“Animals are such agreeable friends―they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.”
― George Eliot
This is Tony. I always call him Anthony, it sounds more distinguished. Anthony is my neighbor's dog, he's a mixed breed and he came from the Humane Society of Grand Bahama. He's grown quite a bit since he came to live next to me. Anthony is a very good neighbor, he's friendly and doesn't bark unless there's a good reason to. Like when a cat is taunting him from the other side of the fence. Other than that, he's always got a hello by way of an enthusiastic tail wag. If only all neighbors were this agreeable.
“Animals are such agreeable friends―they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” ― George Eliot
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Here in the Bahamas, the Easter holiday is celebrated from Good Friday through Easter Monday. Being a religious country, many people attend extra church services over the weekend. Easter Monday is meant as a day to relax, or as we say here, to "catch yourself" before returning to work.
In honor of the holiday, I thought it would be fitting to post a few photos of the chapel from the Garden of the Groves. This chapel was built as a replica of a typical church you would find throughout the islands many, many years ago. Today this particular chapel is sometimes used for those who book weddings at the Garden. I've photographed a lot of weddings in the Garden over the years, but only one that was held inside the chapel. It was a really nice and of course, the grounds provide perfect backdrops for the pictures. The Garden of the Groves is named after Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Groves. He is one of the founding fathers of the city of Freeport. The botanical garden spans about 12 acres and has undergone numerous changes over the decades. It remains one of my favorite places on Grand Bahama to spend a few hours.
There are several events hosted at the Garden of the Groves throughout the year. These are a few pictures from Spring in the Garden, it's held annually in April. In addition to the restaurant and souvenir shops that are always open, there were tables set up with local vendors selling their wares. While checking out the little shops, I splurged on a bar of organic peppermint soap. Peppermint is my favorite restorative scent. At $9 a bar it was kind of pricey, but I suppose that's to be expected in a tourist spot. The soap is wonderful though, so I don't regret my purchase. Kamal and Owen and I also bought a treat from the Sweet Affairs table. I had a carrot cupcake that came in a tiny basket. It was delicious and the little basket was too cute to pass up. Owen and Kamal had big Rice Krispy treats with fancy icing. We had a really nice outing and the boys were good sports for letting me take their picture and waiting while I kept stopping to take lots of others too. Over the weekend I went to the Garden of the Groves with my sons Kamal and Owen. They were having their annual Spring in the Garden event, which we always try to attend.
Throughout the Garden there are small man-made ponds and waterways which are filled with tilapia and red-eared turtles. Since there really aren't any animals to bother with them, some of these turtles get quite large. It's kinda neat to see them all over the place swimming around or sunning themselves on the rocks. This picture is from the Eight Mile Rock Clinic. It's not a "nice" picture of a cute dog. But it is an accurate picture of how many of the dogs look when they come to the Shelter.
So many people here want "yard dogs" for protection. Many seem to forget these are living creatures and yet many more think it's some kind of "sin" to have their dog fixed. And so they end up like this: litter after litter of unwanted dogs left to starve and fend for themselves. I have to say, there are many people here who do take very good care of their dogs and treat them like members of their families. Hopefully everyone one of the dogs who arrive at the Shelter like the one above will end up in homes where they are wanted and well cared for. "Art is a technique of communication. The image is the most complete technique of all communication." ~ Claes Oldenburg
This is a sculpture from the Ancient Egyptian artifacts exhibit from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York CIty. I find it fascinating that items made millennia ago still exist. That so much detail was possible with the primitive tools they had. I have to admit, one regret I have living here is that we don't have any museums here. And it's not like I can jump in my car for a day trip to visit a museum or art gallery. I do miss that. But, I am surrounded by beautiful beaches and sunny skies. “All artists have something to say – otherwise they’d make shoes.”
From the movie “Anonymous” Well, I don't know about making shoes, but the statement that all artists have something to say is true enough. At least in my opinion. The message will undoubtably vary and so may the mode of delivery. Creativity though, will always be the inspiration. The Humane Society of Grand Bahama held a 5 day spay and neuter project in the western part of the island last week.
In this picture my friend Ana (in the blue shirt) and another volunteer are washing one of the many puppies that came in. It was covered in lice and fleas... like so many of the animals they dealt with. Everyone worked really hard during clinic and about 250 animals were fixed. This is the bell tower from the Spanish section of the International Bazaar. When the Bazaar was originally set up it was designed in sections to represent different areas of the world and sell souvenirs representing different parts of the world.
Now, decades later, most of the Bazaar is deserted with only a handful of shops still open. It's still interesting for me to walk through, but in a different way. Now instead of looking at souvenirs, I look for images to capture. Well there's no missing this big guy! Good thing he's friendly.
This image was taken during the Humane Society of Grand Bahama's Annual Dog Show. It's one of the main fundraising events of the year and is always a big draw for the local dogs owners and families. I've been taking the pictures at the show for the past three years, with the assistance of my very cool son Owen. Even though I'm always sunburned (and still peeling 3 weeks later - GROSS) and completely wiped out afterwards, I'm happy to do it. |