Islands
One of the thousands of anole lizards darting around the island of St. Croix.
I was stoked to read this NYTimes Magazine Eat column about ‘buttery garlic shrimp’ on the North Shore of O’ahu. I took the long drive around the island many times in the early 1990s. Great memories. (I found the Onolicious Hawai’i site mentioned in the piece; there’s no RSS.)
Having grown up with a plan to be a Peace Corps Volunteer — my father served in the Dominican Republic and inspired me— I had huge expectations by the time I set foot on Paama Island. My 2102 blog post remembered what happened next.
On the Quantum of the Seas heading north to Alaska. On the pool deck giant screen this morning was a documentary about volcanologists rappelling into Benbow Crater on Ambrym Island (Vanuatu). Surreal to see that - I stood at the crater lip in 1999.
Travel day: flying from Raleigh-Durham to Rhode Island with my son. Prepared for whatever delays may come so wearing my favorite Reyn Spooner Hawaiian shirt. ‘Fly with aloha’ is my M.O. today.
Finally downloaded the images and videos from the GoPro camera we took to St. Croix in March. Here’s a green sea turtle that was in the shallow water near the Frederiksted pier. #turtle
Fiddling with the Smol Blog, adding a new page to pull in all posts about the various islands I’ve called home or visited (using the category+filters function) including Paama, St. Croix, and Hawaii.
I started reading Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell last fall, took it with me on the winter vacation to Hawaii, but only on this St. Croix trip did I finally power my way through, and I’m so glad I did because this was a beautiful story that simmered until it’s boiling point. 📚
Sitting poolside at the Fred, a boutique hotel in Frederiksted on the island of St. Croix. Just had a massage, waiting as Erin gets hers. Reading a good book(Hamnet), drinking a beer, listening to a guitarist singing at the bar. Cruise ship looms beyond.
A day for the beach: today at Kailua, sunny and windy and relaxing. Adding to my collection of Christmases on the beach, which includes Magen’s Bay(USVI), Lamen Island (Vanuatu), and Waikiki.
Dad and Dot returned to St. Croix for the winter, and what they thought was an iguana that had crawled between the upper louvres turned out to be a red-tailed boa constrictor, an invasive species. They called the hotline and the snake guy came to get it.
Papaya in the garden box, got there via the compost, and won’t survive the cold but reminds me of my time in Vanuatu and how easy papaya seeds sprout.
Waking up in the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill, a staycation just few miles from our home, for our 25th anniversary. Erin surprised me with “We always wanted to go to Tuscany.” Dinner at Hawthorne & Wood, where we both had flounder in coconut broth, like our fav meal in Vanuatu.
I had such a great vacation on St. Croix last month - swinging in my hammock - that I decided to make a sticker to remember it.
Last full day on St. Croix has begun with more great weather, stunning views, cooing doves and crowing roosters, gentle breezes, and the promise of relaxation at the beach.
Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI. Alexander Hamilton walked here.
Back on St. Croix. Island is green, temperature is pleasant, air is hazy with Saharan dust.
Still thinking about how much I enjoyed reading: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel on my vacation on St. Croix last month. 📚
Last day for this visit to St. Croix. In my hammock at our favorite, empty beach. So calm and peaceful. I relaxed. Needed this vacation. Will be rested for a work (and more) next week.
Just paged through the 1984 yearbook of The Good Hope School here on St. Croix. I was in the eighth grade (my younger brothers attended and my mother was a teacher). #memorylane