Expat life

Holding Down the Fort, Part 2 ~ Rescue and Recovery/Order Restored ~ COVID-19 in Grenada

June 18, 2020 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

[To read Holding Down the Fort, Part 1 ~ Havoc Reigns, click here]

With Michael in the USA and Nadica and Sheila sheltering in place at their homes, Michael set up a WhatsApp chat group for Sheila, Nadica, and us so we could stay in communication. I was trying to post pretty plant pictures so Michael and Sheila would know I was taking care of the plants. I was also chronicling all the adventures I was having with the house. Sheila and Nadica were beside themselves. They were being paid but not working, could see I was overwhelmed trying to do their jobs, take care of all the craziness, all while feeling sick and going back and forth to the doctor. Busses still were not running, so they had no way to get here to help.

Here are some pictures of our flower gardens that I posted to our group WhatsApp chat

In May the roads were reopened during daylight hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Sheila and Nadica proposed that I come and get them on a Monday, they would live here until Friday, and then I’d drive them back home for the weekend. They thought they would work one week on, stay home with their families the next week, and then come back. I nearly cried with joy at their suggestion. I thought if they could just help me get semi caught up, I could start to manage. So after 6 weeks off, Sheila and Nadica came back to work.

This is what is left of a full case of sanitizing solution, used to clean after the rat infestation.

Grenada’s distilleries had started making sanitizer, and I bought a case on the way to get Sheila. Nadica was able to get a ride. We all started to dig in. Sheila couldn’t believe the weeds (even though I’d weeded multiple times) until she remembered she’d been gone for over 5 weeks – a lifetime for tropical garden weeds. I had started sanitizing all the kitchen cabinets and everything in them but still had a long way to go. With Nadica’s energy and help, she got the kitchen back into working condition.

Nadica took everything out of the closets and scrubbed down the shelves.

The rats also completely trashed our cabinets in the outer hallway where we have our clothes washer and bunches of shelves that have cleaning supplies and extra food in plastic containers so that was another major project.

Every single thing needed to be cleaned and reshelved.

Both women tackled the critical tasks with a vengeance, working from early morning until late afternoon. It was such a relief to seeing things start to get back to normal, and it was a total treat to see them again.

We are such good friends, and it was heartwarming sitting together in the evenings eating and talking. It was unlikely that any of us had COVID since we all have been sheltering in place for weeks and not going out. Still, we are careful to social distance and continued to wash our hands frequently to stay safe.

Nadica and Sheila are staying in our two-bedroom cottage, so of course, it had to get into the act as well. The air conditioner in Nadica’s room made a considerable racket the first time she turned it on. She quickly turned it off, and we called our appliance repairman to come. Then, the pipe that fills the cistern broke. Nadica heard a car drive by at about 5 AM had heard it splash through water. Since we hadn’t had a drop of rain in months, she got up to investigate, turned off the water inlet, and I called the plumber.

Our elegant cottage septic system. It would never pass inspection in the US! Fortunately, since the cottage is rarely used, when it overflowed only clean water was running out.

Three days later, we saw water running outside the cottage again but initially couldn’t find the source of the leak, and none of the shutoffs solved the problem. Of course, it was after 5 o’clock at night. I couldn’t let the water run all night long and was on the phone with the plumber (who was supposed to be eating his dinner) trying to troubleshoot the problem. After checking everything outside, I found the toilet running but couldn’t get the flap to seal. At least I could turn off the toilet valve until the next morning. When the plumber arrived for the 4^th time in less than 2 weeks, I asked for the volume discount. He laughed and now he thinks I’m crazy.

You can’t make this stuff up!

Now that Nadica and Sheila have been here for a few weeks, the house is looking great, and things have settled down. No disasters to report in the past week. Nadica was originally going to stay here while Michael and I were in the US, and she said she was so glad I stayed home. She is an incredibly competent woman but said she thought she would have run screaming from the house after the first 2 weeks. This is the first time I have ever seen Nadica flustered.

I’ve got every handyman on speed dial now. All of them were fabulous. They knew Michael was off-island and did everything they could to prioritize my issues. One day, I had four workers here trying to get things back on track. Grenada is still a traditional country in a lot of ways, so none of them asked me for money. They just assumed they would wait and bill Michael when he got back. I wasn’t having any of that. I wanted to put money in their hands immediately since they had been out of normal work for weeks and as insurance they’d be back quickly if I needed help again.

Our most recent nightly visitor. All our Grenadian friends say, “Good meat.” Personally, I don’t like the taste of Manicou but Iguana is delicious.

Other than the Manicou (possum) who has been walking through our back yard every night for the past few weeks, which drives Red Dog crazy, and the random lizard, here or there, we’ve had no new issues. Of course, all that can change in a flash. We’ve had our first rainstorm, and I’m waiting for the rainy season to arrive in earnest. Then the annual invasion of the land crabs will start.

Let the games begin!

Holding Down the Fort, Part 1 ~ Havoc Reigns ~ COVID-19 in Grenada

June 14, 2020 by Candi Licence 10 Comments

As the world experienced the dramatic effects of the COVID-19 virus in March, everyone wondered what it would mean for Grenada. Our small island nation has limited healthcare options, and most people leave the island for any kind of important medical procedure. Everyone was worried about what would happen if there was a significant outbreak of COVID on the island, given that our limited medical facilities could easily get overwhelmed. There is only one major hospital, and it had four ventilators. The Government was aggressive in implementing policies to protect the country, sourced a few more ventilators, and braced for the worst.

Michael had a medical procedure planned for March 28^th in Sarasota, Florida. Concerned about the exploding spread of the virus in the US, Michael contacted his doctor to talk about whether or not to reschedule. The doctor advised him not to delay the procedure. We expected that the airport could close any day, so Michael left the island for the USA on March 20^th.

Initially, I was planning to accompany Michael to the US as our trip was supposed to be only 10 days. As we got closer to our departure date, Michael asked me to stay behind because we expected we might get stranded in the US. He was really concerned about the virus and didn’t want me to be exposed. He also didn’t want to leave our dog or house for an extended time. I didn’t like the idea but knew it was the right decision.

Little did we know what an important decision it was.

The airport closed on March 24^th, and the entire country went into a limited State of Emergency on Monday, March 25^th. A curfew was in effect from 7PM to 5AM, most businesses were shut down, and busses stopped running.

People were still moving about too much, so on March 30^th, Grenada went into deep lockdown. No one was allowed off their property – at any time – unless it was a medical emergency or to get food from a local vendor. All supermarkets were closed, and no movement between parishes was allowed.

You could not even visit your next-door neighbor.

Police were positioned throughout the island and stopped every car. They gave fines and or arrested anyone who did not have special permission to be on the road.

What did this mean for me? I was now responsible for ‘holding down the fort’.

This did not seem like a big deal at first. I didn’t expect much of a challenge maintaining our home.

I knew that Nadica and Sheila would not be able to come to work for some time. I drove to their houses the last day before the lockdown, gave them a few weeks’ pay in advance, and helped them stock up on groceries. I was now going to be the master of the house, fulfilling Michael’s, Nadica’s, and Sheila’s roles – as well as mine.

Sheila’s and Michael’s jobs were the most critical. Sheila manages everything outside the house, which includes our vegetable and flower gardens. They need to be watered every day, and the rainy season had not started as expected. It was blistering hot with no cloud cover and we hadn’t had any rain for months.

I began watering for 2 hours every day.

Michael was getting serious about growing orchids and had just received 1,000 baby orchids. I was now responsible for keeping them alive and hopefully thriving. Orchids are temperamental plants, and I got a crash course in taking care of them based on variety, size, and where they were placed in our orchid houses. My primary goal was to have everything still be alive when Michael and Sheila returned.

These are SOME of the orchids I’m babysitting. Michael doesn’t do anything halfway!

Nadica manages everything inside the house. Rigorous cleaning could take more of a back seat but living mostly outdoors in the tropics means a lot of cleaning and maintenance just to keep even. I did the minimum and hoped Nadica would forgive me when she returned.

I was still feeling confident when I started to feel sick. No COVID, thank goodness, but every few days, I’d get this crushing tiredness and would need to sleep most of the day. I would get up, water plants for an hour, feed the dog breakfast, and then sleep until about 4 PM, water for another hour, feed the dog dinner, eat something, and go to bed. This would go on for 3-4 days. I’d feel ok again for a few days, and the pattern would repeat. I was finally able to go to the doctor. However, after three visits, we still haven’t figured out definitively what is going on. We think it might be a thyroid issue. But we have not been able to resolve this overwhelming fatigue that continues to relentlessly persist even after tinkering with my medication.

I thought I could soldier on – and then the house began rebelling.

*Our water pumps are in a large crawl space under the house.*

On March 23rd, we lost water for 2 days. I was freaking out about the plants, particularly the orchids. I did NOT want to tell Michael I just killed 1,000+ orchids. I had some bottled water that I used to keep them misted by using an old Shout spray bottle. The rest of the plants just suffered in the infernal heat. I had to crawl under the house to turn off our pump so it wouldn’t burn out while Michael remotely explained which valves to turn. He did a great job.

Then on March 25^th, the electricity went out. Fortunately, we have a generator, but I was worried that if it ran for too long, we’d run out of fuel. The refrigerator also stopped working. I later figured out that it wasn’t connected to the generator and thankfully, it started right up when we got power back the next day.

The filter would not stay on. It would prime and then shut off.

Trying to understand how to open the filter. The secret was pushing in the hidden releases before turning.

On April 2^nd, the pool pump stopped working. We have a saline pool, and if the pump doesn’t run for a few days, saline pools fill with algae, turning slimy and sickly green. I took pictures of the pump and control panel so Michael could help troubleshoot the issues.

Next, our shower drain plugged up (an easy fix of boiling water, baking soda, and vinegar). Then, all the overhead lights in the kitchen burned out – all of them – on the same day. I had to drag in the 10-foot ladder into the house to replace them, but I thought, no problem, I can do all this.

The second week in April, we started having electrical issues. I was getting shocked whenever I used the stove unless I had my shoes on. I was semi ok with that (especially since I’d have to obtain a police order to get an electrician to come), so I kept my shoes on. Then I began getting shocked in other places, especially if I tried to do anything with the pool filter, which I was still trying to get working.

Oh, and did I mention that our property was invaded by iguanas? I’m not sure if I would have known that, but Red Dog, the great hunter he is, brought his trophy catches into the house. Not sure what you know about iguanas, but they play dead. So, I had a large, 3 and a half foot long iguana lying in the living room. He looked dead, but I wasn’t sure, so I let him lie there for a few hours. I figured if he was alive, he’d hightail it out of the house.

*Our floor tiles are 8 by 12 inches so this guy is almost 4 feet long including his tail!*

A few hours later, he was still there. I grabbed a five-gallon bucket and a shovel and gingerly picked up the beast and slid him into the bucket. He was so large his tail was hanging out way of the pail. I carefully shook it around a bit to get him mostly contained, still not confident he was dead, and put him out by the street – outside the gate so Red Dog couldn’t get at him. I figured I’d check the next morning. If he was still there, I’d assume he was dead, put him in a garbage bag, and add him to the trash. I didn’t want to terrorize the garbage men with a huge iguana flopping out of the trash can.

*Second iguana. Iguanas have the ability for their tail to break off to avoid capture. I’m sure this was a Red Dog casualty while he was catching him.*

I had to repeat this process two more times in the next few days. Luckily, I repeated the whole process of waiting to move them because one iguana was not dead and must have escaped. I’m sure I’d have jumped 10 feet if he’d moved when I was scooping him up.

Red Dog also managed to catch and kill at least one bird each day. He loves to leave them scattered around the house. I needed to be very vigilant walking around because one might be lying right outside my bedroom door as I opened it. REALLY?

A dove tried to build its nest in our living room ceiling fan. Red Dog barked incessantly for hours, and I think the bird just gave up – too much racket – and left to find a more peaceful place. I was pleased about that because otherwise, I would have needed to lug in the super tall ladder to try and dislodge the nest from our 16-foot tall ceiling.

I think God is reminding me how much I depend on Michael to manage the house.

Michael’s been a superstar walking me through all kinds of repairs and has gotten to the point of asking, ‘What went wrong today?’ each time he calls.

On April 8^th, I started to see rats in the house. I put poison down and about eight rat traps, but the rats somehow avoided the traps and seemed to be multiplying by the minute. They made a stinky home in our dishwasher by ripping all the insulation off, making a nest, and then crapping in it. When I pulled the dishwasher out, I realized I needed to move it out of the house to clean it and sanitize the space left behind. Of course, they had eaten through a couple of hoses. Michael was able to walk me through disconnecting the machine, and I dragged it to the garage.

Another photo for Michael, so he could walk me through turning off the right valves to disconnect the dishwasher.

The rats ate through the water hoses and then ripped out the insulation to make a cozy, stinky nest.

I went to the hardware store to get caps to seal the water pipes under the kitchen sink. Fortunately, the hardware store had opened for the first time – that day. I closed off the openings, but the rats had gnawed one piece that couldn’t be capped, so I did what every ingenious homeowner does – I sealed it with duct tape, which worked just fine.

I called the police to get an exception to have an electrician and exterminator come out just as the restrictions started to ease. They said workers could travel on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

I frantically started making calls.

Between April 22^nd and April 27^th every handyman we know arrived. The electrician came and fixed all the shorts in the wiring that was caused by the rats eating through the wires (three trips). The pool guy came and helped me get the pump working again so the pool wouldn’t turn green (two trips). The plumber came and replaced a few parts (3 trips). The exterminator came and put down industrial strength poison, and thankfully, I’ve never seen anything work so fast. The dishwasher repairman came and we decided he would fix the machine and sell it for us because we have not been able to keep varmints from eating through the hoses looking for water (2 trips).

Of course, at least one rat died somewhere under our cabinets, stinking up the kitchen – again. Red Dog’s great nose was able to isolate the location, and our fantastic contractor came out the next Monday, removed a kickboard, and pulled out a decaying 10-inch rat. It was longer than our shovel was wide. YUCK. He also closed a couple of holes the rats had chewed into our cabinets. [No pictures on purpose – too gross!]

All throughout this time, we’d had 25 to 30 mile an hour winds every day. One day, I walked into our ‘sheltered’ courtyard to water the orchids only to find our 14-foot palm tree had been blown over – crushing a few houseplants.

This 14 foot Palm Tree is encased in a small enclosed courtyard with 12 to 16 foot walls. This didn’t stop the wind from toppling it. (The pot alone is 2.5 feet wide by 2 feet tall and HEAVY!)

This also made hanging out and retrieving clothes off the clothesline a distinct challenge. One day, I went out to get four king size sheets off the lines. They had twisted themselves so many times around the lines that they looked like a mummy. It took me 15 minutes to unravel them and get them off – no exaggeration.

I just laughed and thought, ‘Are you kidding me?’

After everything that had happened in the last month, I was afraid to ask, “What else could go wrong?” and prayed the house rebellion was over.

Small Country ~ Big Sadness

February 28, 2020 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

Our gorgeous Grand Anse beach and the beautiful mountains of Grenada

Grenada has approximately 110,000 residents, so it’s easy to feel like you know almost everyone. 100,000 sounds like a large number, but when you consider a lot of cities in the US have that many people (or more), it puts things into perspective.

The idea of 6 degrees of separation says that all people are six, or fewer, social connections away from each other. I think it’s probably 3 degrees of separation here. It’s a small country, people live in a concentrated area (over 80% of the island is still undeveloped land), and many people are related.

It’s fun to feel so embedded in the community, but it also means that events feel personal. When someone dies, you might know the person, their family, or at least their close friends.

Grenada has had the shock of four prominent deaths in the past month.

Denis Noel

Denis Noel was an island icon. Denis studied agriculture in college and worked in the Ministry of Agriculture for 22 years. He also held a variety of government positions, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Junior Minister of Agriculture, and Junior Minister of Communications and Works. He might be best known for managing his family’s famous estate, Balthazar, where he developed a pain relief product called NUT-MED, which harnessed the therapeutic powers of nutmeg into a spray and crème.

Located in Grenada’s rainforest, Balthazar Estate is Grenada’s largest commercial grower of cut flowers. In addition to the many varieties of Gingers and Heliconia’s traditionally grown here, he and his staff hybridized exciting new varieties. Denis was part of the Grenadian team that exhibits at the famed Chelsea Garden Show in London each May. He was instrumental in providing the bulk of the magnificent flowers, year after year, that helped Grenada win 15 Gold Medals in 21 years of competition.

Michael and I had the privilege to meet Denis and receive a private tour with him just three weeks before his death. In the 2 hours we spent together, walking his fields of flowers, our biggest impression was this was a man of grace and humility. He clearly loved his ancestral estate. I had phoned him saying that I was writing about Grenada’s participation in Chelsea and asked if we could have a tour. He graciously invited us to come the next day. I didn’t find out until after we parted that he was retired and no longer did tours. I’m humbled and grateful that I was able to meet this gentle man and gentleman.

Andre Cherman

Andre Cherman was a shareholder, Chairman of the Board, and served as Managing Director of Coyaba Beach Resort for the 32 years it’s been in business. Coyaba is a top-rated hotel located right on Grenada’s magnificent Grand Anse Beach.

Through his guidance, this family-owned beach resort established itself as a favorite for both guests and staff. He was also a leader in community outreach, supporting charities, aiding local schools, and sponsoring the New Dimension steel band.

I did not know him personally, but he was a leader in the hotelier industry and the community.

Accolades and condolences have been pouring in from all over the world, citing his warmth, commitment, and graciousness. His family will continue his legacy, but he will be deeply missed.

I’m sorry that I never had the opportunity to meet him.

Lydia Whiteman

Our good friend, Lydia Whiteman, recently passed away from cancer. Michael and I met Lydia and her husband, Joslyn, somewhere around 1990 when we were looking for property to purchase in the parish of St. David’s. Joslyn was the government Minister responsible for St. David’s. Together, as a couple, they continuously traveled throughout the parish to meet with families, listen to their concerns and worked tirelessly to help wherever they could – both professionally and personally.

I was struck that no matter where we went, everyone would come and greet Lydia and Joslyn. In return, Lydia and Joslyn would ask after the person’s children, parents, and neighbors. The interactions weren’t casual. It wasn’t ‘How is your mom’, but ‘How is Margaret’s arthritis doing this week? Did the NUT-MED help? Is there anything else we can do?’ ‘How is your son’s reading going? I heard from his teacher that he was making good progress.’ ‘Were you able to get your roof repaired?’ They knew every person, understood their struggles, and clearly cared about them.

Lydia was always cooking big pots of food to distribute to whatever community they were visiting. Oil down, Goat Curry, Rice & Peas, etc. Has your government representative (or their spouse!) ever done anything like this for you?

My strongest memory of Lydia is that she always wore her pearl necklace. It didn’t matter if she dressed up for a fancy event or she dressed casually while walking the streets of one of the villages visiting with families. This memory, more than anything else, epitomized her strength, grace, and compassion. My heart is heavy from her death.

Sir Royston Hopkin

Sir Royston Hopkin passed away due to complications from a medical procedure he had a few weeks back. Sir Royston was the owner and face of Spice Island Beach Resort, one of the leading hotels in the world. He was a recognized champion of the Grenadian people, and he supported a wide variety of individuals, charities, and provided scholarships for needy children.

Sir Royston enjoyed honors and awards from all over the world. Royston became a “Sir” in 2004 when Queen Elizabeth knighted him for his outstanding contributions to the tourism industry in Grenada and the Caribbean. He received three Lifetime Achievement Awards – from the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, and the Caribbean Hotel and Resort Investment Summit in Miami. Most of us will never receive even one Lifetime Achievement Award.

Under his leadership, the resort has also consistently won a tremendous number of awards. These include the AAA five Diamond Award, (Spice Island is the only Caribbean owned 5-star hotel to make the cut), and, for the 7^th year, the Six Star Diamond Award by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. In 2019, the resort ranked fourth out of 25 luxury Caribbean hotels in the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. US News & World Report recognized Spice Island as one of the “Best All-Inclusive Resorts in the Caribbean”.

Royston was an ambassador for ‘Spice’ as well as Grenada. He was always walking the resort, talking to staff and visitors to be sure the highest quality of service was delivered. He was always gracious and often invited guests to his home for cocktails.

I was continually impressed with the quality of my interactions with his staff. They were always friendly, warm, and highly professional. One time a friend and I stopped by the beach bar for a drink. I had my dog with me, and he was sitting next to me. A server came over, welcomed us warmly, and complimented my pooch. Then, ever so gently, she asked if we would mind moving to another table that had a one-foot high divider separating the bar from the beach. She explained that our dog shouldn’t be in the bar area. However, if we sat there with him on the other side of the divider, he would still see us, feel like he was with us, I could easily touch him, and there would be no intrusion for the other guests. She so skillfully and professionally managed the situation that I remember it years later as unparalleled service. I know this high level of service emanated from Sir Royston’s vision of a stellar experience.

I had to be told three times that Sir Royston passed away. I was so shocked. His death is an enormous loss to his family and friends, staff and guests, Grenada and the larger Caribbean.

Life goes on. But for many Grenadians and me, we have lost several prominent individuals that we genuinely cared about, and we are grieving. Separately and together, they demonstrated the warmth, caring, and integrity of the Grenadian people. They were role models, leaders in their fields, and friends to all. Rest in peace, my friends.

Planting Seeds and Creating Sparks ~ Art and Love in Grenada

May 22, 2019 by Candi Licence 7 Comments

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Roxi painted this village scene of Mount Moritz when she lived in Grenada in the 1990s

As Hurricane Ivan tore through Grenada in 2004 destroying over 90% of the island’s infrastructure, Roxi Hermsen worried about her friends. She and her husband had lived in Grenada for a year in the late ‘90s in the Mount Moritz area, just north of the capital city, St. Georges. They fell in love with Grenada and had quickly become part of the local community. She impatiently waited for word about their former neighbors. Finally, word got through – no deaths in the village, but massive destruction. Roxi started painting and planning.

An Artist by trade, Roxi sent paintings to Byron Campbell to sell and raise funds to replace the damaged water system at Mount Moritz Anglican school. She also wanted to send seeds to her friend Ashton Goddard, a local farmer, so he could begin replanting his garden and have food to eat and sell. Little did she know that her idea would transform into a massive relief project.

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Work in Progress – Portrait of Ashton Goddard. Artist Rebecca Shepherd

Roxi went to her local Canadian seed distributor, Pacific North West Seeds, to buy some seeds for Ashton. The owner generously gave her all his leftover seeds. It was the end of the season when stores return their unsold seed. Seeds can’t be resold the following year, so the owner had a glut of unsalable seeds, and Grenada had an immediate, desperate need. Roxi left with boxes, and boxes, and boxes of seeds. Her next step was to organize seed packing parties.

Roxi hosted parties, inviting friends to pack a variety of vegetable seeds into Ziploc bags that could easily be distributed to different families throughout Grenada. Now she had to figure out a way to get them from her small hometown in western Canada to Grenada.

Roxi contacted the Spice Isle Relief Organization in Toronto, a group that was coordinating hurricane relief supplies to be shipped to Grenada. The former Council General to Grenada happened to be in the office when she called. He asked her where she had lived and, of course, knew her former neighbors Tanty Deli and Uncle Everest and said they were ok. He was also able to tell her more information about her other friends in Mt. Moritz. He paved the way for the seeds to get through Customs and the Agricultural inspection without delay or charges.

Roxi then contacted WestJet Airlines. The owner, Clive Beddoe, agreed to fly the seeds to Toronto at no charge if Roxi could get the seeds to the Kelowna airport in British Columbia. Caesar’s Trucking stepped up and trucked the seeds to Kelowna. It took two WestJet flights to get all the seeds to Toronto.

Once in Toronto, the seeds would ship via container to Grenada. Spice Isle Relief added buckets, shovels, and other farming supplies to the shipment so families would have everything they needed to replant. Roxi’s cousins added their support by sending large plastic containers filled with medical supplies, water purification tablets, baby formula, diapers, school supplies, etc. Everyone was willing to pitch in and help.

While this was happening, Roxi contacted her friends in Grenada to let them know about the seed project. They used their farmers’ network to inform the farmers that relief was coming and to start cleaning up and preparing everyone’s gardens to receive the seeds.

The Mt. Moritz community pulled together after the hurricane to make sure everyone in their community was taken care of. They started by making sure all the elderly people had shelter, then they began pooling food and supplies and distributing them based on the size of the family. Last, they made sure everyone’s garden space was prepared for the seeds to arrive. It’s heartening to see how Grenadians pull together in their tight-knit communities and support each other.

Roxi had always dreamed about coming back to Grenada. In 2017, she met a fellow Artist, Rebecca Shepherd, at an elementary school in Canada. Artists were showcasing different kinds of art so kids could see the many ways art can be expressed and have a chance to try things out. They became friends and then collaborators. As they were co-painting a large canvas, a seed appeared in it, and Roxi spoke about her dream to return to Grenada. Rebecca said, “I’ll go with you.” In January 2018, they hatched a plan to raise funds by selling their artwork. They had a show in Kelowna, Canada that filled a 70-foot wall at Buvez Wine and Art Bar. By August, they had saved enough money for the airfare, and they purchased their plane tickets.

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Rebecca and Roxi at their house in Mount Moritz – where I interviewed them for this blog post

They were now committed. Roxi and Rebecca created an art workshop for 16 women to raise additional funds for lodging and food. The local Arts Council in Enderby, graciously sponsored the workshop. The Enderby and District Arts Council paid for the room and paint supplies and provided refreshments. The workshop proceeds covered their rent and paint for the murals while they were in Grenada. Finally, it was time to return to Grenada.

Roxi and Rebecca arrived in Grenada on February 5^th and, once again, found a home in Mt. Moritz. It was only one house away from where Roxi had stayed the first time she lived in Grenada. They immediately started painting so they could have an exhibition at Aquarium, a favorite beach restaurant and place Roxi had shown her paintings 22 years ago.

This is a sample of five the paintings that were for sale at Aquarium Restaurant

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At the same time, Roxi and Rebecca created a large mural in a private home, something they wish to do more of, either in private or public spaces. They planned to paint three small murals and one large mural at the Mount Moritz Anglican Elementary School to brighten up the school. They started designing the murals and working with the school staff to determine where the art would be installed.

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One of the beautiful murals at The Mount Moritz Anglican School

Next, it was time to begin painting the murals. They painted during the school day, and the kids were excited to see the art emerge before their eyes. Roxi said it was pretty chaotic and also lots of fun with children exclaiming each time a new ‘creature’ appeared. As Roxi and Rebecca painted a reef with fish, octopus, crab, and shells, the kids cheered them on and made suggestions like adding a shark to the mural. Roxi said it was like painting on demand. The hardest part may have been keeping the kids from touching the murals until they were dry. The refrain “Is it dry yet?” was heard over and over.

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Another mural with a specially requested shark. Is it dry yet?

Picking out the future Artists was easy. While all the children were engaged watching Roxi and Rebecca paint, a few Artists at heart sat completely still, mesmerized at the magic appearing before their eyes. One boy sat with a serious expression on his face. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore and grabbed the paintbrush from Roxi’s hand and started placing dots on the mural.

Roxi and Rebecca just laughed. They understood his artistic desire. They said they were planting seeds with this project and creating sparks of creativity that might take years to develop and bloom. Roxi has taught Art, Drama, and Media in Canada. One of her former students has become a respected movie producer, another has won an Academy Award for scenic painting, and a third student has opened a successful Dinner Theatre. I wonder where this boy’s passion and talent will take him in life.

The teachers were also happy and excited about the project. Schools in Grenada, tend to be pretty sterile environments. There is barely money for necessary supplies. Parents buy all the school books and are often asked to contribute basic supplies like copy paper, tissues, and toilet paper. Funds for ‘decorations,’ even educational ones, are nonexistent. Everyone was thrilled with the colorful upgrade to the school walls.

The magnificent mural highlighting the school seal surrounded by Ginger Lilies

The highlight of the murals was a large painting of ginger plants surrounding the school seal. Each ‘flower’ was a handprint of an individual child. Roxi and Rebecca rolled each of the children’s hands in red and white paint and had them stamp their handprint at the top of a leaf. The principal and teachers got involved and added their handprints to the masterpiece as well. The finished mural was both beautiful and touching. Everyone was uplifted by the new art and was proud to have their personal contribution as part of the mural.

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A close up so you can see the individual handprints that became the Ginger Lily flowers

After the murals were completed, Roxi and Rebecca realized there was a good bit of paint left over and had the idea to paint the school’s playground space. The playground was basically a large, empty concrete space. During recess, the children just ran around unfocused, they had no way to direct their energy. Roxi and Rebecca wanted to create a virtual playground with hopscotch, jumping jacks, square ball, race tracks, and circuit circles with run here/hop there sections. Roxi engaged her friends in the community to help paint the playground to create local ownership of the project, and then the community would take over the ongoing maintenance of the playground.

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Roxi transforming the bland concrete recess space into a virtual playground

The next Sunday afternoon, members of the community turned out to paint the virtual playground. Roxi was the mastermind and determined where each painting/play area would be placed. I was impressed with how she could sketch out the designs using a long stick with a large piece of chalk taped to the end. Rebecca was the detail Artist, defining all the outlines, painting numbers, and then adding splashes of color and shapes to the completed works. The community members filled in the blocks of color and, as they got more confident, they added lines and decorations like dots and stars. It was a collaboration of ideas that meshed seamlessly.

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Rebecca adding numbers to the hopscotch board

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0082 — *Now the students had fun ways to interact.*

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0080 — *This was definitely a group collaboration and effort.*

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0075 — *Creating colorful stairs to play upon.*

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0086 — *Everyone worked hard and had a great time.*

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0098 — *Adding the finishing touches*

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0100 — *And of course, there had to be a heart – One Family, One Love – Grenada’s mantra*

The Transformation was Magical

As the afternoon wore on, a few children patiently watched the playground come to life. Later, they became the first ones to try out each play area, running, hopping, and skipping through the games. They had either huge smiles or determined faces as they tried their best to jump the farthest or run the fastest.

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Run on the Spot!

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If the footprint fits, JUMP!

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0138 — *Roxi and a village girl playing mirror me.*

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0130 — *Look at that smile!*

Roxi Artwork - 2019 03 24 - 0135 — *Posing in the heart.*

One of the community members who helped paint the playground, Kwabena Amen, is an instructor at Marryshow Community College (MCC). He was impressed by the teamwork, the enthusiasm of the school staff, and the joy in the children’s eyes. He plans to encourage his MCC students to help other communities around the island to recreate murals and virtual playgrounds in other elementary schools.

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Everyone joined in the fun, trying out the new playground

As Roxi and Rebecca’s visit came to an end, many townspeople stopped them on the street and thanked them for their gift of art.

I know that Roxi and Rebecca are already dreaming about their next trip. I can’t wait to see what they plan to do when they make their way home again to Grenada.

Photo credit: Photos without the CandiandMichaelontheMove.com logo are courtesy of Roxi and Rebecca.

Artists comments:

Roxi and Rebecca wish to thank those who helped them along the way, Byron Campbell, Ashton Goddard, Kwabena Amen, Pip Stokes, Gylfi Hilmisson, Raymond and Lady C.

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Rebecca, Roxi, and the community members who painted the virtual playground. (Left to right – Ashton, Rebecca, Roxi, Lady C, Kwabena, Raymond, Gilfi, and Pip)

Pip and Gylfi run Attach a Leg Grenada, a non-profit organization which provides a cost-efficient and high-quality service for amputees. Through serendipity, they met Roxi and realized they owned one of her paintings that she created 22 years ago. Both Roxi and Rebecca donated paintings to Attach a Leg, to help in their fundraising efforts for their worthy cause.

Thank you to Rachel Forte at Mt. Moritz Anglican School for being open to art and allowing Roxi and Rebecca to show the community how art can make a positive change with color and uplifting imagery.

If you might be interested in a mural, please contact Roxi and Rebecca directly. Their websites are listed below.

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This is the mural Roxi and Rebecca painted at Byron Campbell’s house.

To see more of Roxi and Rebecca’s artwork, check out these websites:

www.RoxiArtwork.ca

www.rebeccas-art-studio.com

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The Stairway to Heaven and to the new virtual playground

Coming Home ~ Sweet, Sweet Home ~ First Impressions

March 6, 2017 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

We were on the road for 4 and a half months. This was a different trip for us filled with Family, Friends and Fun AND a lot of moving around. We headed to the US in June for Michael’s Goddaughter’s wedding in CT and then migrated to Vermont, Maine and then onto Toronto for a Jazz weekend and then Caribana (Toronto’s Carnival). From there, Michael jagged back to the Caribbean to shoot Grenada’s Carnival while I spent time with his family at Big Moose and, together again, we headed to Cape Cod to catch the last taste of a New England summer, then off Italy for 3 weeks, more visiting and now we are back in Grenada. Lots of stories, insights and reflections which will be shared in other posts, but for now ~ WE ARE HOME!

Day 1 ~ Sitting on the patio, gazing at the horizon and writing for the first time in a long time. I’ve missed blogging but was too busy ‘seeing’ to be to be able really write in earnest – time to begin again.

Below is a random listing of my first impressions after being gone so long and seeing the house mostly complete for the first time ….

~ The welcoming feeling of coming home

~ Sunday ~ A day of rest and quiet ~ a perfect way to settle back in

~ Stunning views of verdant green climbing up the hills and mountains

~ Palm trees swaying and dancing in the breeze

~ Sounds of water land boat motors running – daily life happening

~ Hot 90’s and a soft breeze, enhanced by a lazy fan twirling above

~ Freshly squeezed fruit juices in the refrigerator. Plus freshly baked coconut bread and sweet bananas

~ Michael’s hammock is already up!

~ Mick settling right in, in his hammock bed, getting treats

~ Everyone is relaxed

~ Our pool. Glistening, clear water, wiggling waves from the breeze ~ a little ‘cold’ !

(86 degrees if you believe the thermometer. Need to turn on the solar heater. HA!)

~ Micks’ first dip in the pool, then splat! as he runs on the newly waxed living room floor – splayed out and wondering, What just happened?

~ A clean, neat, organized house. Thanks to –

Nadica – my Grenadian best friend and our housekeeper

Sheila – a wonderful new friend and our groundskeeper

Antonio – our terrific general contractor

Kim – our fabulous house manager and ‘go to’ person when we are off island

~ Thank you all for taking such great care of us ~

Thinking about people – Wanting to reach out and make contact

~ Karen, Boots and Ruby – our favorite restauranteers

~ Spencer and Ovis – our neighbors across the street

~ Rain – good friend and chef extraordinaire

~ Seeing our “completed” house for the first time. There was still a lot of work to be completed when we left Grenada in June. Michael had a sneak peek when he was back in August but it is all new to me.

~ Greeting the house like an old friend who has new secrets to share – new spaces, finishes completed

~ Discoveries – We shipped 5 barrels of ‘stuff’. Items tucked everywhere – waiting for their new homes

~ Places to sit! Lots of new cushions ~ a whole other story

~ A new big office – so large I just want to dance in it. A space of my own. Finally!

~ Maria’s glass waterfall displayed on the floor of the living room – looking magnificent and wrong on the floor instead of flowing down the patio wall

~ Sleeping in my own bed ~ delicious and heavenly!

~ One of our favorite restaurants, La Boulangerie, is closed. So much disappointment…. Another failed business and if rumors are true – the owner left the island without paying the workers or back rent. Heartbreaking all the way around.

~ Carib Sushi – Our favorite sushi restaurant ~ just the same – same wait staff, happy to have us back and the wonderful Sushi chef who likes me because I like him. Feeling welcomed and spoiled.

~ Thinking about priorities and contemplating what to do first? How to design my life now that the house is basically complete? What DO I want to do when I grow up?

Coming home ~ celebrating

Coming home ~ a feeling of endless time

Coming home ~ Feeling settled – home, sweet, sweet home.