Livin' The Dream

If I wasn't' getting so caught up in "livin' the dream" down here in St. John's, at least temporarily, I might feel more energetic about writing posts.  

That laid back feeling has definitely hit me.  Before I turn into a full-fledged lotus-eater, I'd better make an effort to post at least a few photographs.

Here is Lavender Hill; our apartment is the one facing you directly in the middle, with the wrap around balcony. 

   

Here is the view from the boy's bedroom, on the second floor.  They have their own private little patio/balcony way up there, constructed in a way that makes it very safe for unsupervised children and also quite private, should one want to stand out there without any underwear on, which someone did (not me; not yet, anyway).  

You can see how mountainous the island is.  Have I told you that the roads are very steep and very curvy?  They are. Ben drove the whole island yesterday to take us all the way to the other side to snorkel and swim in Salt Pond.  Today I drove to Maho Bay, which is much closer.  To get there you have to go up the steepest hill I've ever seen, maybe about as steep as those San Francisco hills, but in addition to being steep, throw in a couple of blind curves.  Brave Robbie sat in the front seat and listened to me talk myself through it!  

I haven't taken my camera with me to the bays we've snorkeled at.  But you can imagine the scene:  think of the whitest sand, the calmest bay, a few people (what we Marylanders think of as "uncrowded" and what V.I. locals say is "so crowded; not like the old days"), some palm trees, some other interesting plants, an amazingly blue sky with some big white clouds, and you've got it.   Not so imaginative?  Okay, well here's a few pictures to help you.

This is Frank's Bay, right around the corner from us.  Too rocky, not big enough,  and those are rain clouds, but you get the general idea.   

Here's a cool plant; don't know what it's called.  Cool plants are everywhere.  Often under them are chickens and roosters, and sometimes donkeys.  There were two donkeys are Maho Bay today, which was pretty neat, especially when one decided to lay down in the sand and take a nap!

And there are fun buildings all over.  This is an artist's house and studio at Frank's Bay.  Blue and yellow are definitely the preferred colors.    

But like all paradises, a little trouble sometimes sneaks in. It keeps raining off and on. Yesterday it rained solid for two hours.  When it broke we headed right out to Salt Pond and were lucky that the next rainstorm held off until we came back hours later. 

 And walking in town requires a bit more concentration then usual what with the narrow sidewalks, the big jeeps, and the novice "drive on the left" drivers.  We had a big scare when Paul took a tumble off the sidewalk, luckily falling off a sharp drop and not into the heavy traffic.  But the sharp drop half-scared Ben to death.  He was walking behind Paul and saw him fall  over and held his breath until the fence caught him.  No gashes, no sprains, no blood....that's Paradise for you. 

Last I checked tomorrow is forecasted to be a good beach day, like today.  We plan to get up early and arrive at the famous Trunk Bay by 8:30 a.m.  We haven't found a place to park there for the past two days, so we're going to really try to beat the crowds.  But if we sleep in too late (who, us?) we're going to take one of the many taxis out there we can experience what is said to be the best snorkeling on the island.