We had a wonderful one-week (7 nights) vacation in Jamaica. We stayed at Couples Tower Isle which is about 10 minutes from Ocho Rios. The resort is smallish, about 270 rooms and just the right size for us.
This YouTube video sums up the experience.
Front lobby
We had a comfortable room located in a quiet area overlooking the ocean. The room was comfortable and the view was quite something. The balcony was quite private.
The food was wonderful easily the best we have had in the Caribbean. Through the week we did not dine once in the main dining hall but took advantage of the specialty restaurants of which there are three; one offered Asian cuisine while the other two, the Veranda and Eight Rivers serve great meals with all the accoutrements and thoughtful service. On two mornings we had breakfast in our room. Local dishes combined with North American fare satisfied us on each day of our vacation.
Main pool
See my travelogue of the resort at YouTube at this link. You may have to copy the link into your browser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE48hKllsrI
The resort was all-inclusive but no tipping was permitted. Not once did I see a tip passed to the staff. It is such a relief not to have to tip. At other resorts my wife and I are always wondering what is enough. Tipping in Cuba and the DR was always a hassle though it did not overshadow the vacation in the least just a minor inconvenience. Not here. A gratuity is included in the price so the staff are not left out.
Sea wall on west side
The weather was iffy for the first two days with a little rain and windy conditions but things improved through the week. In general the weather did not disappoint. The temperatures were in the high 20s and low thirties, perfect for us especially given the terrible winter weather at our home in Nova Scotia this winter.
Excursions for us included a catamaran tour of Ocho Rios, the sights and sounds of the Blue Mountain area and a shopping trip to Ocho Rios, a true tourist trap which came as no surprise to us.
While there I bought some Cuban cigars for a decent price and we just had to get a supply of Blue Mountain coffee.
Nude sunbathing locale
If you are into au natural sunbathing Couples is the place for you. Tower Isle is the place to be to bare all. Not for us though, we are too timid. Anyway those who dared raved about it.
So, a great trip, we cam back rested if a little sunburned. We have fond memories of our trip and chalk it up as another successful vacation in the Caribbean.
Seth Thomas Beehive Mantle clock circa 1928 This is a Seth Thomas Gothic beehive mantle clock. The face has Henry Birks & Sons inscribed on it and obviously the company contracted the clock out to Seth Thomas at that time. The movement is an 89AL which was used in a variety of clock between 1922 and 1928 so I would put this clock at around the 1928 period. There is a little plaque inside the back access door giving the reseller location which in this case is Amherst, Nova Scotia. I has been running all day now and I am just waiting to see whether it gains or loses time. I will know in about 24 hours. The beat is good but the clock chimes the hours on the half hour which is obviously not supposed to happen. It means a minute hand pin adjustment once I know that the clock can run steadily. As is typical of these old clocks there was a lot of dirt and grime on the finish. Rather than take the dramatic step of refinishing the clock it is far easier to take a good cleaner, in my
Seth Thomas Dome clock I wrote about this clock a few months back and at that time it was only running for a couple of days. I was pretty happy with my purchase since I had picked it up at a junk / antique store just about a 1/2 hours drive from here. It has, in fact been running wonderfully for several months now. It's a bit idiosyncratic in that despite being an 8-day clock it does not like being wound right down because the count wheel for the strike gets confused and strikes the hour on the half hour instead. Could be it needs some adjustment. Keeping it wound without it stopping has proven to work. It also ticks quite loudly but it is in our dining room and certainly not intrusive in that location. It has been oiled and seems to runs just fine. The walnut case is in excellent condition and a good rubbing with Murphy's Soap has virtually restored the cabinet. I make it a point not to redo the clock finish if it has minor nicks and scratches. I have an assortment of
My office for many years No one told me about the last ten minutes It was my very last day as a faculty member. After 18 years with the organization it was time to say goodbye and begin the next chapter of my life. Yes, there were some tough years but by and large it was a very sweet gig and a tremendous period of growth and development for me personally. My wife was a great support all through this transition process. I could not have gone through all of this alone. <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1337403531080766" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <!-- joinersmusings_page_body_Blog1_1x1_as --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1337403531080766" data-ad-slot="1853062240" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins> <scr
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