Making A Living...

In the Caribbean there is a dependency on tourists who visit and hoping they will spend their money in the country they are visiting. I think about this when a ship comes in like it did today (in the left of the photo).  The ship slowly makes its way to the dock, locals wait to greet them and see if they want a tour (the vans in the right of the photo) and hopefully some tourists will say yes and enjoy a tour given by a local guide.

Living here has taught me how lucky I am that I was raised in the US and able to have many opportunities.  Here, in Dominica, the cost of a cruise for one person, could be the year salary of a local.  The differences are amazing, but in each country, hopefully each member is making a living in the best way possible for them and the country (no illegal activites included). 

So here there are Dominicans who will give wonderful tours of the island to the tourists all to make a living and feed their families.  It is humbling and amazing to me all at the same time. 

Appreciate What is Nearby...

So I am still hanging around the housre with a sick child (going on five days now - he is getting better and will be fine next week).  This has allowed me to become more creative with my photographing something new each day.  It has allowed me to explore literally what is outside my door and what I overlook each day in my rush in and out of the house.

Today I looked out the window and saw birds with these flowers.  Sadly, I don't remember if I have seen this bush flowering in the past.  It is a great bush - with these delicate flowers that are hanging over - looking like a cascading yellow waterfall. 

It makes me think how we sometimes overlook what is with us all the time and we take it for granted.  Maybe more quiet time observing what we have will allow us to be more content in our lives.  Who knows - but I am going to try to notice what is close by and appreciate that fact I have it and can enjoy it.

Is the Haze Leaving?

Somedays the weather is the story.  No matter what else you want to talk about - the weather wins.  This is the case for me today.  The weather has been very, very hazy and oppressive.  There has not been a breeze that is typical of this time of year, there have been VERY gray skies all day and not a drop of rain (sort of typical this time of year).  Today, there is a breeze and there are now patches of blue in the sky.  Maybe this weather system has had enough and it is going to start moving.  I miss the blue sky and breezes.  There is such a difference in the day when these happen.  As it is getting hot again (all relative - now up to 85 degrees from 82 degrees daytime) the breeze helps so  much in keeping cool.  So go away gray, hazy skies!  We want to enjoy the blue of the caribbean!

Pineapples...

I apologize now if I have already written an entry about pineapples.  I don't remember and I have taken a photo of one today.

I did not eat pineapples until I came to Dominica.  The only pineapples I knew growing up were the ones in a can that you mixed with cottage cheese.  A gross combination if you ask me.

Once here I braved the world of pineapple.  Here they are grown locally, cut from the plant when ripe and then eaten.  I loved it from the first bite.  I believe there is nothing better than fresh fruit ripened on the tree, plant, vine, etc.  The pineapples here are delicious.  I know I will never eat pineapple out of a can, but I know now I will buy fresh ones whereever I am.

New Surprises.....

So once again I was out of the house at the end of the day trying to take a photograph.  I like the end of the day light, I just don't like the end of the day photos - trying to find something quick - even though I had thought of different ideas during the day.

So I was out looking for a photo and the weather and lighting was getting wierd.  It was getting hazier and hazier quickly.  There was no wind and the air was heavy.  As I was driving along I once again was on the other side of Prince Rupert Bay at Purple Turtle Beach.

There is a new bar there and I asked if I could go on their dock to take photos.  I wanted to see what it looked like from this angle.  Monty was very nice.  This was the first surprise of the day.  He has a fully functioning restaurant and is open every day.  He was very nice and I am looking forward to going back and enjoying dinner.

Then after downloading the photos I took, I saw that the software I use updated itself - surprise!  There are many more options to take with my photos now.  I can do so many other things to tweek the photos.  Here are three new options that I used on the same photo. 

It was nice to have some surprises at the end of the day.  It was fun to play with the new software and now I am going to have even more fun planning photos and then seeing what I can do with them later.

A nice day for surprises.

Off to St. Maarten...

The top of one bunch of plantains.

 The pile getting ready for shipment.

So today I was homebound for family reasons.  So when I got a chance to escape at the end fo the day I did.  As it was sunset, I started looking for a great "end of the day" shot.  Where would it be?  What photo could I take with the great afternoon light?

Well as I was driving around I saw some men stacking the plantains, getting them ready for transport.  There really wasn't great light around but this was a new experience.  The plantains were being counted and weighed, then placed on a boat for St. Maarten (with a stopover in Montserrat).  The boats leaves tonight (Monday) and will get to St. Maarten on Wednesday. 

I had never seen this process of counting/weighing the plantains before they leave the island.  What a great opportunity for me as I was wondering looking for a photo.  Here is it was as long as I was willing to look and be flexible in my plans.  It was the perfect afternoon shot for the day.

Early Morning Peace

I really like the early morning.  It is quiet and the world is slowly waking up to the day.  There is a stillness, peace and quiet before the rush of the day.  It is a time when you can think and not be disturbed by noises other that what nature is providing - birds, roosters, rain.  I tried to get out early enough to try to get a photo of that today.  Here in Dominica, it is about 15 minutes as the sun gets high and hot quick.  I was a few minutes later than I wanted, but there is still a quietness about the water before there is traffic, boats coming & going, and people at the beach.  I am hoping to get back earlier and to see and feel the quiet - it is worth the effort.

So Close to Home....

There are so many times in our lives that we are bored with our lives, our surroundings, where we are in our lives.  We forget that there are many things happening right outside our door in the town, neighborhood, state we live in.  We overlook what is right in front of us and forget to appreciate what we actually have and crave for something else even though we may not know what it is. 

This is sort of what happened today.  We decided to hike into the Indian River.  There is a boat ride up the river but there is also a trail into and next to the river.  I haven't done it in years and the sad part the trail is a five minute drive from the house.  We had a great time hiking in and appreiciating what is literally right out our door.  The swamp was low so we were able to see the roots of the trees and they looked like large snakes crawling on the floor of the forest.  Because the water level was low, we were able to walk into those areas and really appreciate the beauty of the forest.  We were also able to meet some very nice people at the bar inside the forest. 

So go out, explore what is right near you.  You may be surprised with what you will find and how much fun you had!

This Old Home...

Before I say anything else - I LOVE the old homes here in Dominica.  I think they have so much character.  They sit quietly, still hanging on and esxisting with newer development around them (even though it is not in this photo - there were concrete buildings near by).

When I see these houses, it reminds me of what do we really "need" to live comfortably?  How big of a house do we need?  How many "things" do we need to have in the house to keep us happy?  Just questions for me to think about as I age.

I love these house and that is why I plan to try to photo as many of these as possible. 



Look Out 4 Cows

There is one road that travels the West Coast of Dominica.  There are smaller roads off of this one main road that go to the villages along the road.  There is this sign along a rare part of straight road on this roadway (most of the roads is very turny through the hills).  I love this sign.  Someone took it upon themselves to post the sign.  Since it is one of the straightest parts of the road, drivers have their opportunity to race their cars.  This can be very dangerous even without the cows.  There have been cows seen here (as many as up to ten at once) so the sign helps.  Now the goal is to see the cows near the sign - that would be the ultimate photo.  I will have to check there a couple of times a week to see if I can find the cows at the sign.

Trying Once Again....

So I am going to try again to start taking a photo a day.  I miss it.  As I look at the photos I took in the past, I like them now.  I was able to get some shots that I have used in shows and even sold a few.  Taking photos each day makes me a better photographer and reminds me how much I love taking photos.  I feel creative and wondering what I will see next.  I need to keep it up.  I only realize how much I miss it once I start taking the photos again.  So here goes another try....

These are photos of noni.  It is a tropical fruit.  The white ball in the second photo is the rip fruit.  The others are the buds.  This fruit (and its juice) is now started to be studied for mecidinal purposes.  Just google it and you will see where the research is headed.