A Pigeon, an Exhibit, a Bonfire and Marshmallows

Saturday had those unexpected bits and pieces that make for memorable days. It started with a pigeon.

This little guy hung around our front entrance for a couple of days before we noticed it had a leg band, was tame and maybe lost. We called the animal shelter and they came to the rescue. Our rescuer said it was a homing pigeon that probably belongs to somebody in Puerto Rico. They take the birds down island (like to Martinique) and race them back to PR, but some birds get tired and drop out of the race. When they land here on St. Croix, the rescuer feeds them, lets them hang out with the other pigeons, and releases them. Some go on, some stay. I can only guess why the pigeon chose our home, but I'm glad that he's in good hands now.

After dealing with the pigeon, we headed down to Cultural Creations of the Virgin Islands in Frederiksted for the opening reception of my art exhibit. It was a lovely night with a steady stream of visitors, and I was happy to finally show the product of my efforts these past few months.

The night was due to end with the exhibit, but we joined our friends down the street at Coconuts on the Beach for a beach bonfire and some great music by local band Rhythmix. The cool night breezes made the bonfire's warmth exquisite. There was a long stick and marshmallows, and so I had my first experience roasting marshmallows on an open fire (no girl scouts in my past). I had beginner's luck with the first marshmallow, but the next few... well... I'll have to attend more bonfires and keep practicing.

Sailing the BVI

Last week we spent it sailing around the British Virgin Islands, one of the world's top sailing destinations and conveniently near St Croix. We flew to St. Thomas (here's a view of our St. Croix neighborhood from the plane) and chartered a 40-foot catamaran there. Then we sailed to St. John and worked our way up the island chains with stops in Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Anegada.



Days were spent sailing, swimming, snorkeling, napping, drinking and eating great food on board and at local restaurants, taking pleasure in the magnificent scenery and simply relaxing with our friends. Here are some of us enjoying happy hour on the boat.



For me, the best part of the trip was reveling in the full moon glow over the water, swimming with sea turtles and feeling Poseidon's expansive embrace. My favorite spot was Loblolly Beach in Anegada, pictured here. Anegada in general is a spectacular place. Very flat and very small (only about 200 residents), very shallow (hundreds of ship wrecks, making for great diving) and fabulous snorkeling. Not much to do but admire the surreal colors of the island.


The day of our return to St. Croix reminded me of what a wonderful place this is. We began the day on St. John with fabulous snorkeling in Great Lameshur Bay. We sailed back to St. Thomas and returned the boat. A 20 minute plane ride took us back to St. Croix. We went home, dropped off our bags and headed out to Coconuts on the Beach in Frederiksted to get our Kurt Schindler fix (our favorite musician, pictured here). Bob and I left the show midway and drove 10 minutes over to the Whim Museum grounds for a performance of Bluegrass music under the stars. When Bluegrass was over, we returned to see Kurt finish his last set.