High Mountain 5k

Sunday 25th January 2015 was the first time I participated in a High Mountain event, although members of my group, Fun and Thrills are always well represented.

The is because it always clashes with the Jazz and Blues festival which is held in Falmouth on the last weekend of January every year but thank heavens the High mountain organizers changed their event to the second to last weekend this year.

This was the 32nd year of the event and I had really wanted to attend since learning from one of the organizers that the funds raised were going to buy dialysis machines for the Mandeville hospital, for ever since my best friend Hilma died from kidney complications, I have been very concerned about that particular sickness.

I was however disappointed at the turnout as there seem to have been more sponsors and vendors than participanbts but it was not well advertised this year for some reason.

Vendors abounded

I enjoyed participating  however and it was a very convenient date. For I had an outside broadcast from Santa Cruz on the Friday before and had to attend a birthday party in Mandeville on Friday night. So I stayed over in Mandeville and went to Black River on Saturday to pick up a sucking pig from Michael , a good friend from school days. He had promised it to me for the party the following week. So after hanging out with him and his wife Pearl all day Saturday, we went back to Mandeville, so on the Sunday I was fit and ready to drive to nearby Williamsfield for the event.

 Of course while I only entered the 5k walk, some of the Fun a and Thrills members even entered the 10 running segment. Fit lot!

The 5k route took us from Williamfield, on the picturesque  and undulating route to Mile Gully then  the through the Windalco Bauxite property and back. It was a pleasxant route and the rain even fell to cool us down.

I walked at an ordinary pace with Michael Chuck and we came close to last but no bug thing, we finished and it was great.

 The crowning point was  Michael and I driving back through Old Harbour and stopping for jerk pork at Farmers for "dinner."

Absolutely wonderful pork and a great way to end a wonderful weekend.

What a Party!

As we always go to Jazz fest in Montego Bay every year, my brother Bernie's family (wife Judi, kids Stephanie and Whitney and son-in -law Sean) organised to throw him a 70th birthday party to celebrate the event that had taken place in December and honour him for being a great husband and dad.

Getting ready to head to the airport

They had been planning it for around five months and the wonder is he never suspected a thing until they hit him with the news on Sunday morning as he was preparing to depart to the airport.

What a bangerang!

 First he was adamant that he had to go back to North Carolina as he had deliveries to do. But wife Judy informed him that arrangements had been made for two other doctors to do his deliveries.

Then he insisted that he could not stay another day as his office had to be opened but again she countered that it would, as all was arranged with the staff.

 Then he insisted that he could only travel on a Sunday (lol) and it was too late to change his flight. That had already been done he discovered.

Still in disbelief, he declared that we must all have the party and enjoy ourselves as the driver was on the way to take him to the airport, only to hear that the driver would not be coming until Monday!

Only then did it seem to start dawning on him that there was indeed a party and they were not jiving him. That entire process took some 30 minutes!

Convincing the guest of honour to attend the party!

So now he wanted to know where the food and liquor was.

You see he thought it was going to be at the house but in fact a huge tent  had been set up closer to the beach but he did not know it was for him. He had seen it the day before but had been told by someone that a wedding was being held there.

Then it was finally time to get him down to the venue which was easy as he had been told they wanted a family photo by the beach.

Getting into the mood finally and being an ardent fan of Fab 5, Jamaica's best dance band, on the way down he commented that when he returned home he would select some of their cd's. Imagine his shock when he reached the tent, saw some of

He had to stop to take it all in when he saw his friends already there

his friends already gathered there and Fab 5 on the bandstand!

 He became more and more amazed as the moments slipped by he realised that  most of his

The "old boys" gather around the honouree

friends from Cornwall College and Howard University were all there .

Fab 5 was absolutely wonderful and Gem Myers who sang with them was just amazing.

She should have been the one to sing at Jazz Fest instead of the imported Maria Carey who was a flop. I hear it looked like she is losing her voice as every-time she had to take a challenging note, she would start talking to the audience. As a result of her lousy performance, many persons missed Morgan Heritage who came on after her and who I hear was really good but people just could not sit through Maria Carey to wait to hear them.

 I had not gone on the Friday night for it was raining all day and breezy to boot so I was not about to sit in the cold to hear her or anyone else. Great decision it turns out as I stayed home with Michelle Wright and Delroy came around and entertained us. I did go on Saturday night though and Charlie Wilson was absolutely awesome and Peter Cetera really good. We left after the Pointer sisters had done about three songs but I hear we left too early for they really turned out to be quite good.

Songbird Gem Myers with Fab 5

Anyway back to the party.

The entire function was seamless, the food great, the liquor plentiful and everyone had a wonderful time thanks to Judi and the kids.

Bernie was absolutely overwhelmed too as his friend Dr. Mulvaney (Jerry) who we all know as a keen photographer who is always moving around with his camera and equipment, joined the band and did a special number for him.

Jerry has a great voice

I had no idea Jerry had such a  lovely voice although I did know he had a band in North Carolina.

What amazes me even now is how Bernie never had a clue that something was afoot even when my daughter Michele, my daughter in law Michelle Wright and cousin Barry all came from abroad and were gathered in the same place for a couple of days for the first time in our lifetime.

Anyway, he was pleasantly surprised, overwhelmed and had a great time as did everyone else.