Thursday, August 4, 2011

The "Sunrise at Bathsheba" Story

It was an ordinary day. Looking over a few brochures and maps on Barbados in preparation for our return trip to the island in the fall. Barbados is in the Southern Caribbean. An English island which is divided into parishes, much like the USA is divided into states. Along the rugged east coast is the fishing village of Bathsheba which is in the Saint Joseph Parish which has some 5,000 inhabitants. Legend has it that Bathsheba, wife of King David, bathed in milk to keep her skin beautiful and soft. And, legend also has it that the surf covered white waters of the village of Bathsheba, rich in minerals and life, is said to resemble Bathsheba's bath in both appearance and health giving value. Visitors come to breath the air, soak in the invigorating Bathsheba Pools and feel alive. The coast is breathtakingly beautiful with wide white sand beaches that feature rock formations against which the Atlantic rollers break in cascades of foam. Along the edge of the beach are rock formations broken away from ancient coral reef. The Bathsheba Pools rest between the shore and the rock formations and are several feet deep. They are constantly replentished with ocean water in a whirlpool like fashion which make them a popular bathing area. Swimming at Bathsheba is dangerous with riptides and undertows. The Soupbowl at Bathsheba derives its name from the foamy surf and is the site of local and international surfing championships. "The Merrymen", one of the islands most popular music groups, wrote and performed a song titled "Bathsheba". A few of the verses go like this:

When I feel down, when I feel low,
There's a place I know where I can go,
Down to the beach before the break of day,
To the sands of Bathsheba.

There's something special in every sunrise,
It's a brand new day, I'm glad to be alive,
Far from all my worries and grief,
Down at Bathsheba.

Just Sue, our traveling companion along with her husband Jerry, bought a "Merrymen's" CD on our first visit to Barbados. I naturally had to borrow it and make a copy. We have it in our car and listen to it all the time. A half year ago Carol told me that sometime we need to go back to Barbados. She said that listening to the CD made up her mind for her. She just has to go to Bathsheba and watch the sunrise. OK! When we visited Barbados our first time, we took an
island tour by bus and traveled to Bathsheba, but the weather was cloudy and we only spent an hour at a restaurant above the beach. I did walk down to the beach to take a few photos of the amazing rock formations, but welcome the chance to return and spend more time. Far from all my worries and dreams, down at Bathsheba. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - the two photos which have a cloudy sky are photos that I took. The others are from an internet site. Click on link below to hear "The Merrymen's" Bathsheba.

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