George Washington House – Barbados 2019

On February 21, 2019February 25, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, See the Beauty21 Comments

George Washington came to Barbados in 1751 while he was still a relative nobody – hoping for a career as a land surveyor and farmer – in the company of his older brother Lawrence. Lawrence was suffering from tuberculosis, and they hoped the climate in Barbados would cure him. It didn’t – Lawrence died the following year, unfortunately. While in Barbados, George contracted small pox and did survive. This gave him immunity and saved him from potentially dying of it later, as an outbreak occurred during the American war of independence. And we know how the rest of that story went…Barbadians are proud of the small but significant part their country played in America’s history.

Very close to our hotel is the George Washington House, in the heart of the Garrison District of Barbados. CJ and I discovered this on a morning walk around the racetrack, which sits in a bowl-shaped area known as the Savannah.

Map of the Garrison District, as it exists today.

The Savannah used to fill up with water every rainy season, and as a result mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and yellow fever would increase during that time. The British did not know the cause of the diseases at that time, but did recognize they coincided with the sitting water, so they created tunnels under the Savannah, to drain the water and for stealthy troop movements in case of attack. The tunnels go on for miles underneath, to a variety of buildings, eventually leading to the sea at Carlisle Bay.

The existence of the tunnels were the stuff of rumours and almost forgotten, until someone needed to do some work at George Washington House and rediscovered them during the process.

Our morning visit to George Washington House included an informative short video about George Washington’s stay, followed by a tour of the tunnels and the house.

Our guide (one of two during our tour) Wilbert provided us with a fascinating tour of the 200 feet of the tunnels we were allowed to travel.

Wilbert in the tunnel. Not for the claustrophobic, he warned us. This section of the tunnel was made with bricks previously used on sailing ships as ballast. Some of the tunnel is dug right into the coral that makes up the island of Barbados.

After our tunnel tour, we were handed off to Martin, who showed us the house itself.

George Washington House exterior, with separate kitchen building on the right

Entryway and 30 seat dining table, built expressly for GW House’s Monday evening “Dinner with George” (which we did not know about until too late, unfortunately).

Recreation of period tea set from broken pieces found in the gully beside the house. Love the criss-cross handle detail, and the pie crust table.

Martin showing us an 18th century rum bottle brought up from Carlisle Bay. Sailors would throw them overboard once empty. Damn litterbugs!

George’s bedroom. On the ground floor, off the main hallway. Not his actual bed as none of the original furniture was saved due to GW’s relative nobody-ness at the time. Furnishings are typical of the period, however. I need to paint a room this colour.

18th century tall boy, once owned by actress Claudette Colbert, who lived on Barbados once she retired from film.

Close up of gorgeous hardware on the tall boy.

Brother Lawrence’s bedroom – bigger and better as befits the elder son. Across the hall. Love the hide-covered chest.

18th century gentleman’s bag. I call it a murse (man purse).

Medical text of that time period. Includes cures for hangovers and cancer…

Next door to the house was the kitchen – separated from the main house in case of fire.

This was the closest thing to refrigeration in the tropics, at that time. A room off the main kitchen, kept cool by wetting the earthen floor and capturing the breeze through the slit in the wall.

The kitchen sink, complete with jukking board, for washing clothes.

After the main floor tour, we were invited to explore the second storey exhibits, on our own.

The second story of GW House (thankfully air-conditioned!) was filled with exhibits about the life and times of the inhabitants of Barbados in the 18th century.

Slaves outnumbered owners 4-1 at one point. Which led to the “creolization” of the Island, according to what we read. (Which I think means there was a lot of mixing going on.) Also, the white people were terrified of being overtaken, so control was tight and punishments were extremely harsh. Sad part of the history of this beautiful island.

We were told by others to definitely stop at the onsite cafe (formerly the stables) for refreshments. It did not disappoint! Try a lemon square, if you ever visit.

Of all of the sights CJ and I have seen so far in 3 years (well, 4 years for me) of visiting Barbados, this one has to be my favourite. Thanks in no small part to Wilbert and Martin, our knowledgeable and charming tour guides.

If you ever are in Barbados (and I hope you get the chance to visit), I recommend a trip to George Washington House.

Rock on,

The WB

Barbados 2019

On February 17, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors20 Comments

After a few short days back in frozen Ontario from delightful Vancouver Island (here and here), I was once again boarding a plane – this time for Barbados!

Mizz J pointed out to me that I will be visiting 2 oceans in the same month (never likely to happen again), and I think that is pretty cool!

I don’t normally take vacations back to back like this. I would have rather been visiting Vancouver Island over the Christmas holidays. Work/staffing commitments decided this timing for me.

Anywho, once again CJ and I are in Barbados, for our annual 2 week beach vacation.

So far there has been a lot of these:

Bajan sunrise, as seen on our *de riguer* 6 am walks.

And these:

Glorious Bajan sunset – 6 pm on the dot.

And this:

Just to spice things up a bit, we decided to forgo the beach walks some mornings to head north to explore the Garrison District instead, which includes the racetrack.

Watching the horses and jockeys at practice

Entrance to grandstand. This horse and handler were just back from the morning sea bath. More on that later…

Directly across the street from the grandstand entrance. Bajan trees can hold their own with Vancouver Island’s giants.

We saw horses crossing the highway to head to the beach, so of course we followed. And we were not disappointed.

So many horses coming back from the sea, we thought maybe we had missed seeing them in the water.

Luckily, plenty of horses still at the beach, including this stunner.

This horse was playfully pawing at the water.

Yesterday we realized, after a full week of lounging on the beach (in the shade, of course!), that we had achieved peak “sluggitude”, so we decided to walk to the Barbados Museum, located behind the racetrack. We needed a dose of culture; to hell with the heat of the afternoon.

This building used to be a military prison. Couldn’t take pictures inside the museum, of course. It was filled with exhibits of all things Barbados – natural, social, cultural, and military history. Worth a visit!

After the museum, we had time to kill before the restaurant we wanted to visit opened, so some rehydration was in order.

Deadly rum punch, at the Radisson Aquatica. The bartender referred to us as “my queens”. A girl could get used to this. (Well, we did give a nice tip. 😉 )

And then it was on to dinner and dessert, at Brown Sugar.

Brown Sugar Restaurant’s specialty: Bajan Bread Pudding. Bread soaked in rum, with rum-soaked raisins, in a rum sauce. Sensing a theme here? You could light my breath on fire. I could only eat half despite its deliciousness. CJ could only eat half of her chocolate mousse cake (in background). We will enjoy the rest today!

Before we leave on Friday, we are planning a visit to this place:

Conveniently located beside the racetrack, in the Garrison District. George Washington stayed here, in his only visit outside the US. Open Monday – Friday. Don’t know much more about this other than I heard it has a delightful cafe. Also something about tunnels. I’ll let you know.

The beach is calling my name ever more loudly, so until next time…

Rock on,

The WB

Exploring Vancouver Island – Part 2: Tofino

On February 10, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, Roadtripping, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors19 Comments

On my last full day on Vancouver Island, the three of us (Mizz J, K and I) got up early and hit the road to Tofino!

We stopped along the way at a picturesque mountain lake.

Tofino straddles the tip of a peninsula on the west coast of the Island. One side is quiet inlet.

And the other side is a paradise for surfers.

The surf at Chesterman Beach. Yes, there were many surfers in the water (2 in this photo) on Groundhog Day, February 2.

Admiring the view and soaking up the sun.

One of the many pretty shells to be found on the beach.

Both sides of Tofino are beautiful and cool.

We drove downtown and parked near this place as we just had to see what it was all about.

A large gallery featuring the works of native artist Roy Henry Vickers. Loved his stuff. Someday I will be back and buy a print or twelve… 🙂

We also visited a series of stores, surf-related shops, and restaurants inside and just outside of the downtown. And there were flowers blooming outside! On Groundhog Day!!!

I loved the signage of this coffee shop:

I had a London Fog here and it was so. damn. good.

The wildlife at the Wildfire Grill were very assertive. The restaurant had signs up, warning people of crow thievery. They just came for us. With their buddies. (OK, so we encouraged them. Because of the novelty. We’re just the kind of people that like birds landing on our picnic table and staring at us.) Like a scene from The Birds. 🙂

We also did a short walk on the Tonquin Trail, that led to another beach.

As the day drew to a close we visited another beach – Long Beach.

And so ended our last day together (for a while). It was a glorious one, filled with sun, surf, art and togetherness.

I know I’ll be back soon for another visit.

Rock on,

The WB

Exploring Vancouver Island – Part 1: Bowser/Qualicum/Parksville Area

On February 7, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, Roadtripping, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors28 Comments

Vancouver Island is such a beautiful, magical place. I’m going to let the pictures do the talking, mostly.

It is filled with lovely souls – such as Donna, from Retirement Reflections who generously filled me in on the Island’s wonders.

Always a treat to meet bloggers you follow in real life!

Donna and her charming husband Richard also took the time to show me a lovely walking trail between Qualicum Beach and Bowser area.

A very accessible trail designed to accommodate as many community members as possible.

One of 1,000s. A gorgeous tree on this trail.

And Donna lent me some great books to read up on Vancouver Island fun attractions, facts and figures!

I learned a lot about the history and attractions of the Island from these!

On Mizz J’s day off work, we hit the road to do some exploring.

First up: Little Qualicum Cheeseworks at Morningstar Farm. A “dairy/berry” farm, and a delight for agri-tourists, like us!

Helpful signs everywhere explaining how the farm works for us non-farmers.

Robot pushing the feed closer to the hungry cows.

Miss Thing from the maternity pen also says hi.

Potted flowers blooming outside farm store entrance. Complete with painted mandala stone. This is February 1, people! In Canada!!!

Lovely treats brought home from the farm store.

Next up was a visit to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre. Thanks to Donna, for telling me about this place!

It was tough to get a good shot of the many birds housed there (including eagles, hawks, and ravens) through the wire mesh of their enclosures. So here’s a resident turkey, for your viewing pleasure. 🙂

There was also a garden area, showcasing native (and some non-native) plants to be found on the Island. Seen here: oregon grape, heather, and kinnick-kinnick.

After a delightful visit, it was on to the next: Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville.

We were delighted to come across many bunnies on our way to the beach. They let us get quite close.

As with most places on the Island, we were in awe of the beautiful, giant trees.

After such an attraction-packed day, it was time to head back to Mizz J’s for a well-deserved soak in the hot tub.

Next stop: Tofino! Stay tuned.

Rock on,

The WB

50 Shades of Green: The Changing Seasons January 2019

On January 28, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors39 Comments

Exploring the beauty of Vancouver Island with these two rascals.

I’m on Vancouver Island at the moment, visiting with Mizz J and her man, who moved here last September.

So, instead of just more of December (colder and with more snow and ice), I thought it would be nice to show what a west coast January looks like.

Well, it’s kinda GREEN. Here’s some shots of Cathedral Grove, which we visited on Saturday.

On the short trail around Cathedral Grove

Nothing to see here. Just another damn tree hugger. Just kidding. K volunteered to be used for size reference. He’s over 6 feet tall.

Crystal clear mountain-stream fed waters

After Cathedral Grove, we went to Englishman River Falls.

Upper Falls. Once again, K volunteered to stand near for size reference. Better him than me!

The lushness of green growth on the Island

Yesterday we went to the Medicine Bowls, near Courtenay.

Water rushing down the road to the Bowls

Can confirm. The rocks were super slippery. I was pretty uncomfortable since I couldn’t trust my footing. It was slow and careful going.

Lower bowl. Apparently people swim (and some die!) here in warmer weather.

When the sun went down, it was time to meet up with K’s mom and stepdad at Royston Towne Pub (“The Roy”), where they were hosting open mic night.

K’s mom and stepdad. Wonderful musicians. So talented.

Unleashing the Kraken and getting in shape for all the rum punches to come in Barbados. 😉

The best reason to be on Vancouver Island in January or any time.

The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge, hosted by Su Leslie at Zimmerbitch. Go check her beautiful blog out!

Rock on,

The WB

You Better Work (unless sick; then You Better Stay Home)

On January 10, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Hmmm?22 Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw9LOrHU8JI

Sick! That’s how I started off my 2019. As opposed to Sickening.

One of my goals was to take 10,000 steps per day every day in 2019. I don’t think I have even taken 10K steps, YET!

It started already on December 31, with a headache that just wouldn’t die, and swollen neck glands. I was determined to tough it out. But instead I got sicker each day, until I just let the flu virus have its way with me. So I stayed home and kept my germs to myself (as we should always do). If I couldn’t thwart the evil bug any other way, I was determined that THIS ENDS WITH ME.

During my self-imposed isolation from humanity, I kept myself amused by catching up on RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix, between naps and coughing and sneezing and shuffling to the kitchen for drugs and more drugs. I had watched Season 1 way back when and then Season 8 last year, and had a lot of catching up to do, obviously. I found when I was watching Season 8 that I was getting quite frustrated and pissy. It was like joining a new group (with its own language) and not getting any of the in-jokes. Heck, I couldn’t even determine WHAT they were saying, half the time. Let alone what they meant by it. I felt like an outsider.

However, now I am pleased to report that I have earned my certificate in Drag-ology. Yep, this past week and a half has been like going to Drag Immersion School. There are still a few terms I am not 100% clear on the meaning of, but I am sure they are probably dirty. Yes, because I have learned that drag queens are mostly dirty shady, sickening, fierce lady-boys.

I could listen to Alyssa Edwards give commentary all day. Don’t judge. (Also, I believe the correct quote is “Look how fucking orange you look, girl.”)

But watching them gives me life so I don’t really mind.

Just so you don’t think I was totally lazy while ill, I was also determinedly growing in my eyebrows. It was and continues to be exhausting. Constantly using your left hand to slap the tweezers out of your right hand is SO. VERY. TIRING. Ugh.

Perhaps I should just do this instead:

Or I could use an Elmer’s glue stick and erase them completely, then draw them back on, drag-style.

Stay healthy, sissy that walk, and rock on,

The WB

2019 – The Year to Record

On January 1, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Goals & Dreams26 Comments

Happy New Year, fellow Badasses (Badassians?)!

Welcome to 2019. I hope you are doing better than me – I’m currently fighting off a virus with the help of Tylenol Cold & Flu* (extra strength).

So, while the medicine is making it possible to sit upright and type, I thought I’d share with you what I’ve been thinking and planning for this next turn around the sun.

I’ve decided my word for this year is RECORD. I just don’t do enough of this and I’d like to see that improve in 2019.

To that end, I purchased this uber-cute Hobonichi planner, from Japan:

A6 planner from Hobonichi — Hobonichi Techo A6 for 2019 – small enough to throw in just about any purse or tote bag. Filled with beautiful, fountain pen-friendly paper…

I came across a couple of booklets and packs of stickers at Michaels, and used them on the planner to help set my intentions for 2019.

inspirational stickers — Stickers decorating the inner cover.

And on the other side of the inner cover:

more stickers on cover — More reminders/inspiration on the flipside.

And here are my intentions, for 2019:

Goals for 2019 — Turning the pages to a new year with new intentions…

My intentions are pretty modest, therefore do-able. I have realized from a couple of months of being on WW that I am not going to lose weight quickly. I was 9.9 pounds down just before Christmas and a bit chagrined to see the scale going down in 1/2 pound increments, week after week. But now I’ve come to realize that this is just how it’s going to be for my age and metabolism. And 1/2 pound per week is 2 pounds per month and that’s 24 pounds gone in a year. Which sounds pretty amazing to me, after all! Attitude: adjusted.

My other intentions include teaching myself how to paint with watercolours, racking up 10K steps per day on my Fitbit, making a record of each day in my Hobonichi (no matter how terse 🙂 ), and tracking my spending.

How about you? Any great plans for 2019?

Rock on,

The WB

*Not a sponsor of this post, although they ~~could~~ should be!

The Changing Seasons – December 2018

On December 30, 2018December 31, 2018 By Widow BadassIn See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors35 Comments

Hoo boy, it IS mostly dark these December days so I’ve been taking advantage of what daylight there is by hauling my sorry butt outdoors whenever I can.

sunrise in the village — Sun peeking over a riverfront building in ye olde Village on the River.

I’ve been noticing seed heads and pods and all manner of lovely wintery things on my walks.

milkweed in the snow — And this: Blown milkweed pods at side of railroad tracks.

When it gets dark, it’s time to head home and throw on as much light as possible.

candlelight, firelight and tree light — Let there be lights!!! Welcoming Yule…

Also: when it gets dark, it’s time to celebrate and visit with friends.

party girls glamming it up — At my friend Mizzus J’s (far right) retirement gala party. Interesting story – Mizzus J and I met at work at a lab many years ago. Mizzus K (middle) and I met at work (another job, another lab) years later. Mizzus J and Mizzus K met for the first time at late hubby JD’s 50th birthday party and hit it off, resulting in Mizzus K working for Mizzus J (who now owned her own lab). Now Mizzus J has retired and Mizzus K has accepted the position of President. I feel proud and happy to have been a part of this!

friends who have become family — Visiting JD’s best man and his wife, who have become “lifers” in the Friends Department. *Clearly my selfie game is not strong.* Yes, M has been queried about playing Santa and is considering making it a post-retirement hobby, visiting nursing homes and such. And Mrs. M is not averse to becoming Mrs. Claus, and making it a duo.

I am not a night creature, anymore though. It’s damn hard for me to leave the house once the sun goes down, in the winter months. My natural inclination is to slip into jammies and wind down my day as soon as it gets dark. Like 5 pm. Seriously.

So no surprise here: I am ecstatic to welcome back the return of longer days and shorter nights, for my personal productivity if nothing else!

End of night and makeup still on. — Getting too old for all these late winter nights. My eye makeup went the distance, even if I pooped out after several hours of dancing and celebrating.

The Changing Seasons is a monthly blog challenge hosted by Su Leslie, at Zimmerbitch. Check out her blog, to see how it’s done!

Wishing you all a happy New Year and a fantastic 2019!

Rock on,

The WB

I Feel Dirty

On December 16, 2018 By Widow BadassIn Goals & Dreams, Hmmm?37 Comments

As I am preparing to acknowledge and celebrate the Winter Solstice again, for the 2nd time, I’ve been watching a bunch of YouTube videos on the subject so I get an idea on how this was done historically as well as what people are doing now.

It’s very eye-opening, how many beloved Christmas symbols and practices actually arose from earlier religious practices and were neatly folded into the Christian celebration of Christ’s birth (spoiler: most probably didn’t happen on December 25).

For instance, the following arise from pagan traditions, and were co-opted by Christians:

“Christmas” colours – red, green, gold, silver
Yule log
Wassailing
“Christmas” tree
“Christmas” lights and candles
“Christmas” wreath
Hanging of mistletoe

Don’t get me wrong. I am not knocking Christmas. I grew up with this holiday and have many fond memories of magical Christmases with family and friends. But I’m at a stage in my life where Christmas is more a remembrance of those I’ve lost and as such, more reflective and less celebratory. It’s just not the same anymore. I don’t have any little people in my life right now – and may never have and that’s OK – so Christmas is no longer all that and a bag of chips, for that reason either.

(Plus I’m not a Christian so there’s that. I guess you could say I grew up as a cultural Christian, rather than an observant one. Historically, the Christian religion has only brought strife, division and pain to my immediate family… only my one sister has found any solace in it.)

But celebrating the Winter Solstice really resonates with me. I am becoming more and more tuned to the natural world once again so marking the shortest day of the year and welcoming a new solar year just makes more sense for me than a Christmas or New Year’s holiday celebration.

So I’m busy working on my intentions for the Solstice, and also learning what I can about this ages-old tradition of humans (especially those from northern Europe – the bulk of my genetic background) marking this special time of year.

This week, I was watching a cute video in which a guy played himself and a long-lost Viking explaining how to celebrate Yule. Video ended and I dove into my journal to write some thoughts down. Meanwhile, YouTube cued up and started playing another video (as it does) that I had not selected to view. In it, a cute little 20-something blond girl (hair in a braid, even) is discussing the myths of Santa Claus, etc. Innocuous, right?

Wrong! This video, produced by something called Red Ice TV, quickly devolved into a neo-Nazi, white supremacist rant about how us (Us? Not sure I want to belong, now) “hard-working, resourceful Northern Europeans” have had our culture appropriated by “lazy southerners” (Huh? Code for people of colour and Jews, I think) and we need to take back Yule traditions and make Christmas WHITE again. (Which doesn’t make sense, I know, but that’s what little Miss Hitler said.)

HOLY SHIT! I couldn’t have been more shocked if the video had turned into some wild porn orgy instead. In fact, I could have handled that a lot better than what I saw and heard.

I can’t stop thinking about it and that stuff like that exists on Ye Olde Interwebs, to infect people’s minds with hatred. I mean, I knew intellectually that fake news and hate speech exists in cyberspace. I had just never searched it out or come across it in any way until this week.

And now I feel so dirty.

I’m not going to link to the offensive video, as I don’t want it to get any more views than it already has.

All I can say is: Be careful out there, gentle readers – I’d hate for you to come across vile filth like this.

Stay safe, and rock on,

The WB

Invisalign: The End of The Journey

On December 9, 2018 By Widow BadassIn Health Transformation22 Comments

end of Invisalign journey — Straight teeth again! Pleased is an understatement.

Last week I finished almost 2 year’s worth of orthodontic treatment on my poor old choppers. Due to my nightly gnashing, they had gone from being relatively straight, to a right mess.

This is how crooked they were: