Sunday, July 5

A Trip to the British Virgin Islands

Part 1:
Regretfully, did not get to go to see the parade yesterday at Carnival. I'm sad and upset that I missed the commotion and excitement surrounding the past two weeks of drama downtown. I did see awesome photographs of the floats and folks walking around town during the events. I'm not a big fan of large crowds and riotous levels of blocked roadways, so on the whole, I think I had a pretty fantastic day despite missing the parade.

Got up and headed for Keith's to meet with the crew for a breakfast at Lucy's in Coral Bay. From there, we'll meet Peter around noon and head for the British Virgin Islands. I've packed up my snorkel gear and swimsuit, plus a few hours worth of snacks to keep me satiated during the day. I can't wait to see some more beautiful beaches and more amazing underwater scenery!

Part 2:
Breakfast/Brunch at Miss Lucy's in Coral Bay was fantastic. I had heard that it's not the place to go for an in-and-out quick meal. It's a slower-paced, enjoyable, brunch. Live jazz musicians played some tunes and small chickens clucked around as we found a free table and pondered how to start the day. Bloody Mary, Screwdrivers, these types of things. I started with more coffee. Menus came somewhere between me staring in amazement at the beautiful sea grape trees and staring into the turquoise bay water a dozen feet away. I got the eggs florentine, which is served on an english muffin, poached eggs, spinach souffle, hollandaise, with sides of home fries and a fresh fruit salad. Darn good breakfast for somewhere around $11. That's a good deal here. I'd say don't come to Miss Lucy's Brunch unless you're cool with a 2 hour meal event. It's worth every minute. While we waited for our food, we took notice of a poor Trunk Fish swimming on its side near the shorebreak. At first there was much deliberation on whether it was a turtle or a baby chicken. We walked toward the water for a closer look and confirmed it was a baby fish, not doing so well. I'm not sure how the fish landed in its situation, but not being an aquavet, I decided to let nature do its business and leave the fish alone. If you're in St. John, brunch at Miss Lucy's is a great idea, especially on Sunday.

After brunch, we returned to Keith's and prepared for a day on Peter's boat. A small squall hit us just as we walked out onto the beach. The intense downpour soaked me and my things entirely. Thank god I'd put all my important things in a dry bag. My towel happily absorbed every drop of rain possible. My snack bag also soaked up the fresh rain. These things happen. I dried and wrung out what I could and went on with the day.

And what a full throttle day it was! Keith often says, “Peter knows two speeds, Fast and Faster.” It's true. We hauled on over to Norman Island and set up at Willy-T for several hours, enjoying good music, tasty beverages, and some stormy clouds. A few squalls passed over while we sipped and/or gulped our libations aboard the William Thornton, BVI. What a neat bar! It's a sailboat with a floating dock attached and aboard, two levels of bar awesomeness. I enjoyed my first can of Amstel Light ever... I didn't know they made a can version! I enjoyed counting the seconds between thunder and lightning and guessing how far away the storm was at any given point. I tried to video the lightning going from cloud to ground/water, but only captured the booming stereo behind me and the scene of dark clouds on the horizon. Apparently, the frame rate of my video function is too slow to capture things like lightning.

After an enjoyable afternoon at Willy-T, we set powered over to Jost Van Dyke and dropped anchor. No dry entry to the bar possible. We jumped in the water and SWAM to the Soggy Dollar. The bar is a bit of a must-see, must-do, must-drink kind of stop if you're in the Caribbean. Folks come in from all around and make a stop there for at least a few drinks, if not a few drinks, a few times. I had my first real Painkiller and it was tasty. It's a rum drink and it's mostly pineapple juicy tasting. They sprinkle a good deal of fresh nutmeg right over the top and shake it up before handing you your cup. Although I'd classify it under the fruity-type drinks, it's no margarita and it's got a good punch, at least they do here. I got a t-shirt, of course. It was paid for with nothing other than a sopping wet, soggy $20 bill. I'm going to wear my happy new shirt tomorrow, since I'm one of those people that really likes to use things right away after buying the item.

Right now, there are booming rumbles of thunder and sparks of lightning alternating much quicker than the storms in the BVI earlier today. I welcome the rain and can appreciate having a full cistern. It's nice to know we're not in fear of running out of water with the next shower or hand-washing, or glass full of water. The rain also can bring a cool breeze and refreshing bits of air. Hopefully it does not scare the creepy and crawling critters into our house. I haven't had too much rain here on St. John since I've arrived. I'm anxious to see how road conditions change in light of the increased slipperyness and possible mud spreadage.