Nature Nurtures; with a Ku

Not simply drinking,
This important peaty work
Watering the muse

Haiku by Mystic Urchin

APRIL  2010

Way back in February (I can't believe it's June already!!) I was taken on an incredible drive up to the Blue Mountains and I'm only now posting my notes about it.  Still, I can't gush enough about the renewing effect of that fresh clean air high above the heat and smog of Kingston, with breathtaking views of nearly untouched land.   It was quite  heavenly, and I absolutely aim to do this again when I return to Jamaica. 

It's simply a place of modest communities (Irish Town, Hardware Gap, Greenwich...) scattered with beautiful bed and breakfast cabins, private homes, and quaint cafes,  all hugged in a cozy blanket of fog and lush flora.

There were breathtaking views of tree fern covered valleys, bright green moss wrapped trees, and quite a bit of non-tropical botanical varieties to my surprise, with pine covered mountainsides, and flower gardens much like you would find in Oxford, England! And that said, there is quite a significant community of British expatriates living up there.

A week after my trip I stumbled upon a Kuya Magazine issue with an article about Greenwich, and a cover photo of the same house I captured here, beautifully shot on a sunny day by  Franz Marzouca. It was still on the shelves  when I left in May, so grab it if you can find it - the full photo spread is quite magnificent.

click for larger view

Here is a mini list of what I found (and aim to check out when I return):

FLORA: 

Tree ferns, pines, orchids, sunflowers, ginger lilies, bright green moss  (I think it was spanish moss - but don't quote me on on that...), and quite a bit more - the names of which escape me now. 

BIRDS:

wood pecker, hummingbirds

CAFES/EATERIES:


Gap Cafe - where I ate coconut creamy rice and peas, with 3 pepper spiced yellow curry steamed fish, and a thick slice of homemade carrot cake.  and yes, the blue mountain coffee was stella!

Others I hear worth checking out are Cafe Blu, IMZ Cafe, and Mount Edge (thanks Steve!)

INDUSTRY: 


Catherine's Peak water, Jamaica Coffee Board (Blue Mountain Coffee), Craighton Coffee Estate (tours available), Strawberry Hill Hotel and Spa, and private rental homes and cabins are available - like the one pictured above. 

ARMY BASE:

foto by Jamdiver

Jamaica Defense Force  (JDF)

 

TRAILS and TOURS:  

-The Mountain Peak Trail 
(starting at Abbey Green)
I HAVE to do a hike one day...

    -Holywell Nature Reserve

     -Old Tavern Coffee Estate

Nabes with cabin homes and B+Bs for getaway rentals:

Irish Town

Hardware Gap 

Holywell

Greenwich
Whitefield Hall

If you have a free weekend and sometime to research a tailor made trip for yourself, do it!  It's the rejuvenating gift that keeps on giving. And please let me know what you find - so I can make a list for my next trip!

For way more additional info - check out:
-YardEdge and read up on their tale of hiking to the top.

RELATED JOURNEY POSTS: 

-> The Lady Lunches, and Lunches, and Lunches...(March 2011)

-> SOLE OF REDEMPTION: Majesty of the Little Things (May 2010)

So yah - I went back to the Bahamas...

...and barely shot a thing.   Truth is I was with family for the holidays and we spent much of the time indoors; and frankly a good chunk of the time it was actually cold!  We're talking 50s, even 40s!  Not exactly beach weather - ha!  Anyway...here are a few sightings:

Waterside

west bay

south bay ridge

from the other side of Balmoral Island...

Seashells on Porches

queen conch

cross barreled venus with white coral - cool way to dress up plants I thought...

coral and shell mix in a dry nut shell

 Vegetation

baby coconuts

I frankly can NEVER remember the name of this flower.  Anyone?

hot mix of local peppers

elizabeth street roots

Atlantis

shark tank with encased water slide that takes you thru the tank.  not for the risk averse I should think...

$25,000 p/night suite - i bet those who can afford it still stay for free...

glowing jellies

my nephew and the blow fish

ENDGAME

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.~  

When the space for open discourse and mutual understanding and respect have been eroded by stubborn self-righteousness on all sides, how do you carve out a new opening?

The extent of any the damage and temperamental pollution in any personal conflict always determines how much work needs to be done to clear the air. It often takes courage, a sense of safety and trust, and an open and interested heart to look at your part in the mess, to admit to it, and to let yourself receive the same from the other. 

I'm no fan of conflict (as most of us aren't - ha!).  It's upsetting, and my default is either to run; and if I stay, it is to express, to listen, to be heard, to concede, and to attempt to reach across the fence with palms up - so as to arrive at an even clearer and heightened space in my relationships.  I've been told by some that this is courage, by others, that it's cowardly, and by others still, that it's a crock of unrealistic new-age arrogant bullshit. 

Gandhi said that "anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding", that "anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is the monster that swallows it up".  I couldn't agree more.  But intolerance I feel is perhaps the worst ingredient of all.  If someone pisses you off, that's fine, we're human, and as fallible individuals, we gather baggage, we create unrealistic expectations of others, and we disagree on many matters of conduct.  But it's how we rise and fall from our tirades of perceived rejection that sets the lasting impression of our character, and creates the clearings or obstacles to personal growth and inner peace. 

It is important to ask: when the inner warrior stops swinging, is it because you subdued your foe, or because you subdued yourself? Did you speak more, or listen more?  Did you seek to be understood, ...or to understand? What did you say, what did you hear, what did you learn? Did you walk away with a more open heart, or with declarations of justified intolerance? Do you feel better at the end of a fray only if the other acquiesced to your point of view?  Are you committed to winning only by being right?   And what's the prize exactly?  Sometimes it feels great to be right, sure, but in the short term. If there was little risk or sacrifice of ego in acquiring it though - then haven't we actually lost? I love a good debate, and I'm passionate about my convictions, and I've been rightly accused of being condescending at times.  But pertaining to personal differences, no matter the position I have, or the facade I attempt to create, I inevitably will carry the burden of knowing when my 'right' was actually wrong. Not fun at all.

We must be honest about the hurt of having our toes crushed, for certain, but we can only 'win' new ground by also accepting our part in the dance, otherwise our growth is stunted and our tempers remain unsettled. It's hard work to cry, and then to smile, and then to offer love when we are confronted with rejection, but the rewards of doing so earn far more trust and respect, if not from your opponent, at least then for yourself. 
  

Conversely, at times it's best to ration our exposure to incompatible souls.  Sometimes it's best to concede and accept unfavourable outcomes as some souls are immutable, or even dangerous in their erruptions. Whenever I arrive at such a juncture, I end up asking: Is this truly enlightenment and acceptance? Is it brave? Or is it a wimpy act of avoidance for the sake of peace?  I'm not always sure.

Either way, I think it's ultimately more comfortable to surrender my pride, and take personal responsibility in the end.  I'm inspired by the intense need to create safety through honest disclosure of my fears, concerns, needs, and disappointments, in the hope that this may create a safe space for others to do the same. For peaceful relationships? Yes. For a desire to live in love? Absolutely!  In the end, it's the only play on this spacious board of life that I can sleep with.  

On a frivolous note...the mushrooms came back!

And look how happy SpongeBob is despite being under seige!

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. 
~Martin Luther King, Jr.~ 

The Natural Guide

Springtime comes around and usually we just go with the inner directive to clean out stuff, reassess the place we currently inhabit - both literally and figuratively, and then plot new courses and forge forward with a renewed spirit and sense of clarity. 

Funny that we have the tradition of setting resolutions at the turn of the new year instead of at the changing of the seasons; seems our inner clock is set to do it a quarter of the way in, no?

What appears to be key though, is to quiet the conditioned mind and allow the space to let your beauty emerge, to give permission to your drives and inclinations to carve out the individual spot that brings you closer to the daring truth of new.  

Here's to plunging into the colourful blooming of you, no matter how dry the conditions. 

"It's hard enough figuring out who you are - why mess that up by trying to be someone else?  Who you are is both unique and new, and i may be just what the world needs right now.  Remember that the next time you do something that doesn't feel right to you."

~ Willie Nelson~ 

*Images of a bonsai Ebony Tree in bloom, despite current dry conditions.  



 

Torn in the Shadow...

...but still a Rose

   Love reigns in p

                   a

                  r

                   t

                  i

                   c

                  l

                   e

                  s

               of 

                       promises

      Stars sparkling 

                in hearts of 

                     forever-intentions

    Til and then, 

           morning light t

                         e

                          a

                         r

                           s 

                              our focus

                 exposing ground zero

                  just moments 

before hitting 

the

        blind spot

   of

        loss.

And yet...

              We bloom...

---

---

________________________

NOW

The shadow swallows the light 

and eats the shape 

of everything real.

I ride on the mouth of this dream, 

holding fast to the fantasy 

of memory 

and permanence,

While steering every action

towards erasing any evidence of it.

---

---

Dear Chanticleear [with Flowers for McQueen]

I must say I'm proud to know this very talented young poet, Matthew Hittinger,  whom I met some years ago at a friend's party.   I'd like to share a really fun and clever piece he wrote shortly after this meeting which I always enjoy reading...and not just because he named me in it. Heehee.  Seriously check out his site - he's really a gifted, saucy, and fun writer.  


http://matthewhittinger.com/

And here's a garden visit for you too, and flowers for the tragic passing of another clever and saucy talent, Alexander McQueen. Quite shockingly, he hung himself today.  And surprisingly, I can't find any major news articles about it yet - but the fashion industry is spinning and screaming from the loss of this unique, daring, and fearlessly creative genius.