I wanted to write a little about the beauty of Jamaica. I wish pictures could do it justice, or that I knew how to take a damn picture. I have the knack of taking the most beautiful spot on earth and making it look like the alley behind a Denny's in a rundown part of some city. I did take this picture of a flower that came out pretty good. We also took several from a spot that Michelle knew about that won't be listed in your "Jamaica for Dummies" book. We were on our way to Lovers Leap when we pulled over on the side of the road, which you know from earlier pictures was a chore in of itself. We wound our way through a g
ate and over a fence and followed a little road/path past cujo, who was trying to tare us apart but could only get to within 15 feet or so. He was pulling on his chain and I had never prayed so hard that it wasn't a piece of crap that was "Made in China." We kept on down the trail, went around a building, down a little hill, through some plants that looked like if you bumped them, you would be making a trip to the Mandeville hospital, which we had visited just a few days before. (I'll talk about that later) As we got through there, I saw a concrete ramp, for the lack of a better word, which we walked up and saw this. OH MY GOD!!!!! What a beautiful place. In fact, it just may
be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, again, I wish the pictures showed just how beautiful it was, but they don't. The drop off from the edge of this concrete ramp to the beach was unbelievable. I wish I had the ability to judge distance, but that is another thing on a long list of things I have absolutely no skill at. I would say, if I had to guess, that it was probably 2 miles down. Wait, that can't be right, maybe it wasn't that far, but trust me, we were high.(No, I'm not talking about the weed again) There were several birds that were drafting on the breeze that made you wish you could fly like a bird, plus you could crap on a windshield which has to be one of the top 5 on the "Things a Bird Can Do" list. I've been attacked by several birds, not fun. I also had a friend in high school that had a bird that would always try to land on my head which totally freaked me out. I saw The Birds movie, I'm not letting any bird get close enough to peck me without a fight. Whenever I went to his house, I spent the whole time I was there ducking and weaving trying not to become a landing strip. Anyway, I digress, back to the view. The water was crystal clear. I so badly wanted to see a shark swimming in the water, mainly because there wasn't any way I could actually be in the water to become food, unless I took a wicked fall from this ledge and was able to roll through hundreds of the above mentioned plants that would rip me to shreds, causing me to bleed and then become that more attractive to the sharks. I just now realized how close I
was to being eaten by a shark. Makes you realize how precio
us life really is.(Could I be more of a smartass, I submit that I cannot) I didn't see any sharks, or whales, or dolphins or even fish, but the fish would have been huge for me to see them from up there. Did I mention that it was high? This picture looks down to a rendering plant that is for bauxite(which is used in the production of aluminum), which is a mineral that the Jamaican soil is rich in. Just beyond that is Alligator Pond, which is a town that you can look up on the net, if you wish. After this little slice of heaven, we went to Lovers Leap, which is below, and had lunch. (I think I have all ready mentioned, but it bares repeating, food is always my favorite) I had garlic shrimp, rice with something in it which I hope was supposed to be in there, but I didn't ask. There was some of that sla
w like stuff that we made for fun day, only this one had pineapple and mango in it as well. Then, there was the bread fruit. What the hell is this stuff? Who in the hell found this and decided that it was edible. It really has no flavor, but I would compare the texture to that of foam. Not Styrofoam, but that sponge kind of foam. I kept dipping it in my garlic sauce, but was thinking, if I have to smother something in something else, just to be able to stomach it, is it really worth eating? I d
on't eat brussell sprouts because the taste makes me gag, literally. I wouldn't put jelly on it just so I could get it down, I just wouldn't eat it. Just thinking about it right then made me throw up in my mouth, just a little bit. I mean, I'm glad I tried it, so I know what it tastes like, but if you send me any, I will treat it like a fruit cake and re-gift it. Mangoes, on the other hand, are great. I had never had a fresh mango until I had one at Michelle's. I don't know if it came out of a tree in Ridge, but it was gooooood. I had one in Montego Bay that, shall we say, wasn't at the level of the first one. Lunch was great and I was even surprised that Marcy ate chicken off the bone. If you don't know Marcy's eating habits, to say they are limited would be an under statement. A nice thunderstorm came in while we were eating, so here is a shot of Marcy and I on the
ledge at Lovers Leap with the storm behind us. Marcy took several pictures of different cloud formations that were absolutely gorgeous, I've included them at the bottom of this post. We went to church on Sunday up the hill from where we were staying, at a school for the deaf. They have a little chapel and the view from up there was great. As we walked up, there were three ladies sitting out front that informed us the ministers car broke down, so he wouldn't be coming that day. One of the ladies asked me if I wanted to preach, so I broke out my Bible and started my "Your all going to hell" sermon, it was a big hit. Yeah, right. I laughed and said, "I don't preach" and hoped it would end there, which it did. She was laughing, so I don't think she was serious, but for a second, I was a little scared. Other than these three ladies, Marcy Michelle and myself, there were two other people attending church that day. It was a great little service. We sang some songs from a hymnal, which I haven't done in a long time, read from the bible a few times and had a few prayers. It was fairly short, but very nice. The ladies sitting behind me were belting out the songs, so I sang quietly as to not disturb. That reminds me, we went to see Casting Crowns in concert the other night and I had an older lady sitting next to me. If you have never been to a CC concert, they put the words to their songs on the big screens they have to encourage everyone to sing. I like it, even if the person next to me can't sing, its kind of like we are all there for the same purpose and all sing together. Well I found one issue with Stevie Nicks sitting next to me. Not only could she not sing, but she couldn't read either. We're all singing "What if the armies of the Lord, Picked up and dusted off their swords" and I hear her singing what sounds like "It's crowded in worship today, As she slips in trying to fade into the faces" which is from two totally different songs. The good thing was, this was my great seat.
I don't think it was possible to be more behind the pole, unless your face was actually smashed against it
. I have a few more things to write about, then it will be time to get ready for my mission trip to New Mexico in Sept.
ate and over a fence and followed a little road/path past cujo, who was trying to tare us apart but could only get to within 15 feet or so. He was pulling on his chain and I had never prayed so hard that it wasn't a piece of crap that was "Made in China." We kept on down the trail, went around a building, down a little hill, through some plants that looked like if you bumped them, you would be making a trip to the Mandeville hospital, which we had visited just a few days before. (I'll talk about that later) As we got through there, I saw a concrete ramp, for the lack of a better word, which we walked up and saw this. OH MY GOD!!!!! What a beautiful place. In fact, it just may 
be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, again, I wish the pictures showed just how beautiful it was, but they don't. The drop off from the edge of this concrete ramp to the beach was unbelievable. I wish I had the ability to judge distance, but that is another thing on a long list of things I have absolutely no skill at. I would say, if I had to guess, that it was probably 2 miles down. Wait, that can't be right, maybe it wasn't that far, but trust me, we were high.(No, I'm not talking about the weed again) There were several birds that were drafting on the breeze that made you wish you could fly like a bird, plus you could crap on a windshield which has to be one of the top 5 on the "Things a Bird Can Do" list. I've been attacked by several birds, not fun. I also had a friend in high school that had a bird that would always try to land on my head which totally freaked me out. I saw The Birds movie, I'm not letting any bird get close enough to peck me without a fight. Whenever I went to his house, I spent the whole time I was there ducking and weaving trying not to become a landing strip. Anyway, I digress, back to the view. The water was crystal clear. I so badly wanted to see a shark swimming in the water, mainly because there wasn't any way I could actually be in the water to become food, unless I took a wicked fall from this ledge and was able to roll through hundreds of the above mentioned plants that would rip me to shreds, causing me to bleed and then become that more attractive to the sharks. I just now realized how close I 
was to being eaten by a shark. Makes you realize how precio
us life really is.(Could I be more of a smartass, I submit that I cannot) I didn't see any sharks, or whales, or dolphins or even fish, but the fish would have been huge for me to see them from up there. Did I mention that it was high? This picture looks down to a rendering plant that is for bauxite(which is used in the production of aluminum), which is a mineral that the Jamaican soil is rich in. Just beyond that is Alligator Pond, which is a town that you can look up on the net, if you wish. After this little slice of heaven, we went to Lovers Leap, which is below, and had lunch. (I think I have all ready mentioned, but it bares repeating, food is always my favorite) I had garlic shrimp, rice with something in it which I hope was supposed to be in there, but I didn't ask. There was some of that sla
w like stuff that we made for fun day, only this one had pineapple and mango in it as well. Then, there was the bread fruit. What the hell is this stuff? Who in the hell found this and decided that it was edible. It really has no flavor, but I would compare the texture to that of foam. Not Styrofoam, but that sponge kind of foam. I kept dipping it in my garlic sauce, but was thinking, if I have to smother something in something else, just to be able to stomach it, is it really worth eating? I d
on't eat brussell sprouts because the taste makes me gag, literally. I wouldn't put jelly on it just so I could get it down, I just wouldn't eat it. Just thinking about it right then made me throw up in my mouth, just a little bit. I mean, I'm glad I tried it, so I know what it tastes like, but if you send me any, I will treat it like a fruit cake and re-gift it. Mangoes, on the other hand, are great. I had never had a fresh mango until I had one at Michelle's. I don't know if it came out of a tree in Ridge, but it was gooooood. I had one in Montego Bay that, shall we say, wasn't at the level of the first one. Lunch was great and I was even surprised that Marcy ate chicken off the bone. If you don't know Marcy's eating habits, to say they are limited would be an under statement. A nice thunderstorm came in while we were eating, so here is a shot of Marcy and I on the 
ledge at Lovers Leap with the storm behind us. Marcy took several pictures of different cloud formations that were absolutely gorgeous, I've included them at the bottom of this post. We went to church on Sunday up the hill from where we were staying, at a school for the deaf. They have a little chapel and the view from up there was great. As we walked up, there were three ladies sitting out front that informed us the ministers car broke down, so he wouldn't be coming that day. One of the ladies asked me if I wanted to preach, so I broke out my Bible and started my "Your all going to hell" sermon, it was a big hit. Yeah, right. I laughed and said, "I don't preach" and hoped it would end there, which it did. She was laughing, so I don't think she was serious, but for a second, I was a little scared. Other than these three ladies, Marcy Michelle and myself, there were two other people attending church that day. It was a great little service. We sang some songs from a hymnal, which I haven't done in a long time, read from the bible a few times and had a few prayers. It was fairly short, but very nice. The ladies sitting behind me were belting out the songs, so I sang quietly as to not disturb. That reminds me, we went to see Casting Crowns in concert the other night and I had an older lady sitting next to me. If you have never been to a CC concert, they put the words to their songs on the big screens they have to encourage everyone to sing. I like it, even if the person next to me can't sing, its kind of like we are all there for the same purpose and all sing together. Well I found one issue with Stevie Nicks sitting next to me. Not only could she not sing, but she couldn't read either. We're all singing "What if the armies of the Lord, Picked up and dusted off their swords" and I hear her singing what sounds like "It's crowded in worship today, As she slips in trying to fade into the faces" which is from two totally different songs. The good thing was, this was my great seat. 
. I have a few more things to write about, then it will be time to get ready for my mission trip to New Mexico in Sept.
1 comment:
A few things about this particular post: the pictures and descriptions of the view from the ledge can do no justice for the immense peace and calm that came over us as we sat and stared. It was a moment in my life I will never/hope to never forget. And sharing it with Mark and Michelle was pretty cool too! The chicken on the bone thing actually happened two times-I just wanted to get the record straight. (I am sure Mark will write about the best jerk chicken he had at some point.) About the church service, I think it would have been quite humorous to hear Mark preach that day. It was an interesting church "service", one I am very happy to have experienced. The three women behind us were very sincere in their singing and the hymns were the same as the ones I used to sing growing up, I guess they are universal. There was also one little girl there, probably about 9 or 10 and she came by herself. And only one man (other than Mark) from the community. It was neat to see them and share that time of prayer, song and Bible reading with them. Two more things: the bread fruit wasn't that bad--even I ate! And the mangoes weren't that great!! =)
Marcy
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