In Everyone's Life, Some Rain Must Fall

New diggs - HOORAY

We are in our new permanent temporary home for the next 6 months (at least).

Haven't done a picture tour yet, because the weather sucks.  Doesn't seem fair to me that Jackie only gets two days a week off, and then it rains on BOTH of those days.

But, here's what it looks like when it rains in paradise (out our NEW Deck... Imagine the view in nice weather)

6 AM (the view was the same the night before)

8 AM (the view is going to be the same all day)

But the good news, the day before, we went exploring and found a great new hangout for us...

Duffy's Love Shack, Red Hook, St Thomas!

Absolutely the best burger we have found on the island... and funky drinks in funky glasses

You will be hearing a lot about Duffy's

Somewhere Over the Rainbow or Charlotte Amalie We Hardly Knew Ye

Today is moving day... From our temporary temp housing in town, to our permanent temp housing on the east end of the island.

I took this rainbow as a good sign, like Charlotte was saying goodbye to her favorite displaced Kansans...

Look close, you can see it... And while you are looking, take a listen to a caribbean take on a classic Kansas song...

Water Island

Water Island is one of the two islands in the middle of the harbor at Charlotte Amalie.  There is a water ferry service...

Visitors to Water Island must take the small Water Island ferry (max. 25 passengers) which operates daily between Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas and Phillips Landing on Water Island. The ferry docks in front of Tickles Restaurant at the marina. Ferry service is reliable and takes about 10 minutes, one way. There is no car ferry.

The above quote is from the Water Islands section of VI NOW website - http://www.vinow.com, which is a terrific website for anyone planning a trip to the islands.

Water Island has a population a dozen people could count on their hands, is quiet and at times feels desolate.  The baches are beautiful and uncrowded.  It is the perfect place to "get away" from it all.  Because you are away!

 The water ferry is a fun trip on it's own... $5 each way, you get a nice view of the boats in the harbor...

 

Tiny sail boats, big cruise ships and multi multi million dollar yachts.

 

Once you land, it is an easy walk to HONEYMOON BEACH!  A beautiful cove setting, popular with private boaters, and a hidden secret from tourists...

 

White sandy beaches, almost no one around and crystal clear blue water.  I didn't have my snorkeling equipment, so I don;t know how the fishies  look, but the beach was among the best I have seen since I arrived.

I found a path on the other side of the beach and walked around a bit...

there were a few really nice houses, but not many

This is their post office...

And lending library... No need to check anything out, just grab a book.

 

But the star of the island (other than the beach) is the wild flowers.

 

  

  

 

Hey, if you don't want to shop in Charlotte Amalie, and don't want to fight the crowds that will always be at Magens Bay (rated one of the top 10 beaches in the world, so always an attraction for the tour buses)...

Hop on the water ferry and give Water Island a shot!

The Top of My World

 

Today's goal... to reach the summit.  If you have been following along, I have walked along the oceanfront to the left and to the right.  I have walked up the hills to the Governor's Mansion and I have walked around the town.  Today, I see if I am getting in shape enough to climb the STEEP STEEP roads up to the summit of the island... To see what's on the other side!

This is the view from about half way up.

Got to see  one of the large cruise ships coming in.

And indeed I made it!

 

Does my ass make my donkey look big???

Fun at the top

They even had a convenient gift shop at the top.  Along with convenient tourists that had taken a bus,

And indeed, a short walk later, I did see what was on the other side...

The North side of the island, including this view of Megen's Bay, one of the top ten beaches in the world.

IGUANAS EVERYWHERE!

Not as easy to see (or hear) as the roosters, but there certainly are a BUNCH of these critters on the island...

 

 This guy was in the grass at FDR park, where Jackie and I have lunch most days.

This one is named IGGY, and is the "mascot" of the hotel we are staying at, "The Green Iguana"

And this guy I saw in the bushes at Bolongo Bay.  We looked each other up and down for a few minutes and then suddenly...

He climbed up the side of the building... it is a three story building, never slipped a bit and made it very fast...

Even islanders were surprised when I told em... Good thing I had my camera.

Nothing to do with Iguanas, but I do know what I like in art!

Snorkeling at Bolongo Bay

This is the beach at Bolongo Bay. Located just a few miles from the town of Charlotte Amalie. Very convenient for Jackie's first weekend of work. The beach has plenty to offer, but for me... Snorkeling was king. We have our own set of fins, mask and snorkel, so it was easy for us just to walk to the beach and splash around a bit. We made 4 trips over the weekend, and saw plenty of colorful tropical fish.

It was not our first snorkeling experiences, but it was among the best. First, we just went out, no organized tour. I liked the freedom. But also what we saw was really cool...

I SAW AN OCTOPUS! No, this is not one of my photos, it came from a "free" photo image collection, but this is exactly what I saw. About as long as my arm, with the big floppy head, It was hiding in the sand, and difficult to see, but it was there. First I ever saw.

We also saw a sea turtle. Again, not my photo (Camera is not waterproof). But this is what we saw, and he was very big. At least as broad as my shoulders.

And, of course lots of little colorful fish, including a puffer fish that grew as we got close.

The beach is a place we will return to often. Convenient, low key, sparsely populated and GREAT SNORKELING!!!

Scenery out our Deck - Bolongo Bay

After 5 days in town, Jackie working everyday, she finally got a weekend off.

So, we checkout out of our city home (hotel) and moved to our beach house (hotel)

This is what we saw from our balcony

Had to keep up on my reading

Full moon, best I could do, the boat wasn't really orange, but cheap camera, I was pretty impressed that I got anything resembling a water scene at night

Iggie's is a pretty well known beach bar and grill, and just next to our room. Cheap drinks and live music nightly!