A Surprise Photo - But so Right

So I went off looking for a photo for today.  I took some photos at the government dock while hearing a cow moo.  I hadn't seen the cow but as I was leaving I found the cow.  As I looked out past the cow this is what I saw.  This is what Dominica is all about.  There are the palm trees and the hills in the background Cabrits National Park), the bay, the boats docked at the government dock and then the cow staked near all of it.  The cows are placed where there is grass.  It is just one of those great moments that needs to be appreciated.

Peace and Calm

The beach is somewhere that gives me peace and a sense of calm.  The water landing on the beach and spreading itself outward tehn retracting back in.  When I give myself the time, I am allowed the quiet.  And even if I am at the beach quickly (or with other people, kids), there is still a sence of well-being and happiness.  Find those places for yourself - wherever it may be.

Tuesday June 28th - Almond Tree

So I went out in search of an almond tree to take photos and show almondes hanging on the tree. All was well but i couldn't find many hanging almonds as many had fallen off the tree because it has been VERY windy here for the last few days.  So many almonds on the ground and a few in the trees.  The two yellow spots in the lower half of the photo are almonds.  I will have to go searching again.

Monday June 27th - Ferns

So it seems I am on a nature kick, taking photos of flowers, plants, etc.  I am amazed by the leaves of ferns.  They look so tough but when looking closer there is a delicate element about them.  Always look more closely, you will be surprised by what you find.

Sunday June 26th - Another Pretty Flower

'Tis the season for flowers to bloom.... Watch them grow...

Saturday June 25th - Hard Work

Went to the beach and saw all these coconut tress planted.  There was a party on the beach and a local planted all of these for "atmosphere".  It looked great.  He worked hard, took time and it looked great!  He did a nice job.

Friday June 24th - Designs

In every day objects there are designs that we look over as the day goes on.  Nature especially gives us beautiful design.  Here is a shell and what nature as created.  Take time to look at nature and what she has created on her own.

Thursday June 23rd - Another Day of Driving

Here is another day of driving on the road here in Dominica.  The photo is blurry I am bummed) byt it shows the fun we can have here driving.  There are cows, goats, chickens, dogs in the road besides the vehicles on the road.

Wednesday June 22nd - Pretty Flowers

Sometimes it is nice to stop and check out the pretty flowers.  Take some time.....

Tuesday June 21st - READ!!!

On't forget to read!  Even two year old like to read and learn new things.  Two year olds have the right idea - read for a little while before going to bed.  It is relaxing and a nice way to settle down for sleep.  So don't forget to read for fun each day - it will make your day a little better. :)

Monday June 20th - Bouganvilla

Bouganvilla is a beautiful plant/bush here in the tropics.  This one is a pink variety.  This is a close up of one of the flowers. 

Sunday June 19th - Hugs

Make sure to get a hug a day!  These kids refridgerator letters say it all!

Saturday June 18th - Wind

There are all types of wind here in Dominica - trade winds, hurricane winds, tropical wave/storm winds and everyday winds.  It was windy this day at the beach.  The wind was creating little waves in the water.  When taking a photo from the water looking at the mountain, the waves looked much biger than they were.  It is a fun perspective to see.

Friday June 17th - Sunset Designs

Sunsets here are beautiful.  They are different each day with varying colors, cloud designs and inspirations.  This night it was the clouds that were lit up from the setting sun.

Thursday June 16th - Dominica House

Here is an example of a house in Dominica.  There are chickens and roosters running around.  They add fun to the area.  Here are two roosters and a hen in the front yard.

The Coastline

The coastline in Dominica is fun.  There are so many different view and each day it is new again.  Today I was in a different town and I looked out to the sea.  I walked past this tree many times before I saw the "whole picture".  I ignored the "dead tree" not noticing the color around it.  When I looked again, there is was.  A tree that had dropped its leaves (they will come back shortly), with these beautiful pink flowers growing around it and some old beat up wood that once was blue.  Once seeing the color I thought - how pretty and another view of the sea.

Tuesday June 14th - Desperation

First - I need to say I do really like this project.  It is getting me out and taking photos.  Some days are better than others and I hope that I am getting better as a photographer.

There are some days though that get by me and all of a sudden I realize I have gone through the entire day and not taken one photo.  This is how it was Tuesday night.  I took a photo of this plant.  It is actually a very interesting plant and I did not do it justice.  Sometimes the plant grows as you see it - tall and skinny.  But I have seen other plants be short and fat with lots of stems.  I am not sure what the diffrence is but it is fun to see the variety in which they grow.

View from the Water

Dominica has many stunning views.  One view I can not get enough of is from the water.  We were out swimming today and were able to get far out in the water.  I was able to get this photo of a local beach restaurant with the boat at the dock.  This is the view that visiting boats anchored in the bay would have of the island. 

It was fun to be that far out in the water and to look back and see land.  Here the water gets deep quick and so this was a rare and appreciated treat to be out this far.

Sunday June 12th - Funky Tree

We went to a Jazz concert in the afternoon and were leaving in the early evening.  It had already started getting dark and there were flood lights on to help people walk out in the dark.  This tree was lit up from the light.  Having the light on the tree really highlighted the branches and shape of the tree.

Land of Many Rivers...

Dominica is known as the island of 365 rivers - one for each day of the year.  This may seem like an exaggeration, but once here, you see lots of rivers.

The rivers here show mother nature at its best.  They are calm flowing waters until the rains come.  Once the rains come they are torrents of rushing water with trees, dirt, rocks and whatever else was in the waters way.  It truly is an example of how powerful water can be, and it is a beautiful sight to watch and only watch.

Life here in Dominica reminds us all the time the power of mother nature and what the land can give us.  It is a nice lesson to have in the busy world.

Friday June 10 - Have a Nice Day

This is a sign for a local restaurant.  I really like this sign and the saying.  I wonder how better the world would be if we wished each other a nice day when we saw each other (and really meant it!).

So go out and wish each other a nice day!

Thursday June 9th - Old Houses

While driving through a local neighborhood I saw these hold houses.  I love finding the old houses and the sense of hostory they provide.  These were homes for families (andthe dark brown one still could be as there is a meter on it).  These are great reminders to appreciate what we have and how lucky most of us with what we already have. 

Wednesday June 8th - Flamboyant Trees

There are many flamboyant trees in Dominica.  This is a close up of one of its flowers.  The trees are filled with these flowers.  It is a nice contrast against the green of the leaves.

The amazing thing is this tree is originally from Madagascar and was brought to the Caribbean hundreds of years ago.  Today we think the world is so small because of airplane travel and the internet but hundreds of years ago there was travel and with the people they brought plants, food anf knowledge to share. 

Travel was hard so long ago (but of course they didn't have to deal with the TSA) yet they were the adventurors who started making the world smaller and we could learn about new cultures.  So appreciate the plants and foods we have as they may have been brought to us a very long time ago.

Great Rivalries

So this is a bad photo of the television.  The Red Sox and Yankees are playing tonight and we are getting the game on one of our TV stations.  This is a great night.  If it is a good rivalry, it makes for better play.  A bad rivalry makes for poor sportsmanship.  One can hope this will be a good rivalry game.  Go Red Sox!

Clouds Make a Great Filter

So I have a cool photograph of Guadeloupe but it is not uploading at the moment as blogger is doing maintenance work.  UGH.  Will post the photo tomorrow.

Also, in memoriam - our dog died today.  I will post a photo of her also. :(

So I was able to post the photo now!  Yeah.  Here is a view of Guadeloupe that is kind of spooky.  Usually the view is of green mountains not just the outline.  It fun to see it like this - it looks so ominous sitting there.

Here is a photo of our dog that died today.  She was a great little guard dog and great company during the day.  She will be missed by all of us.

Weeds in One Location...Expensive Flowers in Another Location

So here in Dominica there are many beautiful flowers.  In the States it would costs a lot of money to have a bouquet of tropical flowers.  Here these flowers are next to the driveway and have to be cut back every once in a while before they overrun the driveway - essentially they are viewed as weeds.  Appreciate what you have whether it is worth a lot of money or not.  Somewhere else in the world it may be seen as unique and hard to get.  Appreciate and value what you have no matter what the worth is because it is what you have.

Pink Flower - Again!

So I am still fascinated by the pink flowers.  Today the pink flower produced a purple flower.  It is great!  A nice surprise this morning.  Every day we need a little surprise and this was a great one.  Always appreciate the small surprises as they will make you smile!

Friday June 3 - Trying New Things

So I decided that I would try a new recipe each week.  This has been a fun process as I try new recipes that I have never done before or I would not have tried before.  THis has been a fun process and hope to keep it up.  I have not made apple crisp before and using a box may be cheating but I am going to try it with this first, then try homemade if this goes well.  Here is to trying new things!!!!

Thursday June 2 - Hot Days

 

So it is summer in the Caribbean and that means it is HOT HOT HOT.  One way to "beat the Heat" is to go for a swim at the end of the day.  So off to the beach we went and found others had the same idea.  These boys thought that jumping into the water would add an exciting element to their night time swim.

Taking Back Roads

So today I decided to drive on a back road I haven't been on in awhile.  It was fun to drive there and see the changes - new houses, new farms.  On the way down the hill I saw this view - it is always nice to see the coast from whatever angle.  Yes - in case you were wondering - this is a two lane road.  Cars can and do pass each other on this road - just another example of life on the island.