The "A Cure For Everything" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just got back from having an MRI to try to determine what to do about the Arthritis that has plagued me for the last few years.  As I sat in front of my computer reading my emails I remembered a book I was looking at recently that gave some old-time family remedies for a variety of illness.  Pulled a few books off the shelf and after searching for a couple of minutes located what I was after.  A couple of pages of "Home Remedies" that were sure to work if I followed the directions.  Well, a remedy for Arthritis was one of the dozen or so illnesses that was on the list.  Trying to think if I want to give it a try or use more modern methods to help alleviate my symptoms.  

Getting ready to put this in my pocket?

The remedy listed said to: Keep a potato in my pocket until it turns black -or- Drink a teaspoon of vinegar in the morning and teaspoon at night -or- Wear a copper bracelet.  What do you think?  Should I see what the MRI suggests is my next step or maybe try the vinegar route?  This remedy must have worked for someone or why would it be part of a book on home remedies.  Some of the other problems with their remedies goes like this:

Croup - 1/2 tablespoon of sugar with warm melted lard poured over it.  Instant cure!
Earache - Wrap hot tea leaves in a small piece of cloth and place in the ear -or- Blow a couple of puffs of cigar smoke into the affected ear.  Instant cure!
Infection - Bread and milk soaked in water wrapped in a cloth.  Apply to the infection.
Chest Cold - Mustard Plaster.  Make a paste of dry mustard and flour and place between two pieces of cloth.  Heat on the stove.  Apply to the chest for about ten minutes.
Head Lice - Wash head with kerosene.  Wrap in towels for a couple of hours, then wash with vinegar and follow with soap and water.
Warts - "Pow-Wow" the wart by gently rubbing it with a penny at sundown and saying a few "magic words."  Wart will disappear in several days -or- Steal a piece of fat and rub it on the wart.
Cold - Burn an old rag; mix the ashes with goose grease and put it on your chest and back.  Also could use mutton tallow.
Cough - Make tea out of the leaves of catnip and mix with sugar -or- Mix a spoonful of sugar and a spoonful of coal oil.
Pneumonia - Put on the chest manure fresh from the cow.
Headache - Pull plantain leaves from bogs and make a wrap with vinegar, sugar and salt.  Apply to the head.
Fever - Put fresh onion on the feet and the stomach.

Yep, you just read the home remedies that were used in the late 1800s and early 1900s.   Didn't they wonder why most people died by age 50.  But, I guess I'll wait for my follow up visit with my doctor to see what the MRI showed and then decide if I need to buy an extra bag of potatoes. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "All Forted Out: Part II" Story

Fort Charlotte

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my brochure I picked up during my recent trip to Fort Charlotte on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas.  The fort was probably the most interesting one to visit and by far the largest.  Place covered over 100 acres.  This fort was built for war.  

The outside of the fort.

Nassau was the political capital of the Bahamas, and this fort was the colony's military head- 
quarters.  It was intended as the region's main base for soldiers, their ammunition and the supplies that supported them.  The fort was built on a hill overlooking the far west end of the harbor.  Who built it and how they built it are details that no one seems to know.  

An old post card showing Fort Charlotte.  Notice the
walkway that had to be used to cross the moat.

It is believed that both men and women, black and white, free and slave had a hand in the building the fort.  Fort Charlotte actually is comprised of three forts: Fort Charlotte, Fort Stanley and Fort D'Arcy.  Fort Stanley was build to control the western end of the ridge and add firepower toward the sea.  Fort D'Arcy was added to house the powder magazine and ordinance.  The magazine was constructed below grade and had a thick stone roof on it to shield it from incoming rockets.  It also had a device that could periodically turn the powder kegs over to prevent them from caking.  The moat was always dry, but originally plans had been for prickly pear plantings to create a hindrance to an attacking enemy.  In 1794 the troop barracks were completed with a kitchen and garden.  The soldiers who lived at the fort often became bored and  homesick.  Many were scared of catching deadly fevers.  

Fort Charlotte's Military Camp training.

To relieve their boredom, they scribed graffiti on the walls of the fort. It appears throughout the fort. The fort is extremely fortified, but was never needed in battle.  The last fort on the island is Fort Montagu which we never had a chance to visit.  Our vacation was allegedly geared towards the beach and ocean, so spending time visiting places that were built for war just didn't seem right.  But, I did find some extremely old photos of Fort Montagu I thought I would share with you.  

Fort Montagu

The fort was built of limestone and is the oldest of the three forts being built in 1741.  It is on the eastern end of Nassau harbor along the waterfront.  It was built to defend the British possession from the Spanish invaders.  Fort Montagu is best known because it is the site of the United States Marine Corps' first military action. In 1776 Continental Congress ordered Commodore Esek Hopkins to take a fleet of eight ships to capture a large supply of gunpowder the British had stored on New Providence Island.  

A water view of Fort Montagu.

The Bahamian militia retreated to Fort Nassau, so Fort Montagu fell unopposed. It turned out the 200 barrels of gunpowder were stored at Fort Nassau and the Bahamian governor was able to load them on merchant ships before the marines arrived there the next day.  

1960 shot of Ft. Montagu with a cannon.

The Marines did bring back thousand's of round shot for Gen. George Washington's troops.  As you can see, the Bahamas carries a wealth of history, but my interest was in relaxing in the shade on a beach chair with my Kindle in one hand and a colored drink in the other.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "All Forted Out: Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished our visits to the many forts that line the north side of the city of Nassau in the Bahamas.  Nassau was formerly known as Charles Town, but was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684.  It was because of this action that the first fort, Fort Nassau was built in 1687 after the town had been resettled.  This fort lasted nearly 200 years until it was demolished in 1897.  The British Colonial Hilton Nassau now stands on that spot and a few of the old walls can still be seen on the hotel's grounds.  After rebuilding the town it's name was changed to Nassau in 1695 in honor of the Dutch Stadholder (head of state) and later also King of England, Scotland and Ireland, William III from the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau.  In 1703 the Spanish and French allied forces occupied Nassau, but by 1713 the Bahamas had become a pirate haven and the pirates proclaimed Nassau a pirate republic.  Pirates such as Thomas Barrow, Benjamin Hornigold, Edward Teach (Blackbeard), Charles Vane, Calico Jack Rackham and women pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read established themselves as "governors."  Five years later the British appointed Captain Woodes Rogers as Royal Governor of Nassau and told him to regain control of the island which he eventually did.  

Fort Fincastle

In 1720 the Spanish made another attempt to capture Nassau, but were unsuccessful.  Eventually three additional forts were added along the coastline of Nassau.  Fort Montagu, built in 1741 of local limestone, is the oldest fort still standing.  It is located at the eastern end of the island.  Fort Charlotte is the largest covering over 100 acres of land.  It is located on the hill overlooking towards the far west end of the harbor.  It was built in 1788 by Lord Dunmore and sports a dry moat, dungeons, underground passageways and 42 cannons.  The final fort is called Fort Fincastle and is located midway between the other two and is shaped like the bow of a ship.  Built in 1793, the fort never fired its cannons in battle.  The Fort is located on Elizabeth Avenue and can be reached by way of the Queen's Staircase which is a few blocks from the harbor on East Street.  

The Queen's Staircase

We traveled to Forts Charlotte and Fincastle, but never made it to Montagu, since by then we were all forted out!  Today I will give you some insight into Fort Fincastle and follow tomorrow with a story about Fort Charlotte.  After parking we headed in the direction of the Queen's Staircase.  We were met by a local man who tried to gather the tourists and gave a historical talk on the staircase.  Sounded like a recording, but he made it through and held out his hand.  My guess was he had nothing to do with any tour of the area, but was interested only in his next meal and cold one.  Didn't matter to me and I'd have no idea if what he told us was fact or fiction.  We then headed towards Nassau's most visited attraction, The Queen's Staircase. The stairs were carved out of solid limestone by slaves between 1793 and 1794.  

Carol and LDub heading toward the top.

The slaves used axes and other sharp hand tools to carve the 65 steps which were later named in honor of the 65 years of Queen Victoria's reign and for the help she gave towards the abolition of slavery in the Bahamas.  It seems that the staircase serves to provide a shorter route to and from Bennet's Hill as well as towards Fort Fincastle.  The fort stood watch over the town of Nassau and its harbor to the east, serving primarily as a lookout post, though it was armed with seven cannons.  The fort was built by Lord Dunmore, a Royal Governor whose second title was Viscount Fincastle.  

The 125 foot water tower as seen from the fort.

The fort saw little action, but did serve as a lighthouse until 1816 when it was used as a signal tower.  The fort was manned by the British military soldiers which at the time was limited to only white West Indians.  Soldiers were housed in barracks beside the fort and practiced military drills such as marching and musket loading.  

One of the cannons that were never needed.

Must have been a lot of fun in the hot sun.  The fort was shaped like a Mississippi paddle-wheel steamer and has a 125 foot water tower to the east of it.  The tower is allegedly the highest point on the island.  Interesting tour and commentary, but I was hoping for some action shots!  Hey, the cannon was pointed right at the cruise ships off in the distance.  Check back tomorrow and you will see our visit to Fort Charlotte, the largest of the three forts on the island.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

I really didn't do it, you know!

Old shot looking west from Fort Fincastle 

The uniform of the troops guarding the fort.

The "One more thing to love about St. Martin" Story

Orient Beach on the island of St. Martin

It was an ordinary day.  After my daily chores around the house and talking with the kids on the phone, I grabbed my MacBook Air and settled in front of the living room TV to watch the Eagles play football.  I click on my Safari icon and then on the "Favorites" link and in no time at all I am linked to "Traveltalkonline" (TTOL).  I navigate to the St. Martin page and find one of the threads says "Flash mob at Princess Julianna Airport."  Wow, a flash mob at the airport.  Click on the Facebook link and spend the next nine minutes or so enjoying the St. Maarten Art Saves Lives Foundation treating the airport crowd to a dance routine to a variety of music genres.  Some people seem oblivious to what is taking place, but the majority of the crowd stop and enjoy the festivities.  What a moving experience and my only regret has to be that I'm not standing in the airport watching in person.  St. Martin/Sint Maarten is the favorite travel destination for Carol and me.  Found the island in the early 1990s and have been taking yearly trips since that time.  The island holds many memories for us since that time and hopefully will create many more in the future.  We enjoy the mouth-watering food, the crystal blue water and pure-white sand, the twin-nation cultures, the beach atmosphere, the art scene, but most of all the friendly people who keep us coming back year after year.  We have our favorite stores for shopping, our favorite beaches and beach bars, our favorite restaurants and our favorite friends who we love to visit each trip to the island.  And, when I saw the flash mob link it immediately reminded me of why we love the island so much.  Check it out and maybe you'll feel the love that is SXM.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153263146645402

The "A Trip To 'The Dig'" Story

Entrance to "The Dig", the lost city of Atlantis.

It was an ordinary day.  The fish are just beautiful and extremely impressive.  Carol and I along with Jerry and Just Sue have just embarked on an incredible journey through the Lost City of Atlantis.  We are walking down an ancient passageway where we can see hieroglyphics on the wall which depicts what it must have been like to live in the city of Atlantis.  The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas has done a fantastic re-creation of what the city probably looked like thousands of years ago.  

"The Dig" is located under this beautiful
lobby that is part of the Royal Towers.

Atlantis was the legendary island first mentioned in Plato's Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC.  According to Plato, Atlantis was a naval power lying "across the Pillars of Hercules" that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years ago.  Atlantis sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune."  And, now, the four of us are walking through the lost city, looking at the underwater relics which are beneath the lobby of the Royal Towers of the Atlantis Resort in the world's largest open-air marine habitat.  Hundreds, and I mean that literally, of sharks, manta rays, angelfish, jelly fish and a vast variety of other sea life can be spotted through the windows under this huge hotel.  

Here you can see the lobby and the aquariums that are
a part of  'The Dig" which is below it.  

The lobby of the place is remark-

able!  They say their goal is to provide guests, who pay over $100 each, with a taste of life in the legendary destroyed city of Atlantis.  On the floor of the huge aquarium lays the wreckage and debris of the city that is scattered about and provides free passage for the creatures of the deep.  Since I was born a few years after the city was destroyed, I guess I have to believe what I'm seeing in front of me and I'll tell you ……. I'M REALLY IMPRESSED!!  

The base camp set up by the archaeologists who dug
through the ruins of Atlantis is seen at the start of the trip.

I tell Carol, "I can't imagine how much this place must have cost to build.  Probably as much as the original city did." The farther we walk it is wonderfully eerie seeing the huge rays glide through the silent underwater world from a past civilization.  The walkways through the city are easy to navigate and lit enough for you to see, but I bet it would be spooky to walk these paths at night and see the sea creatures swimming past.  

The walls are covered with Hieroglyphics as we walk
through "The Dig".

All of this is located in what is referred to as "The Dig".  If you are a guest at the Atlantis Resort you have free access to all their amazing adventures for the length of your vacation, but in our case we only have access for the length of our one day pass.  It would be nice to go through it all again, but the thrill of the initial experience will remain with us forever.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - follow the photos as I take you through the remains of the lost city of Atlantis.

Some of the many Yellow Tangs that roam the ruins.

You can see some of the walls of the city that that was destroyed 9000 years ago. 

Part of a Temple that was destroyed.

This looks like part of a globe or directional device.  This is all under the huge Royal Towers resort building.

Parts of the buildings were toppled.  Here one piece is covered with hieroglyphics. 

This was some sort of monument with writing behind it. 

More of the ruins.  I imagine we walked at least a city block or two looking at the different parts of the ruins of Atlantis.  Hard to believe it wasn't real. 

This was a small room that was part of the laboratories of the alleged archeologists who had found Atlantis. 

More of Atlantis

Several Moray eels scared the crap out of passers-by.

An urn or something similar is shown here which was discovered.  It was carried by four slaves.

The floor of the city as Carol and I stand on it.  

This is a diving device used by the archeologists in their discovery process.  Reminds me of Voyage to the Bottom of the Seas that I used to watch on TV.  They used to have a guest monster every week.

The "A Visit To Atlantis" Story

As we entered the Atlantis Resort we were surrounded with sculptures.

It was an ordinary day.  Bought our day passes yesterday at the RIU concierge desk for today's exciting journey to the Atlantis Resort.  If you are a guest at the Atlantis you have access to all their adventures such as The Dig, the watermark, the aquariums, and the beaches.  But we chose the RIU because of the price and therefore had to purchase our $125 day pass.  

After getting our wristbands, our first stop was this pool.
Check out the shark fins on the right.  Royal Towers are
in the background behind the trees.

We are within walking distance so Carol and I as well as our traveling companions Jerry and Just Sue set out about 9:00 AM in bathing suits, sun glasses, hats, towels, cover ups and plenty of sunscreen.  Walked the two blocks to the front door of the Coral Towers building and wound our way to the desk where we would obtain our wristband for a day of fun.  

Carol, Jerry and Just Sue enter the aquarium.

We entered into the predator lagoon where we walked through a long clear runner and saw a variety of sharks, rays, and large fish as they swam past and over us.  The divers whose endless job is to keep the glass clean for the visual sightings of the fish would wave or give us a thumbs up when they saw a camera held in front of a face.  

Diver cleaning the window give me a wave.

Eventually we entered the Great Hall of Waters which is the amazing Royal Towers lobby that features eight majestic murals that tell the story of Atlantis from its glory days to final fall.  Here Carol and I climbed up on the royal chair for a scrapbook photo.  A trip down the stairs of the lobby led us to the re-creation of the excavation of the lost city of  Atlantis.  Tomorrow's story will take you through "The Dig".  

Carol and I in the Royal Chair.

After leaving this adventure we were in need of some nourish- ment and luckily, more like the resort planned it this way, we found a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Stand.  After two $8.50 Popsicles, we were ready for more.  We checked our belongings in at the locker bank and headed to "The Current" which is a mile-long river journey you take on a plastic inter tube .  Over the 4-foot rolling waves, river rapids and mysterious caves we ventured for the next hour so so.  

The Current was an enjoyable hour of rapids and laughter.

Then it was time for "The Power Tower" which is a 120-ft. tower that is home to the twin Challenger Slides, the leap of faith and The Serpent Slide.  Carol, Sue and I challenged each other on the Challenger slide then the two girls and Jerry were ready for another round on The Current.  After the inter tubes wound their way through the rapids again, the girls gave it one more try, but this time trying the Serpent Slide with the tubes.  

The "Leap of Faith"

The last part of our Aquaventure was Carol and Sue's trip down the Leap of Faith.   Since they both wanted me to document their drop down the chute and through the shark tank, I offered to take the photos.  By then I had used all my energy for the day and was glad for a relaxing documentation of the Leap of Faith.  Day ended with an hour or so water time at Cove Beach where we left the warm waters of the Caribbean caress our ancient bodies back into shape.  About the only thing we didn't experience during our stay at the Atlantis Resort was a trip to the Casino.  After spending my allowance on a Popsicle I was just fine with that.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - remember you can click on an image to enlarge it.  Check out a few more photos of our day.

Neat shot of the Royal Towers 

Entrance to The Current.  The tubes continue on even without someone to ride in them.  A constant flow of water helps keep the ride moving.  

A wristband for every day on the island.

Sign located next to the predator lagoon. 

Young boy admiring the fish.

The aquariums at the Atlantis were amazing.  Cost was no object.

Fish of all species and sizes filled the aquariums.

Even the decorated arches and posts were geared toward the sea.

One of the eight murals that adorn the Great Hall of Hall of Waters in the lobby of the Royal Towers.

A favorite!  Looking through the water of the aquarium you can see the Royal Towers.

This is the Challenger Slide.  I am on the left side of the photo coming down from the Power Tower which is also the starting point for the Leap of Faith and the Serpent Slide.