On our way

After a day or 5 of running around to get work stuff taken care of, and do last minute shopping, I found myself the other day getting a cold. Ive tried every combination of voodoo recipe out there. Chicken soup, Vitamin C, D, Zinc, hot tea, gallons of water, steam room, plenty of sleep, etc.... Well here it is, 11:40 here on Friday, the big day of departure, and what do I find? I discover that our flights have changed! Not only ours, but also my other family members. Duane will be getting in at almost 7:30 Saturday night, and with the line through customs and the drive to Negril, I think it will be closer to 10 before he and Morgan arrive. Airlines SUCK!!!

When we did arrive at the airport, already drained from little sleep, we had 3 hours to kill. Ahhhhhh airport food. How I've dreamed of that long awaited meal that I think might have been a salad. Still not entirely sure. 

One benefit are these handy counters they have so that iPhone power users like me can type away on a phone while recharging it at the same time. Brilliant!!!

This was a moment for Gayle to pose for an accurate representation of her daily facial expressions whenever a camera is near by. 

Thank you sweet Jesus it's time to board. Miami here we come. Well, we'll be there at 7:45am. Then a layover until our final flight into MoBay. 

Weather... I think I need VitaminD !!!

I noticed that after a noticeably pleasant day yesterday, where the sun was out, flowers started to bloom, and the feeling of spring was in the air, that this morning the rain came back, along with that blanket of gray. Don't get me wrong. I love the Pacific Northwest. It gets a bad reputation for being dismal and raining all the time. That just not the case. Well, up until recently. We had more rain this month (and we aren't even done with the month) than any March in recorded history. 

So Decided to check out the forecast.

         IN THE SEATTLE REGION

Today = its mild temperatures with chance of Suck.

Wednesday  = further SUCK will be lingering in the area.

Thursday = look for continued SUCK.

Friday = Indisputably going to Suck throughout the day.

Suck will continue into the weekend and last into the following week.

I cannot WAIT to get out of Dodge and be airborne. Negril will be a stark contrast. The sun will be rejuvenating onto itself. Of all the times Ive gone to Jamaica I don't think I have had my trip occur during such a rain filled period. On the plus side I will not be missing much back home. My family will undoubtedly find the pictures I post to be bittersweet, with a sense of longing to be somewhere sunny, all while looking out the window at the grey that blankets them. This is just one reason I appreciate Negril so much, and mid February through mid April is the window I look at as being the best time to plan a trip.

IN NEGRIL JAMAICA


                    Today =  its mostly sunny.
                    Wednesday = see Tuesday
                    Thursday = see Wednesday
                    Friday = you get the point
                    Saturday = etc....

Cup of Jamaican Blue

Here I am, 3:19AM, wide awake and just a few days away from going on our 4th trip to Jamaica. I'm going through old photos and working on my to-do list of all the things that Ive yet to accomplish. As luck would have it I have several work projects going on at one time. Now if I could clone myself I think I might be able to get things done more effectively. Alas here I am, up at Stupid:30AM working away and decidedly migrating towards a posting on the blog. Right now I have a taste for some coffee. I went down stairs and had a bit of my cold brewed coffee. All I could do was think how much I'm looking forward to my first cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. 

 Blue mountain coffee is rich, slightly sweet, with little acidity. There are many coffees that will SAY its blue mountain when it isn't. There is also High Mountain coffee. From lower altitudes, still a fine coffee. Ive never done a blind "Pepsi Challenge" test between the two, so I cant speak to whether there is a noticeable difference or not. Ive looking forward to bringing a bunch of coffee home so I can try cold brewing it to see how it tastes.

When I'm at home I tend to use a dash of heavy cream in my coffee. Sometimes Ill sweeten it a bit, but for the most part I don't. When I'm in Jamaica I have my coffee in a completely different way. It was there, at Tensing Pen that I first got turned onto having my coffee with sweetened condensed milk. "Hot damn!!!" if that wasn't a great addition. This is something that I tend to not do often but its my morning ritual of sorts when in Jamaica. Ive not had it like that in a long time, but then again for the past several months Ive stayed away from having any food or beverage that could remind me of Jamaica. Ive been patiently waiting for the trip to come. Eating light, having food that basically qualifies as a form of carbon based sustenance with a degree of nutrients, but not promising flavor. I told Jerry Ann that I want to have a sensory overload and enjoy the flavors when we get there. Coming up this Sunday morning I will be sipping my first cup of Jamaican Joe and posting pics on the blog from the previous days arrival. What better way to start the morning.

Jerry has her photography equipment ready, along with her journal. That journal of hers was the single greatest idea to have on our previous trips. While I have a vivid memory, its amazing the details you can get mixed up and how the days can bleed together. I recommend to anyone who wants to travel that they keep a journal, online of otherwise, as its great to read yours down the road.

As for me, im getting acquained with my new camera and gadgets so that I can fiddle with it prior to the trip. If you could only see the debree, I mean piles of stuff to pack that are strategically spread throughout the house. We have emptied out the fridge already, so that we dont come back to a science project. The clothes have been laundered, most of the last minute items have been purchased (accept for those things I need to take care of). I would be farther along if it werent my aimless wandering through REI on Saturday, looking again at all the gadgets and travel items. Of course the items i were looking at had NOTHING to do with what I needed to get. As for those things, I figure I can pick them up in the last few days before take off. Besides if all goes well perhaps I can take off from work early and do some shopping this Wednesday.

Dominos

Ok so its time to break out the Dominos and start playing again. Gayle has loved this game ever since our first trip to Jamaica. As a kid I only used dominos as a means of setting them up to then knock them down. As for the game itself, there are so many versions of it. Jamaican dominos is a high spirited, cut throat game that is best accompanied with a glass of anything with Rum. If your not a rum fan than grab yourself a nice cold Ting, A Jamaican softdrink that is perhaps my favorite.

So now that our trip is just 4 days away, and considering the amount of trash talk ive had going back and forth between myself and a couple guys in Jamaica I know, I better play a few rounds before I show up and have my ass handed to me.