Sunday, August 30

Just a Few Moments Remain

More laundry and a big mug of coffee let the morning turn into early afternoon, as I sat working on reviewing part of a grant proposal that Hannah (my awesome cousin) is using to apply for a Fulbright Fellowship. I really hope she is able to pursue her dreams in medicinal chemistry, especially if that means she gets to go abroad. In addition, I'd love to visit her while she studies abroad! It was great to whip out the red pen of track changes and hopefully provide some valuable input that will improve the proposal.

The days go by quickly here on the island. This weekend enters me into a countdown with less than 12 days on the island. To be more specific,11 Days, 1 Hours, 56 Minutes, 0 Seconds (last time I checked). In the realization that I'm returning to Virginia quite soon, I've gone ahead and started getting together information about where I can host book signings and create entries for upcoming deadlines on writing competitions. I have a handful of short stories I could polish into entries and more ideas that could blossom into entries. I'm now in need of a few good friends to review these stories and let me know what they think- so if you have a few spare moments in your day, let me know!

Off I go to see what I can create in the way of short story magic.

Update:

A trip to the beach is in order! Just after 1pm, the sun is not quite as bright and my skin is screaming, give me sun! I grabbed my suit, a book, a towel, snacks, water, and sunblock and off I went! I first stopped at Jumbie beach, since I have not been there yet. I know why- it's a good place to go if you would like to say you've been to every beach on the island. Otherwise, skip it. I went on to Trunk Bay and enjoyed the sugary white sand, a beautiful clear day, and soothing hot rays from the sun. No burn after 90 minutes without sunblock between 2pm and 3:30pm, except for the spf 30 I put on my face and neck. Nice. After a few hours out of the sun, I'm burn free and happy to be slightly more tan.

I caught up my dive log with my dive computer and I'm happy to report that since arriving in St. John, I've added 17 Dives to my logbook. Not bad!

I have some spelling errors I've recently uncovered in the blog. My apologies. I'd correct the spelling mistakes but it would make the chronology of posts all kinds of messed up, so I'm going to just make a blanket statement...if there's a spelling error, my apologies. I'm using open office for writing before I copy and paste my posts. Often times, I've found the spell checker to be less than satisfactory, so I just ignore the program's red squiggly underlines in general.

Another random note, I bought a case of Island Pure water from the market last night. I was hoping a few jugs of filtered and purified water might be a little treat for quenching my thirst. Nay, the water seems to have a dusty aftertaste. It's almost like when you leave rainwater in a barrel for two years, then chill it...that's the taste I'm sensing. It's rather unappetizing and I've never tasted it before with this brand of water... I wonder if it's a bad batch. I hope I'm not clogging my body with weird chemicals or minerals. Compared to this stuff, I prefer the taste of the cistern.

Saturday, August 29

Lazy Saturday

After hydrating with more than a few gulps of water, I spent the morning watching movies. The queue included Shoot 'Em Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Good stuff!

The rest of the day was spent lazily enough, catching up on sleep, doing some reading, rinsing off my SCUBA gear, and doing laundry.

Friday, August 28

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!

8:00AM. I'd say on the dot, but I mean on the dock. The dock is really a beach. I love working at the shop. Around 6:30AM I got a text letting me know I'd be on the Hey Now. Woohoo!

Aboard the Hey Now, we shuttled off to two beautiful reefs, nestled in crystal clear blue waters. First, we pulled into Congo Cay. I love diving at Congo. We dropped down, swam along the sand, crossed over some low profile reef, and then swam around the end of the cay. Of course, I helped my divers see as much underwater scenery as possible, including arrowhead crab, some beautiful file fish, parrot fish, and conch, peeking all the way out of their shells. Dropping over the crest of a reef, swimming past a pinnacle reaching to the surface, then swimming farther along the reef, it's heaven. At one point, I looked towards the surface and thought for a moment I must be just a few inches from the surface, but after thinking for a second, I realized it was a school of small fish, undulating with the surf, switching directions rapidly enough, or letting the sunlight reflect on their scales loudly enough, it made the impression of looking just like the surface. Beautiful. I swam on, leading a group of four divers through an underwater paradise.

It's a good day at the office when you can poke your head into ledges and holes and find neat things to point out to your divers. I let a few divers hold an arrowhead crab and the sand dollar. Fortunately, it wasn't alive any longer, otherwise I would have let it stay on the bottom. During the second dive, at Stephen's Cay, I've realized that ledge reefs lend themselves to inflicting a higher level of danger upon my person than any other type of reef. I managed to brush against fire coral, either directly on the reef or some that was floating through the water. Ouch! Along the second dive I came across reef squid, six-keyhold sand dollars, isopod on a squirrelfish, plenty of flamingo tongue, and jawfish popping out of their holes along the sandy bottom.

Back at the shop and after wrapping up the day I picked up a few new t-shirts from Low Key Watersports! I love the feel of super soft fabric for a shirt. After work, with a little bit of the tips I just earned, I indulged in a delicious cheeseburger at Woody's Seafood Saloon. Wow. I don't know if it is because I was so hungry or if it was just pure culinary genius, that was a great tasting cheeseburger. If you are in town and can stop at Woody's, try the Mahi sandwich AND the cheeseburger. That's at least two stops. Also, I keep hearing stories about the mythical food at Shela's. She has some dishes there that are crowd-drawing. I haven't had real mac n' cheese for a while... not unless you're counting something that came out of a box... so I'm interested to try hers, soon. I'm aiming for sometime on Tuesday or maybe when Mom is here, to try out her massive portions of spoon-filling awesomeness. I think if Mom and I just get one order, we'll both be more than full when we're done clearing the plate. I also keep hearing and have on my radar to get a smoothie, soon, from the smoothie place right in the middle of downtown Cruz Bay. The yellow walled building makes the freshest smoothies with only fresh fruits, no extra weirdo additives. There are still so many places on the island to explore before I must leave. I'm anxious to try the smoothies, Shela's, Candy's, and more Pate, since I won't get the chance to have any for a while.

Since at least yesterday evening, I have been thinking I would be enjoying something along the lines of a Lime & Coconut by noontime today. I've been craving one lately, almost the way someone might crave a Frosty to go with their cheeseburger. I love lime, and I love key lime pie...and this drink, it tastes almost like a blended Key Lime Pie. The bushwhackers are pretty decent as well. Thus, not long after finishing the day, I headed off to AquaBistro to enjoy one such libation- a bushwhacker. It's not a bad thing when the bartender makes a little too much and hands you two glasses instead of one. It catches up to you quick, though. As with most drinks, each bar does it their way. Here at the Aquabistro, they blend it up with light rum, dark rum, vodka, Baileys, Kahlua, amaretto, crème di cooca, and ice. It's then thrown into a cup lined with chocolate sauce, finished with a cherry or two, and sometimes, if you're lucky, whipped cream.

The night wore on and the fun seemed to be in full supply. The bartender joined us after his shift was over for a few shots of liquid cocaine, which really amounts to a 50/50 mix of Jagermeister and Peppermint Schnapps. It's a table-slapping kind of drink, for me, since I don't really enjoy anything flavored like licorice. However, I was thankful for the gesture of kindness from the bar.

Thursday, August 27

An Unusual Sort of Thursday

Started out the day simply enough. After a morning tailgate session and fetching my morning cup of coffee, I prepared to process the hundreds of photos I've taken during recent risk assessments. I was interrupted (the good kind of interruption) with an invitation to go into the field and provide assistance with a wildlife issue near the Brown Bay Trail. I was just on that trail yesterday! We took the boat out this time and dispatched the stinking goat that was far too close to the trail for people to be able to walk past and enjoy the hike. After some dirty work, we took some time to snorkel around Brown Bay. During the dispatching of the goat, we noticed there was quite a large deposit of conch shells...of sizes that were nowhere near legal and in proportions that are considered commercial. Are there even any more conch left in the water? The answer is a very almost no. After about 45 minutes of snorkeling in a bay that is typically covered in conch, I saw not more than a dozen or so. Very troubling.

The boat ride, wildlife excursion, and brief conch count finished just in time for our tummies to welcome lunch. I love my chicken parmigiana delight. It truly is tasty.

I think I may go into town tonight and enjoy a beer or two, or perhaps just a cola, and do some writing, or at least, catch up on this blog! I'm going to take tomorrow off from work and make sure I'm enjoying the island to the fullest, before I have to head home. I'm in more than great shape with the internship and getting my main tasks completed. I'm thinking I'm quite ahead of the ball game and I hope to finish my final report with good news of fantastic successes and accomplishments that have helped the park improve it's overall safety operations.

Update:
There was no trip downtown, as much as I was salivating for a Lime & Coconut at The Beach Bar. I did however, find out I will be on the boat tomorrow!!! Yippeeeee!!! I'm very excited to get on the boat and do some diving. I think my gills have dried out for far too long. I'm also excited to pick out a t-shirt or two from the shop. I do have a small addiction to t-shirts, what can I say! With permission to have tomorrow as a bit of a lieu day, I'm stoked for hitting the waves and making some bubbles. Maybe after I get off the boat I can enjoy a tasty drink after rinsing off the saltwater and finishing my duties at the shop.

In other news, I calculated what I was spending at the grocery for coffee and creamer. For just around $2/day (give or take a few cents), I can have coffee that I brew at home. At the Deli Grotto, for $2, I can get a large coffee. I think it's actually a better deal to get my morning coffee at the Deli Grotto! How does that make any sense!?! But there's more... I am not all that shocked. I think I will finish whatever coffee I have left in the pantry and fridge and move on to enjoying the deliciousness available at the deli. An added bonus: I can still use my travel mug if I'm going to stay keen on saving a few paper cups.

Wednesday, August 26

Time Flies

Presents! For everyone! A Hike!

Lauran's Birthday is today! She's a cool gal and I was happy to drop off her wonderful card this morning as I passed through the office. I hope she comes in today!

Debacle. Brown Bay Trail to Johnny Horn Trail plans dissolved into Cinnamon Bay Camp Assessment followed by Water's Edge Walk, to be followed by other assessments. Then, ranger Dave magically appeared at the right place, right time, near Annaberg, and we set off to do the Brown Bay Trail, to Johnny Horn Trail, to Leinster Bay Trail. We parked one car at Hermitage and left another at Annaberg, making for an easier one-way hike.

3.5 hours, about as many miles and a few liters later, I have a ton of amazing photographs, memories of beautiful views, a greater awareness of hazards along the mentioned trails, and an appreciation for sun. We had our hike during the hottest part of the day, between 10:30am and 2pm. I was of course back at the office right around 3pm. Good day.

Stopped in Coral Bay on the way home and picked up some items for friends. A few t-shirts, some stickers, and a koozie. Then, I got home and tried to switch gears quickly into enjoying the afternoon. I zonked out and instead of “resting my head for just a moment” I took an hour nap. I got up and dusted myself off, washed out the crusty salt, and set off for town. I'm not on the boat tomorrow, but I did get to say hi to several folks at the shop, who were amidst preparations for a night dive. How cool. I love night diving. I do not, however, like swarming box jellies that are attracted to light.

After stopping for a hello with Slim at his parking lot across from Wharfside, I entered the Turquoise Turtle to get a special gift for someone back home. There are many shops and many stores on the island, but only a few have items I've really come to fancy. Today's little shopping spree was a bit extravagant, but necessary. I am looking forward to sharing some of the island with people I love and care about back home. I'd gush about what I got, but it's a surprise for Becca's Birthday! She may read the blog and then the surprise would be ruined, so I'll just say for now, it's a very cool item that I am most sure she will greatly enjoy.

Lauran's Birthday Celebration was a fantastic way to enjoy a good friend having a fantastic day. She got to go on the boat, snorkel, swim... it was basically one of the best days ever. Today was very clear out, with little or no haze, making the snorkeling today likely quite amazing. When I was atop some ruins by Leinster, I could see clear down into the water, to see where the reefs were located and where the sand met the reef, rocks, shore, or deeper waters. It's a nice commodity...sunshine.

At The Tap Room, we all joined together and raised a glass for Lauran. After the drinks at The Tap Room, we set off for Woody's for sandwiches, burgers, fries, and more tasty beverages. I made the switch to water and began the happy wait for a tasty mahi sandwich.

While at The Tap Room, I shared the ginips I found along Johnny Horn Trail with Meika, her friend, and her newly arrived sister.

Trying a new style this time with the post. It's a bit more abbreviated, far less grammatically correct, but whippier and snappier. I will most likely return to my long-winded orations of blogness with the next post.

Tuesday, August 25

Tuesday's Gone

Mom is going sailing when she's here. It's not completely a sealed deal, but I know being on a sailboat will make her trip ten thousand times better than it would otherwise. I'll also have a rental car when she's here...hopefully riding along with me, while I drive on the left, won't surprise her too much! I found a great deal with Thomas, at Hospitality Car Rental. Based on my interactions with him so far, I would definitely recommend his outfit to anybody visiting St. John that could benefit from the use of a rental car. He is very friendly and exudes cheer. We'll have the car the 7th-9th, which should be more than enough time to visit a few of the amazing spots on the island, including where I've lived, my favorite spots, and some great views.

The details of what boat and what captain are not confirmed yet, but I do know we will be going to Jost Van Dyke on Sunday the 6th. There shall be fun and games at Soggy Dollar Bar. A trip to the islands really isn't complete until you've been to Soggy Dollar and/or Willy-T. I find the two places a bit of a novelty but also a slice of heaven. I'm happy to return to soggy dollar for the third time, to enjoy more libations, more ring/hook game fun, and the beautiful sugary white sand beach.

I went swimming at Hawksnest for the evening with some awesome ladies! Meika, Sara, Jenn, and I enjoyed the beach fully as it slipped through dusk and into dark. I found out Meika has not had ginip yet! I'm shocked! It's a tasty native plant dating back to the days of the taino people. Ginips are quite delicious... I've decided I must get some for Meika and share them with her the next time I see her! Likewise, I shall make sure Mom gets to try a ginip or two when she's here, if I can still find some good ones!

I think my night was just about done by the time I got home from the beach, with just enough energy left to read some more of the book I've been working on (as a reader), Death in Grand Canyon. It really is something else to read about deaths in one of the world's greatest wonders, a place that we all know to be dangerous. I am most shocked about just how many people think they can get through 120 degree heat with just 2 Liters of water a day. I can easily drink 4 liters in 2 hours on the island, and it's 90, humid, and nowhere near that hot. It's astounding!

Plans for mom to arrive on the island are pretty well firmed up at this point. I'm going to be very glad to show her around!

Monday, August 24

Wind-down

There's no need for two-weeks' notice, but I definitely have just that long before the internship is complete. I'm happy about what I have accomplished during my 12 weeks and am planning out a few activities for the next intern, so the torch can be passed from me to them.

Work day went per usual, 7AM-4PM. I have a shorter list of things to do, but plenty to fill the next two weeks.

Came home with the intention of going on a nice run. The skies looked angry and my Ultimate Direction water bottle died on me. I went to squeeze out a mouthful of delicious h20 and was blasted in the shirt with a shower. The kicker valve has come loose, a result of dropping the bottle on its lid too many times. The lid is garbage. The bottle part can still be used with spare lids I've got at home. I turned around and went to the house to get another bottle so I could at least run with some means of hydration. The humidity felt somewhere in the 80-90% range, with sweat forming just from standing outside. It's hot out there. I scanned the skies and saw thunderous, dark, and bleak clouds. I don't want to get stuck 2 miles from the car in a downpour.

I resigned to do no crazy-running exercise today. I instead switched gears and caught up on some tasks I've been delaying for quite some time. I have now finished FEMA ICS Training and reciprocity paperwork to get my VA EMT-B certification card. I sent out an e-mail to my contact with the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department. I'm excited to start riding with the team.

Sunday, August 23

Relax and Sunbathing

Yesterday:
After the Deli Grotto, I stopped at the Dive Shop to see if I'm on the boat tomorrow. Results: not on the boat tomorrow. I did bump into Keith and Breslin at The Beach Bar and stuck around for their quick bite-and-run. Breslin has a significant movie collection so I ventured over to their place to watch something I haven't seen before and enjoy their company. We ended up watching The Edge, with Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. The movie is on the older side and I enjoyed it- I'd definitely recommend it for a rainy day when you've got a chance to swing by Blockbuster or your local movie rental place.

Today:
Beach Day! I know most people will not feel any kind of sympathy for me when I say what I'm about to say. We had a day of sort of not nice weather. It was a funk for St. John, the skies were cloudy, the horizon hazy, the water cool, the seas rougher than usual, and the shorebreak more intense, with shorter periods. I think the beach at Cinnamon by Keith's is significantly transformed in its physical appearance, particularly after we had Bill get sort of close to our shores. I was hoping to bask in the sun, get unbearably hot, then dip in the ocean for a snorkel around cinnamon cay, maybe a paddle, and then finish the day with a run around Lind Point. My plans were foiled by icky weather. It's just not as fun to romp around the beach and ocean when its cloudy and gross-looking. The water was still just as blue and transparent, although the hue was not as vibrant as usual.

While playing around in the waves, I did gather together a small handful of beach glass. Whoopee! I have added it to my cocktail glass I've been keeping on my dresser. It's a good collection and I'm eager to show Mom just how much I've scavenged.

Between stints at the beach, I caught most of the movie, I think the title is Falcon and The Snowman. It's an interesting film from the 80's with Sean Penn, with two young guys selling secrets to the Russians during the 70's. It's always interesting to watch movies from the cold war era, with stories of espionage, spy games, and the like.

The day could not be fun in its entirety...the laundry pile has caught up with me! I headed home to spin a few loads through the washer, plot out how I could get something tasty for dinner from the ingredients in the fridge. My best bet was a trip to the grocery. I formulated a plan with Michael, our new temporary roommate (long story...), and decided I could use my penne pasta with some new jars of spaghetti sauce and chicken tenders, to make mini chicken parmigiana. The new dish was born shortly thereafter.... Chicken Parmigiana Delight. While at the grocery, I found a most extraordinary deal... a dozen large brown eggs for $1.00!!!! Last time I got eggs, it was $5 for a dozen. I happily got a carton and started thinking about making a tasty egg salad once my leftovers from the pasta dish are gone. I got some silly little chicken fritter things...I think the Any'tizers line from TGIFriday's from the freezer section. They're not too bad, albeit quite bready. Interestingly, the breading doesn't seem to be in the ingredients... maybe I just read the package incorrectly. At any rate, the little round chicken bread balls were perfect. I stirred them into the heated spaghetti sauce, cooked penne pasta, sprinkled on some romano/parmesean cheese, and dug in. It was fantastic! Mmmm!

I will look forward to having good tasting meals for lunch/dinner the next few days. I've also got awesome hard broiled eggs for breakfast and snacks. In light of my training for the Army Ten Miler getting ramped up, the extra protein will be a fantastic item to have in the fridge. I'm thinking tomorrow I may go for 6 miles, if the weather is right.

Internship:
449.5 Hours worked so far for the internship. I'm more than okay for meeting the 450 hour minimum requirement. I've got two more full weeks of work! My last day with the park is supposed to be September 4th. Mom gets here the 5th and we both go home the 10th. Despite my best efforts to formulate a plan to keep myself on the island and with a roof over my head, I do believe I will be booted out on the 10th.

A lot of folks have been asking me what my plans are after the internship. I can't help but feel myself think of a thousand answers. I have made it quite clear that I'd love to work for the park, stay on the island, etc. I'd love to work for the park, even if it's back in the states. I the park doesn't work out, I'm happy to be at Sportrock, instructing rock climbing and reestablishing badass status as soon as possible. I'd also be quite excited to continue my plans to take White Vacation from town to town, with more signings. Finishing the next book is also on the top of my list. There's no lack of things to do. When I'm back, there's also the beginning of my volunteering for the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department. I can't wait to get on a call and ride in the ambulance. I've tried my best to keep my skills sharp, work on my CEU's, and stay abreast of any changes that seem to be happening in the emergency medicine world. I love emergency medicine. I do definitely feel like the next book may need to incorporate some aspects of my wilderness medicine trainings and experiences. There will also be a lot of St. John sprinkled into the setting, whether it takes place here in the Caribbean or elsewhere (somewhere fictitious)

Saturday, August 22

Lameshur, Yawzi, Europa!

I got up early. When there is hiking on the itinerary, I seem to bounce out of bed so much more easily. In this climate, hiking early in the day, finishing before 10am, is generally a good idea. I hope to finish by around noon, or 1pm.

I saw my first stoplight on St. John. Boy, times are a changin'. Fortunately, the lights are only temporary, due to a construction project for a roundabout in the middle of town. In the past 3 months, it is the first time I've been driving and encountered a traffic light. I had visions of the 12+ lights common in the intersections around northern Virginia. Based on square footage alone, the island will never be in danger of such massive intersections, thankfully.

Michael and I headed across the island and then down from Coral Bay to Lameshur. We parked in Lameshur. I took some time to walk around the ruins at Lameshur and conduct a full site assessment. I love the views from Lameshur. I'd have to admit, it's one of my favorite views on the island, second to Ram Head.

The day's hiking started with Lameshur Bay Trail. We followed the trail uphill and to the intersection with Reef Bay Trail and Reef Bay Great House. After Lameshur Bay Trail, we went on the Europa Bay trail, and then the Yawzi Point trail. Both Yawzi and Europa are very short. All trails led us to phenomenal spots.

Walking on coral pebble beaches is a wonderful and melodic experience. The coral crunches beneath your feet, almost like stirring a trashcan full of glass bottles. The chinks and tinks of coral pieces grinding together is truly a unique sound to the islands. Also of interest, there are some great spots for bouldering along Lameshur, Yawzi, and Europa, if you don't mind lugging the bouldering pad around on island trails. I would love to scale the rough rocks by Europa Bay, where a fall would land you in a small gut with water that's about 2 feet deep, littered with corals. Getting scratched up is guaranteed.

The first thing I love to do after a 3+ mile hike in the island heat usually involves beer and a burger. Today it was a soda and Gyro, at AquaBistro. Wow! If your'e on island, the gyro is a surefire way to have a tasty lunch. It's simple, but yummy.

After refueling, I went on back to Cruz Bay. I stopped at home long enough to grab my laptop and then headed to the Deli Grotto. A cool place with AC is not a bad idea on a day like today. Despite the cool breeze at AquaBistro earlier, I did get a pounding headache from the heavy air lurking on the horizon. I think we are fixing to have another significant dust event. I got a bottle of Blackbeard Ale at the Deli. My first of this particular Ale. It's quite tasty. A little bit chocolatey, somewhat sweet, and still an Ale. It is a little bit different from other brews I've tasted, and despite it's being from the Virgin Islands Brewing Co, it's made in Cold Spring, MN. Of course!

At the Deli Grotto, I caught up with some writing for the blog and also delved in to the novel again. I like the new idea I've developed, but I know it will take a lot of time, energy, and soul. There will likely be much sweat and blood infused into the story. I hope I can recharge my batteries long enough to spill out wondrous pages and satisfying fiction.

What's in the news? It's Kim's Birthday today! Happy Birthday to Kim!

Friday, August 21

The Office

Do you ever have a day where time just seems to escape? Today could possibly be described as one of those kinds of days. I started out early enough, getting a tailgate session underway, then getting a most delicious breakfast bagel at the Deli Grotto with my morning coffee. Sunshine Day Dream, with bacon, on a plain bagel... it's delicious (egg, cheese, bacon, plan bagel).

I can't really say that it was the most productive day I've ever had, but I got plenty done during my 8 hours. Part of my duties with the internship involve planning for the next intern to come to the park. I helped develop a strategy of visitor safety videos that we could potentially show at the visitor's center. We secured a filmographer and made a request to get the work done by one of the park's partnerships. I love knowing there will be a lasting impact of something I've done. In this case, it's a series of videos that will help educate, inform, and notify visitors about ways to increase their safety and reduce their exposure to risks and hazards.

For lunch and dinner this weekend, Pizza is on the menu. I've picked up two Digorno pizzas from the grocery and am thinking I could eat about half of each for each meal.

After work, I took a nap. It was one of those afternoons where a nap felt very necessary. I woke up sometime around 7pm to realize the night was nearly getting away from me. I cooked up my pizza, caught up on some housekeeping, did some reading, and prepared my things for a hike I'm planning for tomorrow.

Thursday, August 20

Caneel Hill Trail and Ascent

I worked in the office until around noontime, catching up on my to-do list. I keep having people ask me how much longer I'm here, when Mom gets here, and those sorts of questions. They aren't the only ones realizing I'm nearing the end of my internship... I'm amazed that it really is time to bring things to a close on the island.

Mom will be here in roughly 2 weeks... arriving on September 5th. I'm excited to show her as much as I can between the 5th and the 10th, when we both board a plane to return to DC. There is so much to see and do, and I've covered most of it in the blog, so you can see, with what amounts to like 90 pages so far in a word document, I've got plenty of things to fill the days. I think I'll show her at least the following: Ram Head, Aqua Bistro, Surly Cantina, Low Key Watersports, The Beach Bar, Salomon Beach, Trunk Bay, Jost Van Dyke's Soggy Dollar, Cinnamon Bay, Maho Bay (where I used to live), Annaberg, Francis Bay (amazing snorkeling!), Leinster Bay, and Waterlemon Bay. We'll for sure need a rental car or else rely heavily on other means for transportation to see it all. I'm thinking for Jost, we'll spend a day at Soggy Dollar, hopefully either renting a hobie cat, or maybe getting on a ferry or some other vessel that will let us enjoy the atmosphere at Soggy Dollar for as long as possible. If it all possible, it would be awesome to take Mom on the ranger-led Reef Bay Trail Hike, showing her things like Bay Rum, Ginip, Stinky Toe, Monkey-no-climb, Turpentine, Cacao, Elephant-tree, Christmas tree bush, Reef Bay Great House, Petroglyphs, Reef Bay, Dildo cactus, Turks cactus, corals sealed into the walls of ruins, millipedes, soldier crab, and golden orb spiders.

The second half of my work day was a glorious hike across part of the island. Christy dropped me off at the trail head for the Caneel Hill Trail just across from the Caneel Bay Resort entrance. I hiked around 2.4 miles, returning to the maintenance yard in Cruz Bay. The hike was a lot of fun, physically demanding, and it took me just over two and a half hours. I drank 4 Liters of water. Again, it's worth emphasizing that it was about 90 degrees out, almost no wind, between the ours of 12 and 3pm, in not too much shade. I had just the smallest spec of dry fabric in my entire outfit by the time I finished. Along the trail, I really enjoyed the views of the southern parts of the island, which were great from both Margaret Hill and Caneel Hill. I would very much love to have a buddy and a bouldering pad at Margaret Hill, where there is a good spot for some nice bouldering. Unfortunately, the approach is pretty intense, to be carrying a bouldering pad. Not for the weak of heart.

I would imagine I walked through anywhere from 30-40 spider webs today on the trail. There were many that I did not run into, so the number could easily soar into the hundreds. Based on how many I did find scattered onto my legs, face, and arms, I'm thinking the trail hasn't gotten much use in the past few days, making the webs big and sturdy. The golden orb ones are always a treat...nearly stopping you as you walk forward. One of the golden orb spiders I agitated was something like three inches across, including the leg-span. That's a big spider! I was sad to have ruined part of its web, but I know it will re-spin the whole thing again, every day, so all is not lost.

It wasn't until I got back to the office that I realized today is probably one of the hottest days we've had in a long time. I believe it! I felt drenched from just 2.4 miles! Of course, I gained around 2300 feet in elevation during the hike, according to my Garmin Forerunner. There is a link for the hike's GPS data... http://connect.garmin.com/activity/11635679 Let me know if you have any trouble viewing the hike!

I returned from the hike, showered off the layers of crusty and salty sweat, and headed over to Keith's. There, I enjoyed a delicious tuna casserole surprise and got to watch Easy Money with Rodney Dangerfield. Sad to say it took me 26 years to get around to watching it! I love movies from the 80's! That reminds me, I saw One Crazy Summer on iTunes for like $4.99! I'm tempted to get it! It's like that bargain bin at Walmart with very low-priced DVD's- it's hard to pass up!

Wednesday, August 19

Hurricane Bill Schmill

It's Official! Hurricane Bill came nowhere near us, nor will it. We may get some rough chop on the northern shore, but all appears quite calm, when considering a Category 4-ish hurricane is offshore.

I hosted another tailgate session with the maintenance crew. There is never a loss for things to discus when it comes to safety! I added a gadget to my blog that has information about tropical weather conditions from the weather underground.

After work today, I went for a run! Training is totally underway and in no time, I should be ready for the Army Ten Miler come October. I'm excited for October! I've got the Army Ten Miler, Annapolis Sailboat Show, fall, cooler months for outdoor climbing, and plenty of time for some camping and hiking trips along the Appalachian and Shenandoah. I'm stoked!

For my roughly 4 mile run, I weaved through Lind Point, Wharfside Village, toward Gift Hill, near the battery, through Gallows Point, and finished back at the house. It was hot and leg grinding, but amazing and rewarding.

After the long haul, I played in the street with Kyle, which was mostly watching him volley tennis balls up the steep hill, so he could have them roll back down the grade and do it all over again.

Tuesday, August 18

Great Tings!

In the morning, I still felt consumed by exhaustion, which is a feeling I thought I had left at home. For the longest time, I thought the deep sense of fatigue must be related to hydration, nutrition, location, happiness, etc. Those factors probably do impact how tired, exhausted, fatigued a person might feel, but writing, it is the kind of work you can pour yourself into, forgetting to breathe and blink if you're not careful. I can go for hours without eating or drinking, if I've been writing (read: possible dehydration?). Anyway, I'm rambling. The writing felt wonderful, no matter how much it sapped me of my energy. It quenched my need to express myself and nourish my creative being. I'm now to the point that according to Franz Kafka, must be reached, the point at which you cannot turn back. The new story is on my mind during the day and I'm delighted to sprinkle the new ideas as they come into my head, onto the page.

With all this writing, I will need coffee. Lots of coffee. I'm nearly out. I went to the market to fetch more coffee and for some Caribbean grown grounds, I doled out a steep $15.99 for just 12 ounces...not even a full pound. I do believe at home I think $9 is rather steep for the same amount. I should think this stuff had better make me pee gold.

While at the market, I also picked up a most delicious sub sandwich. Turkey, cheddar, oil & vinegar, little bit of mayo, lettuce, tomato, multi grain french bread, mustard.... it was heaven. I haven't had a real sub in a while (read: I think 3 months), so you can imagine how good it must have tasted. It was an astonishing $8... what a great deal! I will have to go there for lunch again!

For dinner, well, pre-dinner, I ate my extra extra wholly brown and mushy fig banana. Christy had given it to me when Kevin was still here, perhaps on Friday, over a week ago. It was the most delicious treat I have had in a long time. The fig bananas have a different flavor than the chiquita bananas you normally find in the produce section. I only wish I could grow a tree in my backyard at home so you could all try some! Maybe I can just stay here forever, grow trees, you can visit, try my bananas, stay awhile.

After work, I walked what I would guess is about three or four miles, round trip, to Starfish Marketplace, to the Book and Bean. It's a lovely little place with lots of books, lots of coffee, and a few chairs and little table. It's a great spot to exchange books, get something new, or just have a smoothie or coffee. I have noticed they've got a section just for Caribbean authors and artists, so I made it a point to stop in while the owner was working and see about having my book for sale at the store. Success! I've now got a few signed copies available at the Book and Bean! Look for the books in the Caribbean artists section!

Along the walk home, I checked my e-mail on the iPhone and read the awesome news that Nicole got one of my prints off Barnwood Studio's site, http://barnwoodstudio.smugmug.com/ ! She'll have the print soon and I'm excited for her to have it!

Farther on down the road and on my way back up the hill along the Lind Point Trail, I returned a call from Jennie. She's making a shepherd's pie tonight. She's sampling a recipe so she can make another one when I'm home again. I'm a shepherd's pie fiend. I hope her recipe turns out well!

I got another splash of ideas for the book. It's crazy the way I feel nearly out of breath after writing. It's not quite 10:00pm, but I'm so tired, I feel a little dizzy. I think that is my cue to go to bed!

Monday, August 17

Home Sooner Than I'm Ready

I can't believe it will be time to board a plane again so soon. I feel like I've only just gotten started here. I do miss home and things like my dog, my friends, my family, and climbing, but I love the ocean breezes, the island people, folks at the park, the dive shop and all of its awesomeness, the beautiful beaches, and the breathtaking reefs. I could jump on the dive shop part-time, get another gig at the park or with a boat chartering operation and stay here quite possibly forever. I could also return stateside and try for the NPS job somewhere in a park. The other option, returning to my calling as an author and finishing my second book, Blue Wilderness, which will be set in tropical waters, either the Caribbean or in Australia. I will happily return to scaling the walls at Sportrock and outside, wherever a carload of climbers may be headed.

What was unique about today? It's hard for me to remember what I may or may not have already written about, if I've done something before. I've walked the roads, listened to the frogs at night, seen the light dancing on the bay below, waited for the wind to whistle through the house and cool off my bedroom, made my meals, swept the floors, done my laundry, walked the two or three miles to Starfish Market, and then walked back, going mostly uphill. I've called the diveshop every evening around 5:30pm to see if I'm working the next day or not. When it's dark, I've found I'm usually at home, since wandering the trails at dark is not really too easy or cozy feeling. Last night, I opened my laptop next to my bowl of madras lentils and started writing. I started writing something new and something a little bit old. I started a story back in 2004, about Alastrina, being chased down in the parking lot just outside the marina where she runs a dive shop. I let the story evolve and take-off. I spent hours writing. I stopped as I grew bleary eyed and tired. I showered and prepared for bed. In the middle of my shower, I was hit with another wave of ideas. I could hardly make it to my laptop in time to spill out the words that had been racing through my head. I spent another hour or more filling in more pieces to the story as it snowballed into something bigger, more complex, more dynamic. The writing left me quite exhausted. It was the kind of exhausted that I have not felt since I've been in St. John. I think writing is the only way to really get me to that level of exhaustion. I fell asleep and woke up with a towel still wrapped around my head.

Sunday, August 16

Surprise Dive!

I woke up and began a rather lazy day, sleeping in, enjoying the sounds of rain coming and going. I love the sounds of thunderstorms and rainstorms. I checked the bay through my living room windows and saw one of the dive boats was still out. I'd like to swing by the shop sometime today and grab my gear from the boat so I can rinse it off (I bet it's really crusty by now...it's been on the boat since Wednesday and without any freshwater rinse so far). I ate some breakfast and checked the window again. Both boats were in the water by the shop. I decided to descend the trail and go see about getting my gear rinsed.

I made it down to the shop just in time to be asked if I wanted to diving. Diving? I'm glad I packed my swimsuit, just in case. Like I said before, never go anywhere on the islands without your suit handy. I checked that my suit was in fact in my bag and confirmed I was totally up for an afternoon dive trip! The Low Key was the boat of the day, which just so happened to be the very same boat that I had left all of my gear on, last time I was on the water. We headed off and did some diving at Mingo Cay and Stephens Cay. The trio of guys from the Westin were awesome divers. We enjoyed both dives to the max, seeing flounder, Arrow Crab, conch, sea cucumber, flamingo tongues, sea feathers, Christmas tree worms, lots of neat ledges (at stephens), striped drum, trunk fish, cleaner shrimp, anemones, neat little fish that pop out of their hole in the sand like a finger (I forget their name right now), hard and soft corals, sponges, many corkscrew anemones, sand dollars, a few bits of fiberglass wreckage, and even a HUGE spotted eagle ray! Woo-hoo! I even pumped my fists underwater in sheer celebration after the ray sighting! I haven't seen a spotted eagle ray in the Caribbean until today! They are beautiful creatures. While trying to point out a fish, I clumsily burned some of my shin on either fire coral or something else that stings. Ouch and oops.

While on the boat, I was the only crew besides the captain, for the first time, with Low Key. I learned all the lines on the boat, the way the captain likes to tie into the mooring buoys and anchors, and for the most part, tied in all on my own! Sweet! At the end of the dive, hard work at spotting quite the array of awesome sights was rewarded with excellent gratuities, which were greatly appreciated!!

After all this diving, I have realized my dive log is slightly out of date. I'm going to need to sit down soon and enter all the dives from down here, soon!

At the shop after diving, I prepared to head home with my salty gear, up the long steep trail. Rain poured from the sky. I had my laptop with me (I didn't know I'd be diving, so I'd planned on doing some writing at the bar all afternoon), so walking in the rain wasn't going to work. I hung around the shop for a bit and grabbed a beer from the Beach Bar while I waited for the rain to pass. Back in the shop, I spotted the perfect size Pelican dry box for my iPhone and knowing the storms are coming, figured it might be a good idea to get a dry box for my iPhone, cash, passport and other essentials, should I need to grab it and go in a hurry. It is also the perfect accessory for my next trip to the Soggy Dollar or for the next time I'm on a sailboat and worried about capsizing or just general sea spray. The rain continued and after the beer, I had dessert at I-Scream, which included a tasty “Tropical Storm” of chocolate ice cream and reese pieces (think: blizzard from dairy queen). The rain subsided eventually and I walked up the hill with my SCUBA Gear and laptop in tow.

After rinsing off my gear in the last slivers of light for the day, I set it all in the tub to dry. Normally I'd leave it outside, but with the impending doom of a tropical depression/storm, I figured inside was a bit safer.

Food note of the day: Papaya juice is interesting. I've not had papaya juice before. I got some while on an evening trip to the Starfish Market to pick up a few first aid supplies for my varied scrapes and abrasions. I saw the juice on my way to the checkout and thought I'd give it a try. I don't think I'll try papaya juice again. It's kind of like a funky melon with a bite. Ick. I've had real sliced papaya before and I thought it was quite tasty. I wonder if this juice tasted bad because it has so many other juices mixed in, like pineapple, pear, apple, and who knows what.

I can't believe it, mom will be here in about 20 days. Then, we fly home together. It is unreal that my time here is coming to an end. I am still interested in finding a way to return here as soon as possible.

Tropical Storm Ana is now Tropical Depression Ana, and is getting disorganized and weaker. Tropical Storm Bill is nearly a hurricane and could pass over us and save us from a direct hit. I've heard all kinds of crazy rumors, one includes Bill becoming a Cat 2 by the time it makes landfall near the U.S. Virgin Islands. I'll believe it when I read it or see something about it on NOAA's National Hurricane Center website....for now, that's my source for information. I see there's a big storm in the gulf hitting Florida. Hopefully everyone there does alright.

Corrections to previous posts:
Mentions of arrowhead crab and/or arrowhead shrimp, really are Yellowline Arrow Crab
The albino sea urchin I may have mentioned is really the West Indian Sea Egg
The jellies that I've seen while snorkeling at night, swarming me as I approached shore were sea wasps, which are highly toxic. Thank goodness I exited the water very quickly after seeing them swarming around me at Hawksnest the other night.
I've seen massess of jellies aggregating near the surface at the end of my dives. While they do appear to be quite alarming, given the sheer number that can be found near the ladder of the boat, the sea walnuts are quite harmless.
Anything I've called a cuttle fish is really a Caribbean reef squid
The Octopus I've found along the reefs are Caribbean Reef Octopus
I've seen many sea Cucumbers, most of which are the Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber

Other creatures I've encountered and identified using the reef creature book include the Sponge Brittle Star, Blue bell tunicate, and corkscrew anemone.

Saturday, August 15

Tropical Storm Ana

Hurricane Season must be underway...a named tropical storm in the eastern Atlantic. Monday and Monday night we should anticipate Tropical Storm Ana possibly hitting us. I'm not too concerned; I've experienced worse winds and more rainfall in Virginia than amounts typically considered a “tropical storm.” Hopefully it will just remain a tropical storm or tropical depression. I've heard that some of the glass windows don't quite keep out the rain when it comes blowing in horizontally... so I'll be careful to pack any electronics away into trash bags or stow them away from the windows.

Should things get ugly, I guess I'll hunker down in one of the park hurricane shelters or at Keith's place down in Cinnamon bay. The park has a pretty clear Hurricane Plan, and if followed, life will be quite exciting for at least a few days in preparation and afterward.

I'm spending some time working today from home. Looks like I've hit 400 hours so far for the internship. The minimum is 450 hours of service, for Americorps. In three weeks, I think another 50 hours is more than likely. I suspect I'll finish the internship well over the minimum requirement, logging something closer to at least 500 or 520 hours of service. Woohoo!

Tropical Depression Three! Ack! After much deliberating I chose running over the beach. I will see how that goes. My goal is to run into town and then run back. I hope it goes well!

Update: I ran 4 miles in just under an hour! Considering most of it was rocky and steep trails with plenty of hill climbing, I'd say it was a good run. I drained my small 16oz. water botttle by the time I returned home. A few people saw me running (around 4pm) and looked at me like I was crazy. Perhaps, in this heat, it is crazy to run outside. I figured it would better prepare me for the weather, whatever it may be, on race day during the Army Ten Miler. I nearly forgot I should be training for the event, and should already be in pretty decent shape. I've been running a few times on the island and swimming plenty of times. I'm hoping my overall fitness will be just right come race day.

After the run, I played a few games of Uno with my roommates and some friends. Although I did win the first two hands quickly, I lost horribly in the end. After cards, pizza, popcorn and a few more laughs, we popped in Watchmen on DVD. We watched the movie on a laptop hooked up to iPod speakers. It wasn't the world's greatest entertainment system but it was awesome to see a movie and at that, a newer one that I hadn't seen yet. On the whole, I'm not quite sure how I feel about the Watchmen. It wasn't a movie I'd jump at the chance to see again. There was a lot of gore and violence without a whole lot of happy. I guess it's a little dark for my tastes.

Tropical Storms Ana (pronounced Ah-na) and Bill (formerly tropical depression three) are back-to-back and should be hitting us Monday through Thursday. I suspect it will be a week with lots of rain and plenty of thunder. I'm interested to see how full the cistern gets with the rain and storms. If the storms upgrade to hurricane status, I will be ready to pack up my essentials and get to a shelter, stat.

Friday, August 14

Every Friday is a Nice Surprise

Time goes by so fast sometimes. Each new Friday hits me and I can hardly believe another full week has come to pass. It looks like I've got less than 30 days on the island before I'm supposed to board my flight to go home. I'd like to not get on the plane and just stay here. I'm scrambling to see how I could stay on island, or come back right away, and continue life here.

Full day in the office to get caught up on all the assessments and focus group studies I've performed and get my results and analysis to the safety committee and my supervisors. Lots of data to pile through.

Lunch, nothing fancy, peanut butter on ritz crackers. Maybe I'll do something fancy for dinner... enjoy the half-price appetizers at Paradiso in Mongoose Junction! I'll save plenty of room in my tummy!

Update:
Dinner was not so exciting. I did cook up a tasty tuna and pasta salad to keep me full for several days to come. I think I'm set for every meal from lunch tomorrow through lunch on Monday. I caught up on some reading, currently I'm working on Death in Grand Canyon. It's an interesting read.

Thursday, August 13

The Wreck of the Rhone

Skies were dark and the seas looked rough. I walked down the slippery trail and even fell once onto my butt. I spilled a few drops of coffee and went on my way. At the shop the plans were still to go out to the Rhone and get in the water. A group coming from St. Thomas was considerably late, so we waited on the boat for over an hour. Eventually we left the shore and headed for Her Majesty's Customs in West End, Tortola. The ride was fine for me, but rough on some others. I don't think there are such a thing as seas too rough for me. I find it's harder to be on solid land sometimes. I think I loved the Little Mermaid mostly because she could breathe underwater...probably why I have such an affinity for SCUBA gear. At any rate, we cleared customs and then set off for Salt Island. The open ocean had unleashed furious 8-10 foot seas, possibly 12, and the situation wasn't looking good. For the first time in three years, the boat turned around. It would definitely be too dangerous to keep going and get in the water. After the initial shock of missing out on the dive for the day, new plans were made to drop some folks off after stopping through customs. A few others would stay on the boat and go out for some reef dives in calmer waters closer to St. John. I stayed off the boat after clearing customs and while there was no diving for me today, I did have the happy moment of cashing my first paycheck from Low Key Watersports. It was a nice feeling.

I gave a ring to Stacey, who had told me she would e in town this week! She came into St. John on the ferry from St. Thomas just as I was calling her on the phone. I met up with Stacey and David at the park by the ferry dock. It is always wonderful to see familiar faces and to share a neat place like St. John with good friends. We walked over to Salomon Beach after making a quick stop at my house to grab a few essential beach items. For the first time in a long time, I attempted doing work while on the beach. Stace and David swam around and caught some rays, enjoyed their beach reads, and reapplied sunblock. I did manage to squeeze out 2 solid hours of work while sitting on the beach, which isn't bad. I will definitely make up the time this weekend. I say “make up the time,” but in all reality, I'm quite ahead of schedule with hours for the internship.

After the beach, we wandered over to Woody's for dinner. Again, if you are on St. John, you've got to stop in to Woody's for a Mahi sandwich. I like them grilled or blackened, and definitely get the curly fries. After Woody's we went over to The Beach Bar. I got a tasty Lime and Coconut and David tried the Dark & Stormy. While hanging out at the bar, I signed Stacey's copy of White Vacation. It felt really cool to sit there at a bar in the Caribbean, signing my published novel. (I'm allowed to be a little self-loving once in a while, right?). Eventually it was time to head in for the night and I gave Stace and David a hug goodbye at the ferry dock. I walked home along Northshore Road in the dark. I was very tempted to hail a cab, since the road is not illuminated at all. I used the back-lighting on the LCD of my camera to light the way. I don't think I'll walk up that road at night again alone, it's a little too scary.

Food for thought, no pun intended:
Why are bananas are bad luck on boats? I've been on some boats where you get the nastiest look and evil face if you even mention the word banana. Why is the banana, natural treat of most excellent nutrition treated worse than the plague? I've met a few captains nice enough to scoff at the superstition and allowed whatever snack you'd like on board their vessel. What's the deal? I dug up what I could on Google and tried my best to educate myself with the modern thrills of the internet. Not wanting to rely too heavily on Wikipedia and other message forums with hearsay-type comments, I am still unconvinced of the true danger inherent in having bananas on boats.

Wednesday, August 12

Diving

Bid Kevin farewell as I started the day at the dive shop. He plans to do some shopping and entertain himself around town before getting on the ferry and making his way to St. Thomas. Hopefully he'll find some nice things for his family and friends!

The south shore is calm again! There must be some tropical waves or depressions calming things down far away. We stopped at Tektite North and Booby Rock. What a treasure! There was a Caribbean Reef Octopus, a Nurse shark (I didn't see the shark!), trumpet fish, file fish, Sponge Brittle Star, Christmas Tree worms, plenty of fire coral (not fun to touch), and plenty of sea fans, sponges, and hard corals. I could easily spend several hours comparing the underwater world of each dive to the reef identification books. I wonder how many species of different fish and creatures I've encountered; I'll settle for saying quite a few. Working at the shop and boat wrapped up around 1pm. I hauled myself back up the hill and to the park. The park is my main job here, so despite the fun and work that can be had at the dive shop, I'm not going to easily forget the whole reason I'm on the island, which is to work at the park. It doesn't matter where I've been in life, I seem to be magnetized to burning the candle at both ends; after a pretty full morning at the shop, I put in eight more hours at the park.

Still no package from home, yet. I will keep an eye on the mail. I would have thought a priority flat rate mail envelope would have arrived sooner!

Focus Group time! I went down the hill to the visitor's center and around mongoose junction to ask several visitors about keeping our historical and cultural artifacts preserved by not touching them, taking them, or moving them around sites in the park. If you were told “do not touch!” what's your reaction? I like the whole “take only pictures, leave only bubbles” phrase that is part of the PADI Aware program. For the national parks, I've found “observe but do not touch” on materials that are promoting Leave No Trace principles in the parks. The study was pretty useful; most people agree that if the sign warned them not to touch stuff, they'd be more likely to leave things alone. Those people that won't read the sign in the first place will likely do what they were going to do anyway. Hopefully though, we can reduce the number of people touching and disturbing cultural and historical artifacts, while increasing their awareness of potential hazards and risks.

Tomorrow, I'm finally going to dive the Wreck of the Rhone! It's a wreck in the British Virgin Islands, and I had better bring my passport. I've been told about ten times today to make sure I have my passport tomorrow. You better believe I won't forget it! I do generally carry it with me everywhere I go, anyway- so forgetting it should not be an issue...knock on wood! The Rhone has a neat history and there are plenty of directions I could point you for a version of the same story. Here's my version, in a nutshell: Long time ago, mail ship for the British sunk during a Hurricane. Another tragic story of the “unsinkable” ship, sinking. Passengers from another vessel had boarded the Rhone, thinking they'd be safer. When all was said and done, both ships wound up on the bottom. The Rhone lost an unknown number of lives (with the transfer of passengers, it is hard to say how many were really on board during the sinking). Now, the Rhone rests in sand and has become home to many reef fish and creatures. The popular dive site is just off Salt Island in the British Virgin Islands. To dive the wreck, one must clear Her Majesty's customs and immigration. Coming from St. John, it means a stop at West End, Tortola.

I'm watching the weather and I've heard rumors that there are some tropical storms headed this way by early next week. I'm not sure if that means a longer than usual rain storm or if we are really going to get hit with some serious rain. I see the flash flood watch and flood watch watch cautions from the weather channel on my iphone. It could mean just enough rain to fill the cistern. It may also mean nasty thunderstorms and sustained high winds. I'll stay posted to the weather channel and other sites.

Tuesday, August 11

Tektite!

Got up with just enough time to enjoy breakfast and brew coffee before heading to the dive shop. Dove right into working and getting things in order before folks started arriving to go diving. Kevin joined the awesomeness and hopped on the boat as well.

Trip around the SOUTHERN shore, which to me, is kind of a big deal, since the water is usually quite rough on the southern side. We dove Tektite, North and South. Amazing. Skimming the sand at 50 feet and seeing the site where Aquanauts performed their experiments is a neat adventure. I saw some interesting file fish, cool parrot fish I hadn't seen before of new color combinations, a massive conch that was probably more than a foot long, west indian sea egg (always fun to play with, since it sticks to your hands), and general fun and coolness that comes with blowing bubbles along the bottom and watching the fish comb the reef. We rode back into the beach and before long, I was holding my first paycheck from Low Key Watersports! How cool! Yay!

Surly Cantina was open. Two spicy chicken tacos, soft. Kevin ordered a dos equis and the taco salad. For $10, his meal was HUGE. My tacos were spicy and more than delicious. Seriously, if you are in St. John, you have to stop at Surly Cantina, it's not a negotiable stop in your travels. There and Woody's are two places you've got to get a bite to eat.

Post-dive and post-lunch, we took a long walk back up the hill to the office. It didn't take me too long to realize it was far too late in the day to start working. I threw plans of getting work done for today and we headed off to Salomon beach to do some snorkeling and find some sea glass. Treachery bounds when large boats go past shallow waters. A rogue five foot wave slammed me into some nasty corals and coarse sand. I got away with a pretty decent gnarled right middle finger knuckle and a right knee scrape. Ouch. Honestly, I'm more worried about the coral than my knee. I know to stay a more than significant distance from the reefs, so coming into contact with the precious living animals made me quite upset. Not only did I get a bit of an abrasian, Kevin scraped a knuckle, too. I got the heck out of dodge right away, and lingered in the water just long enough to let the saltwater work its magic. Kevin scooped up a small handful of sea glass. With my knee oozing with bright red blood, we headed back to the house to scrub my wounds with soap and rub in the polysporin. With my cuts mostly treated, we spent some time getting the gear in order (which had dried by now, after leaving it in the sun to dry). I spent almost two hours getting images processed and organized from the last week or so, including my risk assessment photographs. I took quite a few pictures!

Dinner. I had leftovers from Morgan's Mango, which were tasty. Kevin made some of the Pad Thai that I had in the fridge from my fantastic care package (thanks again, Becca!). The leftovers of Pad Thai mean I've got at least one lunch ready for me to consume at a moment's notice.

Around dinnertime, I noticed I've got a voicemail from the dive shop. I confirmed over the phone, I'm diving tomorrow at 8:00AM on the Low Key. Woohoo! I'm stoked. Two days of diving in a row! This is great! Between tips and regular hourly earnings, I will be much better prepared to buy the next batch of groceries and pay my bills :)

Kevin leaves tomorrow, which is less great, but vacations usually do come to an end. The past week really has gone by fast. Looking at the time since I arrived on the island, that time has also gone by very quickly. I'd like to see myself never boarding a plane to leave here. Kevin will board the 1:00pm ferry most likely, and then deal with the taxi and ferry combination in Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie before taking off for the states.

Monday, August 10

Lotsa Hiking!

The day started at the office. I got a load of Kevin's images (I've been borrowing his camera here and there to snag photos during assessments, since I've either had dead batteries or forgotten it in the car a few times). While I caught up in the office, Kevin enjoyed Salomon Beach. He brought back a handful of amazing beach glass. The colors varied from kelly green, ambers, oranges, browns, and in all sizes and shapes. I added the pile to my growing collection. By the time I come home, I should be able to have a small glass bowl full of glass.

For lunch, I decided to whip together something at home. Tuna salad, using some of Trader Joe's Island Soyaki Sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, hellman's mayo light, and probably a dash of something else kept the flavor interesting. Paired with ritz, lunch turned out to be quite tasty. After filling ourselves with about a can of tuna each (totally a good thing to have in the pantry down here) we walked around town and Kevin got a flash drive so I could share some pictures with him before he leaves town.

Do you ever want something really bad without needing it really bad? I feel that way about a lot of things and usually find a way to rationalize why it becomes a need rather than a want. In some respects, that makes me far too much like the main character in those Shopaholic books. I have had a few debacles with my Olympus digital camera. The whole reason I bought the thing was to have the waterproof, dust proof, clumsy proof stuff. Right now, the Olympus seems to have either bad seals or some other dysfunction and it can't get even a drop wet without the LCD failing entirely. For waterproofness, I do have a spare digital with the underwater housing, so if I need something up to 120 feet deep, I have something that will get the job done. Meanwhile, for snorkeling, it sure would be nice to have a more slender and easier to carry digital. So far, I've controlled the urge to go and buy a replacement compact digital camera. I'm sure if I wait long enough, sweet pieces of photographic equipment like the Canon Mark II 5D will become more affordable.

After the jaunt around town, we made plans for filling the afternoon with assessments and hikes. Tomorrow, we'll do L'Esperance and Reef Bay Trail, making a large loop and getting twice the hiking and assessments.

Before departing on our hike, I talked to Stacey, a friend from Virginia Tech, who is in St. Thomas this week! Just a short ferry ride away, she's going to come over to St. John and hang out on Thursday! Awesome!

Assessment time! I love the kind of work that puts me in the field. We visited Peace Hill Ruins, Cinnamon Bay Trail, America Hill Trail, Cinnamon Bay Ruins, and the Cinnamon Bay Ruins Self-Guided loop. I took many photos, saw lots of great views, and consumed a ton of water as I worked up a more than decent sweat trotting through the park. I think America Hill is my favorite ruin so far, mostly because the walls are pink and the view of Maho is amazing. The trail to America Hill is not maintained very well and the ruins are closed right now. They're quite dangerous, as anyone can obviously notice if they are near the ruins themselves. I love being surrounded by fields of untouched vegetation, historical ruins, musical birds, frogs, and insects, watching waves crash on a faraway beach, letting the world fall away as you are absorbed into all that you can observe.

Cinnamon Bay Trail was excellent and rugged. I suppose if I walked the length of the trail from Northshore to Centerline and back once a day, I would be in the most fantastic shape. At some point along the trail, there is a dense population of bay rum trees. Bay rum is quite possibly one of my favorite smells. It was really cool to share the smell by breaking off a leaf and letting Kevin take a big whiff of the musky smell. I wonder if the Bay Rum Tree would even grow in Virginia. I know Birch does horribly when we've tried planting them in our yard.

I called the shop around 5:30pm, per usual, to see if I'm on the boat tomorrow. I'm diving tomorrow! Plans change! I'm a little disappointed to miss the hike down L'Esperance, but spending the morning on the dive boat will be fantastic.

After all the hiking and scrubbing behind our ears, we walked into town along the Lind Point Trail. Morgan's Mango was a great and delicious dinner last time I was there. Kevin and I settled into a table at Morgan's Mango and started the evening with a Bushwhacker for me, a Hurricane Hugo for Kevin. Oh my goodness. The Hurricane Hugo was like having strawberry purree. Amazing! It definitely had some rum and other goodies, but was the best adult smoothie I've ever tasted. For the appetizer, since we were both quite starved after all the hiking and walking, we got the Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Brie Quesadilla. Wow! Brie is one of my favorite cheeses. I also have an affinity for a good quesadilla. Jamaican Jerk Chicken is also an item I love to try, wherever I find it on the menu. The quesadillas were delicious. For the entree, I got Yellowfin Tuna with mashed yuca potatoes and broccoli. Kevin got the Grilled Mahi Mahi with mango and cruzan rum sauce. I don't think there was a bad bite before us the entire night. Round two of drinks: Hurricane Hugo for me and Mango Colada for Kevin. The mango colada was powerful and packed a rum-tasting punch. I was happy to enjoy an entire Hugo to myself! Mmmmm! The Lind Point Trail was our means of transportation to get home. In the dark, with a flashlight, it's not bad. I think I do prefer the Lind Point trail to walking the steep and curvy Northshore Rd. for night travel.

It didn't take me but a few seconds to crash onto the pillow and fall asleep. I woke up later to remember to “get ready for bed,” sometime around midnight.

Sunday, August 9

Ram Head Trail

Up after sleeping in a little bit we both got up and I got the coffee pot going quickly. Something isn't right with the day if I don't get my coffee. We headed out of the house, dropped off some rat cages we'd picked up at Island Fancy on Friday, and went down Centerline, past Coral Bay, and into the Ram Head parking area. The parking area could be considered small, but to me, it was just right. Any more cars and the trails or beach area might end up getting too crowded. The trail led us straight to the beach. We picked up a few pieces of beautiful sea glass right away and then wandered over to the salt pond, where we harvested a few large chunks of sea salt. If you've ever made rock candy using string and a mason jar, the way the sugar crystallizes on the string is just how the salt looked sitting on the shore in large clumps. The pieces I got were about the size of walnuts, or slightly bigger. The water in the salt pond is brownish from a distance. Close-up, the water is almost pinkish near the shore, and browner towards the center. As a habitat for many island birds, the viewing is great here, especially if you are lucky enough to have a telephoto lens or a pair of binoculars. The trail is just a few feet from the pond and is bordered by prickly cactus, either dildo, prickly pear, or turks, and of course, other species of cactus I haven't figured out how to identify yet. Of course, we enjoyed a few bites of cactus candy, which were delicious.

After collecting salt and sea glass near the salt pond and Salt Pond Bay, we headed down Ram Head Trail. The arid trail crosses reddish and iron-rich soil, large pebbly and sand-free beaches, ragged cliffs, and steep drop-offs. After pausing along the way to snap photos of hazards and risks I wanted to include in my assessment, we did make it to the end of the trail, a 200 ft. drop into the open Atlantic. The wind howled through our hair, whistling past our ears. Kevin and I both almost lots our hats with the gusts of wind. It felt cool to have the breeze dry our sweat from climbing to the great views of the eastern side of St. John. We settled onto a few rocks and ate our snacks of granola and dried fruits. I scurried off to find a place to unload the morning coffee. I made a small miscalculation and stood atop a rather unstable rock. The rock moved beneath my feet and I quickly felt my right shin scrape a rock face. This is not a good place to get hurt I reminded myself. My left ankle burned with pain and I looked down to see blood on the inside left ankle right over my pre-existing scar from a rock-climbing fall last winter. Awesome. I stopped to see what and where I could move next to avoid slipping further and dislodging any more rocks. On the right shin, I got a nice scrape/abrasion. On my right ankle, one small abrasion and a mild ankle sprain. While I did have the first aid kit handy, nothing was really bad enough to warrant immediate first aid.

On the way back to the car, we stopped at Drunk Bay, which brought a most delightful surprise. The coral people art is wild and amazing. Visitors to this spot have spent a great deal of time creating something very entertaining for future visitors to the area. There are rocks, corals, coconut shells, trash, wood, and other natural items sculpted into people and animals and objects. There are easily several hundred pieces of art. I snagged as many photos as I could to capture the scenery. Waves broke over the rocky shore as we watched, mesmerized. If you make it out there, you've got to make your own coral person or thing. With each visitor, there is more art. Unfortunately, I didn't know that the coral people are made by visitors, so Kevin and I didn't make our own sculptures. Next time I visit, I'll have to make three (two for me, one for Kevin).

We also stopped in Concordia on the way back to the car. The ruins were cool to see and add to my list of assessments. Back at the car, we headed for Coral Bay. Next stop, AquaBistro for a cheeseburger. There is nothing like a long hike to make the tumbly go all rumbly. I am not sure if it would have made a difference what I ordered; it tasted like heaven. After refreshing ourselves with hydration and food, we perused the nearby market. True to what I anticipated, there wasn't anything I couldn't live without. I did see a can of chocolate flavored Nutriment that I thought about getting; it's basically skim milk supercharged with protein and vitamins. For a recharge after a workout, I may try a can in the near future.

We scooted over to Jolly Dog Trading Co. and Skinny Legs after lunch. I love the islands. We stopped into the tourist-aimed shop as a novelty stop while Kevin's here, and we ended up talking to the store attendant for close to an hour. I love seeing the same people over and over again, and even better, seeing them and knowing their names, and having them recognize me, too. It makes me feel more at home, a place where I feel like I belong. While talking to Carla, she told me about Shannon Sterling, the jeweler that makes the original St. John Fisherman's Hook Bracelet. The hook bracelet is huge here in the caribbean, with just about every jewelry store selling them. They are made on the distant shores of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and other places. I don't mind buying imports, but I'd much rather support a local business. I'd also prefer not to have the poor quality bracelet that is mass produced elsewhere. I got talking with Carl and realized Shannon Sterling makes all of her bracelets here in St. John, which are available for purchase at Turquoise Turtle at Wharfside Village in Cruz Bay.

Clearly, that should be our next stop! Kevin agreed we would need to stop in at Turquoise Turtle, if I did in fact want a unique and locally made hook bracelet. I'm not huge on jewelry. In fact, I own enough pieces I could hold them in a single closed fist. So, if I'm going to splurge so I can slip on something silver or gold, I'd like to know I'm going to actually wear it, know a little bit about the piece, and feel a little happier each time I see it against my skin. Before going over to the Turquoise Turtle and still partially exhausted from a morning full of activity, we stopped at home to get copies of my divemaster information for the dive shop, now that I'm an official person there! We went into the shop, I copied my information for my files there, and found a new pair of closed-heel fins. I have been wearing my cold-weather booties and fins and quite frankly, it makes me look a little strange down here. I happily picked up a pair of new fins and then Kevin and I stopped at The Beach Bar... it's JAZZ night! A Bushwhacker for me, Dark & Stormy for Kevin. Mmm. I think when Mom visits, she will have to try the bushwhacker. It's a milkshake for adults, if I haven't covered this before- and it's darn delicious. After a round of drinks, we decided to leave, with the hope that I'd go home and work on some writing while Kevin read some of his book by Nevada Barr he's been reading this week. I do believe we got about 20 feet away from the bar before the plans changed. Turquoise Turtle! I leaned over the counter and started talking to Will about the bracelets, a beautiful collection of sea glass necklaces, the island, and more. I had no idea how rare different colors of sea glass are- orange and black are quite rare. Brown and green (almost entirely what I find...) are much more common. Blue is a little less common, but not as special as orange and red. I think mom would like one of the necklaces, especially one of the ones with teal glass. I found a bracelet that was quite perfect as I slipped it over my wrist. Yay! I happily took the local discount and let Kevin stew over whether he wanted a bracelet, too. Kevin also got one. Now he has a nice piece of the Caribbean to take with him, wherever he goes.

We stopped across the road to say hi to Slim Man, as I love to do whenever passing through Wharfside Village. The jazz was still going strong, so Kevin and I, after being prompted by Slim, returned to The Beach Bar to listen to more jazz. The empty chairs drew us in and I settled into a tasty bottle of Tropical Mango while Kevin ordered the Lime & Coconut. If you could imagine a key lime puree with alcohol, that's how I'd describe a Lime & Coconut. It's heaven in a solo cup. I'm getting one for myself next time I go there!

Eventually the jazz came to an end and we settled up the tab before going back home. We enjoyed Happy Fish leftovers, which were happy in our stomachs. After spending all day walking on my ankle, it seems as though I have a mild to moderate ankle sprain. There is some light bruising and definitely some major pain, but not too much in the way of reduced CSM's or anything out of the ordinary. It wasn't until after dinner that I finally iced the ankle and downed a few motrin tablets.

Tomorrow, I think we will go towards Trunk Bay, where I'll do an assessment at Jumbie and Peace Hill and Denis Bay. I've got plans to stop in the office and catch up on some paperwork since on Friday, I was virtually e-mail and internet free and have been since then.

Saturday, August 8

Back on Land, 2 of 2

After a day full of adventure in the British Virgin Islands, Kevin and I walked around Cruz Bay, stopping at Starfish Marketplace. It's a long walk from Lind Point. We started out with the intention of having a light snack but as soon as we started reading the menu items at Happy Fish, dinner became the mission. I got happy noodles, Kevin some teriyaki chicken noddle bowl, and we shared an order of some delicious sushi. Oh, and there was edamame. I love the salt-crusted freshly steamed soy pods. After dinner, we hardly had room for dessert, but I did manage to get some cookies and chocolate at the grocery store before we walked home.

The long walk up Northshore Road (we forgot a flashlight and thus could not take the trail back up the hill) was a little scary. Fortunately, there was not a single car to pass us as we walked up the steep incline. By the time I got home, I was almost too tired to move. I think being on “vacation” means do as much as possible in a single day, while you're someplace cool. I perhaps achieved that goal today. I did eventually stir myself long enough to shower and really get ready for bed before passing out.

Saturday, August 8

The Baths, 1 of 2

Walked into town with our towels, light snacks, cameras, and masks. We tried to get coffee at the Deli Grotto, but were there too early. We instead got a coup at JJ's Texas Toast Cafe near the Park by the ferry dock. The captain, Toby, of Breakaway, met up with us and showed us where to hop on the boat.

Sip-a-mug's for our drinks all morning, afternoon, and evening. I had mimosas, painkillers, Shirley temples, water, more water, coke, another coke, probably more painkillers, and some other tasty drinks. Kevin also enjoyed more of the same. We had a nice tray of muffins, melons, and fruits to get the tummies full of delicious right away. Ordered our lunch and looked at the maps of where we'd be going for the day.

Pulled into Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda and then took a large taxi to the baths. I wish I had brought a crash pad and my climbing shoes. I did have my climbing shoes, but forgot them at home for the excursion (turned out to be ok for the trip I was on, since we had pretty limited time at The Baths). The bathaliscs are amazing and wonderful. A short hike brought us past our first few glimpses of the growing rock formations. I tasted something new, cactus candy. The turks cactus produces a raspberry-flavored fruit that is delicious. The shape is not too different from a small pepper, but it is sweet and tasty. The color is almost fluorescent magenta. Wendy, one of the crew and our trail guide, showed us where to find more cactus candy and also explained more about the boulders and how some of them are still growing. We splashed around, I jumped off a large boulder, Kevin crawled through a small enclosure, we both managed to scrape our backs on some boulders, and before we knew it, we were being herded back to the taxi to head back to the boat.

The Breakaway left port, with our passports clearing us through customs in the British Virgin Islands. We then headed off to Marina Cay, where we had already ordered lunch and the food was waiting for us. The distillery for Pusser's Rum is not a bad stop if you're in the neighborhood. I had a Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wrap and Kevin had the chicken roti, which I had recommended he definitely try while here. A visit to the Virgin Islands isn't complete without trying pate and roti.

We hung out at the restaurant in Marina Cay before boarding the boat once again. Our next stop was Diamond Reef. Legend has it someone lost their diamond ring on the reef and it has never been found. I sure didn't find it. We snorkeled around like some one horned butt fish (there's a actually a concessionaire with the park named onehornbuttfish!), and did some free diving to check out the sea life. Man! The visibility was incredible. 36 feet below, Kevin swam along the sandy bottom for a little while before heading back to the surface. We had hopped in the water first, as we did not need much of a tutorial to explain how to snorkel. We tried to be as close to last in getting back on the boat. After everyone was back on board, we set sail for Jost Van Dyke after we made a slight alteration to the itinerary. One of the crew left his ipod at Marina Cay. Wooops! No worries. We'd all rather have music and make an extra stop than the alternative. The trip to Jost Van Dyke was a bit on the longer side, but well worth it, as we passed over the northern side of Tortola, something I have not done before. We pulled into White Sand Bay and splashed over the side of the boat, making our swim for Soggy Dollar. Our dollars stayed mostly dry in the dry bag. The dry bag leaked a little, but nothing was too soaked. We played with the ring game, letting the string and ring go, trying to get the ring to hook around a large eye-hook sticking out of a plank of wood nailed to a palm tree. The sugary sand felt great beneath my toes. We relaxed in the plastic beach furniture, watched others enjoying their time at soggy dollar, caught some sun, and a painkiller later, it was time to get back on the boat. The swim was longer this time, as the boat had moved from its original spot, due to the tide and other boats getting a little too close to where they had been anchored initially. I saw several bumper stickers at Soggy Dollar with the letters “JVD” in an oval. I couldn't help but think of “Why would they have a sticker for Jugular Vein Distention on a sticker?” It took me a moment, but I ultimately realized it was a sticker for Jost Van Dyke! Still, every time I see the sticker, I think of JVD in an emergency medical context, not the island, painkillers, and beach that I love.

The ride back to St. John was short and ended with a pass through customs. Another stamp on my passport, yay! From the dock, we walked over to the dive shop to see if I was scheduled for work the next day. Not on the boat. I caught up with Ellen and filled out my paperwork to get started officially at Low Key. As an Independent Contractor, I'm in! Sweet! I learned more about the benefits, responsibilities, standards, etc. I'm excited!

I checked my phone and found a message from Russ, the same guy that had helped us book our cruise on the Breakaway. He was concerned we'd missed our trip, since two people from St. John never showed for the cruise. Rather than let him know we'd made the trip without any troubles, I thought the opportunity was ripe for a little bit of fun. We walked over to the kiosk and found Russ and then proceeded to tell him we'd waited an hour for the boat, never got to make our trip, etc. For several long moments, we had him thinking the worst. Fortunately, timing is everything and I let the cat out of the bag- triggering a hearty laugh from all of us.

Friday, August 7

Another Day on the Rock

Today was definitely busy! In a nutshell: another focus group, a few more site assessments, a 3 hour snorkel, dinner, a book signing, another snorkel trip, and plans to go to Virgin Gorda tomorrow!

Alright, let me break it down...

With Kevin here, I was tempted to take all the time he's here off of work and make up the hours with a few long days before and after his time here. I am way ahead on my hours and with meeting the requirements for hours to donate for the internship. Even so, I ended up putting in a full day today, despite Kevin being in town. Fortunately, he was able to observe and help out during most of what I did for the day. There was another focus group study I performed, this time at Annaberg Ruins. It's really cool to interact with visitors and keep them involved in the process of developing stuff that may help the park's safety program.

After the focus group, I headed to a few different sites to collect more information and complete visitor safety risk assessments. The day wrapped up with a rather long snorkel trip, about 3 hours, from Francis Bay trail to Whistling Cay and back. The visibility wasn't too great, I'd say around 20 feet (I see 50-60 while diving usually). We saw octopus, hawksbill turtle, whelk, conch, shark, barracuda, stoplight parrot fish, jellyfish, albino sea urchin, arrowhead crab, cleaner shrimp, anemones, elkhorn coral, varied tunicates and sponges, squirrel fish, and just about every other type of fish and creature typically identified in the Caribbean reef environment. It was one of the best snorkels I've ever had. I think you can see just about everything in less than 20 feet of water.

After our snorkel, we headed home to rinse off with fresh water and get cleaned up. A short walk into town down the Lind Point Trail met our feet with Gallows Point. Dr. Caroline Rogers was happily signing copies of her new book. She has compiled quite a few fantastic photographs from around the island, displaying some of the neatest sea life you'll find around these parts. After the signing, we went to Woody's for a deliciouss grilled mahi (fish of the day, every day)sandwich.. Mmm... and a tasty bottle of Tropical Mango for me. Kevin had his mahi blackened, and his brew was the Summer Ale. As we walked through town, Jessica waved hello on her way to check out some coral spawning at Hawksnest. When asked if we'd like to join, I knew the answer could only be yes! Checking out the corals during spawning is definitely something that only happens once a year, and with the full moon having been out just recently, it's a perfect time to go to the beach between 9-12pm and look for the spawning. We switched into our swim gear once again and headed to the beach. I did not see any spawning. However, the snorkeling was fantastic. We saw at least 2 octopus, brittle stars, a hawksbill turtle asleep, a box jellyfish, and a lot of sea urchins. It was really neat to shine our lights around the reef and explore the darkened underwater world.

Oh, and tomorrow.... guess what? We're going to The Baths, Virgin Gorda. There are a few other stops along the day trip, including a continental breakfast, seeing great boulders at The Baths, a stop at Marina Cay for lunch, then a final stop at Soggy Dollar in Jost Van Dyke. It shall be an awesome day! I'm super excited!

Thursday, August 6

KEEEVVVVVVVIIIIIIIN!

I arrived at the shop at 8:00AM and my day was ROCKING awesome! I walked in and started my first official day at Low Key Watersports. I love it! They are some cool cats and have a fantastic dive operation. I switched into my suit (the official uniform is my bathing suit, of course), slurped down the last few drops of my coffee, and got to work! I will fill out all the necessary paperwork and other forms today. I had a group of certified divers and helped two other folks refresh some of their knowledge and skills. The boat headed off on fairly calm seas and we dropped down on Gringo, halfway between Grass Cay and Mingo Cay. The ledge reef hit sand around 50 feet as we swam along relaxing and enjoying the beautiful sea life. We turned around after about 20-30 minutes of going against the current and made our way back to the boat, choosing slightly higher ground to alternate the scenery. I saw a pile of three conch almost fully out of their shells. They could have been mating or just having a G-rated party, I can't be sure. I saw some eel, more fish, a schoolbushfish (which I got guff about, because apparently, the choolbus fish is not a well-known fish...). I will have to reopen the reef fish guide book and prove that the fish really exists, else I will have folks tease me about the fish they think I've fabricated. The second dive was abundant and explosive with viewings of amazing creatures and fish. I saw a spotted eel completely out in the open, swirling around along soft and hard corals. There was the obligatory HUGE lobster, many arrowhead (I went to pick one up and a large eel came after my finger-tips!). As soon as I saw the eel, during my attempt to pick up a shrimp, I retracted my arm as if it were spring loaded. No shrimp for me, thanks. I found another arrowhead later, which wasn't too hard, since they generally cover the reefs here, and shared it with the group. I also found sand dollars of various shapes and sizes. There was also the usual sighting of a trumpet fish, grouper (hard to find grouper, but easy if you know where to look), tarpon, barracuda (at least one per dive today), squirrel fish, trunk fish, all the ones that make me ooh and aahh through my regulator. After two amazing dives, we hopped back on board and returned to the shop. After helping with the regular duties, including emptying and refilling the boat with tanks, I had the delightful surprise of having Keith come fetch me from the shop to take me back up through town to the office. Fantastic that I did not have to walk the 20-40 minutes while carrying all my gear!

In the office, I recapped the dive with Christy and also recounted the Tailgate session I held this morning at 7:00am at the maintenance yard. I am quite proud of what I've accomplished with the internship so far, and the tailgate is no exception. We kept it short and sweet, and simple. I love the island, the culture, the people, the park staff, everything. I do definitely want to keep them all safe, as much as possible. It's easy to stand there for a few minutes, no more than five or ten, each morning before the start of the day and just talk about a few things that might help prevent another accident or avoid exposing someone to unnecessary risks or hazards. The maintenance division received me well and we quickly wrapped up the session and everyone was able to split their different ways to do their duties of the day. It felt great to see everyone talking about their activities and actions they could perform to stay a little safer. I am looking forward to seeing the sessions become a daily habit and doing something that will really positively impact everyone on the team. I don't know if I will sound silly or nostalgic or funny, but I seriously see the park as big organ, or a family; I believe in helping each other stay happy, with a high quality of living, keeping each other smiling and successful. Hopefully, these sessions will entertain those goals and facilitate many more years of happy smiling faces.

Kevin is due in today. I am very much excited to have a great friend visit the island and to share with him all the amazing things here on St. John. In just five or six days, it's not possible to take it all in or see everything, but I will definitely do my best to make sure his visit is full of awesome and has plenty of deliciousness. I think I may show him my favorite beer tonight, the Tropical Mango from the St. John Brewery, or maybe a bushwhacker, or perhaps a painkiller. We shall see!

Kevin was off the ferry-boat by 5:30pm. We dropped off the suitcases in the car and met up with Keith and Breslin. At the Tap Room, we all enjoyed a round of drinks before a few more people showed up to make our group even larger. Eventually we all uprooted ourselves from the bar stools and made way for some dinner. There was a trip to another bar first, and then the only Chinese-food place on the island, which was closed, a little early. A few other places that could have offered nourishment weren't open or were closing soon, so Kevin and I headed back to the home front for some food. I made a nice meal of lime coconut basmati rice, Indian madras lentils and cheese, and curried mixed vegetables. There's not much to do once it's dark out and dinner's done, if you're at home. We turned in for the night and tried to get some shut-eye.

Update: I must be dyslexic.... I kept saying school bus fish, but I meant schoolmaster... which is a real fish! Oops! A few days later, Mike kept telling me he saw a Corvette fish.... ha ha.

Wednesday, August 5

Relax

I didn't quite relax today. It was a 12 hour work day. Fortunately, I unwound quickly with a nice tall bushwhacker at Morgan's Mango. Amazing.

The day started with site assessments and a focus group at Hawksnest beach. After collecting feedback from the visitors, I attended a meeting with OSHA. It was really great to get a closer look at the park from a new perspective. The short meeting with OSHA will definitely help as I try to find more ways to make positive and lasting impacts in the park. For now, it was great to get exposure to more training and knowledge about risk and health safety issues. The evening usually means no work and spending time doing “whatever,” but tonight I went to a public hearing for the car rental companies on St. John. It was a really interesting meeting and I am more than glad that I got wind of the hearing. The car rental industry on St. John is definitely very important and the voices and opinions of the car rental company representatives are valuable.

By 8:30pm, my tumbly was very rumbly. I pretty much skipped lunch. I'm not one to skip a meal. I happily sat down to a table at Morgan's Mango, opposite Dave, who had also attended the public hearing. I got the Anegada Crab and Lobster Cakes, which were about silver dollar-sized and delicious. Nothing quite compares to a Maryland Crab Cake, but I do appreciate the deliciousness that was on my plate. Having ordered the appetizer, not realizing that the portions wouldn't actually fill me up entirely, I happily accepted the offering of some of Dave's Citrus Chicken. The half of a chicken that filled his plate next to a few sides was more than large enough to spare a few bites. I gobbled down the beautifully marinated chicken and the accompanying beans and rice. I also had the pleasure of enjoying my first Bushwhacker! I had tasted a bit of one at Fat Turtle in St. Thomas, but having my own full-sized portion was fantastic! Mmmmmm! If you are in the Caribbean, particularly the Virgin Islands, you've got to try one. It really is a milkshake for adults.

For dessert, which is spelled with two “s” because there is always room for seconds, I ordered the coconut crème brulee. I have a weakness for sweets, and a larger one for crème brulee's. The custard was amazing. Dave got the caramel crepes, which were heavenly. The sweet caramel, cool vanilla ice cream, and soft crepes were a wonderful way to finish the meal. Eating the caramel crepes reminded me of when I used to take whipped cream at Starbucks, fill up a short cup, and then drizzle the caramel topping onto the whipped cream. I'd eat it by the spoonful, ignoring the fat and calories, and make several servings, inching closer to a diabetic coma. Nothing wrong with a little caramel in your daily routine.