2010 Summer is Over and it's not coming back!

This is actually part 7 to my summer series! Lots of photos and so many more that I haven't posted. I really need to get to scrapbooking now!

We power packed Ryan's last weekend and enjoyed every minute of it, except of course our goodbye. On Saturday we celebrated daddy's 55th birthday and did our Christmas card photo shoot. On Sunday we started early for our trip to Kingston and ate a delightful lunch at TGIF. It has become a tradition to eat at the TGIF in Kingston whenever Ryan is here. We are quickly associating that resturaunt with departures though and that is not so fun.









We are in the rainy season of Jamaica's weather pattern. From April to November, rain comes nearly everyday. Sometimes hard, sometimes pleasant. Hard to get the laundry done though. I have to put everything out on the line and when it rains it is really hard to get everything dry in the humid house. But so be it. I had prayed for a couple months before Ryan came that God would give us sunny days for our many excursions. He did it! When we had the hard rains we were here at the house in between trips! We lost electricity while Ry was here, which isn't unusual. Sometimes there are island wide shutoffs, other times just the city will shut down electricity and, of course, other times lightning strikes. Our tv has been hit 3 times. Our modem was hit last week and we were out of phone and iternet for 3 days. On one of our trips we went through flooding and that was quite exciting for someone who doesn't live here!
















We had lots of fun at TGIF and then on to the airport for saying good-bye.








It is so bitterweet to say good-bye to Ryan. We are thrilled for the opportunity he has had to go to college and all the experiences that have grown him into a wonderful man, however, we miss him so much that when we have him, we don't want to let him go.









We let you go but we can't wait till December till you, my sweetheart, come back to JAMROCK!

Summer Come Back! part 6

After the service on Sunday we planned to get our "jerk" fix! Actually it is where jerk was started called Boston Bay. Our dinner was wonderful as always, the day was so lovely we decided to take a drive and see where we landed.

Unplanned excursions are fun and this turned out to be my favorite for the entire 2 weeks Ryan was here. My roots go back to boats! I spent much of my childhood on a lake in upstate New York. My grandpa, uncles, brother had boats and it is just a favorite of mine to pass the time on a boat. It was my mental therapy for a Sunday afternoon! We ended up at the Blue Lagoon in Port Antonio.

The Blue Lagoon is fed by underground fresh water springs and connected to the Caribbean Sea. The Lagoon is 200 feet deep and changes color depending on the time of day. When the sun hits it, it can look azure blue to emerald green. Absolutely breathtaking. It used be called the Blue Hole, however when Brooke Shields did a movie called The Blue Lagoon, it was officially changed to that name.

When we first started out on the boat we passed Monkey Island. There are no monkeys here but a person had a pet monkey and the story goes that this person would take their pet monkey to the island and let him play all day and then go pick him up to go home! I guess it was doggie daycare without any doggies!

Then we passed some exquisite villas where politicians and businessmen spend their money. The white villa in the pictures is where Tom Cruise stayed while filming movies. I shot a picture of the green house in case I ever get rich. It costs $1000 a night, it comes with security, maid service and a private chef! Oh what a vacation that would be!

Two movies that have made The Blue Lagoon famous since the movie entitled Blue Lagoon are Cocktail and Anaconda 2.

There is an area also where you can swim to get younger! Legends tell us that if you swim in the mineral springs you will feel 20 years younger, I wonder if you will look 20 years younger! Unfortunately we didn't travel with our suits so we couldn't take advantage of this great offer that day!

One of the pictures will show the caves. Also one of the rock formations appears to look like an alligator! See if you can spot it!

Summer Come Back! part 5

While we were on the eastern part of the island, another new adventure we took was Reach Falls in Port Antonio. Most everyone visits Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios when they come to Jamaica, but we have a new favorite now! It is a little less chaotic and could I say less "touristy" although it was very busy on the Saturday we were there.

Reach Falls is located in the middle of a jungle. Not a jungle like some countries! Jamaica doesn't have monkeys or snakes but a jungle nevertheless. The drive up to the area was absolutely beautiful, lush green and vibrant. The banana path we walked to get nearer was equally as beautiful! Reach Falls is full of caves and the kids went searching. The falls are recognised as one of the most beautiful in Jamaica. As a matter of fact some not so commendable magazines have done photo shoots there.

It is a series of cascades that tumble down limestone tiers. The Drivers River actually feeds it and it comes out of the Blue Mountains. You may have heard of Blue Mountain Coffee, a very expensive coffee from the Jamaica Blue Mountains. The Drivers River plunges 30 feet into a wide pool. Doesn't that sound exciting? Well, believe me, it was and I would love to be there today. It takes some time to get into the water as it is ice cold and a little shocking at first!