Playing the Cowbells. photo by Paula Boyd Farrington

I love a parade. Especially Junkanoo Parades—those uniquely Bahamian celebrations of sound and bold colors and creativity—pulsed to the steady heartbeat rhythms of goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles, horns, and dancing feet.  The Junior Junkanoo Parade is one of my all time favorites. Students, dedicated teachers, parents, and a host of volunteers from all over the island work countless hours creating meticulously-crafted, handmade costumes, and rehearsing lively music and dance routines to parade through the downtown streets of Grand Bahama. This year’s parade was held Saturday evening, January 14th, 2012, with a big crowd of friends and well wishers lining the streets to cheer the students of all ages on.

Junkanoo is loud. It’s proud. And totally adorable. Here’s a peek at some of the fun … congrats to all who participated and made it possible!

photo by Paula Boyd Farrington

photo by Paula Boyd Farrington

photo by Paula Boyd Farrington

photo by Paula Boyd Farrington

photo by Paula Boyd Farrington

photo by Paula Boyd Farrington

We entering into Goldilocks Season on Grand Bahama. The weather is not too hot, not too cold … it’s juuuuust right. It’s the kind of weather that makes you say “aaaahh” and draws your eye extra-much to every bright yellow bit of tropical bliss … … from cerasee bush medicine growing along the garden wall … … to fresh guava in the kitchen … … to more yellow elder (the national flower of The Bahamas) …

… to the way the sun bathes the palm fronds in warmth while a woodpecker taps his tat-a-tat-tat tune …… a soft light glowing on everything … ripening the sea grapes…

… renewed gratitude alighting in our hearts, and reminding us of so many golden days … … giving thanks for the not-too-hot, hot-too-cold glories of November in The Bahamas! (And to how marvelous it is when the weather matches your mood … here’s to the glow of your internal paradise keeping you warm if you’re bouncing back from that too-cold-too-soon snow storm up north, or still waiting for a touch of fall—like we’ve been doing during the high humidity the past couple of months! Here’s to paying attention to the subtle and not-so-subtle shifts of season and keeping a weathered eye on the blessings that abound everywhere.) Tra-la.

As a woman, wife, and mother of a young teen, it is hard to read some of these sobering statistics about the harsh realities of life for so many girls my daughter’s age in the developing world:  girls who are often overlooked and undervalued in their own cultures—girls whose creative empowerment, schooling, and health can hold true keys to breaking multi-generational cycles of debilitating poverty and disease in many parts of the world—the Girl Effect.

Tara Sophia Mohr, who stepped forward to focus attention on the Girl Effect by orchestrating Girl Champions the world over to blog about it, says of the campaign:

“The statistics are sobering, but fundamentally, there is more to be hopeful about than to despair about. There is actually so much to be excited about: We now know that when girls are educated just a few additional years in school, they marry later and suffer less spousal violence. They grow into women who can support themselves and their families, often pulling their entire communities out of poverty. There is a growing awareness among decision makers, policy folks, and the philanthropic public that investing in girls is smart investing to end poverty and human rights abuses.“

If you have a blog or publication and want to help raise awareness about the Girl Effect, you can get information to join in the campaign here. If you don’t have a blog, you can still share posts about the campaign on Facebook or other media sites, or by reading more about ways to help.

This is an excellent book that also shines light on how support for girls and women has the potential to change lives, communities, countries, and the world for the better: Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Publishers Weekly notes:

“New York Times columnist Kristof and his wife, WuDunn, a former Times reporter, make a brilliantly argued case for investing in the health and autonomy of women worldwide. More girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century, they write, detailing the rampant gendercide in the developing world, particularly in India and Pakistan. Far from merely making moral appeals, the authors posit that it is impossible for countries to climb out of poverty if only a fraction of women (9% in Pakistan, for example) participate in the labor force. China’s meteoric rise was due to women’s economic empowerment: 80% of the factory workers in the Guangdong province are female; six of the 10 richest self-made women in the world are Chinese. The authors reveal local women to be the most effective change agents …”.

There is much work to be done everywhere in honoring women and their full contributions to society. And we all have so much to be grateful for and blessings to share, even in the current economic picture.  The Girl Effect gives us pause to learn more about how we can help each other, both close to home, and in the world at large. Click here for more ways to make a difference with the Girl Effect.

Filming for some of Disney’s Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides took place on Grand Bahama Island, back in 2006/2007. It was a thrill to see The Black Pearl and Davy Jones’ Flying Dutchman cinema-ships up close and to catch random sightings of the cast and crew out and about on the island.

We were all swept up in the movie-making excitement—especially my daughter and her friends, who had a great time devising their own buccaneer ensembles in which to search for treasure and adventure during Ye Olde Playtimes.Halloween at our house that year included a rather commanding and fierce-looking Pirate Princess known as Sparrowla—an imaginary long-lost sister of Captain Jack Sparrow:Here’s to sailing the Seven Seas of Imagination and Laughter for as long as you can! Yo ho, me hearties, yo ho!

Out of The Blue

The waters of The Bahamas

shine so clear and blue

reflecting a kind of peace

that is eternal and renewed

Catching sight of a simple starfish

resting of the sand beneath the waves

there’s wonder and a sense God put it there

as a natural tribute, just for you

For everyone who lost their lives

and those who labor still

to heal and defend

the freedoms we all hold very dear

Where do we go for comfort

to find the strength within

to fight the good fight without fear

to find the peace again?

We lift our eyes up heavenward

and then look here on earth

for reminders of a paradise unlost

where hope can be rebirthed

… and under the liquid surface

of waters that sparkle true blue

we gaze upon a simple starfish

and find the courage to love and live anew.

— Paula Boyd Farrington

simple island joys
dance brightly in lush greenness
nature’s love abloom

The color BLUE dazzles in The Bahamas. Countless variegated shades of aqua, cyan, cerulean, azure, sky, royal, indigo, and sapphire surround us in the shifting seas and are celebrated in all kinds of art—including these artist trading card collages I created for the blue-themed ARTchix challenge.

I loved making these vintage Bathing Beauty mixed media collages. The backgrounds came from photos of tropical-water-hued fabric prints in my fashion wardrobe, photographed and printed onto paper, then layered with some retro-fun ARTchix Studio images and historic postcard text.

I love splashing into waves of blue and frollicking in art.

Tra-la.

Now here’s something you don’t see every day. In fact, after living here on Grand Bahama Island for over 20 years, I’d never seen one until a couple days ago. Looks more like an apple or a big plum, doesn’t it?! But look inside at the familiar creamy green …

Yes, it’s an avocado! (And a perfectly ripe and tasty one too.) A quick Google search shows it’s a Florida variety of avocado that turns red when it ripens. These beauties came from a tree in an out of the way area behind the guest cottage garden. This is what they look like growing way up on the tree …

(and yes, I drew the little arrow and circle on the photo so it’s easier to find the avocado, but other than that, all these photos of the avocados are straight out of the iPhone camera, no-retouching at t’all!)

I had no idea avocados could be red. But Miss Lue knew. Miss Lue is an amazing woman who hails from Jamaica originally and is the reason we have clean clothes around here every week. And clean everything, despite my creative clutter. We are truly blessed to have Miss Lue in our lives. In addition to her generous and helpful heart, she also has a green thumb and knows about all sorts of edible island garden treasures. I only knew we were already graced to have two different varieties of green avocados in our garden, but to find a new kind — a RED avocado (I just have to keep saying that because I’m so in awe of it) — feels like winning some sort of tropical arbor triple crown!

I’m so pleased to be at the stage of life where horticultural discoveries in my own back yard are my idea of Headline News. Worthy of a special report. All these amazing trees and plants, and I’m finally getting acquainted with them on a deeper level and asking their names and stories. Pleased to meet you, Red Florida Avocado.

red-when-they're-ripe avocados

so yummy

And thank you again, Miss Lue, for the introduction!

Miss Lue: Household Heroine, Wise Island Gardener & Patient Teacher of Natural Grace