The "A Good Facebook Friend" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking my email and found I had a Facebook message from something called Barbados Handcrafted.  Had a suspicion who might have sent it to me, so I clicked on the link and found I was correct.  Carol and I as well as our traveling friends Jerry and Just Sue have traveled to Barbados twice.  Beautiful island that is known as "England in the Tropics" for its British flair.  Barbados has been an independent nation since 1966 and sports such English influences as driving on the wrong side, oops .... I mean the left side, of the road as well as the nation's passion for polo and cricket.  

One of the more than 60 beautiful beaches on Barbados.

On the island landscape you used to be able to find the world's second-largest number of windmills to grind stalks of sugarcane.  Today many remnants of the mills still dot the landscape. And, the island's most famous export, rum which was first made 370 years ago.  Well, the email was sent to me from Henderson Reece, an artist on the island who specializes in batik.  Carol and I purchased one of his batiks on our first visit to the island in 2006 and again on our second visit in 2008.  

Henderson Reece at work on one of his batiks.

Also got to know this fantastic ambassador of is country as a caring and interesting person.  In 2006 we asked for directions to another location and he was kind enough to draw me a map showing the route.  On our second visit we talked more about family, both his and ours, and got a lesson in his art of batik.  

Would love to have this batik by Henderson Reece. 

I keep in touch with Hendy through Facebook and he continues to invite us back for yet another visit.  A trip to his home is still in the back of our minds as a possibility before our traveling day are over.  Henderson is one of the founders of Barbados Handcrafted as you might have suspected.  He loves to promote his home's vibrant artist community.  Carol and I both enjoy his prints that we have hanging in our home.  Only wish I could purchase the one that graces the top of his Facebook page.  Just love it!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Photos of our two prints we bought from him follow.