usvi-on-line
Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Link to Part 1: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=24953
Link to Part 2: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=24983
Monday, February 25
Today is our first "normal" day on island this trip. No race to prepare for, no pre-set plans or expectations. Our kind of day!
Some things, normal day or not, seem to be constant...
Apparently, there's more than one use for snorkel gear!
Some of our Battery Hill neighbors...
Shortly after breakfast we got a text from Deb and Jay, over on St. Thomas letting us know that they were coming over to go to Maho, and asking if we'd like to meet them there. Now we have a plan!
We gathered our stuff, made a stop at Pine Peace Market for beer and ice, and headed through town and out North Shore Road.
It was a beautiful day, and seeing those incredible views along this drive never gets old!
As we pulled alongside Maho Bay we were reminded that this was, indeed, high season. I expected the few roadside spaces on the west end of the beach to be occupied, but I'd never seen the parking lot at the east end packed like this before! There was literally no place to park here. We sent a text to Deb and Jay to let them know that we were going to scope out the situation at Francis. Not only was it no better there, we found ourselves in a "no service" zone, so we couldn't report back. I made the command decision to head back to Maho and create a space if necessary!
We didn't have to do that - not exactly anyway. There's an alcove just beyond the bend in the road where there's room for a couple of vehicles, and just between there and the beach there's room for one car to be just off of the road, and today, that one car would be ours! We made our way to the beach, headed toward the right, and saw... a whole lot of people!
Eventually, we found a spot to establish base camp and set up.
Deb and Jay had some friends from West Virginia with them, and they let us know that they still had to stop to pick up sandwiches, and would be stopping at some of the overlooks along the road so that DQ and Sonny could get the full "tourist experience"!
The water was full of folks, we weren't sure just when our friends would arrive, and we wanted to be sure that we could hail them to our spot when they did, so there was nothing to do except get to limin' and enjoying the day!
One thing that a beach full of people does provide is ample people watching, and since that's one of our favorite pastimes, we partook mightily! After a while we got a text saying that Jay couldn't find any place to park. Now, if an island savvy driver like Jay can't find a spot, you know there's not a spot. He decided that their best bet was to wait for someone to leave, and before too long they got a space and then came and found us, and we all got down to the "business" of enjoying a day at Maho!
Jay fashioned a sailboat out of a coconut shell, a tree branch, and some sea grape leaves. We christened her "Wilson"
After a few shakedown cruises and resultant design tweaks, she proved seaworthy, and took her place proudly among the vessels in the impromptu Maho Bay Regatta!
It would be hard to imagine anything better than spending a day like this!
The sun's westward trek meant that there was a car barge calling for our companions, so we all packed up and left Maho with this thought:
After we had made our way back to the condo we realized that today's sunset had the potential to be one of those special ones. We tried not to jinx it, because there have been multiple occasions where a promising sunset here has been foiled by a late intrusion of clouds. And while even those ones can be spectacular, we were still longing for one of the classic "sun dipping beneath a cloudless horizon" types. So, cameras in hand, we headed down the hill to Frank Bay to see what we could see.
And here was the payoff for our persisitence...
We sat on the seawall until the last flicker of sunlight disappeared behind St. Thomas, then walked back up the hill and topped the day off with grilled steaks at the condo.
Tuesday, February 26
Since the high surf advisory for north facing beaches had only recently expired, we assumed that most of them would be rough and/or have poor visibility due to the water having been stirred up. Fortunately, on St. John there are abundant options! Rather than drive across island and possibly deal with the hordes that would descend on Salt Pond Bay and Lameshure as the obvious alternatives to the north shore, we headed south along the west end of the island to one of the less known/popular sites, Klein Bay. We found our way to the paved road (that looks like a driveway) that ends just feet from the bay, with fewer wrong turns than the last time we came here. The road is so close in fact, that we were able to suit up in everything but our fins and walk across the cobblestone beach to enter. Now we were back in our element!
We made our way around the point to the left. There wasn't an abundance of the animals most people get excited about seeing, but a variety of sponges, corals, and scenery, and enough sea life to keep it interesting.
I spotted a landing just outside of a rock formation below where there were a number of empty clamshells - often the sign of an octopus den. I dove down and took a look into the hole and while there was no octopus, I spied the unmistakeable pattern of a spotted moray eel, but only his midsection - the head and tail were each hidden on either side of the opening.
We hung around for a while, but it didn't look like he was interested in coming out to play, so we decided to move on. I made a mental note of the surrounding area in case our return trip brought us close by.
We kept going until we felt that we'd be cold before we made it back to shore if we didn't turn back, so we kind of nonchalantly retraced our steps (kicks?).
We ran into some underwater friends, old and new...
It's easy to take the underwater scenery for granted, but I try to force myself to remember "in a few days you'd kill to be able to see this".
Surprisingly, when we got back to the place where the moray eel had been hiding, we recognized and remembered it as such, so we dove down to see if maybe, just maybe, he felt like "coming out to play" now.
He did!
We hung around for a while, hoping that he would completely emerge from his hiding place, but apparently he was too comfortable there - at least he came out far enough to give us a good look at him!
As we were starting to get a little chilly we made our way back to our entry spot, and just before beaching ourselves, saw this little guy.
Snorkel completed, we walked the short distance back to the jeep, put our gear away and hung out and dried off a little. I walked around to the driver side door, careful to keep my feet on the narrow bit of pavement between the jeep and the underbrush (since I had been so clever about not getting sand on my feet, why ruin that at this point?). I put the key in the lock, leaned in, and opened the door - hitting myself in the forehead with the top section of the door in the process!
I sheepishly walked back to where Leslie was, and showed her the latest piece of evidence that she's married to a doofus!
She insisted on driving, saying she was concerned that I had concussed myself, but I really think she just wanted an excuse to drive a section of St. John that she had yet to do. I couldn't talk her out of it, so I climbed into the passenger seat (carefully), held a shirt to my forehead, and enjoyed the ride back to the condo!
I convalesced poolside at Battery Hill - tough duty!
We got cleaned up, then headed into town seeking lunch. We were also waiting to hear from Leslie's prospective employer - after trading emails, this call was to let her know if they had enough common ground to proceed. So, "go-phone" at the ready, we decided to visit an old favorite - Sun Dog Cafe. After a short wait (OK - it seemed longer - I was HUNGRY!!) we got a table, ordered, and impatiently looked at the phone. It was now 30 minutes after the call was supposed to come, and Leslie was fearing the worst. I tried to text someone and it would not go through. Tried a call - no luck - the phone said emergency calls only! Mild panic was creeping in. Finally I tried turning the phone off and on and it worked! A quick text to get the word out that we had been having phone issues, and the return word came that there had been a delay on the other end anyway, and that the call was still forthcoming. Whew!
Soon enough it rang and Leslie and the phone were off, looking for somewhere a bit quieter to hold the conversation. All of the worry was for naught - there was still mutual interest, and it sounded like they'd be able to reach an agreement that would work out for both parties! Wow! Could this really be happening?
After lunch we stopped at St. John Spice. We took the opportunity to talk to Ruth and Ron, and to take in some of their helpful advice. The tone of this trip had taken a sudden and unexpected turn! Next stop was High Tide. This time the staff were only too anxious to help Leslie get her hands on the pizza pan/cookie sheet - I wonder why?
Back at Battery Hill, while Leslie baked cookies I made dinner. Tonight's offerings were smoked spare ribs, BBQ beans, and mixed veggies. After dinner we felt like getting out for a bit, so, cookies in tow, we headed back to town. Interspersed among the cookie distribution was stops for drinks at Iguana Grill, and the bar at Lime Inn ( a first for us). We spent our time at the latter talking to first the bartender, then to another customer, both long term St. John residents, about our newest favorite topic - island life. We spent a great deal of time listening and learning, and picked up what we consider to be some useful information. Back "home", to bed, and to dream....
Wednesday, February 27
Our last full day on island
Since we had made plans to have lunch with our friends Anne & Bob (they live on Ajax Peak and we rented their apartment on one of our trips), and they like to stay close to Coral Bay, we opted for the east end for our snorkel spot of the day. We went back to the same place we'd gone to hang out after 8 Tuff, the little corner of Hansen Bay beyond Vie's. We didn't even have to get in the water to see local fauna...
The sun was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds when we got it, but the water didn't seem nearly as chilly as it had a few days before. We headed along the side of the bay, in the general direction of Pelican Rock.
This is normally a bay that we have all to ourselves, but since it was high season it was really crowded - there must have been 8-10 snorkelers we encountered during our seventy minute swim!
This is a nice relaxing place to snorkel. Since our first trip here, in 2007, the coral seems to have gotten a good bit more abundant and healthy, which means (among other things) more cool things to see!
We lingered in the water a bit, even after we started getting cold, as we knew that this was our last snorkel of the trip - always a somewhat sad realization.
Back on land, as we were letting the sun warm and dry us off, one of the "locals" reminded us of someone back home that would be happy to see us when we returned there...
We took a long look around, just to let some of the natural beauty of this place soak in before we moved on.
Anne & Bob had suggested that we meet here for lunch, and since we'd never been before, we readily agreed.
I'd highly recommend Pickles if you're in the Coral Bay area. The sandwiches we had were very good, the service was prompt and friendly, and the owner of the place seems to be putting in a lot of work to provide a comfortable, fun, and relaxing atmosphere.
The topic of conversation over lunch never strayed far from moving to/living on St. John. Anne & Bob have lived on island for nine years or so, and they were more than willing to answer questions we had as well as bring up things that we may not have considered. Like all of our STJ friends, they were excited that we were excited. The more people we talked to about this, the less of a dream and more real it seemed, although making it a reality still had a way to go.
After lunch we drove back across the island, and enjoyed a little pool time at Battery Hill.
We thought we were alone there, but shortly after we settled in were joined by some of the locals.
Due to the Sunday Beach Bar gathering having fizzled, there was emails, texts, Facebook messages, etc. going around trying to arrange a St. John Peeps photo opp before everyone started leaving island, so we walked down the hill to meet up at the Beach Bar around 5:00. We saw and talked to Julie (P-600) for a little while, then Laura and company showed up, so we managed a "group lite" photo.
Apparently Tracy and Mary were having so much fun kayaking at Hawksnest that they couldn't get back in time.
Before heading back up the hill "for good", we soaked in a little Cruz Bay/High Tide atmosphere, *one last time*...
The dinner at the condo featured grilled chicken breasts, and whatever leftovers we had! After we ate, we walked down to Grande Bay and hung out for a little while with Tracy and Mary for an impromptu dinner/drinks/appetizers/social hour. When everyone started yawning we decided that for all concerned it would be best to say our good-byes (for now) and head back home. We probably did some cursory pre=packing organization, but not much, before we hit the hay.
Thursday, February 28
Walk (barge?) of Woe day.
This was a departure day like none other. I posted a Facebook status that said something to the effect of "after 10 trips down here, Leslie and I are leaving St. John after what very well may be our last visit to the island". A good bit of room for interpretation in that statement, and the responses ran the gamut from "what went wrong?" to "awesome!"
Cleaning up and packing took almost no time. We were literally just up the hill from the car barge terminal, so once we were out of the condo (it still stings a little bit when you lock the keys inside on your way out) it was just a few minutes until we were aboard the Roanoke.
It's not unusual for there to be tears welling up as we wait to motor away from St. John. I had asked Leslie earlier if she expected that to be different this time because, well, you know...
This was the 10th time we've left this little piece of Paradise. Most of the time we weren't exactly sure when our next time back would be, although on at least a couple of occasions we already had the next trip booked. This time...wow, talk about uncertainty! Will the next trip be a one way one? Will we both be coming at the same time?
I was a mixed bag of emotions. For a long time now, talk of moving to St. John to live was a fantasy, akin to winning the lottery. After our first few visits we had always tried to cast a critical eye, while still enjoying our vacations, on the pros and cons, ins and outs, and everything else we could imagine/learn about life as an island resident. We've made friends that have made the move, talked to numerous strangers, and spent many hours wondering, pondering, and dreaming.
There's so much to consider that didn't come into play while this was just silly talk. The pragmatist in me panicked - there were so many checklist items that hadn't been ticked off yet. Leslie seemed a little unsure because I seemed unsure - she said that she didn't want to do this unless it was my dream as much as it was hers.
Then the horn blew - and we were pulling away.
Our trouble free travel followed us the rest of the trip. We even volunteered to be bumped from the overbooked Miami-Orlando leg of our flight, with a good idea of how we'd use the resultant future travel vouchers, but alas, they didn't need our seats after all. A quick shuttle ride to the off airport parking lot, and an incident free drive home from there and our 10th St. John trip was in the books!
EPILOGUE: So, where do we stand now? From the practical standpoint there are some licensing issues that Leslie is working through so that she can practice in the VIs - that's the last major hurdle before we *can* make a move. As to the "should we?" side of things...
I was the one that still had to be "all in". There were/are nagging thoughts that this or that really should be taken care of first. Then it hit me - the last time I'd had this kind of internal tug of war was when we were contemplating starting a family. *Ideally* before having kids...( a long list of "readiness" items). If I had actually waited to complete the list, we'd still be waiting! It came down to this - if we try this and it doesn't work out we'll always have fall back options. If we don't try it we'll go to our graves always wondering, "what if ?" There are a ton of things we have to do, but for the first time in a long time we feel like we're on an adventure!
DAMN THE TORPEDOES - FULL SPEED AHEAD!
Stay tuned, we plan to share this adventure with all of you!
=====================================================================================
For a link to a slideshow of our pictures from this trip:
http://www.flickr.com//photos/10044245@ ... 6546/show/
Link to Part 2: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=24983
Monday, February 25
Today is our first "normal" day on island this trip. No race to prepare for, no pre-set plans or expectations. Our kind of day!
Some things, normal day or not, seem to be constant...
Apparently, there's more than one use for snorkel gear!
Some of our Battery Hill neighbors...
Shortly after breakfast we got a text from Deb and Jay, over on St. Thomas letting us know that they were coming over to go to Maho, and asking if we'd like to meet them there. Now we have a plan!
We gathered our stuff, made a stop at Pine Peace Market for beer and ice, and headed through town and out North Shore Road.
It was a beautiful day, and seeing those incredible views along this drive never gets old!
As we pulled alongside Maho Bay we were reminded that this was, indeed, high season. I expected the few roadside spaces on the west end of the beach to be occupied, but I'd never seen the parking lot at the east end packed like this before! There was literally no place to park here. We sent a text to Deb and Jay to let them know that we were going to scope out the situation at Francis. Not only was it no better there, we found ourselves in a "no service" zone, so we couldn't report back. I made the command decision to head back to Maho and create a space if necessary!
We didn't have to do that - not exactly anyway. There's an alcove just beyond the bend in the road where there's room for a couple of vehicles, and just between there and the beach there's room for one car to be just off of the road, and today, that one car would be ours! We made our way to the beach, headed toward the right, and saw... a whole lot of people!
Eventually, we found a spot to establish base camp and set up.
Deb and Jay had some friends from West Virginia with them, and they let us know that they still had to stop to pick up sandwiches, and would be stopping at some of the overlooks along the road so that DQ and Sonny could get the full "tourist experience"!
The water was full of folks, we weren't sure just when our friends would arrive, and we wanted to be sure that we could hail them to our spot when they did, so there was nothing to do except get to limin' and enjoying the day!
One thing that a beach full of people does provide is ample people watching, and since that's one of our favorite pastimes, we partook mightily! After a while we got a text saying that Jay couldn't find any place to park. Now, if an island savvy driver like Jay can't find a spot, you know there's not a spot. He decided that their best bet was to wait for someone to leave, and before too long they got a space and then came and found us, and we all got down to the "business" of enjoying a day at Maho!
Jay fashioned a sailboat out of a coconut shell, a tree branch, and some sea grape leaves. We christened her "Wilson"
After a few shakedown cruises and resultant design tweaks, she proved seaworthy, and took her place proudly among the vessels in the impromptu Maho Bay Regatta!
It would be hard to imagine anything better than spending a day like this!
The sun's westward trek meant that there was a car barge calling for our companions, so we all packed up and left Maho with this thought:
After we had made our way back to the condo we realized that today's sunset had the potential to be one of those special ones. We tried not to jinx it, because there have been multiple occasions where a promising sunset here has been foiled by a late intrusion of clouds. And while even those ones can be spectacular, we were still longing for one of the classic "sun dipping beneath a cloudless horizon" types. So, cameras in hand, we headed down the hill to Frank Bay to see what we could see.
And here was the payoff for our persisitence...
We sat on the seawall until the last flicker of sunlight disappeared behind St. Thomas, then walked back up the hill and topped the day off with grilled steaks at the condo.
Tuesday, February 26
Since the high surf advisory for north facing beaches had only recently expired, we assumed that most of them would be rough and/or have poor visibility due to the water having been stirred up. Fortunately, on St. John there are abundant options! Rather than drive across island and possibly deal with the hordes that would descend on Salt Pond Bay and Lameshure as the obvious alternatives to the north shore, we headed south along the west end of the island to one of the less known/popular sites, Klein Bay. We found our way to the paved road (that looks like a driveway) that ends just feet from the bay, with fewer wrong turns than the last time we came here. The road is so close in fact, that we were able to suit up in everything but our fins and walk across the cobblestone beach to enter. Now we were back in our element!
We made our way around the point to the left. There wasn't an abundance of the animals most people get excited about seeing, but a variety of sponges, corals, and scenery, and enough sea life to keep it interesting.
I spotted a landing just outside of a rock formation below where there were a number of empty clamshells - often the sign of an octopus den. I dove down and took a look into the hole and while there was no octopus, I spied the unmistakeable pattern of a spotted moray eel, but only his midsection - the head and tail were each hidden on either side of the opening.
We hung around for a while, but it didn't look like he was interested in coming out to play, so we decided to move on. I made a mental note of the surrounding area in case our return trip brought us close by.
We kept going until we felt that we'd be cold before we made it back to shore if we didn't turn back, so we kind of nonchalantly retraced our steps (kicks?).
We ran into some underwater friends, old and new...
It's easy to take the underwater scenery for granted, but I try to force myself to remember "in a few days you'd kill to be able to see this".
Surprisingly, when we got back to the place where the moray eel had been hiding, we recognized and remembered it as such, so we dove down to see if maybe, just maybe, he felt like "coming out to play" now.
He did!
We hung around for a while, hoping that he would completely emerge from his hiding place, but apparently he was too comfortable there - at least he came out far enough to give us a good look at him!
As we were starting to get a little chilly we made our way back to our entry spot, and just before beaching ourselves, saw this little guy.
Snorkel completed, we walked the short distance back to the jeep, put our gear away and hung out and dried off a little. I walked around to the driver side door, careful to keep my feet on the narrow bit of pavement between the jeep and the underbrush (since I had been so clever about not getting sand on my feet, why ruin that at this point?). I put the key in the lock, leaned in, and opened the door - hitting myself in the forehead with the top section of the door in the process!
I sheepishly walked back to where Leslie was, and showed her the latest piece of evidence that she's married to a doofus!
She insisted on driving, saying she was concerned that I had concussed myself, but I really think she just wanted an excuse to drive a section of St. John that she had yet to do. I couldn't talk her out of it, so I climbed into the passenger seat (carefully), held a shirt to my forehead, and enjoyed the ride back to the condo!
I convalesced poolside at Battery Hill - tough duty!
We got cleaned up, then headed into town seeking lunch. We were also waiting to hear from Leslie's prospective employer - after trading emails, this call was to let her know if they had enough common ground to proceed. So, "go-phone" at the ready, we decided to visit an old favorite - Sun Dog Cafe. After a short wait (OK - it seemed longer - I was HUNGRY!!) we got a table, ordered, and impatiently looked at the phone. It was now 30 minutes after the call was supposed to come, and Leslie was fearing the worst. I tried to text someone and it would not go through. Tried a call - no luck - the phone said emergency calls only! Mild panic was creeping in. Finally I tried turning the phone off and on and it worked! A quick text to get the word out that we had been having phone issues, and the return word came that there had been a delay on the other end anyway, and that the call was still forthcoming. Whew!
Soon enough it rang and Leslie and the phone were off, looking for somewhere a bit quieter to hold the conversation. All of the worry was for naught - there was still mutual interest, and it sounded like they'd be able to reach an agreement that would work out for both parties! Wow! Could this really be happening?
After lunch we stopped at St. John Spice. We took the opportunity to talk to Ruth and Ron, and to take in some of their helpful advice. The tone of this trip had taken a sudden and unexpected turn! Next stop was High Tide. This time the staff were only too anxious to help Leslie get her hands on the pizza pan/cookie sheet - I wonder why?
Back at Battery Hill, while Leslie baked cookies I made dinner. Tonight's offerings were smoked spare ribs, BBQ beans, and mixed veggies. After dinner we felt like getting out for a bit, so, cookies in tow, we headed back to town. Interspersed among the cookie distribution was stops for drinks at Iguana Grill, and the bar at Lime Inn ( a first for us). We spent our time at the latter talking to first the bartender, then to another customer, both long term St. John residents, about our newest favorite topic - island life. We spent a great deal of time listening and learning, and picked up what we consider to be some useful information. Back "home", to bed, and to dream....
Wednesday, February 27
Our last full day on island
Since we had made plans to have lunch with our friends Anne & Bob (they live on Ajax Peak and we rented their apartment on one of our trips), and they like to stay close to Coral Bay, we opted for the east end for our snorkel spot of the day. We went back to the same place we'd gone to hang out after 8 Tuff, the little corner of Hansen Bay beyond Vie's. We didn't even have to get in the water to see local fauna...
The sun was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds when we got it, but the water didn't seem nearly as chilly as it had a few days before. We headed along the side of the bay, in the general direction of Pelican Rock.
This is normally a bay that we have all to ourselves, but since it was high season it was really crowded - there must have been 8-10 snorkelers we encountered during our seventy minute swim!
This is a nice relaxing place to snorkel. Since our first trip here, in 2007, the coral seems to have gotten a good bit more abundant and healthy, which means (among other things) more cool things to see!
We lingered in the water a bit, even after we started getting cold, as we knew that this was our last snorkel of the trip - always a somewhat sad realization.
Back on land, as we were letting the sun warm and dry us off, one of the "locals" reminded us of someone back home that would be happy to see us when we returned there...
We took a long look around, just to let some of the natural beauty of this place soak in before we moved on.
Anne & Bob had suggested that we meet here for lunch, and since we'd never been before, we readily agreed.
I'd highly recommend Pickles if you're in the Coral Bay area. The sandwiches we had were very good, the service was prompt and friendly, and the owner of the place seems to be putting in a lot of work to provide a comfortable, fun, and relaxing atmosphere.
The topic of conversation over lunch never strayed far from moving to/living on St. John. Anne & Bob have lived on island for nine years or so, and they were more than willing to answer questions we had as well as bring up things that we may not have considered. Like all of our STJ friends, they were excited that we were excited. The more people we talked to about this, the less of a dream and more real it seemed, although making it a reality still had a way to go.
After lunch we drove back across the island, and enjoyed a little pool time at Battery Hill.
We thought we were alone there, but shortly after we settled in were joined by some of the locals.
Due to the Sunday Beach Bar gathering having fizzled, there was emails, texts, Facebook messages, etc. going around trying to arrange a St. John Peeps photo opp before everyone started leaving island, so we walked down the hill to meet up at the Beach Bar around 5:00. We saw and talked to Julie (P-600) for a little while, then Laura and company showed up, so we managed a "group lite" photo.
Apparently Tracy and Mary were having so much fun kayaking at Hawksnest that they couldn't get back in time.
Before heading back up the hill "for good", we soaked in a little Cruz Bay/High Tide atmosphere, *one last time*...
The dinner at the condo featured grilled chicken breasts, and whatever leftovers we had! After we ate, we walked down to Grande Bay and hung out for a little while with Tracy and Mary for an impromptu dinner/drinks/appetizers/social hour. When everyone started yawning we decided that for all concerned it would be best to say our good-byes (for now) and head back home. We probably did some cursory pre=packing organization, but not much, before we hit the hay.
Thursday, February 28
Walk (barge?) of Woe day.
This was a departure day like none other. I posted a Facebook status that said something to the effect of "after 10 trips down here, Leslie and I are leaving St. John after what very well may be our last visit to the island". A good bit of room for interpretation in that statement, and the responses ran the gamut from "what went wrong?" to "awesome!"
Cleaning up and packing took almost no time. We were literally just up the hill from the car barge terminal, so once we were out of the condo (it still stings a little bit when you lock the keys inside on your way out) it was just a few minutes until we were aboard the Roanoke.
It's not unusual for there to be tears welling up as we wait to motor away from St. John. I had asked Leslie earlier if she expected that to be different this time because, well, you know...
This was the 10th time we've left this little piece of Paradise. Most of the time we weren't exactly sure when our next time back would be, although on at least a couple of occasions we already had the next trip booked. This time...wow, talk about uncertainty! Will the next trip be a one way one? Will we both be coming at the same time?
I was a mixed bag of emotions. For a long time now, talk of moving to St. John to live was a fantasy, akin to winning the lottery. After our first few visits we had always tried to cast a critical eye, while still enjoying our vacations, on the pros and cons, ins and outs, and everything else we could imagine/learn about life as an island resident. We've made friends that have made the move, talked to numerous strangers, and spent many hours wondering, pondering, and dreaming.
There's so much to consider that didn't come into play while this was just silly talk. The pragmatist in me panicked - there were so many checklist items that hadn't been ticked off yet. Leslie seemed a little unsure because I seemed unsure - she said that she didn't want to do this unless it was my dream as much as it was hers.
Then the horn blew - and we were pulling away.
Our trouble free travel followed us the rest of the trip. We even volunteered to be bumped from the overbooked Miami-Orlando leg of our flight, with a good idea of how we'd use the resultant future travel vouchers, but alas, they didn't need our seats after all. A quick shuttle ride to the off airport parking lot, and an incident free drive home from there and our 10th St. John trip was in the books!
EPILOGUE: So, where do we stand now? From the practical standpoint there are some licensing issues that Leslie is working through so that she can practice in the VIs - that's the last major hurdle before we *can* make a move. As to the "should we?" side of things...
I was the one that still had to be "all in". There were/are nagging thoughts that this or that really should be taken care of first. Then it hit me - the last time I'd had this kind of internal tug of war was when we were contemplating starting a family. *Ideally* before having kids...( a long list of "readiness" items). If I had actually waited to complete the list, we'd still be waiting! It came down to this - if we try this and it doesn't work out we'll always have fall back options. If we don't try it we'll go to our graves always wondering, "what if ?" There are a ton of things we have to do, but for the first time in a long time we feel like we're on an adventure!
DAMN THE TORPEDOES - FULL SPEED AHEAD!
Stay tuned, we plan to share this adventure with all of you!
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For a link to a slideshow of our pictures from this trip:
http://www.flickr.com//photos/10044245@ ... 6546/show/
Come see us!
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EagleRayLover
- Posts: 1474
- Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:56 pm
- Location: St. John -WooHoo!!
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Quote- I was the one that still had to be "all in". There were/are nagging thoughts that this or that really should be taken care of first. Then it hit me - the last time I'd had this kind of internal tug of war was when we were contemplating starting a family. *Ideally* before having kids......
I just have to add... If Augie can navigate this move to St John even half as good as he has figured out fatherhood, than we are going to make this move with humor, grace, and patience and always be smiling together in the end!!!
I just have to add... If Augie can navigate this move to St John even half as good as he has figured out fatherhood, than we are going to make this move with humor, grace, and patience and always be smiling together in the end!!!
Leslie, Kids Night In Babysitting
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Hi Augie & Eagle Ray Lover-I have been lurking here for years and your story has inspired me to come out of my "lurkitude" and post a comment. We have 10 St. John trips under our belt too (in fact, we were last there in October and I thought I recognized you and RandyinMD at Woody's save second base street party) and I'm always amazed at how so many people have the same reactions as us to spending time there and when leaving. How amazing to have a professional job opportunity that will allow you to live on STJ! Life is short, live the adventure - best of luck!!
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Great report and really looking forward to reading about your new adventure!
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Loving the idea of this adventure... and looking forward to hearing the plan!
Gator days... Jet Blue to JAX... I'll meet you! No worries!
Thoughts from my (aging) perspective were well expressed by Mark Twain:
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than the ones you did do.”
Gator days... Jet Blue to JAX... I'll meet you! No worries!
Thoughts from my (aging) perspective were well expressed by Mark Twain:
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than the ones you did do.”
... no longer a stranger to paradise
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
First of all, thanks for the great trip report as usual. Always entertaining as well as informative. Second, if someone paid us for all the time we spend trying to answer all of the questions that come to mind everytime we talk about moving down there we could probably afford to actually make the leap! We are jealous and happy for you at the same time! I certainly hope you will blog about your experience. I think the biggest thing we wonder about is whether it is better to live there or keep it as a treasured place to vacation.
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Great report, great pictures and great news!
Are your kids still in high school?
Are your kids still in high school?
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Thanks for the (always wonderful) trip report and pictures.
I am so excited for the two of you as you contemplate this huge step. I wish you all the best, and look forward to reading about your island adventures!
I am so excited for the two of you as you contemplate this huge step. I wish you all the best, and look forward to reading about your island adventures!
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
As always, thanks for the great trip report. Sounds like you'll be having quite the adventure coming up-congratulations!
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
LOVED your trip report, brings me right back to STJ 
...you're pictures are to die for...I am so going to work on taking better pics the next time we go. Do you have a special zoom lens? You are able to get so close....
Thanks for taking the time to post!
...you're pictures are to die for...I am so going to work on taking better pics the next time we go. Do you have a special zoom lens? You are able to get so close....Thanks for taking the time to post!
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msgcolleen
- Posts: 1497
- Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:33 am
- Location: Allen, Texas
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
DAMN THE TORPEDOES-FULL SPEED AHEAD!!! Love it!
I've got 2 tickets to paradise~Pack your bags we'll leave tonight!
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/]
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/]
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
i particularly LOVE this trip report! good luck with your decision making (or at least deciding what to bring and what to leave!)
< leaving on the 22nd of march...but too lame to figure out the ticker thing again!>
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 3) - Finale
Thanks everyone!
Thank you EagleRayLover - just like with the boys, there's no one else I'd rather be on this adventure with!
ATG - speak up if you see us again!
lprof - good gameday plan! And as far as your "aging" perspective, I can only hope that when I get to be your age, that I'm nearly as young as you are!
PA Girl - the boys are out of high school, but not out of college yet...
Caw954s - no special zoom lens, I try and be as calm as I can in the water which allows me to get close to the fish (sometimes!).
Thank you EagleRayLover - just like with the boys, there's no one else I'd rather be on this adventure with!
ATG - speak up if you see us again!
lprof - good gameday plan! And as far as your "aging" perspective, I can only hope that when I get to be your age, that I'm nearly as young as you are!
PA Girl - the boys are out of high school, but not out of college yet...
Caw954s - no special zoom lens, I try and be as calm as I can in the water which allows me to get close to the fish (sometimes!).
Come see us!