Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Bermuda Dolls

Since I write from Bermuda (maybe, maybe not) I thought I'd share my dolls from this country. The first is a souvenir from one of my parents' trips to the islands in the late 60s-mid70s. I'll let you know if I see anyone with a basket on her head, but I'm guessing not.

The second is a Gombey Dancer. I may have bought this when I went to Bermuda with my grandmother, cousin, and aunt. The trip was a high school graduation present from my grandparents. My aunt and cousin were such sticks in the mud, I shouldn't have bothered to go. We went shopping once or twice. We toured some hotels. And I saw some flowers. When I said my cousin and I should go to the Swizzle Inn for some nightlife on our long weekend, he said he'd rather watch a movie at the hotel. (I couldn't go alone because after the minibike disaster*, there was no way I was driving a scooter. Nosiree.)


This trip is going to be so much better!

*This incident occurred before we realized the extent of my clumsiness. But the dude has decreed we are taking taxis and public transportation on this trip. Good thinking, Dude.

5 comments:

riona said...

I am enjoying the pictures of your dolls ... reminds me of my daughter's collection, most of which were purchased for her by travelling relatives before she was even 10 years of age.

My daughter has a doll that may be a sister to yours, purchased by my parents on one of their vacations... only she has a wooden trough on her head, filled with tiny wooden fruit. Ange also has an extensive collection of dolls that were gifts from her god-mother who worked for the long-defunct Pan-Am airlines as a special consultant for "special" customers = this was long before the term frequent flyers was coined. My daughter has some of the most phenomenal dolls: an ancient Portugese fisherman complete with net and cork floats, a Japanese geisha doing a plate dance, an old Japanese peasant woman carrying water buckets, a Scottish lass in full tartan regalia, a Spanish lady and a number of others that I can't recall.

Anonymous said...

I hope you are having fun and that the dude doesn't get sunburned.

My family went to the Bahamas in about 1973. On Andros Island we did see woman carrying baskets on their heads as they walked along the beach. And we have the Super 8 movies to prove it!

dd

Teresa said...

We were in Bermuda last year and just loved it! Hope you have a wonderful time. BTW- tea at Gibbs lighthouse is supposed to be terrific- but they don't serve it til late afternoon. Wiggle your toes in the sand at Horseshoe Bay for me.

Lelia said...

Enjoy your holiday -- I just love your doll posts.

Anna van Schurman said...

Riona--
My aunt was a stew for PanAm! She brought us back the most beautiful clothes--Italian sweater dresses, Swiss Miss outfits, leather pants. One day she and her boyfriend (my now uncle) were babysitting us--we were 4 and 6--and fed us escargots in garlic butter. When my parents picked us up, we reeked! And my sister would go to restaurants at five and order escargots and a salad with roquefort dressing. Waitstaff were always skeptical, but if we ate it, my parents let us order it.