Chattel House: Barbadian slang for a small , movable house made of wood. The term harks back to the country’s plantation days when a plantation owner housed slaves in these houses, which were designed to move from one property to another. Today, the island is dotted with colorful – and, today,...

For the past few weeks, Barbadians have been staring out to sea. However, it’s not boats that have caught their attention, but the antics of one of Mother Nature’s biggest marine creatures frolicking in the island’s waters. The article below is from yesterday’s The Nation News here in...

You can take the girl out of a Type A culture but can the Type A ever, ever be vanquished from the girl? After living in Barbados for three years, I wonder. I’m not one iota more mellow than I ever was. Fortunately, here in Barbados I am blessed with frequent reminders of the beauty of living life less...

I sat on a heated toilet seat yesterday. It wasn’t the highlight of my Alaska vacation but, coming in from the cold, it was memorable nonetheless. Greg and I are in Anchorage visiting family. The ways Alaska differs from my home of Barbados are stunning, stretching far beyond facilities in the...

When she snapped this photo, my friend Sharon didn’t realize she was peeking into the bedroom of two Barbados crabs. Sharon wrote me, “I was with my mom at Tapas for lunch. We were seated upstairs.  My mom looked down at the sea and asked me to take a photo of one of the many crabs hanging out...

I awake this morning a couple hours after my early-bird husband Greg. I check the sea as I always do. The sea is full and it is raining. The usual serenity of the water has devolved to major upset with waves crashing. I stumble into the kitchen, put two Weatabix in a bowl, pour milk on top, and sit down to...

Situated on the south coast of Barbados in the lively St Lawrence Gap on a beautiful little beach, St Lawrence Beach Condos is smack dab in the middle of many wonderful restaurants but also offers the peace and quiet of the Caribbean Sea and our private pool. Take a break from your day … it’s...

Getting around the 14- by 21-mile island of Barbados by car should be easy but it’s not. At least for me. Never mind the whole driving-on-the-other-side-of-the-road thing; I’m talking basic things like Directions (convoluted). Signs (Signs? What signs?). Roads (anyone ever thought of drawing a...

I live on the beach in Barbados but am a 4th-generation Coloradan. In the late 1800s, my ancestors traveled across the U.S. in a covered wagon and settled just outside Boulder, Colorado, where they homesteaded 160 acres of land. They and subsequent generations ceaselessly worked the land and today the...

If the BP oil spill had occurred in Barbados …. well, it pains me to think about it. What are the people of the Gulf of Mexico in the US going through? What does it feel like and look like to have one’s beautiful beaches defaced? “If It Was My Home” gives a good idea.  Scroll down...

In the town in which you live, imagine the police gently but firmly telling schoolkids to tuck their shirts in. It happens here in Barbados and is one reason I love this place. Decorum and deportment matter. Everywhere in the world, citizens decry the increase in crime. This is true here in Barbados as well....

“This American Life” on National Public Radio aired an episode called “Social Contract” on June 18 that is a must-listen to anyone interested in the Caribbean. The show features two related stories this past week, the first on New York State politics and what a mess it’s...

I received a query the other day about a Barbados beach vacation rental I represent here at St Lawrence Beach Condos. It was from a woman looking for a relaxing getaway for her family of five, particularly her son who will be on break from medical school. Alas, I had nothing to offer as our building has no...

Until April 23, you have the opportunity to view  the fascinating documentary of Barbados’ so-called Redlegs (click here), “Barbado’ed: Scotland’s Sugar Slaves,” by Chris Dolan. Or go  the Irish TV station www.tg4.tv, click on “documentaries” on the top of...

Barbados made the list in the “Best Ten Places to Live” list published in today’s Telegraph.co.uk. I found myself in Barbados through the happenstance of love. But according to the article in the Telegraph, others rely on the head more than the heart. The Knight Frank research firm measured...

Jerry is my supplier. He slips me a small package, well wrapped in a discreet plastic baggie. The first time he gave me one of the small packages was under the cloak of darkness; I wasn’t sure what it was. I ran upstairs to my apartment and unwrapped the little treasure. I wasn’t sure it was my...

The unzipped-jeans-to-reveal a bikini, common in Miami Beach, is a fashion that has not yet appeared in Barbados. I didn’t really notice how enormously fat and slob-ish (the two NOT being related) so many Americans had become until I moved to Barbados and began to live in a culture that is a size the...

Built of limestone and brick in 1658, St Nicholas Abbey is a national treasure in Barbados, having been built just 30 years after the British settled the island and standing as possibly the last remaining authentic plantation home built in the New World. The home is a fascinating tourist attraction, sells...

Where’s the Love? Erosion in Barbados on Valentine’s Weekend Instead of kanoodling, some Barbadians spent Valentine’s Day weekend battling ten-foot waves crashing against the shoreline of our small island. The normally calm Caribbean Sea bashed the shoreline of the usually idyllic Mullins...

Barbados was settled by the British in the early-1600s; it achieved independence in the mid-1960s. The island was never governed by another country and remains, in many ways, quite British. In what ways? I’m glad you asked. Greg and me (right) with our British friends Annie and David in West Sussex...

A friend sent this link, a 3-minute video made by the BBC about the Vervet monkeys in the Caribbean that have a taste for alcohol.  This was filmed in St Kitts.  Our monkeys in Barbados are green monkeys and I have never heard of them having a taste for alcohol or stealing drinks the way we see on this...

A monkey I met last week in Sandy Lane. Happy to pose for me, but no more; I just don't have the charisma my friend Sharon has. Barbadians see a monkey and roll their eyes; they know their furry brethren can be a nuisance. A Yank like me sees a monkey scurrying around so adorably and thinks it’s...

This is where I'm sitting as I write this post. Nice political stability we're having, huh? A few months ago I traveled from Barbados to Jamaica to attend a conference on the marketing of the Caribbean islands to tourists. One of the presenters was a Caribbean marketing expert who listed the top...

The water trampolines in the sea at the Boatyard feature Barbados' flag colors. I awoke wondering about Barbados’ flag. (You say you didn’t? You must lead a more exciting life than I …) Today is November 30, Independence Day here in Barbados and a national holiday. The entire island is...

The roundabouts throughout the island salute Barbados' Independence Day, this one by wrapping the trunk of a palm with the colors of the nation's flag. In November 1966, Barbados left home.  She was the jewel of the British colonies when she struck out on her own as an independent nation.  It...

When I walk through St Lawrence Gap where I live, I often pass by an elderly man who’s blind or nearly so shuffling along. He has his hand out and politely asks passersby for money. (On one occasion I gave him some change and he threw it aside, saying he preferred bills. Um, okay then …)...

Not the item in question, but there do exist sunglasses as tool/tools as sunglasses. So there! Scene: St Lawrence Beach Condominiums, St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church, Barbados When: Two weeks ago Characters: Window installer and me Background info: Barbados has a 99.7% literacy rate, one of the highest in...

September 1: Discovering life in Barbados' Carlisle Bay This photo is of my friend Sue and me holding a sea cucumber we met while snorkeling yesterday in Carlisle Bay. Such a love this sweet guy was: as soft as a super-plush toy and as gentle as one, too. In the clear, blue water we also encountered...

Out of the window of our Caribbean Air flight from Barbados to Jamaica yesterday, I snapped the beautiful coastline of Barbados with my iPhone. This is far north along the east coast, the Atlantic Ocean side of the island. My generalizations about Bajans in Barbados continue … These are, of course,...

Like all groups of people, Barbadians have a personality and traditions unique to their culture. It’s only 8 a.m. but already I’ve encountered a couple of them. So while I sit here in the Barbados airport awaiting flight to Jamaica with Greg, I’ll share a few with you. 1. Barbadians call...