...and growing!!!

Editor's note: Looking back, the most recent entry here was made over a month ago, and it contained news that was two months old at that time. Obviously not what we had in mind when we started this thing. So I've decided that rather than wait and publish novellas bi-monthly, to make this a short, and hopefully fun read, and post entries often. Most of the big drama of our move is past, so going forward we'll focus on the things that make living here interesting - enjoy!

We last left you in January after adding Patches to our island family. She has settled in well, as has Champ, who has accepted (and at times even seems to have embraced) the idea that she's here for the long haul.

Shortly after that, our island family grew once more. No - no more dogs, no cats, no chicken, iguanas, mongoose, or deer (at least not that live in the house). Jason was unable to secure an internship that he had hoped would occupy his time and talents during the spring and summer, so we all decided that he should come down here to bide his time until grad school/the next phase of his life. He arrived mid-January, spent a few weeks working on his base tan, his beach volleyball game, and making on island friends, then ended up getting a job at the restaurant Asolare.

So we have a full house now - people that sleep (when the barking dogs and crowing roosters will allow) in every bedroom, and two dogs that sleep wherever they please!

Leslie's babysitting service ( shameless plug - her web site is at kidsnightin.com ) is thriving. One of the side benefits of that is that she gets to see a number of vacation homes that we would likely never get to visit otherwise.

Shane is doing well at his job with Cruz Bay Watersports - he's actually involved with training the new hires!

Leslie and I volunteered to help out at the Animal Care Center's annual winter gala - this year's theme: Party Like a Rock Star. It was held at a beautiful home high above Chocolate Hole, and brought out the best that the island has to offer - in costumes (Elvis won the costume contest!) donations, volunteers, food - the works! And Leslie showed, once again, that SHE is a rock star!

 

We've done a bit of snorkeling (yay!). We even discovered that the bay closest to where we live, which is a five minute walk away, has much better snorkeling than we thought. It's nice to know that swimming with the sea creatures is so easy and convenient!

   

Leslie got a haircut! Maybe not earth shattering news to most people, but it was her first one in a year. And, just like the previous one, it was done in conjunction with her being a part of a team that was part of an event that is a part of a national organization that raised (once again!) a ton of money (not to mention awareness) to help fight pediatric cancer through research. We are all so proud of her!

We have been busy living our lives. We do a lot of the mundane stuff everyone does, and we're not on perpetual vacation. But we do try and stop from time to time to remember and reflect on where we are, and how fortunate we are to be surrounded by friends, family, people having fun, and...of yeah - the scenery ain't bad either!

Growing...

There's an old saying, "life is what happens when you were expecting something else". I think most everyone can see the truth in that. We sure can. For better or worse (and it's certainly not all of the latter) our dreams rarely play out exactly as we imagine them. Take moving to an island in the Caribbean for instance...

When we first visited, and fell in love with St. John, we could only dream of moving to and living on this lovely rock. And dream we did. We spoke of and shared our personal versions of this dream from time to time. I have to be honest - I rarely if ever included having Champ with us in those scenarios - probably because he had never been with us on any of our visits. Not that we could even remotely consider not bringing him along once the decision had been made to make the move. And, despite some of the logistical obstacles of getting him here, and the tweaking of our day to day routine to accommodate his presence here with us, we wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm pretty sure that none of my daydreams included having other people living with us either. But when it seemed to work out the best for all involved to include Shane in our "island family", the reality of our dream once more underwent some changes. And despite some of the day to day challenges of having one of our grown children living full time (at least for now) back under our roof, we enjoy our life here in Paradise.

I suppose by now I should have been made aware that change isn't the outlier, it is the constant - perhaps the only constant! And so, less than a full week into 2014 (Oh - yeah - Happy New Year everyone!) we found our "situation" taking another new turn.

This one was probably less of a surprise to a lot of folks than it was to me...

Remember Patches? She's the loveable pit bull mix from the ACC (St. John Animal Care Center) that Leslie fostered from time to time before any of the rest of us had made the move down here. We'd had her over for "sleepovers" on a few occasions and had gone to the ACC and taken her for walks a few times as well. And, as was noted in our last blog entry, she was what Leslie had hoped would be her Christmas present.

Maybe I'm paranoid, or have an over active imagination, but there certainly seemed to be a "campaign", waged on multiple fronts, to convince me that we should adopt Patches permanently. I couldn't log onto Facebook without seeing comments directed "to Leslie" along the lines of "keep her already", or "you two are meant to be together", etc. On more than one occasion when we were meeting up with friends that were visiting the island, the question was posed point blank, "so, when are you adopting Patches?"

I had a litany of reasons (NOT excuses, as I often told myself - and others) as to why this wasn't practical for us at the present time. Having two dogs would certainly limit our housing options going forward. How would Champ deal with not being the "only child" - after all, wasn't he still adjusting to the move? How would a dog that had been living in a kennel environment adjust to living full time in a house? Would she tear things up? Given enough time, I could build a compelling case against bringing her home to stay.

One our trip back to Florida for Jason's graduation, I had mentioned to our friend Michael, once the subject had inevitably came up, that as sweet as a dog as she is, and as sorry as I felt that she didn't have a "forever home",  I couldn't save all of the dogs in the world. I figured as an engineer, that he would surely see the list I'd compiled and agree that it made the most sense. Instead, he told me a story about a guy walking along a beach that was covered with starfish that had been washed ashore by the tide and were left high and dry. As he walked along, he picked up one starfish after another and threw them into the water. When a little boy questioned his actions by remarking that he couldn't possibly save all of them, the man held up a starfish and said "you're right, but I can save this one". Thanks a lot Michael...

So...over dinner on a Sunday night with another friend that was visiting, the question was tendered yet once again. I was ready. I calmly laid out my objections/reasons/excuses, emphasizing that it had nothing to do with Patches herself, whom I thought was a sweet and wonderful dog. Surprisingly, the response was, "that makes a lot of sense".

Exoneration. A third party, someone else that wanted to see Patches in a good place, had acknowledged that my reservations were legitimate. Back to finishing dinner and moving on to other subjects.

But, as I ate and drank, my thoughts drifted to Patches sitting in her kennel in the dark, and..."but I can save this one".

I can save this one.

I can save this one.

I can save this one.

During the dessert/no dessert deliberations I suddenly blurted out to Leslie, "if you want to, we can bring Patches home tonight".

"For good?"

"For good."

"You better not be teasing me".

"Nope, if you want to we can go and get her right now."

There's another old saying. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you deal with it. We already knew that our life here is and was going to be different than the fantasy world version. Sometimes going with your heart has to take precedence over going strictly with your head. We had been operating on that premise ever since we took the leap of faith to chase our dream, so why stop now?

So...without further ado...welcome to our newest family member, Patches "Starfish" McKibben!

 

Happy Holi-daze Island Style!

The four of us are all back together again, for the first time in a long time. Thinking back, it was probably last year around Christmas time that we were all in the same place at the same time – almost a full year! Unthinkable not so long ago, but that’s the reality now. And, while we don’t want to think about that just now, it won’t be for very long, so we had best enjoy ourselves while we can!

First things, first - back from the chillier climes we'd experienced the previous week (I had to wear long sleeve t-shirts, and *GASP* socks!), it was time to get comfortable again. As you can see, Jason wasted no time getting his island on, although truth be told, he'd dress that way in a snowstorm if he thought he could get away with it!

Here he is, "chillin'" with his best friend...

There were some folks visiting the island that put out an SOS on the VIOL STJ travel forum stating that they had missed packing the charger for their underwater camera, and asking where they might be able to buy one on island. It didn’t look like they’d be able to, but Leslie happened to have an extra one that she said they could borrow, and they invited us to have dinner at their villa when we dropped it off, so that’s what we did on our first night back.

We really enjoyed meeting Lisa and Michael, their daughter Katie and son-in-law Mike, and Lisa’s parents, Joyce and Wally. Katie and Mike were on their delayed honeymoon and decided to make it a three generation affair! They grilled steaks and we spent several fun hours swapping stories until the travel day finally took its toll and we had to head home!

Wednesday morning came much too early – especially for Leslie, Shane, and myself, who all had to work. Leslie was doing her local regular babysitting gig, Shane was at the Westin working for Cruz Bay Watersports, and I was on the computer working on schedules for an upcoming soccer tournament in Florida. Unfortunately, my work day lasted a little longer than we had hoped for, so I was unable to join the rest of the gang when they went in to town for the Animal Care Center’s open house event.

Thursday we joined our new friends at Salt Pond Bay, on the other side of the island. They got there before we did, and had secured one of the prime spots at a picnic table at the far end of the beach. While Leslie, Katie, and Mike snorkeled, Shane and I took Lisa on the hike to Ram Head, the southernmost point on the island. When we returned everyone had lunch, then Michael and I “guarded our stuff”, while the others took the trail over to Drunk Bay. There was a big group snorkel after that, and then we all packed up our stuff and headed to the Tourist Trap for happy hour drinks, appetizers, and conversation.

The week was flying by! On Friday Jason and I snorkeled in Klein Bay during the day while everyone else was at work. Saturday came and – you guessed it – we were back in the water again, this time out on the east end, at Hansen/Long Bay/Pelican Rock.

Sunday is the day when a lot of locals, as well as visitors, play beach volleyball (one of Jason’s favorite leisure time pursuits) at Cinnamon Bay. The three of us headed there and while he joined in the games Leslie and I braved the sandblasting winds and chilly (?) water. We had our snorkel gear with us, but never took it out of the bag the whole time we were there. After Leslie and I had all of the sun, wind, and rain that we could stand we let Jason know that we were leaving. We offered to let him stay longer but he said that he’d go tell the others goodbye and thank them for including him. He was back right away to let us know that he’d been offered a ride home and that he had decided to stay and play some more after all!

I was grilling pork tenderloin for dinner that night, one of Jason’s favorite meals, so I was starting to get concerned when darkness was approaching and he wasn’t back. Our neighbor said that he was probably hanging out with the others at a local watering hole enjoying post play libations, and that someone would almost certainly bring him home once they were done. Sure enough, we heard a car stop at the top of the driveway, some voices exchanging pleasantries, and there he came down the hill, no worse for the wear and tear. As it turns out, he had been invited to a party but told them he’d have to take a rain check because his dad was making a special meal for him!

Monday – Christmas Eve! While Leslie was baking a boatload of cookies, the boys and I decided to take the Fish Bay/Beach hike/rock scramble to the Reef Bay Trail up to see the petroglyphs. We had been at that beach a little earlier to check on snorkeling conditions, only to find surfers there (so you can guess how suitable it was for snorkeling!). At that time we gave directions to a group that was looking to do that same hike. We ran into them at the bottom of the Reef Bay Trail and they said that the muddy trail has dissuaded them from hiking the spur to the petroglyphs. We found it to be muddy as described, but not to the point where we couldn’t or didn’t want to continue. All of the rain we’d been experiencing gave us, in addition to some mud to deal with, a waterfall at the end of our trail!

We hung out for a while, and even found a path we could scramble up to another waterfall, probably 100 feet above the main one. As we were heading back to from whence we came, we heard thunder rumbling ominously in the distance. About the time we got back to the junction of the Reef Bay and Lameshure trails, heavy rain drops began to pound the overhead canopy of leaves. By the time we made it back out of the forest and on to the beach we were in the middle of a full blown squall!

I really wasn’t too crazy about walking along the beach, out in the open, while keeping an eye out for lightning bolts, but the only other option was to duck under the nearby trees, which didn’t seem like a great idea either. So we just continued back towards Fish Bay, figuring every step got us a little closer to the comfort of the car. We made it back safely, if not a bit wet, and with a good story to tell!

Christmas Eve has, as our family has "matured", evolved to fit the current circumstances, but this year’s was a leap forward (?) in that regard. No driving around to see light displays, no sitting in a room around the glow of a fully decorated tree surrounded by presents. No, things were very different this year. But we were all here together! And though hot chocolate and egg nog may have been conspicuous by their absence, there was rum! And there were new family traditions born, sort of anyway. We played an old favorite board game of ours, Liar’s Dice, then the boys taught us a drinking game that they had learned in college, at which of course they kicked our tails!

Did I mention rum? So off to bed with visions of (from?) sugarcanes dancing on our heads….

Christmas arrived with not a bang, nor a whimper, but rather… a crowing! Or, more accurately, a lot of crowing. You see, there are a lot of wild chickens that roam this island, many of them roosters. And contrary to popular belief, they don’t necessarily wait until dawn to crow. And when one of them crows, there always seems to be at least one more that feels compelled to answer. But so it goes. And a Merry Cock-a- Doodle-Do Christmas to you!

By decree, and also aided somewhat by practicality, there were to be no presents exchanged this year. After all, what more could we give to each other than the gift of moving to St. John? We did get a couple of small gifts for Shane and Jason, but didn’t even wrap those. Christmas was now a blank canvas which we were free to make whatever we wanted it to be. So, what would we do? How about…going snorkeling (except for Shane, who learned more of the meaning of living in a tourist destination, since he had to work) ??? Or even better, hiking to a place to snorkel! Off we went to downtown Cruz Bay, parked behind the National Park visitor’s center, and set off down the Lind Point Trail, our destination – Salomon Bay!

This past December may very well go down as the wettest in history, or so we’re told. I do know that it rained a lot, and the infamous “Christmas winds” had also arrived! We expected the trail to be muddy and slippery, and in some places, just plain wet – and we weren’t disappointed. But I don’t think any of us expected the conditions we’d find at trail’s end, when we popped out of the woods and on to the beach. It was sunny and calm, the sand white, the water a clear turquoise – a picture perfect Caribbean beach scene. And we took full advantage!

We snorkeled the length of Salomon Bay, the point between it and Honeymoon, then another bay, and another, and another! Before we knew it we were a lot further east than we’d been when we got in the water! But it was a gorgeous day, so retracing our swim was no problem. Once we got out, and had finished the hike back to town we realized that we were starving! There was nothing open in Mongoose Junction, which was the closest place to where we were, but we were happy that when we stopped at the Lumberyard complex, just up the road, that Driftwood David’s was open! As always, we were greeted warmly by David and by Nikki, and the sandwiches and drinks hit the spot!

Back home we all got cleaned up, took care of Champ, and while the others napped, watched TV, and generally hung out, I got to the task of preparing Christmas dinner. That’s always one of the things I like best about the big day, and the standing rib roast I had scored at Starfish Market a couple of days earlier would ensure that I wouldn’t be forced to make massive changes to the menu. After the feast we topped it off with Leslie’s cookies then lapsed into a food coma!

I did catch Leslie looking a little bit sad a time or two. I hadn’t given her the one present she had asked for – adopting Patches, the dog that she had part-time fostered (and fell in love with) during the time that she was down here without any other family members.  We had had her over for sleepovers a few times, including once this past week, but I wasn’t sure if adding her to our family permanently would really work very well for us.

Soon, all too soon, we had another reason to be sad. All of a sudden it was Thursday, December 26 – the day Jason was to fly back to Florida. It had been a whirlwind nine days, and now, as we were preparing to take him to the airport on St. Thomas to leave, it struck me just how much it meant to have had him around. Sure, we had grown used to him being away, and Leslie’s “momma sense” kept her in tune with how much she missed him, but until I spent these last few days with him – often not even doing anything more than just being in the same room, I didn’t realize how much I did. But it was sure making itself clear now.

We made it across Pillsbury Sound on the car barge and across St. Thomas to the airport without incident. We dropped him off outside the departure gates, hugged him goodbye and watched as our little boy – make that young man, disappeared into the terminal. And with that, our wonderful Christmas week came to an end. He was moving on to follow his dreams and we had a car barge to catch back to ours.

There and Back Again - NOT a Hobbit's Tale!

I can’t believe that it’s been nearly a month and a half since the last blog entry – time does fly…..

Over the next few days I will try and get us somewhat caught up. Here’s a beginning, we’ll see how it goes!

In mid-December Leslie and I took a trip back to Florida - my first since moving here, and her first since she had gone back to retrieve Shane and Champ. It isn’t like we had rock fever or extreme home sickness, we were going back to attend Jason’s graduation commencement ceremony, which was in Gainesville on Saturday, December 14.

Shane stayed behind to work and take care of Champ. He probably didn’t mind the week of autonomy too much either! Also, it would be his first experience of doing any extended driving on the island (which, truth be told made us a little nervous since we are a one jeep family).

Champ hates suitcases. Or at least he hates seeing us pack suitcases, and I don’t blame him. Here he was, finally getting used to and settled into this new environment and we were leaving him! The full days that Shane works would be the longest that Champ had been left alone since his move, so we worried a bit about that/him. 

The ferry/taxi/plane/layover/plane seemed long, but was pleasantly uneventful. We picked up a rental car at the airport in Tampa a little before 4:00PM, and headed east. It was the first time in two months that I done any of the following; drove on the right side of the road, drove for more than 100 feet in a straight line, or drove over 30mph!

Our first stop was at Eau Gallie High School. The fact that the boys soccer team had a home game that night had an awful lot to do with the fact that Melbourne was even on our itinerary. We arrived shortly before the JV game began and were greeted warmly by Roxanne, who I believe was the only one on site that knew we were coming. We had a great time surprising our friends that were in attendance, getting caught up, and the teams even cooperated as EG won both matches.

After the game we headed to our friends Terri and Jerry’s house, as they had graciously offered us a place to stay for the duration of the Melbourne portion of our trip. A little talk, a little wine, then it was time for some sleep.

I spent most of Wednesday doing some work  on the computer while Leslie shopped for a few of the things that we had identified as needs that we would have trouble finding (or paying for!) on island. Fortunately I was able to get to a point in my project that we could join some dear friends at our favorite Melbourne riverside restaurant, Captain Katanna’s!  It was really great to see all of them, I just wish that I had been able to spend a little more time with each of them. Terri invited all who were interested in extending the evening to come back to their place for more food, drinks, and fun. The spread she put out made me wonder why we’d bothered to eat dinner!

Thursday morning we had breakfast, did a couple of quick things on the computer, then headed north. We would end our day in Tallahassee at my brother Bruce’s house, but we had convinced Jason to take a break from studying for finals long enough to let us buy him lunch, so we made a stop in Gainesville. We picked him up by his apartment, and went to Ballyhoo’s, which had become our “go-to” spot whenever we visited either or both of the boys up there.  

 During lunch I mentioned that on Saturday, when we’d be back for the commencement ceremony, that we would likely just meet up with him afterwards since we’d need to get seated before the procession of candidates started at 9:30. He commented that it seemed like an awful early time for us to get there for a 2:00PM event.  A couple of weeks prior I had sent him a message asking him to find out the details for me, which he had somehow managed to forget to do. So I went online and got the information myself. Now he was telling me that I had it all wrong. I hoped he was right – an afternoon ceremony would allow us to leave Tallahassee at a much more reasonable hour, but I suggested that he verify it before we finished lunch. After checking on his phone he said, “how about that? – my ceremony is at 10:00AM after all – I better go and get my cap and gown”!

We made it to a chilly(ish) Tallahassee by late afternoon – it felt good to get out of the car! Temperatures were supposed to drop into the 30s that night – quite a change from St. John! I actually had a pair of jeans and socks with me – items that I had to dig out just for this trip.  Even though it stayed refreshingly crisp (according to me – it was mind and body numbingly cold according to Leslie) other than the two occasions where decorum mandated that I wear slacks, I stayed in shorts the whole time! I did however wear socks, shoes, and long sleeve t-shirts.

We spent Friday visiting with my Mom, who drove over from Panama City to join us, and helping out around the house – Sunday was to be the day of Bruce and Candace’s annual holiday open house, an event that we had never been able to make it to before.

Saturday dawned bright, clear, and crisp, and shortly before sunrise my Mom, Leslie, and myself got back in the car for the two and a half hour drive to Gainesville. We made good time, found a place to park literally just steps away from the O’Connell Center (where the event was being held) and we only had a short wait before they opened the doors and we were able to secure very good seats. 

THEN the wait began! There  were probably some 1500 conferees being honored during this particular session, so with the speeches, awards, etc. you can imagine that it went on for some time. It was entertaining to see how the parents/friends/loved ones of the graduates responded during their particular 10 seconds of excitement.

After the ceremony we met up with Jason and some of his friends across the street from the arena. Some of these kids had delayed their trips home for the break between semesters so that they could see him “walk” – how nice! We had met most of them before, either at our tailgates or at other events we’d attended during Jason’s time there, and it was good to see them again, possibly/probably for the last time.

A good friend of mine from my high school days has a daughter who graduated at the same time/place as Jason so after going by Jason’s apartment so he could pack(!) for the trip, we met Jeri, her daughter Kelli (the new grad), and some more of their family for a great celebratory meal at KC Craves – a new one for us! We had a great meal and a great time hanging out with them. Between the early start to the day and that giant late lunch, I was one sleepy driver by the time we got back to Tallahassee.

Sunday morning was a flurry of last minute activity ahead of the open house – which was wonderful! Great food, met a bunch of their friends for the first time as well as getting caught up with some of the ones we’d met over the years. After everyone had gone home and the initial clean up had been taken care of, we headed to an Irish Pub (a pub in Ireland had been completely disassembled, shipped to the states and recreated in this space) for a couple of hours.

Monday morning we said our good-byes and the three of us (Leslie, Jason, and me) headed back to Tampa. We had a 7:00AM flight out on Tuesday so we opted to stay in the airport hotel in Tampa, which was a choice with which we were very happy.  After checking in I went and topped off the gas tank, returned the rental car, walked back to the room, and from that point on we had everything we needed right there.

Suddenly it was Tuesday morning. It was hard to believe that it had been a week since we’d boarded a plane going in the opposite direction.  Boarded and flew to Miami without incident, and the layover there was spent much as the previous one had been. Then we got on a plane bound for – home!

This was a new experience. Not flying to St. Thomas – I have done that a number of times. Not even flying to St. Thomas when it’s not for a vacation, I’d done that in October. This was my first time flying BACK there, as a resident, after visiting “the real world”, and I was curious as to how that would feel.

Would the short stay in the land of long hot showers, abundant food options, and convenient (and cheap) shopping make me miss all of that upon my return? Would the teasingly short two day stay in the place that had been my home for decades fill me with homesickness? Would the brief respite from humidity leave me dreading coming back to that?

No, no, and no. I was truly happy to be coming home. This is where I live now, and it’s where I hope to be able to continue to live. I really loved seeing some of my family members and some of my friends back in Florida. I do miss them, but I hope I can convince them to come and see us!

The plane landed on a rainy St. Thomas. The THREE of us deplaned, and had a welcome to the Vis complimentary rum shot while we waited for our bags. Three of the four showed up almost before we could get to the claim area. The fourth one helped us get back on island time! Once we had it, we grabbed a van, then once again waited. The driver was determined to fill it up before he’d leave. The time we had to wait until he squeezed that last couple in was going to, I was sure, cause us to miss the 3:00PM ferry. But we pulled in 2:59 and while Jason and I waited to get our bags, Leslie ran into the terminal to get our tickets. And we made it! The text message  to Shane to tell him we missed it remained unsent.

Shane met us with the Jeep next to the ferry dock in Cruz Bay. We piled all of the luggage in the back, put Leslie in front, and told them to come and pick us up by the free parking lot once they’d dropped everything off. As Jason and I walked in that direction I was so glad to be home, and to have him here with us for the next 10 days or so. For a little while we were all going to be back together again. Shortly after we got to the parking lot I could see the jeep in the distance as it rounded the corner by The Marketplace. And who do you suppose Leslie had brought with her to greet his original owner/best friend? Champ, of course! What a reunion! And what a week we all have ahead of us. Stay tuned…

...And then there were three (four?)!

Not long ago all we could report on was what Leslie was experiencing as a solo St. John resident, what we were doing back in Florida to be able to join her, and how much we were looking forward to doing just that.

When things (finally) change, they do so in a hurry! Within a space of less than two weeks we have morphed from a bi-continental family living in a house in Florida and a cottage on St. John to a three person, one dog unit living together in a cottage on St. John.

Sort of. The lease for the cottage on Gifft Hill Road, where Leslie has been living all of this time, expires at the end of October. The apartment we secured to be our next home was made available to us as of October 15. So as of now we are living (or at least our stuff is) in two places again. Except for the mountain of boxes that are in the temporary custody of the US Postal Service.


While we moved some of our stuff from point A to point B on Saturday, Champ found some things to make him feel at home...

Spending Shane and Champ's first full day on island moving stuff from place to place didn't seem quite right. To be fair, the long travel day on Friday had resulted in a pretty late and lazy start to Saturday, so it wasn't like we were working all day long.

Sunday however, was a different story - it was a nice day that was just screaming "beach!"

Who are we to argue with the universe? :)

We started by heading down North Shore Road, to get Shane reacquainted with the  beautiful overlooks. Champ wasn't going to be swimming today, so we pulled into the Peace Hill parking lot. We hiked up to the ruins at the top of the hill, where there's room for him to move around a bit.

After hanging out for a few minutes with them there for a look around, Shane and I hiked the trail down to Denis Beach so that he could (finally!) get into that water!

It's good to be on St. John, right Shane?

We finished off a fun Sunday with a short visit to the Beach Bar, followed by a great dinner at Banana Deck, then ...SLEEP!!

Catching up (again!)...

At least this time I'm catching up from St. John! I really thought that once I was down here I would find myself with much more time to update this blog. I mean, I no longer have to worry about getting rid of and/or moving the contents of the house, getting the house ready to go on the market, make travel arrangements, etc... right?

Well...yes and no. Despite the nature of most of our Facebook posts, it's not all about snorkeling, gorgeous views, happy hour, and having fun with friends. Don't get me wrong - we enjoy every bit of all of those, but there are still other, more mundane things that can and do eat up a lot of our time. Most of that isn't what I'd think would be interesting to read (or write) about, although some of the cultural adjustment issues do lend themselves to humorous interpretation from time to time.

Where was I? Oh yeah, catching up. 

Last time we met I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Shane and Champ, and the return of Leslie, to St. John. There was so much to worry about. Would they be too worn out from attending to all of the last-minute-and-this-time-we-mean-it-because-we'll-all-be-gone-tomorrow details to wake up in time to catch the plane?

Here's what the house looked like:

Champ went to the vet to get his final check and they gave them a sedative to help keep him calm on the plane. Fortunately, Leslie had the foresight to give him a trial run, with only half of a pill, the day before. Here's the result:OK. No drugs for Champ. He'll have to fly with no "help".

My anxiety closet was still full... How will Champ fare on his first (and second) flight? Will he have one of his (rare) seizures, or another vestibular episode? Will something or someone cause him to act out, or will he be too friendly, or too excited? Even though it was out of my hands I couldn't help but worry about him.

And, of course, Leslie and Shane!



They did manage to take a break long enough to have dinner with some good friends the night before they left. When I got a text from Todd telling me that he was "trying to defend me" I knew everything was going to be all right. Here's the view they had from the deck on the river:

 The next morning Tony arrived bright and early - OK, too early to be bright, to drive the gang to the airport (and to drop off the last load of electronic junk at the facility on his way back home - thanks Tony!).

The first text told me that all was well. The second, not so much. Mechanical issues were resulting in a delay on the American Airlines Orlando to Miami leg that would result in them missing the Miami to St. Thomas connection, and the later flight they would be on wasn't scheduled to arrive until after 8:00PM - which is after the last St. Thomas to St. John car barge of the night.

Since Champ wasn't traveling in a pet carrier he wouldn't be allowed on the people ferry so they wouldn't be able to all get home tonight! Some kind soul took all of that into account, took pity on them, and rebooked them onto Jet Blue, which was scheduled to land in plenty of time for us to come over together on the car barge.

Apparently he was a great traveler...

The luggage posed a problem. Even with the back seat removed from our two door Jeep Wrangler I didn't see how three people, a dog, and all of the luggage I imagined was coming was going to fit. Randy was standing by at the ready and said that he would pick Leslie and Shane up at the people ferry while Champ, the luggage, and me came over on the barge.

I got texts during the day that let me know that everyone was handling the travel well. Late in the morning I took the seats out of the Jeep then headed to board the car barge. Since I had made sure to allow plenty of time in case there were problems, there were none and I made it to St. Thomas well before the travelers were even boarding the plane in San Juan. This let me take a little time to explore the area beyond the airport, that we had only flown over before. Eventually it was time to head to the airport and pick up my precious cargo!

I joined the throng of folks that were waiting for arrivals just beyond the rum sample stand. A plane taxied in, and travelers began trickling off of the plane. My eyes were glued to a spot just above ground level - where I knew one particular passenger would be easy to pick out among the crowd. And then... there they were - Leslie, Shane, and, last but not least...Champ! As happy as I was to be reunited with Leslie and Shane, I was very relieved that Champ had made it without any apparent distress (and without being a pain to any of his fellow travelers).

Things have a funny way of working out. Just as they had on Leslie's flight to Florida, AA had managed to lose her luggage (no doubt during the transfer to Jet Blue). While she and Shane waited in vain by the carousel, Champ and I waited just outside the baggage claim area. I was amazed at the number of people that greeted him by name on their way out - our boy is a rock star!

Since we didn't have luggage to haul, the good news is that we could all travel back to St. John together. I let Randy know that he was off the hook, and as soon as Leslie completed the arrangements to have our tardy bags delivered we all piled in the jeep for the ride "home"!

It was a long day - for me. I could only imagine what it was like for Leslie, Shane, and Champ - pre-dawn ride to the airport, two flights with a layover, drive across St. Thomas, car barge to St. John, then up and down the hills of St. John until we were finally all together at the little cottage on Gifft Hill Rd.

Now the adventure REALLY begins!