Everything in Jamaica has more color. The fenceposts are brilliant, half coral/half red. The pigeons have rosy feet, and one seems to have red eyes. My photograph of a fence at Rick’s Cafe in Negril, Jamaica, is part of The Life of B’s Simply Red Challenge.
“Experience the thrill of living in a Castle built 50ft. above an old pirates cave, overlooking the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.” ~ Blue Cave Castle
The Blue Cave Castle photographed from the Samara Resort in Negril Jamaica. This modern-day castle is my entry in City Sonnet’s Photo a Day Challenge for October 30th/Castle.
For some reason the challenge and my resultant photo made me think of the phrase: “Building Castles in the Air.”
“Building Castles in the Air”—Extravagant hopes and plans that will never be carried out. ~ Dictionary.Com
I must admit I have built plenty of ‘castles in the air’ in my lifetime. Instead of chiding myself over too many dreams, when I have a good idea that has potential to bear fruit I’m going to follow the advice of Henry David Thoreau—
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ~ Thoreau
I also very much like these wise words from Richard Whately…
“To know your ruling passion, examine your castles in the air.” ~ Whately
What castles are you building in your daydreams? Perhaps our castles in the air might lead to some spectacular new adventures. I’m ready to build some foundations under my dreams and see what comes. Onward!
The Negril Lighthouse was built in 1894. You will find a perfect view of this landmark in Jamaica from another landmark, Rick’s Cafe.
We arrived at Rick’s Cafe in minutes from the Samsara, a great hotel in between Rick’s Cafe and Seven Mile Beach, just in time to see a diver prepare to jump from the cliffs.
Ten second video of the jump.
My husband has jumped off the moderate sized cliffs the Samsara is built upon numerous times; I have not. I decided this was my year to jump. I contemplated the sea below, the height, and decided to seize the day and finally jump off the cliffs.
There I go, my hair makes me laugh, it looks as if it wants to stay behind and is yelling, “NO!”
My husband jumped with the underwater camera this year. Here’s a quick glimpse of what you see and hear when you jump in from the cliffs.
I’m glad I did seize the day, the next morning the sea was rough, churned up by Hurricane Michael’s path to the left of Jamaica. If I had waited I would have missed my chance.
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” ~ George Eliot
This post is part of Skywatch Friday
Last year, while enjoying Seven Mile Beach in Negril, Jamaica, we bought fruit from a beautiful island woman. This lady wore her basket of fruit like a crown and was dressed as if she was going to church. In a word, she was regal. We didn’t ask her name, but when the next vendor came by, selling necklaces made out of bead and shell, she told us the fruit vendor was her ‘Auntie.’ This time I remembered to ask a name, the necklace vendor said, “My name is Sophie.” So, the title of the painting was ordained before I even put brush to paper, “Sophie’s Auntie.”
At 24 x 24 inches, the painting is larger than I usually attempt in my watercolor painting. It is painted on Arches 300 lb Cold Press paper with Winsor & Newton watercolors. My palette had a mother color, this is a shade that I mix in varying degrees into all the other colors. The mother color in this palette was Burnt Umber. Additional colors were Winsor Blue Red Shade, Winsor Blue Green Shade, Quinacridone Magenta, Winsor Yellow, Olive Green, Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. I also used my Derwent Inktense Pencils to create the flecks of color in the sand. The tip can be found here: Creating Texture with Colored Pencils. I hope you like “Sophie’s Auntie.” I relived the beautiful sunny day while I painted her and felt like I was on vacation again.
