klamath River Overlook

#naturegottaloveit

The video speaks for itself 😁.

After a somewhat low-keyed 2020, I did a big road-trip this summer with some of my friends who love the outdoors and travel like I do. It was a great trip. There were some flaws, but that’s to be expected with group travel. Even when I travel alone I don’t have perfect trips. That’s one of the first lessons where experiences are concerned and one of the earliest concepts taught in hospitality and tourism – one’s experiences are impacted by other people: friends and family in your travel group; strangers on the plane, train, bus, boat; other diners in the restaurant; other hikers on the trail; other campers; other viewers at the scenic lookout; and all the people who facilitate these experiences, who deliver services.

Whoever is in your group will also impact your travel experience before you even set off: where you go; when you go; how you travel; how long you stay; where you stay (lodging options); which attractions you visit; what activities you select; the base costs for the trip; and so on. Negotiation and compromise are important. Depending on your people, the entire experience could be a nightmare or it could be a great trip. With this tribe, it’s been the latter so far.

This road-trip was my third monthly group trip, following Zion in May and Sequoia & Kings in June. It was also the longest. During the trip I realized that I was approaching burnout and since I impact the experience of others in the same way that they influence mine, decided I’d plan more solo experiences for the following months (you may read about those in future posts). I never want to be the person who moves the pendulum towards the nightmare side of the experience 😁.

Now to the good stuff. From the Santa Clarita Valley to Northern California, then Oregon, back to NorCal, and home: 8 days, 7 nights, 2 states, 3 national parks, 1 national natural landmark, 2 state parks, a crater covered by a lake, many mountains, waterfalls, around 2,000 miles as a passenger in a car, 15 miles or so hiking, 3.75 miles running on a treadmill, a range of lodging experiences, various dining experiences (a really special one was in the yard of a plant nursery), too much icecream, new silver rings 😍, apricot and pepper jelly, magnets, passport stamps, communing with nature, great conversations, in-car live performances (Anita and more), lots of laughter, not nearly enough wine 😢, some questionable road signs 😒, breathtaking views, great photos, thousands of photos, many poses from my models … I could go on. Phew! After that roadtrip I needed a vacation so I could recover from my vacation 🤣. I would do this trip again. I will travel with this group again 🤗.

I relived the trip while I was selecting the photos to follow 😍.

Sundial Bridge, Redding

Lassen Volcanic National Park est. 1916

While in Lassen, we visited Loomis Museum where an historic seismograph still works, stopped to see Lassen Peak, hiked Bumpass’ Hell, then stopped at Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. Beautiful views all along the drive. #lassen

Loomis Museum

Lassen Peak, Lake Helen and Bumpass Hell

Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial Falls State Park #BurneyFalls

Crater Lake National Park

At 1,943 feet deep, Crater Lake in southern Oregon, is the deepest lake in the US and only 8 other lakes world wide are deeper. It is also one of the “most pristine on earth” (NPS). The lake formed in a caldera (a volcanic basin) that was created when Mount Mazama collapsed after an eruption. Its formation took place over 7,700 years ago. Sites featured are: Watchman Overlook Trail, Cleetwood Cove Trail, Vidae Falls, Plaikni Falls, and Phantom Ship.

Watchman Overlook Trail

Cleetwood Cove Trail

Vidae Falls, Plaikni Falls, Phantom Ship

Hyatt Lake, Ashland

Lake Shasta Caverns National Natural Landmark

Lake Shasta’s water level has dropped significantly because of drought. So much so that additional trails had to be made from the area around the visitor center to the water’s edge and across the lake, between the water’s edge and the existing road.

Silver is natural 😁

#naturegottaloveit

Next up … We Trippin’ Through the Redwoods

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 25 – Today I’m thankful that I could run in the CB UWI Virtual 5K (and walk ½ mile to starting point, then 2 miles to get back home) to raise funds for The University of the West Indies, an outstanding Caribbean institution and my alma mater. My run was neither fast nor smooth, and it was windy, but it was totally worth it because this fundraising drive supports scholarships for deserving students. It’s because of scholarships like these that I was able to afford my education, so I’ll continue to pay it forward. Thanks UWI!

Today’s 5.5 total along with last night’s 4, pushed me past my 60-mile goal for the American Cancer Society fundraiser (I’m now at 65.6 so far for November).

As usual I went to the Caribbean to fuel today’s miles. I confess that there was some chipping and a lil wining at certain points!

Here’s my full playlist:
Jamming Practice – Krosfyah
All Aboard – Krosfyah
Last Man to Leave – Lil Rick
Monster Winer – Kerwin Dubois & Lil Rick
Famalay – Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Skinny Fabulous
Yardie – Krosfyah
Up & Up – Skinny Fabulous (I wined & wukked to this on repeat for 30 minutes after I got home)
Tek off Something – Stiffy
Waka Waka – Shakira
Head Gone – Krosfyah
Showtime – Machel Montano
Crime of the Century – Square One
25 – Square One
Togetherness – Square One
W.I. Cultuh – Mr. Dale
Know the Face – Marvay
Ladies Rule – Alison Hinds
Tease Dem – Alison Hinds

Photos from after the 5K and during my walk home. It was a beautiful afternoon 😊

#WeRunForDreams #UWI #BarbadosUhCumFrom

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 23 – Another 3.6 miles in the bag. No rosy sunsets today, just streetlights. Only 3.9 to go! 😊

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 22 – The sunset this evening was more deserving of photos than I was. Plus I forgot 😁. My evening walk pushed me 4.5 miles closer to my goal. Only 7.5 to go 😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 21 – My friend Monty was the inspiration for the 5 miles I did this evening. Only 12 more to go!😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 20 – This evening I hiked 2.4 miles that were more challenging than I expected, but the views from Griffith Observatory made the burn worth it 💦🌚. Only 17 miles to reach my goal 😊. This hike was also my 52nd for 2021, so that’s one challenge completed!

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 19 – I still want to know how people run every day or almost every day. I struggle to just do it a few times a week. Tonight was hard but I did 3.9 more miles. Only 19.4 to go 😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 16 – 4.5 more miles tonight. Only 23.3 to go 😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 15 – I passed the halfway mark tonight with 3.9 miles. Only 27.8 to go 😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 13 – I got some miles in by hiking a nearby trail on a beautiful fall evening. I even saw some deer. 2.9 miles added. 31.7 miles to go 😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 10 – My work schedule really messes with my optimal jogging time 🙃. Still today I managed another 3.4 miles. Only 34.6 more to go 😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 8 – Today I got another 3.6 miles done. Only 38 more to go 😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 6 – Today I did 5 miles, yesterday 2.8. Only 41.6 to go 😊.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 3 – I remembered the photo tonight 😁. Another 3.6 miles done. Just 49.4 to go.

StinkaMissy’s Log, Nov 1 – I was tired tonight and it was a bit chilly. The temptation to stay in and cycle was strong, but I went out and walked 3.5. Only 56.5 miles to go.

It’s now almost a year and a half that I’ve been jogging consistently. This November, like last year, my challenge is to complete 60 miles in 30 days, raise funds for the American Cancer Society, and run the UWI Virtual 5K on November 21 as my contribution to funding student scholarships at my alma mater. This time I don’t plan to include cycling miles at all, so I’ll likely have to reduce my spinning to once per week 😟, but for good causes 😊. I may not post every day, but I will post at least a couple times per week so you can enjoy the tracks that keep me running and wukking 😁.

Catch up on last year’s challenge here 60 Miles in 30 Days – Run Don’t Walk! 😱 and here The Rundown: 60 in 30 🏃🏾‍♀️.

Donate to my American Cancer Society fundraiser.

In the midst of a deluge of work, I decided to take a much needed break and finally blog!

Do you remember? Not just September but August, July and June? What happened with all of my plans for serious writing and blogging?! It’s been a minute! I’m not quite sure where my summer went and fall looks set to follow a similar path. I feel like I slow blinked and June, July, August and September became JuJuAugember and now October. Wuhloss! So 😁 …

In June I started a post called Peace Amongst the Giants about my camping trip to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. First I’d camped in about two years. Then wrote but didn’t publish another post on July 4^th. Then in August, went back and fiddled with Peace Amongst the Giants, thought about a post based on my July road trip to Oregon and northern California, and published nothing. Blogging in the last few months was like what I imagine would happen if someone who had only ever driven an automatic vehicle tried to drive a stick shift. Up a hill. A lot of stalling, some rolling backward, some grinding gears, a lot of swearing. But that’s not me. I can drive a stick 😉. Anyway, enjoy the mashup 🤣.

Peace Amongst the Giants

My pen is never far from my fingers and blog ideas or specific sentences for a post are more often than not running through my head. Yet since my last post in early July, I’ve had a bit of inertia about writing. Maybe it’s because I couldn’t find my purple fountain pen or was just too focused on enjoying the activities I would normally write about.

I actually wrote an entire post immediately after July 4^th, then decided not to publish it until I had the next entry written and ready to publish as well. The July 4^th piece was not a light one and I wanted a quick follow up outdoor piece to balance it. Well … enjoying travel rather than writing about it won the day 😁.

So now after that hiatus I’m doing some photo blasts and allowing the photos to speak for themselves. Photos. Hmmm. Also a huge part of the problem – “so much good photos I can’t show all”. Apparently Lil Rick is also often “a voice in my head” like Edwin 😁. Apropos of nothing, Krosfyah’s 20^th Anniversary Special Edition is superb and I’ve been enjoying in the background and foreground of my life this last week, (weeks, months).

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Grant Grove

Mist Falls

Sherman Tree Trail

Big Trees Trail

Moro Rock

Part 2: We Trippin’ … coming soon 😆

One year ago today, Jennetta and I were on day one of our second monthly ‘hiking trifecta’. It all started with a hike at Val Verde to celebrate Juneteenth. During that hike I suggested hiking the following day because it was my cousin’s birthday, so we did. Then while hiking on the 20^th we were like hmmm, we’ve already done two days of hiking, why not add a third and celebrate my birthday in the same way I did in 2019? Thus one trifecta was in the bag.

I think it was during my birthday hike that we decided to also do a trifecta for Jennetta’s birthday the following month. So that was number 2. During that weekend we discussed doing one each month in the summer and extending through fall with the idea of adjusting as needed when the fall semester began and time became more limited. Yet month by month we found a way to make it work. Now it’s one year and 13 trifectas later. For most of those hikes it was just JT and I, but we had some friends hike with us along the way. There was only one, maybe two, that someone else did all three days with us.

Come with us and and experience a year of friendship, great conversations, venting, laughter, anger and anguish over the constant devaluing and extinguishing of Black lives, anger and resignation over the federal government’s initial response to COVID-19, travels to other parts of California, a trip to other states, frustration, joy, peace, nature, and more. Click the links for each trifecta to read blog entries and see additional photos.

1️⃣ June in Mordor (aka 2020) – Commemoration & Celebration: Val Verde; Taylor Trail; San Francisquito Open Space (Ivan joined us for this hike to celebrate my birthday 😊)

2️⃣ More Celebration: Bouquet Falls (Jennetta’s birthday); Stocker Corridor Trail & Kenneth Hahn; San Francisquito & Santa Clara River Trails

3️⃣ Let’s Keep it Going: Ironhorse Trailhead (sunset hike); Satwiwa Loop; Stough Canyon. Tiffany joined us for the 2nd and 3rd days 😊.

4️⃣ Three Women & a Little Woman: Calavera Lake Preserve; Cabrillo National Monument; Torrey Pines

5️⃣ Two Backyard Hikes & Ojai: Castaic Lagoon; Castaic for Real; Sisar Canyon Trail, Ojai (with our hiking group)

6️⃣ Giving Thanks: Santa Clara River; Saddleback Butte; East Canyon

7️⃣ A Bridge from Mordor to The Shire (aka 2021): Rice Canyon; The Beast; Fryman Canyon

8️⃣ New Year, New Trails: Wildwood Park; Temescal Canyon; Taylor Trail to the Bridge

9️⃣ Galentine: Skyline Drive Trail; Fern to Beacon in Griffith; Long Canyon

🔟 We Don’t Always Hike the Planned Trail Cause Life’s an Adventure: Antonovich Regional Park; Rocky Peak Trail; River Village Park & Santa Clara River Trails

1️⃣1️⃣ Pinnacles and Nadirs: Bench Trail to Moses Reservoir; South Wilderness; Balconies Cliffs

1️⃣2️⃣ First the Rapture, Then the Fire: Watchman, Pa’rus & Riverside Trails (Zion NP); Canyon Overlook & East Mesa to Observation Point (Zion NP); Elephant, Mouse Tank & White Domes Trails (Valley of Fire SP)

1️⃣3️⃣ June in The Shire – Buffalo Soldiers, Ents & Home Again: Mist Falls Trail; Sherman, Big Trees and Moro Rock; Taylor Trail Loop (Blog post coming soon 😏)

So what do you call a year of trifectas? A fantabulous time! Nature … gotta love it! 💚😘

That’s not a euphemism. Today is the last day of Black Birders Week and is also World Environment Day (it’s also a day in June, my birth month 😁). What better way to celebrate these events than to go birdwatching? That’s what I did today at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook with a few friends from SCOBA. It was a beautiful day to see both birds and California native plants. We took a leisurely walk from the Overlook to Stoneview Nature Center, then to the new pedestrian bridge that spans La Cienega Blvd to connect to Kenneth Hahn State Park. We didn’t cross the bridge, but it’s nice to know that the connection is now there. The trail we walked is part of the recently completed 13-mile, Park to Playa Regional Trail.

We saw our first two birds (Northern Mockingbird, Mourning Dove) in the parking lot before we started walking. We saw the last two (Red-tailed Hawks) in the parking lot when we finished the walk 😊. The birds we saw/heard include:

• Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
• Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
• Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
• Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
• Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)
• Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
• Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
• Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
• Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

I didn’t get photos of all of the birds because my binoculars are very basic, not the special ones with a built in camera 🙁, so I was switching between them and my camera. I preferred to see the birds than photograph them 😊.

Several Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) were also out and about.

After the birdwatching, Tiff and I visited another of my favourite places in LA: Theodore Payne Foundation/Native Plant Center, where we enjoyed the plants and made a few purchases. The last two hours of sunlight found me in my backyard, planting some of my new treasures on the slope. On its website TPF shows its respect for the community of Native American tribes by stating: Theodore Payne Foundation acknowledges that it sits on the traditional village of Wiqánga, the ancestral home of the Wiqánvitam who are now known as the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. We acknowledge our neighbors: Tongva, Chumash, Tataviam, Kitanemuk and Serrano, the original stewards of what is now Los Angeles County. We are committed to uplifting the names of these lands and community members from the over 200 California First Nations who reside alongside us and honor their Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

Last World Environment Day I was angry and I wrote about it. Protests against the murder of George Floyd were going strong and growing around the US. I was questioning whether we were having a moment or on the cusp of a movement. Today that anger is still simmering and I’m pondering the longevity of the movement, but I found a bit of peace and joy watching some birds, letting them watch me, and playing in the dirt. Today that was enough 😊.

Happy World Environment Day! Happy Environment Month!  💚💚💚💚💚 

#NatureGottaLoveIt

#BlackBirdersWeek

#NativePlants

#JuneBaby

Zion: refuge; a place of freedom, harmony, peace, unity. Last weekend I felt like I was on a pilgrimage to Zion. I was marching to Zion; beautiful, beautiful Zion. I listened to Bob’s exhortation and I got on board the Zion train when it came my way. I felt the rapture. I reached the promised land. If, as Marvin said, “I should die tonight, though it seems far before my time,” I could do so knowing that I have had a blessed life and enjoyed some of the wonders of the earth. These are not superlatives. These words in fact fall short of describing my experiences at Zion National Park in Utah and the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.

My friends and I spent a mere three days in these parks. I only saw a small slice of these treasures, but it was enough to say that these sites are magnificent. I was wonderstruck. It felt like my synapses were firing at a different rate. As if my eyes were miscommunicating messages to my brain. As if the grandeur was just too much to behold; too much for my brain to contemplate and interpret meaningfully. One friend was brought to tears on more than one occasion. How am I (how are we) so lucky?

Walking amongst these natural formations was a humbling and awe-inspiring experience. Did the Virgin Anasazi, Parowan Fremont, Paiute, and Ute in Zion and the Paiute in the Valley of Fire, who walked these paths before I did feel the same? We are, I am, a mere speck on the earth. I will be dead for much longer than I live. These wonders were here for millennia before my arrival and will be for millennia after. My experience last weekend was another poignant reminder that while humankind has its role in the web of life, we are certainly not at the top. Individually we are but a part of it and only for a time.

I often say that my camera can’t capture what I see and while I voice the thoughts evoked by these visions, my words can only do so much to explain them. Thus for me, my photos are merely reminders of what my eyes have seen and my mind has contemplated, but can never do these marvels justice. Knowing that, I share my photos and words with you as an invitation for you to join me, go on your own, or go with others and have these mind-bending experiences yourself. You owe yourself the opportunity to be still, be struck speechless, be held in thrall, to just be with the magnificence that is our natural world. Then juxtapose the simplicity and brevity of your life with the complex geomorphic, geologic, hydrologic, and other natural processes that took place over millions of years to create these natural wonders. Afterward, having acknowledged your own mortality, comparative nothingness, and good fortune to be able to experience these phenomena, you must commit to being the best steward of the natural world that you can be and sharing that world with others. Having had the blessing, you should feel compelled to do nothing less.

Utah: Zion in a Vision 🎶 (Garnett Silk)

Zion is one of 61 national parks managed by the National Park Service. NPS also manages another 362 or so units with various designations. How does the NPS manage a park as substantive as Zion, furthermore 423? With lots of management plans! For Zion alone, the plans include: a foundation document, management, comprehensive river management, soundscape management, transportation, wilderness, fire, and accessibility (NPS, 2020). Each of these is substantial.

Zion, one of the country’s oldest national parks, was initially protected as Mukuntuweap National Monument through presidential proclamation in 1909, then enlarged with a name change to Zion National Monument in 1918. The NPS was established in 1916 and Yellowstone, the US’ first national park in 1876. Zion became the country’s 16^th national park in 1919. The park was extended to include Kolob Canyons in 1956 (NPS, 2013).

At 148,733 acres, Zion is valued for a number of reasons including: its “sheer Navajo sandstone cliffs that are among the highest in the world;” the diversity of rare and endemic species that only exist in the confluence of the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, and Mojave Desert ecoregions; and the preservation of “human history of the Ancestral Puebloan, Paiute, pioneers, early 20th century tourism, and NPS development along the Virgin River” (NPS, 2013). Yes, the Virgin River runs through Zion. Interpret that how you will.

Some 3,591,254 visited Zion in 2020 and while that number is lower than previous years, it is still significant. With that level of visitation Zion ranked 13th of all NPS units and 3rd of all national parks. Visitation is forecast to increase in 2021 and I’ll be included in the count. My first trip to Zion (is it more difficult to pronounce the Paiute word ‘Mukuntuweap’ than it is to pronounce Pennsylvania, Roosevelt, or Afghanistan?) National Park. Two days of hiking. Five trails (see map above). Excellent interpretation around the visitor center. An engaging park ranger whose ‘Ranger Talk’ on the patio focused on the human history of Zion: from the earliest known dwellers to those who operate and use it today. A shuttle service within Zion Canyon that’s been in place for over 20 years, not only reducing congestion on the main scenic road in Zion Canyon, but reducing GHG emissions within the park. Ride said shuttle along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive from the Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava. Sustainable building. Splendid landscapes and great conversation.

Watchman Trail

Pa’rus Trail

The extensive impacts COVID-19 has had are evident everywhere. One of the casualties is the Zion Human History Museum which is currently closed. We took the Pa’rus Trail to it any way so we could take in the views. It felt like we hiked the Watchman Trail just after the crack of dawn 😒. The sun rose over the mountain while we were close to the turnaround point. When we did Pa’rus it was nice and bright. The difference is evident in the photos.

Riverside Walk

This trail leads to the start of The Narrows, a section of the Virgin River. Some of us hiked part of The Narrows, some of us (including me) chose to forego the challenge. Hiking The Narrows is a reason to return to Zion.

Canyon Overlook

To get to east side of the park for Canyon Overlook and East Mesa to Observation Point, we had to drive through the mountain. It was quite exciting. The vistas at Canyon Overlook were the best!

East Mesa to Observation Point

This was our longest hike. Almost 7 miles roundtrip. We learned about it from another visitor who we met at the pool in our complex on our first night. The Observation Point trailhead can be accessed from within the park and from outside through an easement on private property. However, we couldn’t use the trailhead in the park because a huge rock fall in 2019 (a 31,000 ton piece of Navajo sandstone broke and fell from 3,000 ft) is still blocking access and that area is closed indefinitely.

The first two miles or so of this trail are relatively flat but the last part is downhill. It’s mostly sand in some parts so the uphill on the return leg required extra effort. I had to attack it. Sometimes I have to take that approach to a hill lest it defeat me. Attacking it meant that I pulled away from the group which also presented an opportunity for solitude and speed – Move it now, move over and shake it now 🎶 (Tahsha). This happens periodically, depending on the hike, my energy level, mood, etc. and may change throughout a given hike: sometimes leading, sweeping, staying in the middle with the pack or moving ahead and doing the solo thing. This time, once I built the steam going uphill I didn’t slow down, so that part of the return was a calorie burning, solo experience. I took many photos (it was a gorgeous day), wrote part of this post in my head, listened to the music playing in my head, sang out loud (but low because I neither wanted to scare nice wildlife nor attract unwanted ones; plus I encountered other hikers), and thought about many other things. I knew my friends were a few minutes behind me so I wasn’t concerned about being alone.  

Nevada: Fire, Rainbows, White Domes and Petroglyphs

‘Like a painting’. ‘Picture perfect’. Actually, it’s the reverse. As good as it may be, the painting or the photo is an imitation of the natural, not nature imitating art. The perfection lies not in the painting or the photo, but in the landscape the artist attempted to capture.

Since we were travelling Thursday to Sunday, it was a prime weekend for a trifecta. I knew for sure at least two hiking days would be in Zion, but hoped to do one in another of Utah’s Mighty 5. We considered several options (including Bryce Canyon) but settled on Valley of Fire State Park because it came highly recommended as a sight to experience. Plus, it’s on the route from Utah to California. It. Did. Not. Disappoint. Our time there was short because we didn’t want to get caught in traffic for six hours, but the views were outstanding.

The aptly named Valley of Fire was Nevada’s first state park. Initially under federal management, it was designated as a state park in 1934/35 in part for its “outstanding scenic, geologic and archeological features.” The park is around 40,000 acres and the bold, contrasting colours create otherworldly landscapes that are sights to behold. Ancient, petrified trees (we didn’t see them this time) and 2,000+ year old petroglyphs are some of the other significant elements for which the site is protected.

In Valley of Fire we did a combination of short hikes to see various phenomena in the park: Elephant Rock Loop, Mouse’s Tank Trail (petroglyphs and more), and White Domes Loop. We also enjoyed the scenic drive. #ValleyOfFire

Elephant Rock Loop

Can you see the elephant that gave the trail its name?

Mouse’s Tank Trail

Look out for the petroglyphs that the Native Americans left behind. Who knows what information they communicated or what stories they tell?

White Domes Trail

We left The Narrows at Zion and found them again at Valley of Fire.

A Side of Wypipo to go with my Trail Mix

No experience is perfect (though this weekend was close to perfection). There is always a jackass or ten who will try to ruin it. Cases in point. The guy who walked up to JT and asked her if the Cadillac outside the restaurant was hers. The comment about whether my group got a group rate – in future my response will be “yes, we got the Black rate”. I really regret not coming up with that response on the spot. The woman walking in slippers (rubber flip flops, not hiking sandals) on the White Domes Trail who felt the need to tell experienced and properly equipped hikers (we changed to boots for this trail) how to follow a simple, clearly marked trail (if I were the violent sort my response would’ve been a throat punch. Unfortunately walking away without ‘picking my teet’ had to suffice. I did not feel satisfied). The ‘friendly’ driver at Whiskey Pete’s Stateline Stop on the Nevada- California border who felt the need to share with Wonder Woman that traffic was backed up “all the way to Barstow” but he wasn’t “suggesting” she wait there instead of sitting in traffic. He was just sharing information. There’s no need to mention what trait these people have in common. There were more micro-aggressions than these, but I won’t waste more time listing them.

Let me take a moment, go high, and give them the benefit of the doubt. Perchance these people mistook the sweat on our faces from exertion as signs of distress. It’s possible we have a look that says we’re seeking information or advice from them. Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm. Nope. I have no facial expression that would suggest to these f$%^&#s that I want or will entertain unsolicited advice. Mayhap they just wanted to strike up a conversation. Let’s ponder that. ‘Hello’ and ‘isn’t that view amazing’ are great conversation starters; other people used them. I endorse their use. But could they be on to something? Perhaps I should start sharing unsolicited advice with them:

• Keep your dog on a leash. In fact, keep your dog off the trail from which dogs are banned.
• If you have a baby strapped to your chest, a toddler, and two other children under 8 years, don’t climb a treacherous trail without another adult and then try to take photos at the edge of a 1500-3000 foot drop.
• Don’t hike in slippers.
• Carry water.
• Rules aren’t only for fools. Follow them.
• Don’t let your pickny climb the rock right next to the sign that says ‘don’t climb the rock’ just so you can take cute photos for your social media posts.
• 8 people does not constitute a big group for a front country trail – Blackness doesn’t increase group size.
• No, the two gentlemen of Indian descent aren’t a part of our group because they’re non-white. Two groups of non-white people can hike simultaneously.
• Don’t offer unsolicited advice.
• Black people hike. In fact, Black people live. Period.
• Don’t provoke me.

While I’m at it, aren’t you curious about what would life be like if Black people called the police on white people for just living, as is too often the case with us? Ok, now I’m done with that tangent. Here are some more photos to wipe that taste from your mouth. No we did not coordinate our clothing.

Getting Back to One of my Happy Places

Travel is back (though not by plane yet) and I’m so happy! This trip was the furthest I’ve taken since February 2020. I was a tourist in Utah and an excursionist in Nevada. Pleasure was my primary purpose for this trip. I was intentional about my experience, practising what I preach. I took the Zion Pledge. I followed Leave No Trace Principles. I took only photographs and videos (around 1,700), left only footprints (at least 16.5 miles worth), and supported the parks and local businesses. I met new people. I was soothed by nature. My spirit also soared because of nature. I learned a lot! Hopefully I imparted some knowledge. I had a great time with my friends. I also remembered to record a graduation message for my students. This is the life! I am blessed and I very much appreciate it.

So often as I hike (or do anything else) threads of music play in my mind. A word, a turn of phrase, a conversation, a person, a type of souvenir (e.g. a magnet of a bus – Babylon by Bus – in Zion 🙂) and more will quickly bring a song to mind. Much like books and the outdoors, music is an important component of the narrative in the background of my life. I heard Bob a lot in my head this weekend. I sang him out loud at points – Baby baby we’ve got a date, Baby baby don’t you be late 🎶 (cause solo hiking). I heard soca. I heard gospel. I heard R&B. I heard spouge. I heard soul and not just my own.

Music is a must on a roadtrip (our drive to Utah to about 9 hours including stops; the return longer because we stopped to hike and explore). On this Zion Train it ran the gamut. On the drive back to Cali we played a range of artists and genres, including Alison Hinds, Square One, Blood, Skinny Fabulous, Bunji Garlin, Jodeci, K-Ci & JoJo, Bruno Mars and Whitney Houston. At times the music was supplemental to our conversations; at others it was central (Mariah vs Whitney). We ended the drive on the soul train that came our way, listening to and singing along with Whitney, an artist who was imperfect as we all are, but whose flaws were projected in the public spotlight, unlike ours. It was the perfect end to an imperfectly perfect weekend.

#ZionPledge

#NatureGottaLoveIt

A few years ago my friend Lexi , (one of my former grad students and a wine expert) was developing a wine tasting tour of Hungary (her home country) and asked whether I would be interested in going on the pilot and giving her feedback. Hmmm. What to do … what to do?🤔 Seriously, I didn’t think about it that long. It was more like: when? How much? Yes I’m in!😆 That’s how I ended up in Hungary for a week in May 2018, having a fabulous time on a bespoke tour of the country’s major wine regions. There were supposed to be six of us in the group, plus Lexi. Fortuitously, four couldn’t make it, so it was just two of us and Lexi. Excellent!

Like a glass of fine wine, this post is meant to be savored, not guzzled … Cheers! 🥂

The itinerary included the types of activities that make a trip meaningful for me – not attractions like amusement parks and big bus tours, but a winery focused on sustainability, making chocolates with an artisanal chocolatier, cooking a Hungarian meal with a local chef, world heritage, and nature. Of course these were all secondary to the wine. Here’s a taste of my week in Hungary.

Gingallo Chocolate Factory

Making chocolate plus a tasting of special chocolate and wine pairings. Heaven!

Cooking Class at EtyekM at The Old Winery

EtyekM at The Old Winery was where I got my first taste of Pálinka and cooked chicken paprikash. The Pálinka was a tough swallow but everything else was great – the adaptive reuse of the building, with restaurant on the middle floor, rentable rooms on the top floor and wine cellar; herb garden; and vineyard. The wine and chicken paprikash 😋.

Herend Porcelain Manufactory

Herend is almost 200 years old; that anniversary will be celebrated in 2026. This was a lovely tour, watching the artists at work and viewing the museum exhibits. My rose (which I finally painted two years later) really doesn’t compare, I don’t think Herend will be inviting me to join their team any time soon 😁.

Kreinbacher Estate

I loved the accomodations at Kreinbacher. The wine was good too, so I bought a few bottles 😊. The cellar was ultra modern, very different to the historic ones we toured.

Tapolca Lake Cave

Tapolca Lake Cave is a part of the Bakony-Balaton Geopark (we also visited other areas and took the ferry across Lake Balaton). Open to the public since 1912, it feels like a different world, though it runs underneath the town. The visitor centre also hosts ongoing exhibits on cave systems and other natural phenomena.

Vintner for a day at Istvándy in the Tokaj Region

Making wine may be as good as drinking it 😁. This was wonderful experience. In addition to making the vintage Istvándy StinkaMissy 2016 (made with Muskotály, Szürkebarát, and Rizling varietals) I also got to test my skills in an aroma test. Of course there was wine tasting (not just my wine) before and during, with cheese 😋. This tasting room was another setting that I loved.

A Ferry Ride, a Mini-Castle …

Why take the long way around when you can go by ferry and see the views. We took the ferry across Lake Balaton from Tihany (North Shore) to Szantod (South Shore). A (mini) castle just for me? With luxury cars? You shouldn’t have, but I’ll take it any way. Alas, if only we had a day or two to use the facilities, but it was just a one night stay (because roadtrip to taste wine and explore cellars).

Fritz Wine Estate

Fritz Wine Estate is special. This facility has just about everything: beautiful grounds, history (original buildings over 150 years), ambiance, and good wine (especially the award winning Papilion merlot 2012). Plus meeting and event spaces, dining, and accommodations. I could also store my wine here for a fee. #fritzperience

Zsofi Ivanyi

The sole woman owned and operated cellar we visited was also the one focused on sustainability. That didn’t surprise me at all. The vintner is involved in all stages of growing the grapes and producing the wines so this was a very special tour. Local cheeses were a great complement the wine 😋. Sometimes simplicity is the best.

Paprika Museum in Kalocsa

While a major component of the museum is the paprika story, traditional Hungarian embroidery and clothing is also showcased.

Gróf Degenfeld Szőlőbirtok és Kastélyszálló (Castle Hotel & Winery)

I include this hotel because the sunset was brilliant and we watched it from the chapel in the vineyard. And we were guests at a wedding photography session. Plus it had a sauna that we enjoyed.

Gomboshegyi Cellars, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

I thought I’d finally arrived at the Shire and that Bilbo Baggins would come out to greet me. Perhaps Gandalf would drop in to say hello. I was disappointed that none of that happened but not with this World Heritage Site 😊. These cellars are owned/leased by different individuals/companies. We weren’t expecting to be able to enter one, but we were lucky that one of the owners was on site and we were able to get a peak.

These cellars, like Oremus to follow, are part of the wider Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2002. According to UNESCO, The cultural landscape of Tokaj graphically demonstrates the long tradition of wine production in this region of low hills and river valleys. The intricate pattern of vineyards, farms, villages and small towns, with their historic networks of deep wine cellars, illustrates every facet of the production of the famous Tokaj wines, the quality and management of which have been strictly regulated for nearly three centuries. The region’s inscription was approved under Criterion iii: The Tokaj wine region represents a distinct viticultural tradition that has existed for at least a thousand years and which has survived intact up to the present and Criterion v: The entire landscape of the Tokaj wine region, including both vineyards and long established settlements, vividly illustrates the specialized form of traditional land use that it represents.

Tokaj Oremus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

This was my favourite cellar. In my notes from the experience I wrote, “magnificent underground cellar system,” “unbelievable sweet and semi-sweet wines.” This is the cellar where I bought my birthday wine – Oremus Tokaji Aszú 1999. I finished the wine but I plan to keep the bottle for posterity. It’s the most expensive wine I’ve ever purchased. It was worth every cent. Oremus, through its parent company TEMPOS Vega Sicilia, is also committed to minimizing its negative environmental impact. Interestingly, a woman currently chairs the board of directors for TEMPOS Vega Sicilia.

Oremus’ current cellar was originally 10 individual cellars that were connected during the 19th and 20th centuries. The year round temperature in the cellar is about 10.5°C. The mold on the walls is a special type that helps to clean the air and maintain humidity (85-90%).

Kopcsik Marcipánia (Marzipan) Museum, Eger

This museum was an unexpected treat. The night before visiting the museum we stayed at the Imola Udvarház Dessert Hotel …

Old Village of Hollókő, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987 because it is an outstanding example of a deliberately preserved traditional settlement, representative of a culture that has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. This village, which developed mainly during the 18th and 19th centuries, not only represents the Palócz subgroup within the Hungarian nation but also bears witness, for the whole of Central Europe, to the traditional forms of rural life which were generally abolished by the agricultural revolution in the 20th century (Criterion V). There are also conservation areas and trails around the village.

Some things require neither introduction nor explanation 😊.

One week in Hungary. Packed with great times, wine, and memories. Can you tell I absolutely loved it?! Please don’t ask me how many bottles of wine I brought back with me. I just recall that I had more bottles than days on the ground in Hungary 🤣. As I said at the beginning, this post offers a mere taste of that week – like a dégustation. I could easily do another post or two on the sites and experiences I’ve excluded to keep the length of this post manageable 😆(I really amuse myself). The many personal touches, beautiful sites, lovely accommodations, and great experiences Lexi facilitated can’t be overstated. I would tour with Travel Forever anytime! All I need to know is where and when … Cheers!

#HelloHungary

He is still one of my biggest loves. Talk about people coming into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime … I don’t remember life without Bob. In my earliest memories of music Bob Marley was there, thanks to my uncles Reuv and Bam. I still remember exactly where I was and who I was with when I heard he had passed – I was with my sister and cousins and ironically one of the uncles who unintentionally introduced me to this lifelong love. We were walking along Lowlands Road. Someone riding by on a bicycle told my uncle. I was one month short of turning 8 years old. I still remember. That’s the impact Bob has had on my life.

As I wrote this I was of course listening to Bob. Not just listening, but singing, chanting and skanking too. It’s unfortunate that I was also working (yes, actually working) and had to periodically interrupt my session to sit calmly in my chair as I participated in virtual meetings. I really just wanted to blast Bob so my neighbours could hear and continue skanking.

So many reasons. At every stage of my life, through joy, love, pain, sorrow, frustration, revolution, rebellion, celebration … Bob was there – is there – like a cornerstone. If I’d had a child their name would be Nesta. That poor child 😆.

Bob, a man for all seasons who was/is ahead of his time, apropos of his time, of this time, and of my time.

The biggest chunk of my music collection dedicated to a single artiste/group is Bob Marley & the Wailers. When I was a teenager and now. I wanted to learn to play the guitar so I could play Redemption Song. That hasn’t happened yet, but it still could. What’s one more thing on my to-do list?

Imagine how I felt on my first trip to Jamaica in December 1993 when I visited 56 Hope Road. It felt like part of me had finally made it home. Amazingly I have no photos of that event! Truly one of the greatest mysteries of my life 🤔 and certainly a sign that I must visit again so I can fix that anomaly. I’m yet to make the journey to Nine Mile, but I’ve no doubt that too will happen. Perhaps on my next visit to Jamaica I’ll go to both places and complete that circle.

Feb 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981

May 11, 2021 … The lifetime goes without saying 😊.

Here are 11 selections from the feast that elevated me and satisfied my soul today:

Bob, uh soon come! ❤️

Millions of years ago …

Last weekend I crossed another national park off my bucket list, but I did so with a frozen shoulder and a distracted mind. I still relished the experience, but with my Vincy and La Soufrière on my mind, and in a place that mostly looks as prehistoric as when it was formed, I was continually reminded that nature can be dangerous yet beautiful; unpredictable yet unwavering; deceptively calm yet molten; mercurial though immutable; and most of all, complex, just like a good friendship. 

I have much to do and too little optimal time, so this post will be briefer than I would typically do for this type of trip. We decided on the visit to Pinnacles National Park less than a week before we took off. None of our other regular hiking friends could make it so it was just JT and I. Pinnacles National Park is about 4 ½ hours’ drive from our location. We left Friday evening and returned Sunday. It was relatively last minute so we decide to hotel it rather than camp. However, having seen the campground (tent ‘cabins’ and regular tent camping) on our hike, we’ll likely return to camp. This was a weekend worthy of celebrating National Park Week which started Saturday, April 17^th and will end April 25^th. Today, Thursday April 22^nd, is Earth Day 💚🌎. Special note, I was born on a Thursday 😁.

What first piqued my interest in Pinnacles was its caves. I’ve explored caves in a couple other US states, in Barbados, and Cuba, so I was eager to explore these. Unfortunately on this trip we could not go through the caves. Usually, the caves are partially or fully closed to the public at different times of the year to protect its wildlife (e.g. Townsend’s big eared bat), but this time it was because of COVID-19 concerns. Fortunately there is much, much more to see and experience at Pinnacles. Nature is fascinating. Here are some interesting facts about Pinnacles:

• Chalon and Mutsun Indians lived around what now constitutes the park and used its resources. The Chalon lived west of Pinnacles; the Mutsun north and east. They were hunter-gatherers who stayed within Pinnacles in short stints. No archaeological evidence of permanent residences has been found to date.
• Spanish missionaries and their diseases almost wiped out these tribes.
• The spires, ramparts and other rocks that are central to the park, are volcanic rhyolite, not sandstone.
• The rocks are embedded with volcanic glass.
• The ‘caves’ are actually canyons or gorges into which mammoth boulders (JT and I coined that) that fell into the canyons to create roofs.
• The volcano which split and created Pinnacles, is believed to have originated some 195 miles southeast of the park’s current location, in Lancaster California (about 38 miles from my home). (So I left where I currently reside and travelled 195 miles north, to explore a place that used to be just 38 miles from me. Reminds me of when I flew from Christ Church in Barbados and landed in Christchurch, New Zealand).
• The park lies along the San Andreas Fault.
• The rocks as they appear today were shaped over millions of years by erosion caused by water, wind, and weather.
• Pinnacles’ biota includes thousands of species of flora, fauna, and lichen. Several of them are endemic to Pinnacles and surrounds (e.g. Pinnacles riffle beetle, Gabilan slender salamander). Several are also classified as Endangered (e.g. California condor), Threatened (California red-legged frog), or California Species of Special Concern (e.g. Long-eared owl).
• Over 160 species of birds have been recorded in the park since 1908, including Wild Turkey (the bird not the bourbon) and California Condor. We saw several species during our hikes, the only one I could identify was the woodpecker (but don’t ask exactly which ones because there are about 8 species). True and funny story – while hiking the Bench Trail/South Wilderness Trail, we heard what sounded like turkeys gobbling. Soon after a couple of hikers approached us and as they passed one of them said that there were a couple of turkeys back there (pointing the direction in which we were heading). I took that literally. JT thought the two people were the ones gobbling like turkeys. Guess who was right. Look for the evidence in the photos 😆.
• Pinnacles’ diverse species also include over 48 mammal species; some 400 species of bees (highest density/unit area on earth); 70 butterfly species; 14 snake species (we saw one), around 290 lichen; 50 shrub species; and some 90 wildflowers commonly found in the park.
• Pinnacles was established as a National Monument by presidential proclamation in 1908. It was declared a national park in 2013. So though it has had protected status for over a century, it is still one of the US’ youngest national parks (Yellowstone, the oldest, was established in 1872). Pinnacles, with is 26,000 acres, is the 59^th of 63 national parks.
• The Civilian Conservation Corp worked at Pinnacles from 1933 – 1942, building the first lookout station, miles of trails, the current Nature Center at Bear Gulch, and more (NPS, 2021; Sandra Keith, Western National Parks Association, 2004).
• There is no hardened road that connects the west side of the park to the east side, but it’s possible to do a thru hike. That’s the plan for a future visit.

Initially our plan was to hike Saturday and Sunday, then do a local hike on Monday to complete our trifecta. What we ended up doing was two hikes on Saturday (around 9 ¾ miles) and one on Sunday (4 ½ miles).

Hike 1 – From Visitor Center via Bench, Sycamore, Moses Spring and Bear Gulch Trails to Bear Gulch Reservoir

Hike 2 – Bench Trail & South Wilderness Trail

Hike 3 – Balconies Cliff (with parts of Old Pinnacles and Balconies Cave Trails)