On The Ranch … Day 8

Monday 28 July, 2008

It is now 2:48 PM and Bobby has not yet given any instructions on his desires for the day.

Shortly after 10:00 AM, I got tired of sitting around, and decided to finish re-caulking some vertical seams on the ham shack that he told me a few days ago to hold off on. The ham shack’s exterior re-caulking is now completed.

After the now familiar pattern of some chit-chat and complaints about “shoddy workmanship” and the “fucking crew”, Bobby returned to the house.

While I was re-caulking I heard the occasionally: shit, fuck,mother-fucker and bastard(s) coming from the house.

Bobby then informed me that he had to go into town and pick up mail from his post office box, while I continued.

I asked him to pick me up a couple of packs of cigarettes. Some one hour later upon his arrival I went upstairs for the smokes.

He was sitting in front of his computer monitor, with an open construction book on his lap. I asked if he was now a student of construction, to which he replied, that he was looking up some information on hanging the ceiling panels.

I asked for my cigarettes and he began to shuffle papers on his desk, looked around him and then in the plastic shopping bag, that he returned with.

With a somewhat perplexed look, he then told me that he had forgotten to purchase the cigarettes.

I drove into Indiantown and bought the smokes and 3 beers, made a few telephone calls, visited the bathroom at the Shell gas station — the toilet facilities in the house is currently inoperable — and returned to the ranch. After awhile Bobby came out to the ham shack, sat down and told me of the his immediate problem, while I drank the beer.

His wire transfer of money to the Chinese radio manufacturers did not go through, as the wire information provided by the Chinese was somehow incorrect. Now he expects more pressure from the New York hams.

While away I could hear Bobby on his mobile radio set; talking to some ham operators in New York City. This could be heard via the internet and coming out of his stereo system.

It has been drizzling on and off as of 3:00 PM and little to no progress has been made today.

Maybe tonight he will be motivated enough to hang some more wall panels and finish this project.

I am waiting!

Additionally, recently I have been courting a woman that I met a few weeks ago. This time however, is different! I have met her only once to date, and all of our subsequent communications have been via text messaging.

Today, I received a text from this still-married woman containing for the first time, the word “Love.”

I wonder what’s up her sleeves.

On The Ranch … Day 7

Sunday 27 July, 2008

No work for me today!

Not that there is a lack of things to do, but because I’m tired, my back and hips hurt from yesterday’s lifting and moving of wood from near the under construction steel building, to under the now roofed car port, so when Bobby is ready to build wooden shelves, most if not all of the materials will be with in reach.

Today, I felt extremely tired and slept on and off until noon. I awoke to “I am senior Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your drill instructor … ” blasting from the stereo system. The opening monologue from the late movie director Stanley Kubrick’s classic Vietnam-era “Full Metal Jacket” film is one of Bobby’s favorite that he plays occasionally. After washing and dressing, I drank coffee, eat a sweet bun and a banana.

Bobby was already active. He was up and down the ladder onto and off the car port roof. Driving, in his estimation missing nails into the support beams; trying to prevent the roof’s metal panels from going airborne during a storm.

A hurricane-harden Floridian, Bobby has experienced several storms during his thirty-plus-years of living in Florida; including two back to back storms: Ivan on September 16, 2004 and Jeanne, on week later, between September 25-27, 2004 , and he is determined not to have as much post-hurricane clean up as most people will do.

His aim, no, make that his obsession is 135-miles-per-hour! He is determine to have everything on the ranch withstand 135 MPH winds, and devout much time, energy and money towards meeting that standard.

A category 3 hurricane is 111-130 MPH with storm surge of 9 to 12 feet.

The reason for this precaution: sitting just behind the ham shack is a two-hundred-foot transmission tower and in a hurricane, airborne roof panels could sever the guy wires holding up the structure, thus taking the tower down, falling on the building and demolish it.

So, Bobby carries on with the thousands of nails that he intends on driving into the wooden beams. Periodically, he climbs off the roof to move his van into available shade. He has moved the van so far today, eight times.

The van repositioning is coupled with trips to the main house, visits to the web and conversations with me on what the construction trio did or did not do; mostly, did not do correctly.

Meanwhile, the distant voices of the ham operators in New York City could heard emanating out of his stereo system.

It is now 4:45 PM and since 3:45 PM, the clouds have darken, sounds of thunder can be heard and occasional lighting seen in the distance. The winds have also significantly picked up and there is a constant breeze coming at us, from the south-east.

Undoubtedly, the conditions are not right for outdoor activities and tomorrow is another day on the ranch — in Calvert County, USA.

Meanwhile, yesterday, while on my way to town, suddenly a loud, annoying screeching-type noise could be heard coming form my van’s engine compartment. Upon my return, I informed Bobby and he made a quick inspection of the engines-area. He diagnosed a bad belt pulley. I am hoping before I leave the ranch, with the help of him, to pull a used replacement pulley, from one of the old Caravans that he has around the property, and from which he gets spare parts from.

The wind continues, and the thunder rolled over our heads. Bobby walked down the steps of the main house with coffee in hand. Went into the ham shack for a few moments, came out, climbed the ladder and is back on the roof, spewing expletives about the construction trio’s work and all the fixing that he must now do, while dropping tools and talking to himself.

I got the feeling that when the rains come, he will abandon the roof nailing exercise for the day, and retreat to the ham shack to start installing wall panels that are already cut and leaning on the studs ready to go.

I will now put on my steel-tipped work shoes, which were soaked with water yesterday, and all day have been sitting in the ninety-two-degrees Florida temperature, climb the ladder and make a rooftop appearance until the rains comes once again.

But I changed my mind, because of Bobby’s mood, and instead walked over to the shaded east side of the building and began to re-caulk that side, finishing just as the last bit of day light passed by at 8:25 PM.

Now the entire ham shack has be re-caulked; completed sealed from rain, wind and insects.

After bathing and changing into long sleeve shirt and pants, I went into the house, drank 2 beers left over from last night, microwave a dinner and spoke to a now relaxed Bobby, before leaving him on the computer at 9:35 PM.

He will be up most of the night and tomorrow they will be another episode.

On The Ranch … Day 6

Saturday 26 July, 2008

Since nine o’clock this morning I have been waiting for the appearance of Bobby. There is no indication that he may be out of the house anytime soon.

Bobby returned to the ranch at 10:00 PM last night, and restarted hanging the plywood wood panels that he had purchased in Okeechobee. We stopped at midnight.

I would like to finish re-caulking the east side of the ham shack, but Bobby ask that I hold off, since he wants to use the clear silicone sealant that I used yesterday, to plug the leaks on the pole-barn roof.

Since I’m a computer technician, and not a construction worker I’m reluctant to take the initiative, to avoid Bobby’s yelling and screaming if something goes wrong, or not done to his liking.

The boss just made an appearance! At 10:50 AM, a barebacked Bobby stepped out of his school bus, parked next to the house, and which he has used as his sleeping quarter for the past year, as he gradually work on the main house.

He stretched his arms skywards and looked in the direction of the ham shack, where I’m seated in my van under the roof. He then headed up the stairs. I expect to see him and ready to go in the next hour. It seems that the Boss is gearing up for the day.

Suddenly the sounds of the New York City-area ham operators could be heard over the stereo system. Bobby listen to the hams and NYC oldies radio station CBS 101 FM via the Internet. He patches the computer’s audio output into his stereo system and the audio can be heard all the way outside at the work site.

Yesterday, Bobby setup one of his imported Chinese-made radios on the VOX setting , and placed it in front of a speaker in the house.

For most of the day we listened to NewsRadio 880 in the Big Apple, via hand-held Cobra 2-way radios — which both of us had clipped on our belts– and he had tuned to the same channel as his Chinese-made radio.

Work continued at a slow and relaxed pace, with Bobby on the roof adding more nails to the panels; me on the ground moving a pile of plastic modular shelving system from the growing grass a short distant away. I moved the shelves closer to the ham shack and scrubbed and wash them all, then hung them in the sun to dry, when suddenly Bobby got pissed-off at me, when the hose at full blasts did the snake dance and he got wet, shouting: “You are not paying attention to what you’re doing!”

I yelled back at him and told him that he could not talk to me like that, since I was the only one that came this far to help out, and I would get the fuck out of here if he continued. He calmed down and both of us in silence continued with what we were doing.

By 3:20 PM the rain clouds could be seen and the thunder in the distant could be heard. Shortly thereafter the system rolled in and today’s work came to an end.

Not since I was a boy in the Caribbean, I took a rain water shower, dressed and went into Indiantown to make phone calls and purchase cigarettes and beer. While sitting in the van, with heavy rain in the area, the phone rang and Bobby, surprisingly asked that I bring him back a beer.

This I did. It is very unusual sight to see him drinking anything but coffee.

We sat under the roof looking around, and then decided that we should go into Okeechobee for dinner.

On our way into Okeechobee, while driving along the east side of the lake, Bobby began showing me one of his new toys. The recently installed GPS system and what it could do. Several times he crossed the dividing center line while  punching up different features of the GPS.

When he quickly reached to his left and grabbed his seat belt, I soon knew why.

Looking away from the GPS screen and into the rear view mirror, I saw the reason. It was an Okeechobee County sheriff’s deputy strobing red and blue lights.

Bobby pulled off the road and onto the grassy shoulder and waited.

The bright white light of the deputy’s flashlight slowly made its way forward, until the deputy was at the driver’s side window and both of our hands were clearly visible to him in the darken Caravan.

I told Bobby, the only reason I could thing of the deputy pulling him over, was the fact that he had swerved several time down the road.

Sure enough, the deputy , after identifying himself asked Bobby if he knew why he was pulled over.

Bobby responded, “Maybe you think I’m signal one or signal 20.”

The Deputy, “I’ve been following you and you crossed the center lane several times.”

Bobby, “I was showing my friend here my new GPS system.”

The Deputy, “What do you know of signals one and twenty?”

Signal 1 is driving under the influence and signal twenty, a crazy person.

Bobby replied, “I come from a law enforcement family, plus I was journalist.”

At which point the tobacco chewing deputy, slowly turned his head to his left, toward the front of the vehicle and spat out the tobacco juices, just like they do in the movies.

Following the mini-lecture about the importance of being alert while driving and not being distracted by anything in his van, the deputy asked Bobby, “Do you still live in Indiantown.”

Bobby replied that he did and the deputy slowly handed back the driver’s license in his hand to Bobby, with a waring to “drive safely.”

We dined on omelettes at a chain-restaurant called Clocks, which bills itself as “America’s Dinner Table.” Bobby chatted with a long time friend via ham radio during dinner. Following our departure at closing time, we stopped at the bank, where I deposited some money that he gave me, in order to pay a bill that is due tomorrow while I’m away from my home base.

Returning to Indiantown around midnight I retired to bed, and Bobby stayed up checking e-mail concerning the importation of the Chinese-radios, because the New York hams are breathing down his back and they are very eager to have the radios in their amateur ham radio hands

On The Ranch … Day 5

Friday 25 July, 2008

I awoke at approximately 3:30 AM; when the battery on the portable two-way radio that Booby is testing for sale, when off with an electronic programmed female voice informing me that “the battery was low.” What an annoying voice!!! I went back to sleep until 8:30 AM, when I got up and microwave water for coffee and waited for Bobby’s appearance. Shortly after 9:30 AM he came down the stairs of his house and walked over to the ham shack, where I am sleeping, and procrastinated for an hour, when I decided to star caulking the north side of the building.

Using a different method today, I begun caulking the lower seams that I could reach without a ladder first, using clear silicone this time. The west and south sides were caulked with a different sealant.

Periodically, Bobby came around to see my progress and talk. By 3:10 PM the customarily summer rains came and the caulking came to end for the day. But, not before I completed the entire north side.

I had lunch then; talked with Bobby some more, then we moved into the ham shack and started hanging plywood wall panels. At 5:10 PM we ran out of panels.

Knowing that he had to conduct some banking, Bobby headed to the nearest bank, in Okeechobee once again, to transfer money for the purchase of Chinese-made ham radios that he is importing for sale to fellow amateur radio operators in the metropolitan New York City area.

He asked if I wanted to go with him or stay on the ranch. I choose the latter, so that I may shower and eat.

Additionally, he had to pick up some more plywood since we ran out, and plywood hanging ceased for the day.

Currently, I am waiting for his return. I hope to get some cash from him soon, so I may pay bills due and go to the laundry mart in Indiantown, as I really need to do a wash. Working pants, tee-shirts, socks and underwear are running short.

Every time Bobby inspects the ham shack, he sees imperfection by Barry and his crews; resulting in Bobby often mumbling about having to do corrective work, and though I am no constructing worker, he and I are making progress and in the absence of the constructing trio, steady progress is at hand with Bobby teaching me some construction skills along the way.

On The Ranch… Day 4

Thursday 24 July, 2008

Up at 7:00 AM and had breakfast sitting under the new car port in the sand, but under shade.

I waited for Bobby, who showed after nine o’clock. We talk for about half an hour before turning our attention to the day’s work.

After walking around the building and inspecting the workmanship, we decided to concentrated on the re-caulking of the metal panels that was previously done by Barry and his crew.

Bobby provided the caulking gun and tubes of caulk. The ladder was setup and I went to work caulking all of the metal panel’s seams.

I first did the west side of the building, since this was the shaded side, followed by the south side, also shaded by the new car port roof. Before coming down the ladder I ask him if he saw any spots missed. There were a few, which were plugged while I was on the ladder. By 4:30 PM the west and south sides of the building were completed and I called it a day.

I bathed, changed, got a few dollars from Bobby and went into Indiantown, where I purchased cigarettes, beer and gasoline. While in town I made a few telephone calls on the cellular phone, checked text message from a new girlfriend, picked up a few items in the supermarket, then headed back to the ranch, where I prepared — microwave — dinner.

After dinner, we talked about many subjects and decided on a plan for tomorrow.

In the new day, I will complete the north and east sides of the building, and possibly, if I finish early, help Bobby install the plywood walls to the interior of the ham shack.

Bobby was happy with the look of the exterior and in conclusion he said, that he and I got more quality work completed by ourselves this day.

One The Rach … Day 3

Wednesday 23 July, 2008.07.23

No work today. Bobby and I got a late start on shopping for supplies in Stuart, a bigger town east of Indiantown, some twenty-three miles to the east.

We had a buffet lunch at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, followed by shopping trips to Big Lots, Harbor Freight and Lowe’s Hardware.

Bobby also delayed and engaged in several long telephone conversations while in Stuart. This is normal. Back on the ranch there is limited to no cellular phone signal, so whenever he’s in an area with good signal strengths, he makes and receives his phone calls.

In Stuart, Bobby picked up all the construction supplies needed for tomorrow’s work.

We then headed back to Indiantown, stopping at the Shell gasoline station in town where I purchased a pack of cigarettes and a can of Mexican beer.

Back on the ranch, 11 miles away, we talked some more and checked e-mail, until around 5:30 PM, when Barry called looking for the rest of his pay for his crew and self from the past 2 days work.

Once again we were on the road. This time, to the nearest ATM machine, in Okeechobee, some 23 miles away to the west, and along the big lake of the same name.

In Okeechobee, we dined first, at the Golden Corral buffet restaurant.

When we stepped outside around 7:30 PM, the weather had dramatically changed, with heavy winds sweeping across the parking lot bending trees in its path, and across Lake Okeechobee, dark ominous clouds and heavy thunder and lighting bolts in a surreal sky.

We immediately thought tornadoes and high-tailed it out of Okeechobee, as many others did the same. A quick stop at the nearby ATM, another 2 calls from Barry, and we began the return journey back to Indiantown via Highway 441 North, which runs parallel to the lake.

When we departed the town, the rains, winds and lighting was just beginning to pick up; no more than 2 minutes later, the weather system really gathered steam and looked more like a hurricane.

Sheets of horizontal rains pelted the van, and lighting strikes abounded all around our vehicle, reducing visibly to the end of our light beams. Five to 10 miles per hour was the maximum speed safely possible and Bobby had to lean forward in his seat, in order to find and use the lane and road edge markers, while struggling to maintain controller of the van as a result of the swirling winds that we found ourselves in.

He also tried to contact fellow amateur radio operators on his mobile radio set to report on the weather system; but no one responded.

Suddenly, the weather passed: the skies cleared, lighting subsided and a steady drizzle accompanied us back to home base. As we pulled off Highway 710, onto the unpaved dirt road that would 3 miles later deliver Bobby and I back to our destination, a second wave of weather came at us, and Bobby now having to urgently go to the bathroom. He could not wait and had to use the surrounding terrain, thus avoiding a second accident of the day.

Back at Calvert County, an anxious Bobby was much relieved to find no damage to his house and the newly constructed ham radio shack and pole-barn still stood.

Following some cursory inspections, he retired to the main house to conduct business via email and I, to prepare for tomorrow’s work day, as the quickly formed severe weather system headed away, leaving an important reminder: this is the height of hurricane season in Florida.

Tomorrow’s plan is for Bobby and me, to re-caulk the seams on the exterior of the ham shack, where the metal panels overlap, in order to seal the building from the outside elements and to prevent insects from gaining entry into the interior. Additionally, we hope to also beginning the installation of the walls using plywood panels.

There will be no Barry, Lonnie or Harry on the crew, as the constructing trio has moved on to other calamites

On The Ranch … Day 2

Tuesday 22 July, 2008

No work crews had shown by 9:00 AM, when a somewhat pissed-off Bobby decided to go into town for some cigarettes and pick up a ready-made breakfast at Rines Supermarket, the only place in Indiantown to shop for groceries.

Both of us bought some needed items, made some cellular phone calls — out at the ranch, there is limited to no cellular phone signal — , and picked up Bobby’s mail at the local post office.

Then we made the eleven miles return trip to his place. It was now 10:50 AM when Bobby’s cell phone rang.

It was Barry!

Barry, the next-door neighbor, and yes, Barry the construction crew chief. Who inquired of Bobby’s location and estimated time of arrival.

Barry told Bobby, that he and his crew were at the ranch waiting for him since 8:00 AM and was wondering if he, Bobby, would show.

As I rode along with Bobby, not more than half a mile from both his and Barry’s house, and the location from where the cell phone call originated, an enraged Bobby floored the accelerator of his van, with me urging him to slow down on this unpaved, uneven and not for fast driving country dirt road.

Pulling into the yard, we saw the constructing trio sitting around smoking cigarettes. The sight further enraged Bobby, with the ensuing shouting.

After threatening to send the crew home, gradually some work began.

Now the now familiar work pattern existed, with Lonnie and Harry up on the exposed roof beams, laying down and nailing roof panels, me on the ground passing up the cut panels to them, a pissed-off Bobby cutting the panels — and looking at Barry –, under the progressing roof and Barry directing, smoking, walking around and taking cell phone calls.

Sometime around 2:30 PM, Barry was looking to get paid and leave. But, Bobby was short of cash. It was agreed that Bobby would go to the bank in Okeechobee and secure the constructing trio’s money.

In Okeechobee, Bobby went to a few stores including Wal-Mart, where I purchased some more canned food that I may have enough to last me until my departure. Additionally, after resisting and informing me that I owed him two thousand dollars, he relented and bought the cheapest available wireless router that the store had. We also stopped at the ATM for the crew’s money.

Returning to the ranch, Barry was not there as agreed upon. He never showed from wherever he was.

I installed the wireless router, so I may check e-mail and most importantly, job leads, without having to wait for Bobby to be off his computer.

After all, I have in my position 2 wireless enabled laptop computers.

My intention was to pay Bobby for the router, but suddenly, he started talking about wanting to buy Barry a wireless router, so when Barry’s relatives visit, they could have wireless access. It now seems that Bobby is happy to have a wireless access point on his ranch.

On The Ranch … Day 1

Monday 21 July, 2008

I departed FT. Lauderdale at 9:00 AM for Indiantown, Martin County to help Robert Calvert, a good and long time friend and a former photo journalism colleague, with various projects that he has begun on his property. Including the completion of his amateur radio/television studio building, the ham shack.

This has been a longer than expected project. Mostly because Bobby hired his next-door neighbor Barry, to do the majority of the construction on the two structures that he has going up.

Arriving just before 11:00 AM, because I drove all the way up north on US Highway 441, then east on Okeechobee Blvd to Haverhill Road., north on Haverhill to 45th. street in West Palm Beach, west on 45th. to Jog Road north, onto the Beeline Highway, also known as Florida State Road 710 and finally west into Indiantown: far away from the bright lights and closer to a simpler life.

The reason for the long route: a transmission problem with the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan — not going into overdrive — prohibiting me from driving on the interstate highway system and not exceeding speeds over 50 MPH, thereby trying to save the tranny system from overheating and total damage.

Upon arrival at Bob Calvert’s eleven-acres-spread — the ranch, or as I call it, Calvert County–, I met him and his workers. The crew consisted of Barry, who last month, lost his wife to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Lonnie — Barry’s brother, and the brothers long time friend Harry, a former long haul truck driver.

After some greetings and chit-chat, I changed into construction-type clothing and informed Barry that I was ready to help. He just had to show me once and tell me what to do.

Lonnie was walking along on top of the bare pole-barn roof finishing up some beam work, Harry nailing support straps and buckets to the beams, and Barry on the ground taking calls on his cellular phone and directing.

I quickly joined the crew, after watching Harry installed one bucket to a support beam.

He worked the outside beams from one end, and I from the other. This was the first time in my life that I had ever swung a hammer for more that 2 minutes.

My right shoulder was paining and tired. I was exhausted, soaked in sweat and thirsty in the ninety-degrees-plus Florida summer soup.

In short order, they were several water, beer and cigarettes breaks; followed by constant mini-arguments and heated discussions between Bobby, Barry and Lonnie. While Harry, and I looked on and smiled.

By quitting time everyone was on speaking terms once again, and the attention was focused on making a beer run into Indiantown for some cold beer. I contributed five dollars to the beer-run-fund and Barry decided that we should meet under the big tree at his house next door, for drinks and grilled cheese burgers.

I took a well-water shower outside, using the hose attached to the spigot on the side of the ham shack building, changed into a long sleeved shirt and long pants, to keep the flies and insect at bay. Then I joined the crew under the big tree for beers and burgers.

Tom, another neighbor, who is a golf course designer, was also there, along with Harry’s wife. We sat outside the house, under the tree and discussed the day’s activities, among other things.

Barry, Lonnie and Harry are serious beer drinkers. Bobby calls them alcoholics. Maybe, may be not!

Tom and I do like a bit.

And Bob seldom drinks. He had one this day!

When darkness fell and the insects became intolerable, we all moved indoors where the conversation was varied, as we drank beers, listen to some of Barry’s favorite music and eat burgers.

The day’s proceedings were discussed and a plan hatched for the next work day.

It was decided that work would commence at 7:00 AM in order to beat the soon to be hot sun.

By nine o’clock Tom had departed; Lonnie eat, drank, smoked a joint and retired to bed; Harry now eating was drinking a last one, and Barry, still drinking, had not eaten.

I left at 11:00 PM and slept in my Caravan this evening, under the stars on Robert Calvert’s ranch in Martin County, Florida, west of Palm Beach County.

Hello world!

Welcome to DMofo’s weblog at WordPress.com.

I am a former photo-journalist (working under another name) of some twenty-plus years of past service to various newspapers, magazines and assorted publications worldwide. I am no longer in the news-chasing/publishing racket and have since the mid-nineties been involved in the computer/network business as a contracted computer/network technician.

The focus here will be to share some of the things that I’ve done and some of the things that I may encounter in the future; time permitting, I will blog where and when I can.

I mostly worked as a freelance news photographer based in the United States for numerous local, regional, national and international newspapers and publications. I ran my own photo agency DigiPixs International; sadly, DigiPixs is no more.

Some years ago, the photographic archives were sold to Globe Photos Inc., in New York City. They own the rights to the pictures and stories I produced during those years.

In addition to my photographic field work I also worked as a newspaper Picture Editor. My photographic specialty was celebrity/personality photography. I’ve also done other news coverage and my area of coverage was Central America and the Caribbean.

Currently, I am in Florida and soon hope to be returning to the Caribbean, where I did a stint on a weekly newspaper employed as a staff photojournalist. My duties included: Photography, Story development and Feature writing.

I’m an A+ and Network+ certified computer/network technician. I provide on-site computer repairs and support to home users and small to mid-sized businesses. Additionally, in the past I provided technical support for two internationally known companies.

Born in the Twin-Islands Republic of Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean, I was educated in Barbados at Presentation College. Soccer was my game of choice. I played for the Barbados Junior National Team for 1 year and 3 years semi-professionally in New York.

Now, I am an avid pool/billiards player.

The island of my birth is located at its closest point, some seven miles off the coast of the South American country of Venezuela.

Know to many worldwide, Trinidadian are fondly known as Trinis, and are a fun loving – “partying people”. The twin-islands in the sun are also known as the Soca Islands – since it is the home of soca, calypso, steelband music, limbo and of course the “Greatest Shown on Earth” – carnival and in recent years, world-class athletes and beauty queens.

Miss Universe 1998, Wendy Fitzwilliam is a Trinidadian as is the pageant’s 1997 second-runner up Margot Bourgeois. Other noteworthy Trinidadians are former world-class sprinter Ato Boldon, cricket’s ace-batsman Brian Lara, Dwight York, 1999 leading goal scorer and footballer of the year, for the English Premiere League’s champion soccer team Manchester United and currently a Sunderland player, along with fellow countymen Carlos Edwards and Kenwyne Jones .

I will attempt to be diligent with this blog and periodically, time permitting, post some items of interest. As of this date, I have no idea as to where this blog may go and what it may evolved into.

So, I invited you dear world citizen to visit again and join me in this journey. I am a great observer of my surroundings and have many interests that I may comment on.