The British Virgin Islands; Only a hop, skip and jump away. Well, more like a sea flight, a ferry ride, then some more ferry rides. After almost 6 years living in the US Virgin Islands, we finally made it over to our neighboring islands, the British Virgin Islands. You’d think it would be an easy trek, seeing as how the BVI are only about 52 miles from St. Croix. However, island hopping from here isn’t an easy task. With a lack of flights and limited ferry service, as well as Covid-19 restrictions for entering and leaving, getting to the BVI was a challenge, but definitely worth it for the adventure!
Continue reading “So Close, Yet So Far Away”
What a year 2020 is shaping up to be! I started off this year with positivity and excitement; big plans for the year ahead. Now it feels like I’ve been wasting away these past 2 months, stuck in the stay at home, shelter in place, nothing is open, social distancing thing as the rest of the world. But if I have to be stuck at home, at least it’s a beautiful tropical island home.
I haven’t been writing for a while. I haven’t wanted to. A lot has changed since my last post. We grew up, got real jobs, moved around the island a few times, bought a new car, and purchased an island home. There’s been some fun adventures, as well as a few bumps along the way. And while I have nothing to complain about, all of the ongoing drama from the hurricanes and recovery efforts, along with the humdrum of everyday life, has left me feeling depressed, unmotivated, and unwilling to share our stories over the past year and a half. Until today, when I found inspiration in an unlikely place, under the guinep tree.
Winter is, by far, the best time of year in St. Croix. The Christmas winds pick up from mid-December to February, adding a cool breeze and making the climate on island perfect. The winter season also seems to be linked to an increase in honey bee activity. I’ve managed to make it thirtysome years without a bee sting, but I got stung twice in the past few weeks. Ouch! Continue reading “Cool Breeze & Honey Bees”
Hurricanes Irma and Maria left me unemployed for a few months, but Jolly Mon is finally back on the water! And with some fancy new upgrades, like new red trampolines and a fresh new paint job, along with some much needed repairs, she’s ready to start sailing again! Continue reading “New Year, New Adventures”
It’s hard to believe that the holidays have come and gone and the new year is upon us. It hardly feels like Christmas, with all of the focus on the island’s recovery after the hurricanes that destroyed so much of the territory. Many of the island’s traditional holiday celebrations were cancelled this year, like the gala at the botanical garden and the Christmas boat parade. Hopefully the recovery efforts will bring back some normalcy in the new year. Continue reading “Island Holiday”
Fifty-six days and counting without power on the island. For some it’s been out even longer, since Irma. But even without power, there’s been no shortage of entertainment at our house with our 2 new additions, Ginger and Lola. Continue reading “Double Trouble”
Turns out, hurricanes make people crazy. It has definitely been every man for himself on the island lately. I’m learning that I can’t trust anyone here, even people who we thought were our friends, and that includes our landlord. As if going through 2 back-to-back, Category 5 hurricanes wasn’t stressful enough, we had to move out of the beautiful house that we just moved in to because our landlord turned crazy. Continue reading “People Are Crazy”
