Caye Caulker, Belize | A Photojournal From Sunrise to Sunset

Belize is one of Mrs. L's happy places. Mine, too. Our visits usually include several days on the island of Caye Caulker, which lies just west of the barrier reef and south of Hol Chan Marine Reserve. This photo journal is compiled from photos taken in 2015 and 2017. 

The stages of a Caribbean sunrise.

Caye Caulker does not have paved roads and does not allow cars or buses. Land transportation is by foot, bicycle or electric golf cart.

Lunchtime

Of course, you can also get around by boat.

Since Caye Caulker is an island, you get Caribbean sunsets, too!

As you can see, Caye Caulker is a pretty laid back place. Victoria Ward thinks so too and included Caye Caulker, and one of the photos above, in her book The Bucket List: Places to Find Peace and Quiet.

                                         

All photos above (except book cover) © 2015 or 2017 Steve W. Likens

Thanks for stopping by.

- Steve

Radio Memphis | Blues in the Basement

Ric Chetter started broadcasting an internet radio station in his living room in 2011. Radio Memphis, featuring music from independent artists in the Memphis area, now broadcasts from a former recording studio in the basement of an office building on Poplar Avenue. (Happy 10th Anniversary!) The Sunday night "Booze & Blues" show features live in-studio interviews and performances.

© 2017 Steve W. Likens

Ric Chetter

At the helm of the pirate ship that is Radio Memphis. 

Here's a few of the guests Ric hosted in the basement in 2017:

Tony Manard

Just another fool from Memphis, ya'll.

Cam Kimbrough - Straight Outta Marshall County and the grandson of Junior Kimbrough. 

Mario Monterosso and Cam Kimbrough 

Click to hear what happens when Italy meets north Mississippi in Memphis.

Mario and Cam were introduced to each other for the first time just minutes before.

Paul Rogers

Keeping the low end nice and greasy for Joyce "She-Wolf" Jones. 

photos © 2017 Steve W. Likens

Robert Kimbrough carries on the cotton patch soul blues of his late father Junior Kimbrough along with brothers Kinny Kimbrough (background top photo) and David Kimbrough, Jr. (foreground bottom photo).

Carlos Elliot, Jr. from Peirera, Colombia, South America. Carlos was heavy influenced by the Mississippi blues of Paul "Wine" Jones and T-Model Ford.

© 2017 Steve W. Likens

Bobby Gentilo - guitar picker for The Cornlickers.

© 2017 Steve W. Likens

Dale Wise - drummer for The Cornlickers and the late Big Jack Johnson.

Grammy nominated north Mississippi hill country bluesman RL Boyce

(see this post for more on RL)

You can tune in to Radio Memphis at www.radio-memphis.com.

Thanks for stopping by.

Steve

Island Time | Oahu

Everyone should be sent to Hawaii on business at least once. In 2019, I was sent twice.

During the first visit, I set an alarm and intentionally woke up at 4:00 a.m. one morning. This is what downtown Honolulu looks like at 4:00 a.m.

The reason for the early start? - to drive across the island to Kailua Beach Park on the eastern shore and catch the sun rising over the Pacific. I arrived in time and was not disappointed:

the inland view:

After watching the sunrise, I drove up the Kamehameha Highway - mountains to the left of me, ocean to the right. Along the way, I stopped at Kualoa Beach,

the tide pools at Shark's Cove in Pupukea,

the north shore to watch the surfers, and then Lā'ie Point,

before turning south and heading back to Waikiki.

Mrs. L. did not want to endure the long flights for the relatively sort stays and decided not to participate. I didn't want her to feel left out, so I brought her these T-Shirts:

Thanks for stopping by.

- Steve

The Blue Front Cafe | Bentonia, Mississippi

The Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi, is a shotgun-style cinder block building featuring an exposed concrete floor. It also happens to be the oldest operating juke joint in the world. The Holmes family opened the Blue Front in 1948. Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, known as the last of the Bentonia bluesmen, took it over from his parents in 1970.

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes (R) chats with Alan Gross of the Blues Doctors (L)

Blues legends such as Skip James, Jack Owens, Son Thomas and L.C. Ulmer all played here during their time.

A photo of Bentonia bluesman Jack Owens hangs by the back door.

I stopped in the Blue Front during the 2015 Bentonia Blues Festival and captured some shots of the regulars.

All photos © 2015 Steve W. Likens

To get to Bentonia from Memphis via the blues trail, take Hwy 61 south to the "Crossroads" in Clarksdale. Then, follow Hwy 49 south to the Skip James blues trail marker at the corner of Hwy 49 and Wilson Street/Hwy 433. Turn left. After a couple of miles, the road makes a sharp dogleg to the right. Bentonia (pop. 411) is just a few hundred yards further up the road on the left. The Blue Front Cafe is downtown across the railroad tracks.

As an added bonus for reading to the end, here's a black and white of the woman at the register published in the December 2017 edition of Clash magazine in the U.K. 

Thanks for stopping by.

- Steve