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16 Years - Stepping
Back in Time
by Steve Landry
 The
variety of awe inspiring woodcarvings, paintings and other hand
crafted delights, being the true works of art that they are, can
be found in little "sub-collections" throughout my home.
There are dozens of them and they range from extremely humble trinkets
to magnificent sculpted masterpieces. To most people, this artwork
seems to be either nothing more than part of the clutter if not
completely unacknowledged... To me there's much more to it than
that.
Admittedly, I have some pieces of which
I cannot even recall which trip or where, or the name of the
artist; let alone the specifics
of the moments and the experiences surrounding their purchase.
I imagine that's not unusual as I have made some purchases completely "on
a whim" and others more as gestures of empathy than out of
a desire to own said piece of art. However most individual pieces
in my collection serve as portals of nostalgia and conjure up vivid
memories of specific experiences, invaluable moments and distant
friends made along the way.
16 years ago, my first wife and I chose
Jamaica (Trelawny Beach Resort) as our honeymoon destination.
Little did I know that the "love
affair" with Jamaica that I was embarking upon was going to
outlast the marriage more than ten-fold, and likely continue to
grow and develop until TRULY "death do us part ". I recall
that my initial intentions were to live like "King and Queen" in
paradise and this first visit to Jamaica was going to be nothing
but non-stop sun, fun and partying. Although we did have a great
time, the trip was more of an enlightening and enriching experience
than a "party". Two things happened on this first visit
that, if I had been more aware, might have served as good indicators
of what my future would hold. One: On the first night of the honeymoon
my ex-wife and I were swimming in the ocean when my inappropriately
sized wedding band slipped off my finger and disappeared in the
sea. Being that we were married the previou s day, I only managed
to wear it for about 30 hours before losing it. The marriage didn't
last much longer than that.
Two: The morning after our arrival day,
we walked down the beach and "discovered" the Bamboo
Village. (For those who don't know, this is a small community
of artists on the beach who sell
their art, braid hair etc.) There were several dozen shops and
a small bar.
 I
worked my way through the small "maze" of shops, and
for some reason ended up making it all the way to the last shop
at the far end. I stopped and browsed and chatted with most of
the vendors there and while my ex-wife had been "diverted" into
a "braid your hair" sales pitch, I ended up at this last
shop where I met a man who called himself "Puttymon" (I
later learned his real name to be Caleb) He was sitting on the
floor of his shop - the SAND - carving a piece of wood when he
called out to me, "Hey mon" ... Fully expecting to hear
what I had been hearing since arriving at the Village, "Come
take a look”, "Can I braid your hair" , "I have
something to show you" ...To my surprise, when I caught his
gaze, he followed up with... "You drop somtin mon”. Somewhat
embarrassed, I turned and saw my sunglasses so I picked them up
and thanked him. He said: "Come" with a gesture toward
the sand beside him. Again I expected a sales pitch as I walke
d over but instead he simply asked for a light of his smoke and
offered to share. We talked for a bit and then his wife Jennifer
arrived and soon after, my ex-wife showed up as well. Well long
story, short, we ended up spending the rest of the day there, and
literally almost every waking hour of our week in Jamaica with
Caleb and Jennifer, with everyone childishly eager to learn about "life
on the other side".
I asked Caleb if he would consider carving
a piece (an Angelfish) specifically for me and he happily obliged.
He worked all week
on it and although I kept pressing him to tell me how much he wanted
me to pay for it, he just kept telling me "mi no wa notin
mon, is a gif” Feeling wrong about that, I ended up giving the
money to his wife. The week went by much too fast (as it always
does) and faced with parting we were all sad and very much hoping
to be able to "reunite" as soon as possible. Before leaving
that first time, I saw Caleb on the last day, just as I saw him
on the first day- sitting in his shop on the sand, carving a piece
of wood.
A year later, I returned to Trelawny, and
literally upon arriving, I headed down to the Bamboo Village
(naively "hoping" it
would still be there) So much had happened in my life over the
year, moving, a new job etc... When I got to the Village it took
about 10 seconds before someone recognized me and came over. "Ya
mon, welcome back!" "I remember you!" "You
a friend of Puttymon...” Somewhat struck, I asked if Putty was
still there. "Ya mon, come." We walked to the end of
the Village and there was Caleb- sitting on the sand, carving a
piece of wood.
We spent almost the entire week together again. Caleb brought
me to his mother's home in Clarkestown for dinner, we went up the
Blue Mountains with Caleb and Jennifer, we went to Green Grotto
Caves and Safari Village together as well, but mostly we shared
and learned from each other.
Then another two years later, I returned to Jamaica. Again there
had been many changes in my life; Divorce, another move, another
job, etc... This time I was not staying at Trelawny Beach however,
so I only managed a couple of day trips down to the Village. The
afternoon after I arrived, I grabbed a cab and went to see if Caleb
was still there... There he was- sitting on the sand, carving a
piece of wood.
Now it is sixteen years since that first visit to the place that
I have come to love called Jamaica. Many visits later, I have come
to understand and appreciate so much, all the immeasurable experiences,
lessons, and blessings I have been given, all that I have learned
along the way about life and about myself.
 November
2003 found me once again, 16 years later, returning to Trelawny
Beach Resort. It had been more than a decade since I had last visited
the Bamboo Village, and I fully expected it to be completely changed
or even worse- gone altogether. I checked in at the front desk,
put my bags in the room and walked down to where the Bamboo Village
used to be. Surprisingly, although much had changed (the bar is
gone amongst other things) the Village is still there.
I asked a woman, Babes, if she had knew
of a man named Puttymon. "Come" she
said and led me through the stalls. I followed her pointed finger
and saw Caleb's weathered old shop. As I approached I saw him there-
sitting on the sand, carving a piece of wood.
God bless you Caleb, God bless you Jamaica.
Much Respect and blessings to all,
Steve Landry
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