 Sooner or later, we all have to leave Anguilla (except for those lucky few who move here.)
But once you have returned to reality, there's no need to "leave home without Anguilla."
My Dad doesn't.
He may be taking his beaten-up carry-on to a weekend
trip to seaside Nova Scotia (left).
Or just grabbing the car keys
(opens small new window) to drive to
the corner store for milk.
Whatever he's doing, he gets that tranquility wrapped in blue feeling...
all over again.
Where did I get the idea for this keychain? I found the Anguilla flag (opens small new window) while
surfing the Net one day. The emblem struck me -- three dolphins in a kind of "circular leap" over the turquoise blue sea.
My Dad has a friend who owns a cutting edge pewter molding company. We worked
with his artist -- I wanted a really quality piece, something that my
Dad (who is very, very picky) would love to hold in his hand, would
love to look at.
The idea unfolded quickly...
We all love keychains. They feel good to hold, and they kind of symbolize what's
important to you.
And my Dad sure does enjoy his AXA hat (opens small new window). That AXA is a kind of internal code for "Anguilla-lovers."
Finally, we are all totally mesmerized by the sublime turquoise Caribbean that literally wraps tranquility in blue.
And that brings me back to Anguilla's coat of arms and their flags. I did research on the three-dolphin ensign.
In 1967, Anguilla seceded from
a forced union with St. Kitts and Nevis. They adopted a white flag with three
dolphins (standing for friendship, wisdom and strength). They are in a circle for continuity. That first "unofficial-official" flag (opens small new window) had a white background, symbolizing peace and tranquility, with a turquoise-blue base representing the surrounding sea.
That flag remained Anguilla's "unofficial-official" flag until 1990. Then the British governor at the time (Mr. Brian Canty) suggested a new flag, one that combines the navy and Union Jack of Britain with the three-dolphin emblem, symbolizing the affiliation to Britain.
I love those three dolphins the most. So we decided that this
would be the basis for the keychain.
After my first effort at this, I can tell you that developing a new product
is not easy. Whenever I shop now, I think about the effort that must have
gone into developing those goods.
What you see here is a detailed view of the final keychain (opens small new window). But we must have made 10 prototypes. In the end, my
Anguilla keychain incorporates the turquoise, the AXA, the dolphins and the
badge-shape of the emblem. And the other side?
No, it's not flat like most keychains. It's exactly the same!
I'm really proud of what we've created. I hope you enjoy it.
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