We have 122 days until we board the big metal bird and head south east!
At day 120 Mary and I are going to start the P90X program. I already know I wont follow all parts of it …as in I wont follow the diet. I will work on a modified diet and be willing to do that. Our goal is to lose several lbs before we get on the plane to our paradise.
How successful will we be? I am guessing I will lose my goal of at least 25 lbs but not as successful as could be if followed the program to the letter.
So I have my tennis shoes ready, sorting out all of my old t-shirts and shorts and getting ready to get my sweat on….wish me luck!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
My wandering mind
Yup, the title says it all. I have only been back from a short island trip just over 6 weeks and I have a very bad case of “I don’t give a flip”. I need an escape and I need it fast. Problem being I have about 4 and a half months till we jet out of the American heartland and back to our island paradise. I have a lineage of songs running thru my head that are all about the same thing, escape, escape, escape! From the Beatles to Jimmy Buffett to Kenny Chesney. They make me smile and at the same time frustrated that I cant be where I want to be. Wow that is an incredibly spoiled comment!!
I have the bug to use my new camera and lenses to get out in the tropics and shoot pix so that I can sustain myself thru envisioning myself immersed in new dreamt adventures that are captured in snapshots of time via camera and lens.
I know I shouldn’t whine but …..My mind is not here and hasn’t been for some time. I am on island emotionally and simply going thru the motions here. Yes, I do my job but have no gusto left. I constantly think of how can I get back down island? How much time can I spend there this time? What can I shoot while there and am I going to get the sparse or heavy clouds?
As you can see my mind is in the clouds and my focus is already on our return to the island.
Yes, I checked airline ticket prices today. That is an every Tuesday and Wednesday effort even when I have tickets in hand already…Come on Delta or US Air….time for a sale. American is about the price I am used to but is an all day trip leaving at 6AM arriving 8PM and visiting a city in the Midwest like Chicago or Dallas and either Miami or San Juan before ending at SXM.
I have the bug to use my new camera and lenses to get out in the tropics and shoot pix so that I can sustain myself thru envisioning myself immersed in new dreamt adventures that are captured in snapshots of time via camera and lens.
I know I shouldn’t whine but …..My mind is not here and hasn’t been for some time. I am on island emotionally and simply going thru the motions here. Yes, I do my job but have no gusto left. I constantly think of how can I get back down island? How much time can I spend there this time? What can I shoot while there and am I going to get the sparse or heavy clouds?
As you can see my mind is in the clouds and my focus is already on our return to the island.
Yes, I checked airline ticket prices today. That is an every Tuesday and Wednesday effort even when I have tickets in hand already…Come on Delta or US Air….time for a sale. American is about the price I am used to but is an all day trip leaving at 6AM arriving 8PM and visiting a city in the Midwest like Chicago or Dallas and either Miami or San Juan before ending at SXM.
Monday, June 7, 2010
A weekend of digital upgrade…
This weekend I pulled the trigger on a new Digital SLR to replace the Canon xTi that I have been shooting with (which was borrowed from one of my sons) I stepped to the plate and with a 2 balls 1 strike count, I drove a sharp line drive into the gap plating all base runners in front of me with a stand up triple. Baseball aside, I purchased a shiny new Canon 50D with two new lenses, a 28 – 135mm base lens and a 75 – 300mm zoom for those hard to get shots. All are equip with a lens stabilizer which is a big plus in my book.
I took the camera for a bit of a test spin to our local arboretum to put it thru its paces…the camera way out performed me…guess it will be time to brush up on some skills. I was very impressed with the smoothness of operation and ease in which changing controls occur. Much easier to adjust than the Rebel I used before. Everything seemed pretty intuitive.
I think I am ready to take another trip to the tropics…like I wasn’t before I got the camera. I cant wait to see what new shots I can come up with because it sure has jumpstarted me to get back out and shoot some more!!
I took the camera for a bit of a test spin to our local arboretum to put it thru its paces…the camera way out performed me…guess it will be time to brush up on some skills. I was very impressed with the smoothness of operation and ease in which changing controls occur. Much easier to adjust than the Rebel I used before. Everything seemed pretty intuitive.
I think I am ready to take another trip to the tropics…like I wasn’t before I got the camera. I cant wait to see what new shots I can come up with because it sure has jumpstarted me to get back out and shoot some more!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Back from the island....safe and sound!
I’ve been back for just short of a month now….Went to ST Maarten for a 3 day junket.
Had an art show in which probably 40 people attended and even sold a couple of pieces while there. Then hit and worked Front street in Philipsburg. That part didn’t go nearly as well as I would have hoped. Though I did learn a few things…..tourists are cheap and for the most part want to buy junk. I brought one item that fit into that category….cheap that is and two others that were still under $20 but very little interest in those. I did find out, one store owner was honest with me…..I picked a bad time to visit the island for sales of tourist trinkets. Was there the last week of April, should have been the last week of September. Seems that all of the buying is done in the fall for the next season.
Oh well I have a couple of friends on island that will help me out and thank you all!!!
I have placed items in 4 shops on front street, one piece of art in Grand Case and some of my products in Simpson Bay too.
I need to re evaluate the smaller items, do I want to go forward with them or just stick with my art?? Here is my dilemma, I don’t like the idea of some of my better photos ending up on something that gets tossed in a couple of days….should it matter to me? Maybe not but it does.
My art show was pretty successful, at least I got good reviews from those that saw the pictures. That made me feel better as I had already heard the proverbial “no thanks” at least 50 times before the art show.
On a happier note, my eldest flew to the island with me and fell in love with it, he loves the French side and did enjoy the Dutch side too. He liked the culture on the French side…though at 25 wasn’t too thrilled with Orient beach…there were no women under probably 45 there the day we visited so was less than enthused with what he saw….tried to tell him to each their own and it takes some nerve to be an American and take some or all of your clothes off ….a nerve usually reserved for those over 40 that frankly don’t care what others think or say. Example…We were bobbing up and down with the waves at Orient when a very large couple entered the water….she immediately started in on every woman that walked by…she shouldn’t be topless and other un pleasant jabs like that. Listening to them I later found out that this was a pair of cruisers from the Dakotas. They literally fussed about the price of the chairs to rent, expensiveness of the drinks, how ruff the surf was ( and it wasn’t) and then they became judges of the men and women that walked by. If this is how those of us from the US are no wonder we have such a bad rap as ugly tourists. They then made their way back to the beach bar and proceeded to order French fries and deep fried string cheese…what happened to when in Rome? Try something new..or better yet if you are going to sit and complain….go back to your cruise ship and stay there… OOPS there I go ranting again!!
We did cover most of the island to view some of the beaches and man that turned out to be exciting too….there was a bit of a surge on the south and west facing shores. We stopped at Plumb Baie to enjoy the water but after walking to the beach I quickly realized there was no place to get in that wasn’t rock covered that day and the waves were a bit too strong to try that so we decided to head to Baie Longue, was ruff there too but we found a little sandy entrance to the water so hung out there for a bit. (side note, I learned while living in Hawaii, never turn your back on the Ocean). We had been at the surf’s edge for probably 10-15 mins enjoying the break and just having a good time when the undertow suddenly picked up ….as in it pulled my 250+ lb body down and into the surf, and started pulling my son out. He is an excellent swimmer and diver and not one prone to panic…I pulled myself out and turned to him and said….relax and wait for the wave….sure enough a much larger than average wave followed behind and not so nicely deposited him on the shore. We decided that caution should at that point override our confidence and we headed for the dunes to relax a bit before heading back to the room.
He said when he took his shower….he brought 5lbs of sand back with him…the shower floor looked like the beach its self… Out of the multitude f times I have been on island, that was the first time anything wave related has ever shook me…but that was the only time that I didn’t respect the ocean like I should have.
Rest of the trip was simply awesome and we are looking to return in late Oct.
Had an art show in which probably 40 people attended and even sold a couple of pieces while there. Then hit and worked Front street in Philipsburg. That part didn’t go nearly as well as I would have hoped. Though I did learn a few things…..tourists are cheap and for the most part want to buy junk. I brought one item that fit into that category….cheap that is and two others that were still under $20 but very little interest in those. I did find out, one store owner was honest with me…..I picked a bad time to visit the island for sales of tourist trinkets. Was there the last week of April, should have been the last week of September. Seems that all of the buying is done in the fall for the next season.
Oh well I have a couple of friends on island that will help me out and thank you all!!!
I have placed items in 4 shops on front street, one piece of art in Grand Case and some of my products in Simpson Bay too.
I need to re evaluate the smaller items, do I want to go forward with them or just stick with my art?? Here is my dilemma, I don’t like the idea of some of my better photos ending up on something that gets tossed in a couple of days….should it matter to me? Maybe not but it does.
My art show was pretty successful, at least I got good reviews from those that saw the pictures. That made me feel better as I had already heard the proverbial “no thanks” at least 50 times before the art show.
On a happier note, my eldest flew to the island with me and fell in love with it, he loves the French side and did enjoy the Dutch side too. He liked the culture on the French side…though at 25 wasn’t too thrilled with Orient beach…there were no women under probably 45 there the day we visited so was less than enthused with what he saw….tried to tell him to each their own and it takes some nerve to be an American and take some or all of your clothes off ….a nerve usually reserved for those over 40 that frankly don’t care what others think or say. Example…We were bobbing up and down with the waves at Orient when a very large couple entered the water….she immediately started in on every woman that walked by…she shouldn’t be topless and other un pleasant jabs like that. Listening to them I later found out that this was a pair of cruisers from the Dakotas. They literally fussed about the price of the chairs to rent, expensiveness of the drinks, how ruff the surf was ( and it wasn’t) and then they became judges of the men and women that walked by. If this is how those of us from the US are no wonder we have such a bad rap as ugly tourists. They then made their way back to the beach bar and proceeded to order French fries and deep fried string cheese…what happened to when in Rome? Try something new..or better yet if you are going to sit and complain….go back to your cruise ship and stay there… OOPS there I go ranting again!!
We did cover most of the island to view some of the beaches and man that turned out to be exciting too….there was a bit of a surge on the south and west facing shores. We stopped at Plumb Baie to enjoy the water but after walking to the beach I quickly realized there was no place to get in that wasn’t rock covered that day and the waves were a bit too strong to try that so we decided to head to Baie Longue, was ruff there too but we found a little sandy entrance to the water so hung out there for a bit. (side note, I learned while living in Hawaii, never turn your back on the Ocean). We had been at the surf’s edge for probably 10-15 mins enjoying the break and just having a good time when the undertow suddenly picked up ….as in it pulled my 250+ lb body down and into the surf, and started pulling my son out. He is an excellent swimmer and diver and not one prone to panic…I pulled myself out and turned to him and said….relax and wait for the wave….sure enough a much larger than average wave followed behind and not so nicely deposited him on the shore. We decided that caution should at that point override our confidence and we headed for the dunes to relax a bit before heading back to the room.
He said when he took his shower….he brought 5lbs of sand back with him…the shower floor looked like the beach its self… Out of the multitude f times I have been on island, that was the first time anything wave related has ever shook me…but that was the only time that I didn’t respect the ocean like I should have.
Rest of the trip was simply awesome and we are looking to return in late Oct.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Island bound!!
I have 4 more days till I travel to the island. All products in place. Now busy weighing each bundle and figuring how to distribute to my suitcase. I wrote on my Facebook account earlier this week. Packing for a business trip to the Caribbean isn’t near as much fun as packing for a pleasure trip but is still better than the day in day out doldrums that you go thru in a normal job. This adventure is quite a bit costlier than I had intended with who knows what chance at being a success?? Yes it is easy to doubt myself. People here in the land locked American Midwest seem to love the products but what will a tourist think? Also have a small art show next Tuesday…am nervous about that but all will be fine!
I hope to earn back at least a third of what I have spent. I know some of my stuff has a long shelf life where some of the rest not as much. Will find out soon I guess.
If you are in the Grand Case area on Tuesday evening the 27th of April, stop by TiJon and say hi…if you say you read my blog….I will have a gift for you.
Rob
I hope to earn back at least a third of what I have spent. I know some of my stuff has a long shelf life where some of the rest not as much. Will find out soon I guess.
If you are in the Grand Case area on Tuesday evening the 27th of April, stop by TiJon and say hi…if you say you read my blog….I will have a gift for you.
Rob
Monday, April 5, 2010
Pre-show thoughts
The sun, moon and all of the stars aligned this weekend.
I got all of my products ordered and on a shipping time line which will give me a week to pack and weight…then redistribute the load before I board the flying tin can to the tropics.
I have decided to take many of my products down in my luggage. This required, of course getting the suitcase and measuring the inside width and length to see if I could pack it all in there. The next part may seem funny to some, I am a very visual person so I laid out a grid on the carpet with masking tape…laying out the complete size of the suitcase to be followed by the size of pictures that I have ordered. This helps me to realize just how much room I will have and how large the frames I want to order with it can be.
Yes it is a bit obsessive but I will have my first show and I don’t want it to go poorly because I didn’t plan well.
Only 20 days till I fly and another 2 till my show….ready or not SXM here I come.
I got all of my products ordered and on a shipping time line which will give me a week to pack and weight…then redistribute the load before I board the flying tin can to the tropics.
I have decided to take many of my products down in my luggage. This required, of course getting the suitcase and measuring the inside width and length to see if I could pack it all in there. The next part may seem funny to some, I am a very visual person so I laid out a grid on the carpet with masking tape…laying out the complete size of the suitcase to be followed by the size of pictures that I have ordered. This helps me to realize just how much room I will have and how large the frames I want to order with it can be.
Yes it is a bit obsessive but I will have my first show and I don’t want it to go poorly because I didn’t plan well.
Only 20 days till I fly and another 2 till my show….ready or not SXM here I come.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
My Island Return is Imminent!
Just crossed the 40 days till I board a plane for the islands threshold.
Things are coming along…a bit slowly but still they are getting there.
The two products that take the most time for me are in the production pipeline.
I still have to sleect some of my photos for artwork, figure how I want to present them and oh yeah, work some more on getting folks to attend the exhibit. I have contacted a few locals on island but still need to write up something for the paper and then see if one of the radio stations might be interested in putting me on the air for a couple of minute spot. Still need to get my website up and ready too…..
So nothing much to do and not much time to do it in. My eldest son has decided to hitch a ride to see the island so I will also be a bit of a tour guide. We look forward to hanging out a bit, some introspective conversation about his future and that of my business and of course consuming a few bottles of rum while on island.
I am looking so forward to getting away from Kansas for a while ….we have been set in a dreary weather pattern since December. Still haven’t hit 70 and seldom see the sun. I need a battery recharge badly.
I am working with a friend on island who is going to link me up with some of the business owners on front street in Philipsburg and I hope to see a few folks in Grand Case and even Marigot if I don’t run out of time.
If you have time on the evening of April 27th from 6-8PM locally and have nothing to do, stop in at Tijon in Grand Case and say hi, I will have a special gift for anyone that says they read about the debut in my blog….
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