Love to Knit

I am busily getting ready for 2 arts and crafts sales here in San Diego. With Christmas in mind, there will be many ideas for gifts not only in my corner but with the other hand made items for sale.One sale is in Mission Hills on October 9 and one is in Balboa Park on November 20 and 21. These two hats are $15 each and the scarf, with my apologies for a little pricey price is $50. The scarf is a long, reversible cable knitted with alpaca yarn.

Here are two more photos for you to enjoy. One is of my son Charlie talking to my other son John. My legs are reflected in Charlie's glasses so you have the whole darn family. The other picture is of a sphinx with eyes covered which is outside the WWI museum in Kansas City. The eyes are covered because of the horror of war. 

JOSE MARTI

If you have read even a little bit about Cuba you have probably heard the name Jose Marti. If you travel there you'll see  his statue or bronze bust or picture everywhere. I will tell  you what I know about him and if I am wrong or if you can add to the information, please do.

Jose was a folk  hero, poet, ladies man, and crusader for an independent Cuba. Since Jose had been exiled from Cuba for his subversive ideas, he had time to travel around  breaking  hearts, writing poems and raising money to buy arms for the invasion of Cuba. This all was going on back in about 1895. Since Spain still ruled Cuba, the war for independence was to be called the Cuban Spanish War. I saw a cute political cartoon with two ladies, one saying to the other, 'for every gun that you get for him he'll give you one kiss and 4 poems.'

Now the US was mildly interested in Jose's activities because of Cuba's sugar and because of the strategic location of the island. in 1895 Jose finally rented a boat in Key West and initiated the struggle. First one shot dead on May 19 was Jose. After that the US said 'oh well let's finish this off' and renamed the skirmish the Spanish American War. Of course it helped to drum up enthusiasm back home when a ship called the Maine blew  up in Havana Harbor. It probably was an accident but, with the help of Mr.William Randolph Hearst, newspaper man, the accident was blamed on Spain and the fight was on, but not for long. Spain lost, the US won and Cuba was , ah wait a minute wasn't it supposed to be free? Well sorta. Anyway that's the short version of the story of Jose Marti.

These photos were taken on San Diego Harbor, lobster traps, canoes on lake in New Hampshire and reed boats on Lake Titicaca in Peru

Education in Cuba

I think most people have heard that education is free for everyone in Cuba, including college. When the Spanish American War in the late 1800's kicked the Spanish out of Cuba, the literacy rate was 37%.  By 1959 22% over the age of 15 were illiterate and 60% semi literate. Rural Cubans were lucky to make it through the 3rd grade. 

After the revolution, Cuba reopened schools that had been closed and began to focus on the literacy problem. Literate city teens were sent to the rural areas to teach fellow Cubans to read. By 2000 97% of Cubans aged 15-24 were literate. Leaders in Cuba believed that a strong, world class society required an educated population. 

School attendance is compulsory from ages 6 to 16 and all students wear school uniforms.Uniform color denotes grade level. At the end of basic secondary education, pupils can choose between pre university or technical and professional education. 

I came across some interesting information regarding women in Cuba. Prior to the Revolution women were housewives, maids or prostitutes. The Federation of Cuban Women was founded in 1960 with a goal of involving all women in Cuban affairs. 

Now I'll add a few more photos to spice up my pages. Hope you enjoy them. 

I got all this information off the net and it has been highly condensed so as not to bore you with too many facts and statistics. After my trip in December, I will be able to give you more personal observations . A rural school is on the itinerary.

Brief History of Cuba

During the 1800s Cuba was controlled by Spain. Slaves were used to harvest the main island crop of sugar. As the century came to an end slavery was abolished and Jose Marti was stirring up Cuban pride and cry for independence. So who came to the rescue? Teddy Roosevelt and the rough riders, maybe John Wayne was there too, anyway they rode up San Juan Hill, had a great time fighting for a free Cuba and won the Spanish American War. (Why wasn't it the Spanish Cuban War) The US also scooped up Puerto Rico, the Phillipines and Guam while they were at it and Spain no longer sailed around conquering countries in the name of the church scooping up gold and precious gems while they were at it. Since Cuba had all that sugar, yummy, the U.S. set up a quota to buy lots of sugar from Cuba so the island became a one crop wonder with huge plantations creating huge fortunes for the owners who didn't really have to hang around to do anything. The crop was a seven year wonder. The bamboo like stalks were hacked down by illiterate peasants (guajiro), the harvest took about 4 months, then the stalk would grow again during which time the peasants were unemployed. The plantation owners would give them rations to feed their families but they would be in constant debt to these plantation owners. Almost everything else the island needed was purchased from the US. The island was a big sugar plantation for the US. while Havana became one big playground for the US. Is it any wonder they were ready for a man like Castro? Can he all that bad if one of the first things he did was educate everyone. They now have a higher literacy rate than we do.
That is an over simplification of why things are like they are in Cuba. Please add any facts you know regarding the island.

I hope I am not being too confusing by posting photos of Peru and then discussing a trip not taken yet to Cuba. When we went out into the rural villages in the Andes, my traveling companions and I took along school supplies to deliver to the school. We visited the class rooms and also talked to the children at lunch time. Yes that big vat is lunch. I think if I return to Peru I will take along sunscreen. Their cheeks were all badly sunburned. Their various hat styles signify their origin, group, village, or family.

Rural School in Peru

Mexico

I would like to say a few words about Mexico since my words regarding the current situation there may have hurt some feelings of my Mexican friends. I love Mexico. I love their culture, I envy their devotion and loyalty to family and the beauty of their country. The ugliness of the drug wars in Mexico is due to the demand for drugs here in the U.S. so both countries are the losers all for the love of the dollars in the drug trade. I am thankful for my Mexican friends here in San Diego and for the time I spent in Mexico during the old days. If it weren't for the addictive power of drugs, I would still have my son Daniel in my life. He would have been 46 on November 27th. He probably would have played football maybe on the professional level but he would have been a scientist and he would have been a devoted brother to Charlie and John and in his proper place between those two as my third son. No amount of money made in the drug business is worth what families have given up for the sake of a dollar.  My research on Cuba reveals that there is not a drug problem on the island. If that is so, how have they been able to accomplish that? If we finally  have the freedom to travel there I hope we don't take the destruction of drugs with us when we visit because once it begins, it is very hard to stop.

THESE PHOTOS WERE
TAKEN IN PERU 2006

GREAT CONVERSATION

I just had a great conversation with a friend of my financial adviser who had been in Cuba around '01 or '02. He confirmed several facts I had picked up off the net such as the crime rate is one of the lowest in the world, AIDS has been under control since '85, music is everywhere, rum is everywhere, people are friendly. He gave me some places not to miss on free time from the tour group such as the cigar factory, Bicardi rum factory, the state museum and maybe the Hemmingway house which is outside Havana but maybe a taxi ride in one of the old cars. The old Spanish colonial structures are crumbling but maybe still some good photo opportunities before they all give way to the salt air and lack of upkeep.

More photos from Peru

--sorry, bad choice to add back ground color. If you want me to post it again without the color, let me know. It's all a learning process. JudyK

Cuba 1958

I began my first real career as an 'airline hostess' for Braniff in July, 1957. Among my first roommates was a girl named Carolyn who was from Minneapolis. Toward the end of 1957, Braniff sent out vacation notices. Due to the fact we had only worked 6 months, we were awarded 8 days vacation. We were so thrilled with our new freedom and with all we had seen  of the US so now we decided to go somewhere out of the country, a real adventure. But where could we go in 8 days? We looked at the map and saw that Cuba was only 90 miles from Miami but it was international, wow, let's go. Mind you we were only 20 and 21 years old and  having the time of our lives. 

So on the 18 of February, 1958 we walked up to the Pan American ticket counter in Miami and bought tickets to Havana. When we arrived we took a cab to the National Hotel, biggest and best in Havana but we didn't have reservations and when we got there it was full. The cab driver said he knew of a small hotel in a good location and we said okay--or at least I think that's what he said. I was using my college Spanish to figure out what we were doing and Caroline was depending on me. We ended up at a great little hotel at the end of the Prado overlooking El Morro, the old fortress guarding the harbor. We had no idea the revolution was going on but we did see some evidence of it and Carolyn swears we got the last flight out of Cuba when we left there 8 days later. Could be, don't know, just remember having a great time in Cuba.

 The following year, when we had a full two week vacation, Carolyn and I decided to go to South America, Peru, Rio and Panama. Flights from the US were still landing in Cuba since the embargo hadn't begun so after a flight from Houston and a few Pisco Sours, we landed in Cuba with about an hour layover before continuing on to Lima. Carolyn and I got off to see what the airport looked like after a revolution. When we got back on the plane we saw 3 of Castro's guerrillas standing over one of our friends and traveling companions, Judy, who had native American blood so she looks a little Cuban--anyway these men with their rifles and beards and all those bullets strapped over their shoulders were calling her 'Freda' and trying to take her off the plane. They thought she was one of Batista's girls trying to get out of Cuba. Don't know what would have happened if we hadn't been able to keep her on the plane. She is one of my old friends who thinks I'm nuts to want to go to Cuba. 

So you can see why this return to Cuba in December is such a poignant trip for me.

Machu Picchu

 

2006

When I went to Peru, I took along a Southwest Airlines ball cap in hopes of trading it for a photo of a boy and his llama and here he is.

Cuba? Why do you want to go to Cuba? or Wow?

I almost chose red to type this thinking it would be colorful but my 50s mentality intimidated me thinking my old friends would think I was a pinko commie especially since I am going to CUBA! I assure you I am a flag waving  proud American with a few disagreements with our esteemed leaders. Such as why the hell as free Americans don't we have the freedom to go to Cuba? We are friends with other Communist countries aren't we? like China where we borrow most of our money. I'm not the smartest person in the world so I thought I'd go find out for myself just what is going on down there. Don't worry, my trip is sanctioned by the US since it is a humanitarian trip and I'll only be there 8 days. Can't do much damage in that amount of time.

My trip doesn't leave until December so I am using my time to read some history and current information about Cuba. Facts I have found so far is that there is a low crime rate while Mexico has ruined their tourist trade with a very high crime rate and we can still go there. Wow, now there is an idea, maybe if we made friends with Cuba, they could take all that tourist trade that used to go to Mexico. I love Mexico but what in the world are they thinking? Is there really more money in drugs than Margaritas?

Don't get me wrong. I think Cuba would be better off with an open Democratic society. I lived in Puerto Rico most of the '60s which was a good comparison to the situation in Cuba today. Both islands were 'freed' by the Spanish American War back in the turn of the century, free meaning now we will run your country for you but Cuba wanted to be totally free to run their own country. Over simplified but there you have it in a nutshell, no pun intended. Puerto Rico has a strong middle class and is a commonwealth of the US. Come to think of it, do we have much of a middle class anymore? humm, gotta think about that one.

Now I am going to try to post a slide show of my other 'bucket list' trip to Peru back in '06. I like to think I am a photographer so humor me.