Well, we have returned after 25 fantastic days in JA! It was one of the best trips ever.
We landed in MoBay with the Immigration line not being too bad. Maybe a wee bit faster than in February. Lineups for customs were moving and we sailed on through. Met Felix outside, walked to the car and off we were. MoBay traffic was crazy and it took a good 45 mins just to clear there. Awwww back in sweet sweet JA….
We were getting hungry and I had been wanting to check out Bigga’s in Green Island on the advice of boardie Laurel for some time. Was certainly easy to find. The jerk chicken wasn’t ready yet, but the pork was. Wow! Was it moist and tasty. Had some conch soup to go with that as well. Bid adieu and off we went.
Got to the house close to 5:00 and was shocked by what welcomed us. Felix has been very excited about us coming for Xmas this year and all of it has to do with the yard. The change in the yard that has now become a garden is incredible. 10 times the amount of plants including all types of coleus, a Christmas Cactus in bloom about 7 ft high, all the usual tropical plants, it is truly stunning. I could literally feel the love he has put into it for me. Friends had purchased us a wonderful hanging light for over the dining table for Xmas and it was on as well, so the effect of it all was awesome.
When ever I arrive, the first thing I need to do is unpack and get things placed. It is a priority and I can’t relax until it is all done. So begins, the unpacking. I’m amazed at how much we can pack on these trips. I also have brought Xmas wrap, gifts for family and friends along with the ‘not to be left’ items, such as Kraft peanut butter and Cheez Whiz. I have decided that I will cut it down next year and just purchase more at Value Master (yikes!).
I have a few things on my list to do this year and not of it is very touristy related (grin). Priority 1, new roof on the house. When we built the house, it was decided to use asphalt shingles. Very big mistake. The roof has a very low pitch (imagine 1700 sq ft house) and shingles do not get rid of the type of rain Jamaica gets. Over the years it has steadily gotten worse. So this past summer it was decided that we would put zinc over the shingles. Felix has gotten a professional roofer, he does a lot of the resorts, and got an estimate. It was decided to leave the shingles on as they would provide additional insulation from the heat of the zinc and if we had wanted to get rid of them, we would have to pay to have them taken to MoBay. If anyone is interested in Peter, let me know and I will get the number for you. Great vibes, professional, punctual and a fun crew who love to work with him.
Next on the list was getting a barrel/grill made. We have gone full circle whether we should get a mason to build one out of blocks or purchase a grill. It was decided that the barrel would be the cheapest.
The other thing that I have wanted to do was have a traditional Jamaican Christmas Dinner for our friends. But I am probably jumping ahead of myself.
Back to unpacking… once this was done it was time to sit on the porch, catch up have a couple of beers and relax. I just need to sit still for a minute and breath deep and be thankful we all made it back for another year….

Sounds nice. I can't wait to read more.
I am an 'un-packer' also. I want to get out and do stuff as soon as I get there but I just can't feel relaxed until things are in their place. Then I can go and not feel like I forgot to do something and worry about it.

I'm waiting for the next installment, Winni!