Filed under: Books, Hauntings, Jamaica, Legends, Love, Montego Bay, Photos, Travel
On Tuesday, July 17, 2007, we had another tour planned with our driver Winston. This day we planned to head towards Ocho Rios and see the sights along the way. Included in this day trip were Rose Hall Plantation, Columbus Park and Dunns River Falls. I enjoyed our visit to Rose Hall so much that I felt it deserved it’s own post. (See Dunns River Falls post and video here: http://nightowlmom.wordpress.com/2007/07/23/dunns-river-falls-climb-jamaica/ )
The history of the Great House: The house was begun by George Ash, an English planter, in 1750 and completed in 1780 by John Palmer, a wealthy British planter. This was a 6,600-acre plantation, and had more than 2,000 slaves. At the time, it was considerably larger than today. Two additional wings, originally connected to the main house by open breezeways, were never rebuilt. The Great House collapsed into ruins after abandonment that lasted more than 130 years. The house was later restored by members of the Delaware-based Rollins family, owners of the near by Ritz-Carlton, in 1966 and 1971 Listen carefully to the guide. She will probably be in a plaid-patterned dress that emulates costumes standard for that generation. The tale of sexual intrigue, insanity, and murder is one of the hottest celebrity exposés in Jamaica. The dark and brooding Annie’s Pub is on the building’s ground floor in the old dungeon. Enjoy a rum-laced “witches brew” and Johnny Cash songs, including the Ballad of Annie Palmer.
I finished the book A Salty Piece of Land, by Jimmy Buffett. Although it is not my usual type of book, Jimmy Buffett is a great writer and story teller. Many times I felt as if I was right there watching the story unfold. (more…)
We arrived at the camp ground about an hour after we had planned. The dog, who has only been camping once before, was more than ready to get out of the car. We went to our space that we had reserved the weekend prior, and found a big yellow sign that read, ”KOA VIP”. The kids thought that was cool and started acting “important”. They sure can be easy to please, well, sometimes. We had pre-reserved a specific spot in case I came alone with the kids, so that silly yellow sign cost us an extra $20. We did however get a free bundle of firewood and a plastic table cloth for the picnic table for our “VIP” status. (more…)
I have accomplished quite a bit today. The laundry is washed and folded, the kids are packed for our weekend getaway, the camper is clean, stocked with food and ready to go. I made some calls about MK, stayed current on the recent blog posts, and I think I made a few new friends in cyberspace today. 
Wow! But, just when I thought I had it all done, the dog runs through the house then up and over the couch with muddy paws. I now get to add an hour or so of scrubbing to the list. I am looking forward to getting away even more. (more…)
Thought I would chat up some books here that I think are great reads.
I am currently reading Lonely Planet Jamaica by Michael Read. This book is a great tool if you are planning on visiting Jamaica, which we are. Since I am still reading this one and haven’t yet been to Jamaica, I will let you know what I think of it when I am through and have checked Jamaica out for myself. (more…)
