Capturing a Sliver of Barbados

We definitely have to put Barbados on our Family Reunion list. We were fortunate to be under artistic eye of Ronnie Carrington, one of Barbados most famous photographers. He took us all around and through this island. We passed miles of rugged boulders down along a jagged sea and beautiful sand beaches, green forests, and well maintained and terraced farmland, quaint villages and breath taking scenery in every direction. Though a photographer's eye, you see it all. Barbados is BEAUTIFUL. You capture the best of what the island has to offer through the lens of your camera. Having our own personal photographer along, all spots were pre picked for our enjoyment. We just had to get out of the bus, snap some photos, get back  on and listen to stories. (A grueling day! :) ) He showed us his award winning photographs while he told us about his family, the history of Barbados and all who have lived on this island before us as well as what is happening now. You feel a sense of pride here. Things are kept clean. Roads easily traveled. Education is taken seriously with the literacy rate being 97%, among the highest in the western hemisphere. People have more then one job.

Our tour started in the Bridgetown and went straight North up the Western Coast, to St Lucy, down the Eastern Coast to St Andrew (Scottish) ,through lots of lessor known parts of Barbados and finally across huge farmlands with chattel houses dotting the countryside. For every church on this island, you can bet there is a rum shop right next store to it. We loved our rum punch stop. We should have done that stop twice. The trick is to make it and then let it sit in the refrigerator for a week before serving it. OMG. It was delicious. My new favorite drink. Rum MUST be from Barbados, they say, or it won't be any good.

What I feel in love here with most was the Chattel Houses. Chattel means movable property. These are small wooden houses first built by African plantation workers. They can be called the first mobile home. They are very small, square, wood homes and have corrugated metal roofs (iron). No nails were used and they sat on blocks because they could not buy or own land, but they could live above the land. These had to be easily dismantled should they be let go, fired, or if a property dispute came up. These houses still exist and are used today. People live in them, Some have been restored, some look untouched and well weathered. They can add on as the family gets bigger. They get passed down to family members so they hardly come up for sale. I loved these little guys.....I see miniatures coming!