My island alter-ego.

Raymi and I are feeling very grateful to have made it out of Minnesota ahead of the Polar Vortex. Our connecting flight was in Atlanta and just a few hours after we were cleared for takeoff in Atlanta the FAA cancelled 1,500 flights due to the horrible winter weather.

We nearly kissed the ground when we deplaned and felt the warmth.

This is our fourth year back to St. Thomas and St. John’s. Each visit we’re blown away by the laid-back vibe and natural beauty of the white sand beaches and the turquoise water. Everything happens at its own pace here and nothing is guaranteed. Internet, cellular service, and even electricity can go out in a moments notice. This forces you to relinquish whatever control you think you might have in life, be more flexible, patient, and go with the flow.

We also get to know the local culture on a deeper level every year. A lot of the people who live here fulltime seem to realize they may not have all of the modern amenities but they have a wealth of things that matter. Who needs internet when they’re surrounded by this beauty? We’re now three days into our trip and have visited Sapphire and Lindquist Beaches and we were one of only a handful of people on both beaches. It was pretty much just us and the doves today on Lindquist.

Lindquist Beach (my favorite on the island.)

This was one curious dove.

Last year there was still quite a bit of rebuilding going on after the devastating one-two punches of hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. This year things are almost back to normal but many of the small business didn’t survive the equally devastating 18-24 month lull in tourism. A few of our favorite haunts are gone.

Two nights ago we took the sky lift up to Paradise Point to watch the sunset over Frenchman’s Bay. The transition was beyond breathtaking.

No trip is complete without a trip to Duffy’s Love Shack, our favorite tiki bar on the island (which is basically a shack in a parking lot). We had a painkiller in honor of our friend @dougkarr who tried his first Duffy’s painkiller last year. Memories of the good times we all had there came flooding back.

On the island, if you’re eating outside and feel like something’s watching you it’s not paranoia but probably just a chicken. They run loose everywhere. The roosters begin crowing between three and four AM in the morning, I feel sorry for light sleepers.

That’s all for now. In the next few days we plan on a trip to Water Island and St. John’s which we’ll share the details of...IF we have Wifi!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Eric

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*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.

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