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

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

Dreary November – The Changing Seasons

On November 29, 2018 By Widow BadassIn See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors27 Comments

November started off with enough colour:

Japanese maple tree — Gorgeous Japanese maple, captured on November 3

But the wind and rain soon stripped the trees and I struggled to find whatever colour was left:

berries on the trail — Berries in the gloom

And then it wasn’t long before this happened:

snowy trees — Winter wonderland drive to work, November 13

And I did manage to capture one spectacular sunset:

November sunset — November 14 Red and Navy sunset

But the snow didn’t last, and we were back to dull skies, clouds and rain and a dearth of colour:

Riverside trail — Mill Run Trail, November 25

Clearly I wasn’t the only one that felt November needed some brightening up:

bright poppy against dull branches — Well, this is one use for a poppy after Remembrance Day I suppose…

I noticed many things on the trail that I just walk on by, when the foliage is rich and lush:

stumps — I walk by this all the time, but this time I really noticed this stump and the stump behind it.

leaf shapes — The shapes of these oak leaves caught my eye as well.

The beauty of a feathery pampas grass head…

This scene, although kind of desolate, speaks to me.

I don’t know what these are, but I do like the look of them…also that they provide some welcome colour!

And while I was noticing all these beautiful and delightful things, I felt like something was noticing me as well:

watchful tree — Eeeek! The trees have eyes!

I went to the Orthodontist’s office on November 26. Soon I won’t need to visit them anymore as I am almost at the end of my Invisalign treatment (yay!). This time, it was full-on Christmas decor:

Maple Leaf tree — A tree dedicated to the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, of course! (For the hockey-mad clientele.)

A corner dedicated to the Nutcracker Ballet, with Nutcracker and Mouse King (For the rest of us?).

These were some of my impressions of this overall mostly dreary November.

Hope yours was more colourful!

The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge that anyone can join. Please visit Su Leslie at Zimmerbitch, for more information, and to see what others are posting.

Rock on,

The WB

The Changing Seasons – October 2018

On October 27, 2018 By Widow BadassIn See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors26 Comments

Clouds reflected on pond — Reflections of Fall at the Puslinch Tract

It’s been hard for me to blog this Fall. October is the month you realize there are not many days left you can head out with bare hands and a bare head. So that puts some urgency into my outdoor activities and causes me angst when I’m stuck indoors (looking at you, work!) on a beautiful day.

Luckily there have been some stellar weekends (although this cold, blustery, rainy one is not one of them) and I was out on the trails with my trusty iPhone camera in hand:

beautiful leaves — Fiery Foliage peeking through the trees

clashing colours in nature — Who says you can’t wear purple and orange together? Not Mother Nature, that’s for sure.

I don’t know if this was an exceptional year for fungus or not, but for some reason I noticed fabulous fungi everywhere I looked, this fall.

bracket fungus on tree — Brilliant Bracket Fungus

fungus that looks like a turkey tail — Aptly-named Turkey Tail Fungus

can't identify fungus — I don’t know what this is (and neither does iNaturalist for sure, apparently). Way too many suggestions and none looked quite like this.

red lichen — I’m lichen this Wrinkled Crust lichen 🙂

edible fungus — This one is called Bears Head Tooth. And it’s edible, though I didn’t try it. One of my fellow walkers did, and I see he is still posting on Facebook so that means he survived. 😉

As it’s almost Halloween, I thought I’d share some of the wild decor I saw at my latest visit to my orthodontist.

decor at the orthodontist — When one looks up…

prisoner in cage — Where you end up when you don’t floss, I guess.

The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge hosted by Su Leslie, of Zimmerbitch. Please stop by her blog to see the Changing Season, down under in New Zealand.

That is October, almost a wrap!

Happy Halloween everyone, and rock on,

The WB

SaveSave

September Sublime 2018 #TheChangingSeasons

On September 29, 2018 By Widow BadassIn See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors, Village Life37 Comments

September started out still blazing hot but now the weather is reasonable again, and perfect for heading to the woods.

Head to the woods I did, with a local group that took me to a brand new area, right off the trail I usually walk. I’d known of this side trail for years of course, but because it looked overgrown and in denser brush I was leery of going too far in by myself. When the group advertised a guided walk into this area I jumped at the opportunity.

Chilligo Creek View — We followed Chilligo Creek for most of the walk.

beautiful forest shot — Heading to a crossing point at the creek.

large oak tree — One of our group refers to this oak as “The Mother Tree” 🙂

Fungal growth on dead branches — The forest floor is full of fungus-y finds like this one.

Purple asters — Fall is the time when the wild asters are the most beautiful.

wildflower in the grass — Another purple fall flower. According to iNaturalist, it is a knapweed.

red leaves — Beautiful bright red foliage of the Virginia Creeper spotted in the meadow.

View of Chilligo Creek as it come out from under the highway. Taken from the side of the road, above.

seeds stuck on clothing — My pants were covered in “travellers” at the hike’s end. Another sign of the fall!

fall colours on hydrangeas — Heading back from the walk, I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the plantings downtown. They are putting on a show as well, as we cruise into fall. Hydrangeas are changing from white to pink and bronze.

fall colours in mums — A few steps further, I took in the riot of chrysanthemums planted to celebrate fall in our downtown.

pile of seeds — Home again. Sipping wine and picking seeds outta my pants…a perfect end to a perfect walk in the woods.

Sublime. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have wild areas close at hand, with which to restore my soul.

This has been a Changing Seasons Post. The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge, hosted by Su Leslie of Zimmerbitch.

Rock on,

The WB

Fountain Pen Mania, Rekindled

On September 23, 2018 By Widow BadassIn Hmmm?, See the Beauty31 Comments

What I hauled home from the Phidon Pens 10th Anniversary Sale – glass dip pen, 3 new inks, fountain pen-friendly journal (the paper really matters!), converter for my Lamy fountain pen, 2 book marks created gratis by one of the lovely calligraphy class instructors, gratis Phidon bookmark and shopping bag.

When I was a newly minted teenager, I first discovered fountain pens. My dad had given me a old-fashioned box of nibs and a couple of plastic holders that he picked up somewhere from someone, along with a bottle of ink. I loved dipping those pens into the ink bottle and pouring my profound (as profound as any 13 year old’s) thoughts into my notebook every day.

As I got older, I stopped using the pens and writing my profound thoughts down for a time. I was busy as a young wife, career woman, and mother.

Then one day I read “Writing Down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg, and I remembered my love for writing and for fountain pens as I was reading about her use of the same. So I bought a disposable fountain pen and a cheap notebook, and began pouring out my thoughts (profound and otherwise) again. It felt good to be able to articulate what I was feeling and going through in this way. It was a release valve for me, as I struggled to find meaning and happiness in an unsuitable marriage. Until I found out a decade later that my then-husband had been sneaking into my desk drawer and reading my journal entries all these years without my permission. I felt violated and stopped writing completely. My fountain pens dried up, and I threw them away.

I didn’t keep a journal in my second marriage. I had no more trust left in me. I created and took down a couple of anonymous blogs, writing about my struggles in living with a man who refused to seek help for his OCD. I was so afraid he would find out that they never lasted long.

When JD died and I spent a year cleaning up his hoard, I came across a never-used Waterman fountain pen, still in the presentation box. I did use it a couple of times (for signing the lease with my tenants, for example) but I didn’t like the memories I had attached to it, that came up with each use. Funny how we do this to inanimate objects. Also, I don’t know the provenance of it. Was it a gift from an ex-lover? The woman he cheated on me with? I still have it, but no longer use it. It probably won’t survive the next purge I do around Chez Badass. Instead I bought a (cheap but very nice) Lamy pen off the Interwebs, that I have been using to write with.

So that brings us to the present day. Phidon Pens has been around since 2008, and I have been aware of it since it opened, as it is across the street from the year-round Farmers’ Market that I love to visit. Yet, I had never gone in. Due to a multitude of factors, including me never being in the area when it was actually open for business. And a very real fear of spending my life savings on a rekindled fountain pen mania. Hah!

Which is kinda exactly what happened. I made a special effort to attend the 10th anniversary sale (30% off EVERYTHING), and dropped a load of money on goodies. I almost bought another fountain pen – a beautiful rose gold brushed metal number that felt great in the hand. But, dear Bloggie, instead I bought a converter for the Lamy that I already owned. So now I can draw up one of the inks I bought, instead of relying solely on purchased cartridges. How mature. How fiscally responsible.

Let’s not discuss the glass dip pen (so beautiful, so much fun) though, shall we?

Rock on,

The WB