Well here I am with my Monday night Game of Thrones lack-of-sleep hangover, trying desperately to get my April post out before much more of May gets away from me…
In retrospect, April in Ontario was pretty meh with respect to the nicer aspects of spring. It remained cold and grey for most of the month. So it was a relief mid-month to head south to Augusta, Georgia for a few days of spring (and a couple of days of summer-like temps) before coming home to yet more chilly rain.
Here are some photos, that capture my month:
Start of Mandala painting Apr 4. Starved for colour and spring isn’t coming across with the goods!Apr 6 Attended the Lineup Reveal concert for August’s KW Bluesfest. Lucky Peterson performed.Apr 7 Still plenty of ice on the trail.
Apr 7 Sign of spring: fuzzy caterpillarApr 7 Another sign of spring: first frog sighting!Apr 10 Daffodils spotted in Pennsylvania. Enroute to Augusta.Apr 11 Tulips in Wytheville, VirginiaApr 12 Our home for the weekend, outside of Augusta. From spring to 30 degrees C!Apr 13 & 14 at the Masters. I didn’t take this picture as cameras weren’t allowed on tournament days. Someone snapped it on one of the practice days.Apr 21 Speed River flooding just off the trail I walk. Some areas of Ontario were very hard hit by flooding. Apr 21 Colt’s Foot blooming in dry areas.Apr 28 65th birthday party for my BIL at Lionhead Golf Course. It was a surprise party, and it was my job to get him to the course under pretext. I did a great job – he was completely stunned to find out it was his birthday party and that I actually didn’t need his help in planning a corporate golf tournament – but it tore me up inside. I don’t like deceiving people, even for happy reasons, I have discovered.Apr 28 My BIL (in blue) making the rounds of his party. Note the media screens. There were 4 in total. I gave a slideshow of our trip to Augusta.
Apr 30 Progress made on mandala painting
For some reason, WordPress is cutting off some of my photos. Or is it? On some devices I can see the entire photo, and on some they remain cut off. This is aggravating as I do spend some time cropping my photos to enhance them, and then to have them further cropped…well, colour me pissed. I don’t know what I am doing or not doing to cause this to happen. Argh!
Anywho, that was my April. The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge hosted by the ever lovely Zimmerbitch. Please check out her blog and the other bloggers who participate!
When last I left off, gentle readers, I was planning to take a portion of my dead husband’s ashes down with me to Augusta, to scatter them on the hallowed grounds of the golf course there, during the 2019 Masters event.
Well, I am happy to report that my mission was accomplished with no drama. Kinda anticlimactic, really.
Not only did I NOT get dragged off the course in ignominy, but my own people didn’t realize what I had done. Even though I made a point of making eye contact with them while I was doing it. I was amazed when I was asked – safely back at the hospitality suite – did I do what I set out to do? Perhaps I need to go into the spy business. I seem to be (too) good at covert operations.
I scattered some of JD at 2 different locations, during the 2 days we spent at the tournament. Saturday was at the Amen Corner; Sunday was near the pond on Hole 16 – another pretty spot. Do I feel guilty about doing so? Not one bit. I am sure I am not the first, nor will I be the last to do so. Plus, the tablespoon of cremains I deposited is nothing compared to the amount of cigar ash deposited on the grounds daily, based on my observations.
As I mentioned in my previous post, no electronics were allowed on the course during the final days of the tournament so I don’t have any pictures to share…yet! I did get sent some pictures taken by someone who was on the course on the practice round days, when photography was allowed. I’ll post those after first debuting them in a slideshow at a special event I will be attending next week.
These (and accompanying verbiage) will probably make up the most of my upcoming Changing Seasons post for April.
Tomorrow I am leaving for Augusta, Georgia, to attend the Masters Tournament being played there on the weekend.
Some of you may be wondering how I ended up in this delightful situation, not being a golfer (or rabid golf fan) and all that. Well, wonder no more! Get yourself comfortable as the Widow Badass tells all…
My late husband came from a family BIG on golf. I mean seriously addicted to the game. JD started golfing when he was 4 years old, with his dad, who LIVED for golf. Big Daddy D often held down multiple jobs at once to provide for his family but Sunday morning golf with his JD was sacred. Even when everyone else had packed it in for the season, Daddy D and JD would be out there, using coloured balls so they could be seen despite the snow dusting the course.
So golf was a big part of JD’s life and he became very good at it. So good, that at one point Daddy D’s golfing buddies asked him not to bring JD because they were tired of getting their asses severely beat by the young lad – every time. So Daddy D told his golfing buddies to take a hike. As one does…
Anywho, life happened to JD as it does to us all and instead of pursuing life as a golf prodigy, he went into accounting, got married, got divorced, blah blah blah.
Then we (former elementary and high school-mates) got reunited and JD introduced me to the enjoyable yet exasperating game of golf.
Long story short, JD came to an turning point in his career and I suggested he finally realize his golf dream and become a teaching pro. So he did – he was into his apprenticeship when he got lung cancer and passed away. I put away my golf gear – such as it was; I was more of a caddy for JD than an actual player myself. The game held too many memories and associated emotions for me, both good and bad. The onslaught of those while playing the game are still too much to bear.
Back to today: JD’s sister (B) and her husband (M) are also fans of the game and have been putting their names into a draw for spectator tickets to the Masters for about a decade now. Last summer their names were finally drawn and they purchased a package including 4 tickets for Saturday and Sunday. If JD were alive, he would have been the one going but since he is not, I was invited to take his place. So B, M, me and M Jr. are heading down to Augusta. B, M and me will be going by car; M Jr. is taking a plane, to minimize his days off work.
I have never been to a major tournament like this. It’s pretty damn rules-y, that much I can tell you. There is a dress code (no jeans, no short-shorts, basically dress as if you were playing); there will be no electronics allowed (cell phones, cameras, tablets, laptops, watches that can accept phone calls); there is absolutely no running allowed; no food or drink allowed; no noise at all when the volunteers hold up the Quiet sign; etc. etc. Happy Gilmore, it won’t be!
I’ve decided to pack a bit of JD, to bring along with me. So I opened up his urn (on my dresser still, along with the cremains of my dog Lucy and my mom – quite the collection!), and scooped a tablespoon of his ashes into a little plastic container. I plan to sprinkle him somewhere on the grounds. Not sure where yet. When I see it, I’ll know it. I didn’t read anywhere in the rules about “no sprinkling of human remains on the grounds of Augusta National” so I’m going for it. After all, it’s basically bone meal fertilizer, right? Wish me luck.
March was typical in many ways. Ontarians spent the days waiting for the weather to change, and the ice and snow to melt. And it did! We had a glorious day on Friday:
No wind and plenty of sun. Temperatures reached double digits. A great day to get out for a walk. Sunlight sparkling on the water flowing over the Village dam.Sun highlighting the pampas grass.
Then Saturday came and brought steady, heavy rain. Joanne of My Life Lived Full came to visit for the weekend and join me for a couple of events. We didn’t let the rain stop us from heading out to Crawford Lake Conservation Area’s Sweetwater Festival, and A Taste of Maple, presented by Chef Johl Whiteduck Ringuette of NishDish Marketeria, a Toronto restaurant and catering business serving Indigenous cuisine.
Rainboots, umbrellas and smiles – all a must in this weather!
We started our culinary adventure with maple taffy, made on a bed of ice in lieu of snow, which had finally melted away (or so we thought! Uh oh.).A documentary was being filmed on the traditional Indigenous view of food as medicine (Chef Johl’s talk).
Joanne and I were so engrossed in Chef Johl’s talk we (almost) forgot we came also for a food tasting. He spoke so eloquently and passionately about his culture and experiences growing up, lacing them with traditional stories about Nanabozho and the origins of maple syrup making. His honest, heartfelt stories of working with Aboriginal Legal and the treatment of the native people in Toronto made me tear up.
Chef Johl started us off with a smudging ceremony, to cleanse us and bring us together for good intentions. Look for a documentary in about a year we were told before the talk, on Traditional Food as Medicine. Chef Johl’s recommended reading for those who were interested (yes, please!).The order of lining up for food: elder women, then other women, then everyone else. On the tasting menu: bannock with maple butter and jam, salmon, and blueberry wild rice pudding. Closeup of blueberry, maple and wild rice pudding in a corn husk bowl.
Once back at Chez Badass, Joanne and I spent a delightful evening and the next morning trading information. I showed her how to make art with spray inks and shaving cream, and she taught me all about Airbnb (teaser: more about why in an upcoming post…hehehe). This was awaiting us outside in the morning:
March 31, 2019. No one is up for a winter wonderland come spring. Even though we woke up to this on Sunday morning, we weren’t going to be stopped from enjoying the day.
Late morning it was off to our second event of the weekend – exploring St. Jacobs and taking in a show at the Country Playhouse.
FABULOUS. The best Drayton production I have seen yet.
Before the show started, we had time to do some shopping and eat lunch at the Stone Crock.
When bloggers are let loose in St. Jacobs, the streets are no longer safe.
I was so excited when I found something I had been searching for since I saw one at Karen Hume’s (of Profound Journey) last summer. (Bloggers: always learning from each other!) It is going to solve one of life’s big (hah!) problems for this badass widow.
Yeah. I made this meme. Hard for me to eat the butter (no matter how minuscule an amount) before it goes bad as I like to keep it on the counter. Because: spreadability!
I was really happy to have finally found one of these butter keepers. I first learned of these at Karen Hume’s house last summer. She had one. I thought it was genius.
The water in the base (must be changed every few days) keeps the butter fresh AND spreadable, on the counter!
And so ended my March, absolutely delightfully despite ALL. THE. WEATHER!
The Changing Seasons is hosted by Su Leslie of Zimmerbitch. Please be sure to check out her blog!
It’s Spring!!!! Let me just speak for all (OK, maybe not you guys on Vancouver Island…grrrr! ) Canadians and say how relieved we are that IT IS OFFICIALLY SPRING ON THE CALENDAR and Winter 2019 is now behind us.
As is my habit, I use these times of the year to check in on my progress towards my intentions. This provides me with a quarterly reminder and opportunity for course-correction, if needed. It’s like using the Daylight Savings Time changes to remind you to check the batteries in a smoke detector, except more in keeping with the natural world!
So…so far, so good. I am keeping up with making good on my word for 2019: Record, entering a few bon mots (or not so bon mots) every day in my journal.
Wish I’d said that. I tend to be more of a wise-cracker, but hey! Calisthenics! That’s like exercise, right? Exercise is good. Even if it’s only brain exercise.
My health journey – also so far, so good! I’m killing my 10K step goal. And, as of today, I have lost just over 13 pounds since I joined WW last October. I feel great, with lots of energy and enthusiasm to get me through my days. My jeans fits nicely – even a bit loose – for the first time in a long time. I love everything about WW – I love the app; the flexibility; the variety; the focus on healthy, whole foods and daily activity; the support and sharing at the workshop; and of course (so important for me) – the accountability. I even lost 1/2 pound after coming back from my winter travels – and believe me, I did not track my food/liquor intake or even try to restrict myself while vacationing!
One of the best things about this weight loss is that already my blood pressure has come down significantly. I may soon have to adjust how I take my BP medication, and hopefully can get off it completely at some point.
Treated myself to a new water container at work when I noticed I was not drinking enough during the day. I saw this at the store and was drawn to it, like a magnet. I likes the SHINY.
The A-Z Blog Challenge is coming up at the beginning of April, and for the first time in 4 years, I won’t be participating. Because I’ll be travelling again (AGAIN!!!) in the middle of the month. This is turning out to be quite the year for me. So here’s what’s happening: my SIL and BIL have put their names in every year for the past 10 years, for the opportunity to buy passes to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. And you guessed it – this year they got notified their names were drawn. So guess who got invited to join them down there? That’s right. THIS GAL!
We’ll be staying in an “executive home” and meals and transportation to and from the course are included. I don’t have much more details than that, at this point. Except for knowing the dress code and rules for being a spectator (no cameras, cell phone, no electronics PERIOD). This last part has me a bit stressed. What is a blogger without her camera??? Speaking of …
I decided, after months of thinking about it, to treat myself to a new camera.
My new baby. With the video screen flipped up. Yet something else to learn how to work. Check out the size of this “getting-started” manual. I downloaded the “real” manual from ye olde Canon website. Oh yes, brain calisthenics for the win!
My previous camera is 5 years old. Which is like using a 5 year old phone or computer. Ancient technology. I’m looking forward to using the video function more and more. I may eventually post the odd video diary to YouTube if I feel confident enough to try out this vlogging thing. Speaking of YouTube…
Caitlin is an author and YouTuber, and the founder/leader (or at least one of them) of The Order of the Good Death – a death-positivity movement. I hope I haven’t lost you yet! She is a mortician and an advocate of helping families take back control of their loved one’s death and funeral rites, helping them to choose greener burials (usually much lower in cost than the traditional way too) and to say goodbye in a healthier, more personal and meaningful way. She is trying to change the dialogue around death and empower families to stand up to pushy funeral homes, and does it with short, fun videos that I find very entertaining and educational. Her channel has hours of content about death-related topics and rituals from around the world (Ask a Mortician! Iconic Corpses! Morbid Minutes!) that are addictive to watch!
Here’s a really good one about grief, to give you a sample. One that’s not quite so macabre – not that there is anything wrong with that! A-hem!!!
What she says really resonates with me because I consider myself a pretty death-positive person. I don’t shy away from the topic or people who are dying. (Let’s face it: we are all dying. Just some of us sooner than others).
In fact, with all the deaths I’ve had to experience in my family lately, I’ve found that I have kind of an aptitude for it, if that’s the right term. Someday I may volunteer in some capacity to help people with death. Like at a hospice.
And I feel really strongly about having a green burial. I sent Mizz J a random text this week telling her (again) of my wishes to be sewn into a biodegradable shroud and dumped, un-embalmed, into a hole in the ground, to nourish the soil and plant life. I even sent her a link to a green burial cemetery – you know – just in case something happens before I can arrange it for myself. As one does…
Thinking of and planning my death is not at all morbid, to me. My mom planned and paid for her funeral years in advance and it brought her great peace of mind. And made our job of caring for her in her illness and death so much easier at a difficult time. Because we knew exactly what she wanted done, at the end.
That’s it for me. Happily thinking about death at the start of this season of new life. How are you all doing at this point in 2019? Please feel free to share in the comments.
Today I got onto my favourite local trail for the first time since coming back from my winter travels to Vancouver Island and Barbados. This is what I saw as I approached the entrance to the trail.
Hmmm. Wonder why this barrier was put up by the City?
Well, it didn’t take me long to figure out why the City was trying to discourage people from using the trail.
Ice, ice everywhere. Except on the boardwalks.Thick and bumpy. But still slippery!Slide marks from previous walkers…er…sliders. It quickly became apparent that sliding was the safest way to go, in most places.
Just how thick is this ice? Glad you asked. I found a place where there was a crack in the ice, just so I could show you.
Crack in the ice shows its depth.Close up of 2 inch thick ice coating the trail.
Ice was also found on the river, of course. Nice to observe, from a less slippery vantage point on the shore.
Weirdly beautiful ice formation on the river. Ice shelf near the bank of Chilligo Creek.
I didn’t fall. Didn’t break or strain anything. But also didn’t walk (er…slide) as far as I intended when I set out this morning. But it was worth it as I got quite close (for a change) to a couple of these guys:
Rock on,
The WB
p.s. this is my first post using the new block editor in WordPress. So far I really like it. Reminds me a bit of using MS Word, so somewhat familiar to me. However, I don’t like how my images are being compressed, but I’ll sort that out later…right now I have to figure out whether to start watching Drag Race Season 10 or American Gods Season 2 or (insert some other show that got released recently and I’ve already forgotten what it is). You know: Sunday evening priorities.
p.p.s. oh, and fingers crossed the email announcing this post gets sent out this time. Last post it didn’t work (2nd time this has happened to me) and I haven’t a clue as to why. #bloggerwoes
This post could also have been called: Beware of Falling Into Ruts.
Last weekend my pal Mizz K took me out for lunch and to play with makeup at Sephora and MAC – a highly enjoyable pastime, that we have enjoyed before.
I picked up some eyeshadow and lipstick that I didn’t need, but that made me happy. As I was checking out at Sephora, the girl behind the counter dropped a couple of lipstick samples into my bag.
Usually I get “anti-aging” product samples (unasked for) dropped in my bag, by the ever-so helpful beauticians (really? why can’t I get some fun stuff instead?) so this was very welcome.
When I got home I pulled the samples out and immediately judged that one had potential but the other had absolutely none.
Sorry about the mess. If I’d known I was going to write a blog post about this, I would’ve snapped a picture before I dug into the samples.
I don’t do orange. I feel at this age, I know my colours. I know what looks good on my body and my face, and browns and oranges are colours I avoid. I am a pink/plum/burgundy lipstick kind of gal. So immediately, I gravitated toward the colour on the right and dismissed the colour on the left.
Yep, that’s pretty damn orange.
However, some spirit of adventure momentarily took control of my senses and I opened the orang-y Dior Charm sample and applied it to my lips.
Mind. Blown.
Whaaaaa? I not only like this colour on me. I LOVE IT.
I don’t know if it’s because I am rocking the Barbados tan still or what. But this coral-y, orang-y, avoid-at-all-costs colour not only looks pinky-natural on me, I love what it does for my whole face.
I was so surprised by this, I didn’t trust my own eyes.
Wait, this can’t be right. I’m just imagining it. This isn’t my colour. It’s gotta be a trick of the light. HOW. CAN. THIS. BE. A. THING. Did I mention THIS IS NOT MY COLOUR? WHO AM I ANYMORE?!?!?!
I had to ask my friend – fashion historian and overall arbiter of good taste – Jonathan Walford, if the colour actually looked as good on me as I thought it did.
He said it did – looked very natural, he said. Well, OK then. Confirmed!
Coral lipstick – where have you been all my life?
So this begs the question: what else I am missing out on because I’ve become stuck in a rut or think I KNOW what to use and what to avoid?
I tell you, this experience has made me question a lot more stuff that I thought I knew for sure. Who knows what other surprises are in store for me!
Ooooh, the power of makeup to transform not only your outsides, but your insides!
I should write an advertisement. Dior makeup people – you know where to find me, right?
How about you? Ever had a moment where everything you thought you knew went straight out the window? Do tell.
February was an incredible month for me – and one of extremes. In temperature and geography! You can read about my travels here, here, here, here and here.
I started off the month on Vancouver Island, which is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean.
Yep, those are surfers behind me. On Groundhog Day!Surfer!
After a few short days back at Chez Badass (and work), it was off to Barbados, an island surrounded by the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean:
2019 Barbados sign on the beach, just off the boardwalk.Island of glorious sunrises…And restful beach vistas…And beautiful flowers. This one is called Pride of Barbados (aka peacock flower).And green monkeys. This elusive guy shot by CJ on a morning walk.And cute little crabs that are really hard to see when not scuttling around the beach.And racehorses reluctant to be bathed in the sea, after early morning exercise.And less reluctant horses actually swimming in deep water, for non-weight bearing exercise…And tall ships (spotted along with the horses, in Carlisle Bay).
But all good things come to an end, eventually. This is how I ended my magical month of February:
Using a hatchet to break up my driveway’s ice.Observing ice formations on my walks.Trying to be as stoic about the weather as the Buddha of the Patio.Today’s weather – I can be forgiven for shedding a tear or two, right?
March and the Spring Equinox – bring it on!
The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge, hosted by Su Leslie at Zimmerbitch. Go check her beautiful blog out!
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 rightEntryway 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).View of table from opposite endRecreation 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.Period liquor cabinet on wheels. Handy!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.
Stairway to second storey of GW House.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.Informative signage.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.
CJ caught this picture of me taking a picture of the Barbados 2019 sign, and a rainbow in the distance!
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:
Happy toes in the surf.
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 practiceEntrance 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.Bathing beautiesHeading for a swim in deeper watersThis 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…
) Canadians and say how relieved we are that IT IS OFFICIALLY SPRING ON THE CALENDAR and Winter 2019 is now behind us.
