Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Futures morphing into the past

Photo by Brett Leigh Dicks (click to enlarge)

Two Bedrooms, Fireplace And Hardwood Floors - Bernard Henrie

He can see his grandfather standing
on a dark, hardwood floor like the one
of his new apartment, a cuspidor
at his feet;

shadows inch into storage bins
and deaf corners of the house.

the halogen bloom of summer across
tile roofs and shining into the eyes
of dogs with jeweled collars;

the landlady offers lease papers,
he stares into the street;

a Japanese woman passes by,
he notes her lapel floret, her body
slight as his wife's on their
wedding day, she moves into focus
as on a photographer’s glass plate.

His wife had not called all day
and he was unable to remember
when his daughter would arrive
from school;

egg-shell colored hair feels thin
in his hand;

an hour later he turns
to the landlady, but the room
is empty; he finds his silver flask,
swallows a single capful;

grains of dust fall on his shoulders,
his watch is missing, a scuffed left
shoe untied.

In the fireplace mirror,
he notices how old he has become;
blue eyes aged to hardened steel,
unclipped brows drooping to form
a hood; his glasses and cheeks
grow wet;

The effect is a man's face struck
by rain while waiting for a taxi.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Havana tour guide vs a skeptical Ukrainian



Above is a pretty entertaining video of a Ukrainian lady who is not buying a Havana tour guide's spiel about the wonders of Cuba. You can tell she's having great fun calling BS on what he has to say.

The video is by a fellow called Brandon Ferdig who has a lot more videos, although many of them are quite short, at his YouTube channel. As well as Cuba, he's traveled through China, Thailand, Cambodia, East Africa and the United States.

One of his primary interests is poverty and homelessness. I actually first stumbled across him through the below video where he talks to a southern redneck.

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Old Caribbean travel posters

Click any image to enlarge
My recent trip to escape the polar vortex cold of Florida was to the Dominican Republic. I quite enjoyed my stay there. The people, the food, the beaches, the poolside and just wandering the streets were all pleasant and relaxing, although the touts could get annoying at times.

If you're ever in Bayahibe stop by the Blu Café. Easily the best restaurant on my trip.

Anyway, for graphics, since I couldn't find any old Dominican Republic travel posters I branched out a bit and went for a small sampling of Caribbean themed posters instead.



Saturday, February 09, 2019

Heading south for a bit

My destination - click image to enlarge
Damn you Canada -- this polar vortex business has made Florida intolerably cold. I'm having to wear sweaters nearly every day, I am also fearing that I may get frostbite if I'm not careful, and I don't even want to mention the horrors of cabin fever.

Anyhoo... I'll be heading south for my safety and most likely won't be posting for a bit. See you all later, if you haven't froze to death in the mean time that is.

On the departure of a shipmate

The Old Boat - Frederic Edwin Church 
We do not ask a tamed seagull why she feels the need to disappear from time to time to the open sea. She goes, that's all, and it's as simple as a ray of sunshine, as normal as the blue of the sky. - Bernard Moitessier 

Sunday, February 03, 2019

Daydreaming and reality


Painting by Francine Van Hove
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. - Albert Einstein