Chronicles of a Shoemaker's Daughter

At times, I like to think of it as my "Disney moment." Other times, I like to think of that moment in more profound terms, attaching meaning to it that directly contradicts my pragmatic nature ... why? Because it gives me comfort to dream and hope and think there is something bigger and more powerful and deeper and more knowing than anything here on earth. This is what happened: About a year ago, I was travelling alone. It was my gift to me - 17 days, 9 of which would be spent in a place I had never visited before, to spend some time relaxing, reflecting, getting a tan, meditating, touring around and doing a bit of research for the book that I never seem to get any time to actually sit down and write. Well, actually, it was eight days, because the first 36 hours or so, were spent trying to get from St. Kitts to Grenada, via Antigua, Barbados and finally an unscheduled, overnight stop in Port of Spain Trinidad. Oh, but I think I told you about that already. When I finally

Helloooo, is anybody out there? I have been wondering for some time if anybody actually reads my blog entries and I got my answer the other day, when a couple of people asked me what the heck was up with my blog. First, there were some travel stories, then some mad ramblings, then some entries disappeared, then some reappeared, then they all disappeared for a while. Now some stories are back and some mad ramblings are still missing. And the format looks a bit different. Apparently there has been some speculation and a rumor or two. Especially among one or two friends who have also noted some cryptic comments on my Facebook page. OK, let me say, from the git-go, for the two or three of you that are actually reading this stuff ... don't stress your brains with a lot of surmising or reading into things - the only thing that is going on with me, is my basic ineptitude with web-based technology. In other words, I am new to this stuff, so I struggle with format and content, as well as no

I found these words recently and was really moved by them. So I dedicate them to friends that I have made through my travels ... whether we have met face-to-face, on the travel forums, on Facebook or informal networks: "Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends." - Maya Angelou

... firefly ?! ... OK, today was a good day. For a variety of reasons. Though I still seem to be struggling with the sniffles and a chronic cough, thanks to a seasonal cold that seems to want to occupy my body permanently, I still made some time with friends this weekend. I needed company for thereapeutic reasons! And I was reminded of these friends again today, while driving to and from the local Loblaws for some groceries with the car radio blaring some quality soca music. Every Sunday, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the local "urban" radio station, plays lots of soca, old and new. The announcer has a Caribbean accent, which I find hard to place - there are so many islands in the British West Indies, but it never fails to remind me of my times spent on St. Kitts. My drastic improvement in mood started last night, though, as I was treated to a full evening of West Indian accents, when I got together with my fabulous "transplanted" Kittitian friends. These gals have

This is m y 3 year-old nephew's favourite expression. He uses it interchangeably with "have a nice adventure" in much the same way service personnel tell us to "have a great day" at the end of a transaction, or the way we might close off a "goodbye" or "so-long" statement with family and friends: by saying "have a good time ... nice evening ... great day at work ..." ... and so on. Mikey loves that word. Adventure. He keeps asking what it "akshully means," but I have yet to look it up in the dictionary, because I realized a long time ago that he instinctively knows the true meaning of adventure ... due to the simple fact that he has not yet reached his fourth birthday. As a youngster, he is still discovering the world around him. Everything is alternately new and exciting or scary and challenging. He approaches both versions of his world with equal portions of abandon, curiosity and eagerness, tempered by a healthy dose

The best part of travel is that sometimes, you don't have to travel far to feel the peace, contentment and relaxation that is so important in these stressful times. These pictures were taken fairly close to home, when I take time out for a "stay-cation" ...

When will I accept that I am not a winter person? It is freezing outside. I mean, really, really freezing. It has been snowing several times a week for the last eight weeks ... and it is still January! And I can't get my head around the fact that this cold will be with us for at least another eight, maybe twelve more weeks! So, why do I still leave here? Good question, since I always seem drawn to warmer places, surrounded by sea. And since states of readiness ... but somehow, summer got in the way of finishing them, as I found myself less and less drawn to the computer and more and more drawn to the outdoors, friends and family. I am sure that I will start posting the stories very shortly (once I have worked out how to copyright them!) Today was such a glorious day that I did finally feel compelled to come back to the computer to reflect on the seasons. The balmy weather and bright autumn sunshine made me realize that I have to savour it. The first day of fall has alre

Hearing about all the recent changes to airline travel - cost saving measures, charges for checked baggage, charges for food and beverage - got me thinking about the good old days, when the customer was king ... or was he/she? I seem to recall that even when there were more (though not necessarily more affordable) flights in and out of the Caribbean, travelers were still at the mercy of any number of elements beyond their control, or comprehension. Though, admittedly there were fewer hassles in terms of baggage and carry-on restrictions, in the pre-pre-911 era, air travel was not without its excitement - and a story to tell at the end of it all! Picture this: St. Kitts, October 1988. My friend, Miss M (a Canadian ex-pat )and I were living at the only real resort on the island. OK, she was living there, while I was on a very, very extended stay - I say this bec ause, technically, I didn't actually have a work permit, but I was definitely working there! Anyway, her older sister,

On a youth counsellor's income, there isn't always a lot of "stretch room" in the budget to have the kinds of vacations that I have always dreamed about. In fact, for many years, I didn't travel at all, as there never seemed to be enough money left at the end of the year to justify the expense. Then I became the budgetting and cost-cutting queen ... and the empress of off-price-shopping ... oh, yes, and lest we forget, I sold my little townhouse and moved in with my aging parents. And so, I suddenly found a bit of cash to fund a trip or two ... or three ... or four. And I learned the art of rationalization: I can justify a pleasure trip even faster than I can engage an angry youth in a empowering converstation - and I am pretty good at the latter, even if I say so myself! I read recently on one of the travel forums that I love to frequent, that one of the best ways to deal with post-vacation-blues is to start planning the next trip. I was barely home for 24 hours

There are benefits and drawbacks to travelling solo. Depending on where you are in your life-journey, sometimes your benefit IS your drawback. For example, you get to spend a lot of time with yourself - alone, with no distractions. So you had better have a good relationship with you. Lucky for me, I have been working on my relationship with me for a while. One of the pacts that I made with myself prior to leaving on my November trip was that I would try not to stress out over things that I could not control and to only plan enough of an itinerary to ensure that I got to where I was going safely. Then, I promised myself that I would leave the rest up to fate and simply go with the flow. This plan definitely worked out and I am so glad that I get along with me. You see, in recounting this one, of many adventures that I experienced during my November excursion into the Caribbean, I left out one minor detail: The "lucky-seven" combo seemed to follow me around for about 24 hour

It is still November 16th and our Grenadian "rescue team" had gone so far as to canvas a number of exhausted and confused tourists, who just wanted to get to Grenada. Most of us looked like the proverbial "deer caught in the headlights" by now. The Grenadian gentlemen, enusred us that they would find us suitable accomodation, that we could afford. In short order, with the help of an airport representative and the Port-of-Spain telephone directory, they had narrowed downd the choices of digs, but it seemed very unlikely that LIAT would ever reimburse us if we opted not to stay at the Belair. Several couples/families were quite distraught by now, as their luggage never made it from Barbados. I felt a bit smug by this stage, because I had been travelling only with carry-on bags, packed to the brim, mind you, and I was sitting on them! Some travellers opted to wait all night at the airport. Other passengers/families were Caribbean nationals and had family or friends i

When I think about the second leg of my November journey, I can still hear the sweet Caribbean-accented voices of the flight attendants, "welcome to LIAT, the airline of the Caribbean" ... in retrospect, they should warn passengers that LIAT is an acronym for "leave island any time." In my case, though, I thing the airplane gods must have really wanted me to have some sort of semi-romantic interlude in Trinidad, which incidentally was nowhere on my travel itinerary. It was Friday the 16th, not Friday the 13th ... but there were elements at work that day that conspired against a smooth, uneventful transition from a place in the Leeward Islands or northern(ish) Caribbean to an island in the Windward or southern part of the Caribbean. My friends on the St. Kitts & Nevis Friendly Forum found this little side-story quite amusing, and they wondered how I have become so gifted at the art of embellishment. What is really sad/wonderful about this little tale is that it

Footwear has been on my mind a lot lately. Actually, footwear has been on my mind for most of my life, because, you guessed it – I come by my obsession honestly - my dad was a shoemaker. Not just any old shoemaker, but a real old-world craftsman. He taught me all the finer points of selecting the appropriate shoe – everything from assessing and choosing just the right type of leather, soft and supple, to ensuring that every boot, shoe or sandal had exactly the right amount of properly engineered arch-support. Now footwear only figures into this particular story in one way: I had spent several months stressing over how to fit the various sandals and flip-flops that are required for a two-island Caribbean holiday into my carry-on luggage. My allotment of travel “necessities” should have included at least one pair of high, Italian (of course, what else!?) cork and patent-leather strappy wedge slip-ons that I could hardly walk in, but that would have been just perfect to wear to a casino