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This photographic journey was created by author and photographer Jackson as a way to hold, cherish, and share memories of wonderful sunny days and nights in the Caribbean. It opens appropriately with a Jamaican sunrise over the water in pale pinks and mauves. In Freeport, Bahamas, we see colorful vendors in tiny, homelike kiosks, contrasted with grand colonial architecture meant for the wealthy, including Richard Harris, who, Jackson points out, once lived in a sprawling manse by the water. Expansive glass murals onboard a cruise ship contrast with simple but friendly panoramas painted on the walls of a hotel. Swimming pools next to the ocean, birds, cabanas, flowers, and palms add to the sensation of a dream vacation come true.
Jackson avows a love for photography, inviting us to imagine him behind the camera, waiting to see how his next picture will turn out. Apart from the opening lines quoted above, and the simple titles of the pictures, Jackson’s book contains only this prose: “The real beauty of things has to be done in person.” He clearly has an artist’s eye not only for nature’s gifting of flowering shrubs and reeds shooting out of the water but also for oddities: a dense mass of termites on a tree looking like a black fur coat, a pale gator lurking menacingly just under the water’s surface, and a pleasant gazebo built with a massive overhanging tree seemingly sprouting through its roof. One hotel vista taken from above shows a clear and inviting indoor pool bordered by columns and stonework that may prompt armchair travelers to pack up and book their own Caribbean journey. Those who have tried to take vacation photos and come home with little to show for it will envy Jackson for his determination, artistry, and familiarity with the camera.