Another Take on a Palm Tree

Seems as if people all over the world love this drawing -- I get visits to this page literally every day from every continent on the globe.

Someone in Jamaica told me that my ink drawings of palm trees were "scary." Made me wonder if that is the feeling I must be having as I draw them.......why would that be the case?

They are beautifully graceful. They grow in sand. They are watered by rain but also by the relentless washing of salt water from the sea. Hardly scary, they not only survive the relentless heat of the sun and ocean, they THRIVE.

But their roots are like the up-ended head of a dreadlocked monster. They are a purplish red, more plentiful than their swaying leaves, and stretch for several feet beyond the surface trunk in all directions. I got a good look at those roots, after the hurricane-driven waves washed away the protective sand of the many trees lining the shore. I was stunned.

Perhaps I did find these beauties quite scary after all.

See many more of my palms here.

Prints available here. 

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So we're home, from one rock to another....

This drawing reminds me of us, huddled together, baby birds no doubt tucked in between, looking out for one another in different directions, but always standing together on the same piece of rock.......from the rock of Jamaica, now back to the rock of Manhattan.

Whew -- I'd say that it flew by, but five weeks really does feel like a long, slow langorous dream of a trip when you are in Jamaica. Lazy hot days under the palms on the beach, countless road trips to country, delicious and piping hot fried fish cooked on the coal pot for our family,my husband, Peter, finally convincing me to take some wonderful journeys on his fiery red motorcycle through the West End, Orange Hill and beyond, late nights laughing with our friends and relatives on our verandah, reminiscing about all the wild journeys and amazing characters we've enjoyed together, and lost, over the past 15+ years --- it just doesn't get better than that.

We visited The Usual Suspects -- and they US -- and returned to the old familiar haunts of Roaring River (yawn), Benji's Paradise (still lovely) and The Blue Hole (always free of visitors) but also explored some new elusive swimming spots we'd only heard about. Made plenty of sketches, took nuff photos and video, too, so I'll soon freshen up The Night Shift with art from our journey.

One of the highlights of our trip was a long, overnight journey to the East, leaving our daughters behind with family friends, and having a proper grown-up road trip all on our own. Here we are, a little worse for the wear and tear after driving for nearly 8 hours, spending the night in St. Thomas parish at a friend's home, and then up again at 5am to head for the hot water Bath Fountain and then the Blue Mountains. My hair is a wreck, I forgot my toothbrush, and I longed for the warm healing waters of Bath Fountain. Peter was smart to wear those Ray Bans -- at least his bleary, tired eyes are hidden! More on that trip later -- it was a blast, with many trials and tribulations but I wouldn't have passed it up for the world.

As always, Jamaica is an Excruciating Good Time. Jamaica sweet, but it nah nice, eeenh?

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