Florida - The Bahamas - Bermuda - New York
April 2007

photos by G.P. Jones using Nikon Coolpix 4300 digital camera, except where noted

Florida as Jumping-Off Point -- 14-20 April

The original reason for going to Florida was to attend a professional conference. After the conference, I decided to see a bit of the world before continuing on the rest of my planned vacation to the islands (Bahamas, Bermuda, and Manhattan!). It was a strange itinerary -- and quick -- but here's where I visited, in order:

Mexico

Norway

China

According to my sources (thank you, sources!) the inscription
over the gate says, "The Gate of Chaoyang" (which is a
city in China), and literally "chao yang" means "facing the sun",
so this can mean "The Gate Facing the Sun".

Germany

Italy

Colonial America

Japan

Morocco

France

England

Canada

Oh, all right -- the conference was in Orlando, and all of the above were taken
at Epcot. There. I've had my little joke (very little).

Nassau, The Bahamas -- 4/23 to 4/26

NOTE: I have come to refer to Nassau as "East Miami"; it's in a beautiful setting, but very "tourist".

View from my hotel room in Nassau (3rd floor)

Sightseeing/Snorkeling/Parasailing boat trip to small island north of Nassau -- the lighthouse is on an even smaller island to the north of where we beached

Good advice no matter where you are; you're gonna need those tings.

This was a very good delayed laugh. One late afternoon, I sat down on a bench outside this semi-outdoor hair-and-nail salon. Two women inside were in a very heated argument. Quite entertaining! Then, after about five minutes, I noticed the sign inside (see enlargement). The women obviously were too busy to pay attention.

Bermuda -- 4/27 to 4/28

(scroll right or widen browser window for full picture)

A 180° view of the grounds of the Clear View Suites, my hotel for this 2-day stay. My room was in the pink building on the right of this view. On the left is the Office, and just to the right of that, behind trees, is the pool.

Approaching my room (lower floor on the side of the building facing the camera) from the pool area. There is a small, open-air patio on the ocean-facing side of each room.

Views from inside the room. The white table and chairs are on the outside patio.

Since the room had a full kitchen, I was able to make my own dinner.
This is the view I had while enjoying it on the patio.

The Ferry Dock in Hamilton, the Capital

A 20-minute ferry ride takes you to the Royal Naval Dockyard.

"Whopper", sculpture by Desmond Fountain in front of the Hamilton City Hall

(image from brochure)

The Crystal and Fantasy Caves are amazing. They were "discovered" in 1907 when two boys playing cricket on a field above lost their ball down a hole, so they climbed down to retrieve the ball and found these prehistoric wonders.

On the road to St George, some colourful houses (and, unfortunately
for the viewer, lots of power lines!).

The Unfinished Church.
The Christians of the town of St George on the extreme East end of the island began an ambitious church building in the Nineteenth century, then just before it was to be occupied, abandoned it (see explanation below).

(High-resolution JPEG of this image available: click here [2.8 MB])

And, as usual, New York -- 4/29 to 5/2

One of the billions of nice little touches you see around this unbelievably complex city. This is on an apartment building at West 4th Street and MacDougal, at the South West corner of Washington Square in Greenwich Village

They finally (!) finished restoring the statue and adding
a fountain in Columbus Circle (59th and Broadway).

Only New Yorkers (apparently) know just what this means.

Let's face it -- the Lyndon LaRouche people don't like the Bush Administration very much!

Rehearsal just before the Festal Eucharist for Ss Philip and James at 5:30pm on 1 May at St Thomas Episcopal Church, Fifth Avenue at 53 Street. I can tell you that the new Organist/Choirmaster, John Scott (formerly of St Paul's Cathedral in London) is splendidly carrying on the long tradition of excellence typical of the 25-year tenure of Dr Gerre Hancock who recently retired.

I suppose I am living proof that stand-ins sometimes get in to see popular TV shows. This, obviously, is "Live with Regis and Kelly" (1 May 2007, 9am, ABC Studios, 67th and Columbus Avenue). The guests were Tobey Maguire and Carmen Electra (neither is in this picture). Next picture shows the Tobey Maguire interview.

And this one shows a very ghost-like, hazy image of me in the audience.

(High-resolution JPEG of this image available: click here [2.8 MB])
The Pond, Central Park
If you didn't already know, you could hardly guess that this picture was taken from 59 Street, near the corner of Fifth Avenue (which from that point, Northward to 110 Street, is also known as Central Park East). Right behind me on 59th Street at the time I took the picture (about 6pm) are four lanes of cars, buses, taxis and horse-drawn "Central Park" carriages. You couldn't tell from this peaceful scene!