Creative: Back from Jamaica

Daniel Milnor

March 4

My 2024 vacation experiment is now complete. Jamaica does not suck. And speaking of Jamaica, if we could just bottle some of the One Love ideology, the world would be a much better place. My suggestion is we take willing Jamaicans and we drop them on Ukraine, Russia, Israel and Gaza--just for starters--and we let the Jamaican spirit take hold. Drop two, let them meet in the middle and bingo, end of war as we know it. But no one is asking me.

I was under strict orders on this little voyage.

In short, no photography. No project, no workshop, no teaching, no training, no straining and certainly no puking or hook kicks. My wife asked for a real vacation and that is what she received. It helped that we were with friends who knew the area well and were also incredibly thoughtful in regard to what we needed. Granted, we didn't need much because Jamaica provides. Incredible light, water, sand, people and more.

I did have a good chance to write, but I would give myself a "C" at best when it comes to what I wrote, and how much I wrote. I've said this many times before, I consider writing to be the "high art," but I don't find writing particularly easy, I just enjoy doing it. Writing takes a certain headspace, one where I can enter a waking dream state. When I'm so relaxed it often makes the process more difficult.

How long will it take my favorite geeks to see the model number?

I was also able to do some birding, albeit right in front of the hotel. Jamaica is a goldmine for birds. I added American Redstart, Bananaquit, Yellow-Throated Warbler, Loggerhead Kingbird, White Crowned Pigeon, Royal Tern, and the Greater Antillean Grackle to my list. There were many more I could not positively identify.

Minutes ago, I found out my Spain Workshop is a go. My Europe trip, which will be a blend of Blurb and Milnor events will span at least three countries over four weeks and won't resemble anything like a vacation, so this Jamaica trip was much needed. I don't vacation well, but I probably should. By the way, nearly 2500 of you have signed up for my newsletter. I have zeroed in on my software, and once we make a few design changes to the site, expect something from me. In the meantime, I've got new photography posts and book posts ready to go. And I'm working on a Vimeo video test and an eight-film series for Blurb, and I just received my Antarctica Journal from Blurb. Have yet to open it.....