It's hell getting old.

Yesterday I planned to clear the undergrowth that had accumulated along the electric fence. Mostly it was grass and weeds but in some places the undergrowth consisted of small saplings of Redbuds and thick briars.

So to handle the problem with the least effort I rented a industrial weed eater and an industrial hedge trimmer. I remembered years ago I did this by hand and almost perished of poison ivey. I got these nasty blisters everywhere that lasted for weeks.

At 7:30 AM I fired up the equipment and got to work. By 8:15 AM I was completely dehydrated and exhausted from holding the heavy/shakey equipment. I mean dog ass tired. I was barely 1/3 of the way into it and had not even gotten to the bad places with heavy undergrowth.

I went back up to the house to rest and drink water. I noticed blood on my left arm and two bleeding blisters on my left hand. This was after only 45 minutes with heavy work gloves.

I decided to break down the work into manageable 30 minute shifts with 30 minute rest breaks. I thought mentally and physically I could pull off two or three of these before I died from exhaustion.

That strategyy worked for the planned two cycles before I gave up for the day. I'll deal with the rest tomorrow.

My canine pals Haley and Cedie had benn "helping" me most of the morning. Cedie is very good about hanging around and staying close to home. She mostly suns on the deck this time of year. Toady was no different.

Haley however is more of a free spirit, willing to explore. She followed me all along the fence and occationally waded in the creek to cool off.

As previously discussed, I decided to call it a day in the yard and rest before I showered. Haley gladly stretched out under the picnic table to rest with Cedie.

After some time had pasted Gigi asked where Haley and Cedie were. Cedie was where I left her, but Haley had moved on.

Usually just a quick shout, HALEY!, and she would come running. This time however she was nowhere in sight.

To make a long story short, I found Haley about a mile away hiding in some think woods waiting for a familiar face to come by. Once she heard my diesel truck she came running down the remote gravel drivway to flag me down. Cedie was with me and she was beside herself.

The last post on this vacation was Wednesday the 17th even though we didn't leave until the 20th. I completely lost the ability to connect to the Internet both on Earthlink dial up and the local wifi.

Earthlink's node in St Thomas never answered the entire trip. The wifi at the bar was so weak and inconsistent that I stopped attempting to post the blog.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - We woke up about the same time usual and pulled back the curtains to reveal the beautiful Caribbean just outside our window. You never get tired of looking at a turquoise panorama.

This morning we had decided to eat breakfast at the hotel.

I'm not as big of a breakfast eater as I used to be but this morning I was craving an egg and toast.

We walked up to the restaurant among the sound of jack hammers and roofing tar heaters. I guess this is to be expected in the off season.

Three separate people asked us what we wanted for breakfast but no coffee or juice appeared. Finally a fourth person took charge and things started to happen. Coffee, juice, eggs, bacon, toast pancakes were the promises.

Eventually it all arrived and it was decent.

I decided to snorkel but didn't want to be along. If I observe long enough someone with equipment would show up and I could buddy with them. I guess this was instilled in me at Boy Scouts. Always have a buddy when swimming.

I saw a buxom young lady and she was with snorkel equipment. That was my queue.

Her name was Tammy. She welcomed the company and safety.

We headed out and kept each other in site as we snorkeled. As we headed to deeper water I noticed a huge fish just ahead and below. I thought it was a tuna. I pointed it out and Tammy and she signaled to me to surface. She informed me that that fish was a quite large barracuda and we best get our butts back to shore.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - This place has a very cool shower. It's a 5X6 tile room with a slat dark mahogany wooden ceiling. At one end is a shower curtain and the other end a wooden slat window. Just a few turns and you are wide open to the Caribbean. Its like showering outside. No glass and no screen.

At this resort the ability to communicate with the outside world is abhorrent. So far dial up isn't working. Mobile phones don't work. Most of the time no one answers the phone at the front desk so they can't send an incoming call you. And the wireless internet works only on a cloudless day and the signal is weak at best. I can make outgoing land line calls to the mainland at $3 a minute. Imagine calling you attorney back home and have the clock run at both ends!

We went on the beach this morning. The snorkeling wasn't good today. The surf was churned up a bit and visibility was poor.

Gigi and I tool a walk and lounged in the sun. Terry and Michael were due around noon. Unlike most folks here Terry is always prompt. Her timeliness I guess it's hung over from living on the mainland and catering to mainland tourists.

True to her nature I heard Terry and Michael unloading the car at noon.

I had decided some months ago to ask Terry to com over again so Gigi and I could both get a massage. Terry suggested the open air cabana on the beach. And again true to her nature she gave us both a long relaxing massage. It was double relaxing hearing the ocean waves and feeling the warm breezes as all my stresses go massaged away.

It was the most accommodating and relaxing massage ever. If you are pet deprived, ask Terry to bring her dog Goliath. He's a friendly little pocket dog that is eager to please.

Ambrosia Body Care, call Terry or Michael 340-773-6174 or 340-643-2444


By now it was 2:40 PM and lunch was long overdue. All five of us (Goliath too) headed down the road to Lobster Reef. I have driven past this place dozens of times. It is at the end of a long dirt driveway. This place was a real dive with a million dollar view. It looked like something I would build in the backyard with some boards and plywood.

There were a few friendly cats walking around the dining area. We were the only people there.

The service was very good and the food was good too. Gigi and I both had the lobster quesadilla.

Overall this was a nice pleasant dining experience with friends.

Lobster Reef


By the time we got back it was 6 PM.

Gigi and I ate salads in the room, watched TV and went to bed.

Monday, May 15, 2006 - This is a nice place here at the Carambola but its tired and in need of some refurbishment. Mainly the fixtures are in need of replacement such as furniture, lamps, mirrors and plumbing fixtures. The rest is lovely classic Caribbean architecture.

Coconut trees abound. They are beautiful and run all the way to the beach.

I spent the morning on the beach and snorkeled twice. There is really nice reef just offshore. The reef goes for maybe 100 feet to “the Wall”. The Wall is a deep plunge into the abyss.

Gigi and I decided to go to the Full Moon Bar and Grille for lunch. We still call it Cane Bay Beach Bar.

We had to pass through a herd of goats to get there. They were cute and were just walking down the road to greener pastures.

We saw Assa the cattle dog. She was friendly as usual and it gave us a chance to rub a dog.

The service was good as usual and the food was good. The view is awesome. It takes a while to get your food but it is always hot and prepared well. We ate some awesome cheese burgers with fries and onion rings.

Full Moon Bar and Grille


We then headed into Christiansted. Gigi shopped and I called friends from the harbor web cam on the boardwalk.

Gigi and I met up a few hour later at the Fort Christian Brew Pub for a few drinks. We met some folks from NC and talked the afternoon away out in the Caribbean sunshine.

We were about to leave when we were notified that crab races were about to begin. A line soon formed for people to bet on the crabs. For $2 you pick and name a crab. They write the name on a piece of tape on the back of the crab.

I bet on “Galaxy” and placed bets for others since I was third in line.

A local black woman very colorfully dressed walked through the crowd and sold bags of peanuts. She would take her money after each bag sold and buy a bottle of Budweiser.

A small child stood in the middle of the floor. A rope was attached to his ankle. He was the pivot point for a large chalk circle. Three rings were made. One small circle in the middle was where the race would start. Then a larger circle was drawn for the finish line.

After a huge crowd assembled and all bets had been places the bugle blew (kazoo) announcing the begining of the first race.

Two large buckets of crabs were turned upside down, and then the buckets were removed. The race began!

Any person caught stomping or pointing got taped to their chair. Gigi was soon taped to her chair.

Each winner was put in the “rest bucket” for the final race. The five finalists then raced. Prizes were awarded for 1st through 5th place.

By now it was 7:30 so we headed home. What a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 We had a great night's sleep.

The bags did not come in. I called a nice lady computer at American Airlines and she told me this also. The lady computer was happy that she could help me and asked me to call again later.

This is a nice beach. I took and early morning walk.

I always wondered where all the birds and animals were in St Croix. Now I know. They stay in the rain forest. Everywhere there are loud happy birds and loud happy frogs. The frogs scream all night and the birds sing all day. You get used to it.

It's not as humid today.

A knock at the door and the bellman yelled' “your bag is here!” It was just like Christmas morning. We could brush our teeth and comb our hair. Oh joy!

Margaret and Ken enjoy Mother's Day at the Buccaneer
We took our friend Margaret and her Son Ken out for Mother's Day lunch at the Buccaneer. It was a nice long pleasant lunch catching up with her.

The restaurant was on the waterfront looking out over Christiansted harbor and the mountains beyond. The wait staff was excellent and the food was fast and fresh. The deserts were outstanding. Gigi had the rum cake and I had the chocolate-chocolate cake. We both had a fried fish sandwich and fries.

Mermaid


On the way back to the room I strolled down to the beach bar and got a rum punch. Heck, it's 2:30ish and I'm on vacation. Right Don?

Gigi stopped off by the gift shop and I'm deciding whether to snorkle or take a nap. I'm starting to unwind and enjoy the island.

I did both, a great snorkle and a killer nap.

Okay…I have found the deal. There is a wireless connection at the open bar here at Carambola. It s the only connection I have. Dial-up to St Thomas isn't working. And to top it off, there is a happy hour from 4PM to 6PM at this bar. $1.25 for a domestic beer. So I have strategically arranged my schedule to upload the blog and download email at…..guess what time? Happy hour!!!

Saturday, May 13, 2006- Ahhhh the appointed time is here. No more day dreaming. It's vacation time again.

I'm up early checking flights and doing some final packing. There is always the need to run the vacuum cleaner one last time when you have 3 dogs and a cat inside.

I'm in flight now from Miami to St Croix. It's an old 737 and only about 2/3 full so there is plenty of room. A poor mans first class.

We arrive in St Croix a few minutes early. The humidity is up. Everyone was wet with sweat lugging bags off the plane.

Our car rental person from Centerline met us as usual but the van to take us to the car was out on another call. Okay….it's island time, no worries. So Gigi heads to the luggage claim to pick up the bags and I wait on the van. The van eventually came and I pick up the jeep.

Meanwhile not a single bag has been unloaded from the American Flight. Gigi and another 125 people are standing around in the heat waiting for the luggage to come on the conveyer.

I switched places with Gigi so she could go to the jeep and sit in the air conditioning.

Finally a few bags come out, then a few more. Slooooooowly the luggage builds up volume. Finally I see the first bag, then the second, and wait for the third. It's starting to look bad. Me and a couple of Rasta guys are staring hopelessly at the conveyor.

Okay. 2 out of three ain't bad but I know that is not going to set well with Gigi. It didn't.

I filed the report and they assured us the bag would be on the next 8:50 PM flight from San Juan.

We arrived at the Carambola after doing a little grocery shopping. This is a nice place but in need of good management. The grounds could use some work. The staff is nice but not coordinated. The rooms are large, quintessential Caribbean with the wooden beam ceilings and open ceiling fans and tile floors. The appliances and fixtures need replacing. Two light bulbs are out and the buttons on the phone are unmarked.

The view is great. We are ocean front. It is very lush here. Lots of vegetation.

We are tired and want dinner. All we have eaten is salty airline stuff all day. I want a glass of chardonnay and a seafood salad. We went down to the open air bar/grill and wait. And wait. Other people are getting attention and we aren't. Eventually a really nice waiter came by and took our drink and food order. We wait, and wait. New people come in and get service, drinks and food. Nothing for us. I flag down our waiter and he realized he completely forgot us. He forgot both our drinks and order. It's not like we were in a dark corner either. We were seated in the middle of the open deck.

So we sit back and enjoy a most beautiful sunset. And a few drinks. This is not the place to catch a buzz. You get one drink on their terms. Sip it slowly.

I ordered the house salad with seared tuna with blue cheese and blue cheese crumbles. Gigi ordered the same but with shrimp. She got the crumbles and I didn't. I wasn't about to send this salad back though.

The salads were good. The service was horrible. They deserve the dreaded one shrimp.

Flamboyant Lounge


We attempted to sit up to wait for our bag but fatigue took over and we decided to turn in.

Thursday, May 11, 2006 - We talked to our friends in St Croix today. We are meeting Terry and Michael Tuesday to play and R and R. Then Bacchus on Wednesday night. We are taking Margaret and her son out Sunday for brunch. It's always nice to talk to friends on the island.

We are cleaning the house and getting the pets ready for the sitter.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - I shot a 99 round of golf yesterday for the first time on my home course. Oh! I about forgot to take the snorkle stuff out of the attic. I've got to remember the passports too.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - Today I packed my special NC salted peanuts in the shell. I can't go a week without them. Let's see, a few beer koozies, flip flops, 6 golf balls just in case, all of the important things.

Prelude - I booked this trip back in February 2006 when the memory of the last St Croix trip was fresh. I had two airline vouchers worth $450 each that expired May 18, 2006. I checked the off-season rates at the Carambola where we had visited in February. I was quite impressed with the resort. The rooms were $150 a night in May. That's a done deal. We booked the room, car and flight before the expiration of the vouchers.

This vacation is going to be cheaper than a trip to the Redneck Riviera, Myrtle Beach, SC. And it's going to be a heck of a lot warmer and tropical than Myrtle Beach.

So here we go again. After all, I turn fifty in 6 weeks so I don't even feel guilty about this indulgence.

I wasn't sure how excited I would be when the time came. After all warm weather should be the norm here in North Carolina in May. And warm was one of the original reasons I started going to St Croix every winter. That is before I fell in love with the place and its people.

Needless to say I am excited if I'm writing this far in advance!

Cold weather is not the norm in May in North Carolina. It has been unusually chilly the past week and should continue to be unseasonably cold. I look forward to the warm breezy 80s of St Croix.

What a great Saturday for napping and watching TV. I made a big pot of oyster stew for lunch and bam! Instant coma.
Yesterday I went to the local dive shop to pick up a set of fins and such for snorkeling. What a weird bunch that was. I can't imagine sitting through certification classes there.
We plan to be back in St Croix in May. I figured it was time to own my own dive stuff.
Most of the equipment you rent leaks and I assured that it harbors toe fungus.
Haley is still doing wel. She is not confident as I would like. She cowers a lot. I had to correct her this morning and she just fell apart.
Cedie has had to adjust as alpha dog. There is some struggle with Cedie and Haley. It interesting how pack animals work this out.

I'm playing golf today with a client. This will be my first round of the year and I can feel a bad one coming on. If all goes well I can have fun and make some money by closing a long overdue deal.It's always strange to me how folks spend so much time looking for golf tees. Clearly golf tees are the cheapest part of the game. I rarely bother to pick up a tee unless it's clealy lying unbroken in front of me.The game went well. The weather was perfect in the low 70's. We were both rusty but improved as the game went on. Thank goodness we didn't bother to keep score.

We are enjoying Haley. I forget how young dogs wake up in the morning just happy to be alive. I wake up in the night and she is lying by my side just quietly looking at me.She is very grateful and happy to be in our house. Rescue dogs are always more appreciative.Yesterday was the first day we ran the girls together in the pasture. In fact it was the first time I had taken all three down since Galaxy was alive.It was nice to have three again running around like idiots like you saw on the video.I had been exercising Peaches and Cedie by walking or just in the back yard tossing the ball.Cedie has assumed a more serious roll. She now plays more diligently with the Frisbee. She's actually gotten quite good. Before she was the spoiler trying to steal Peaches or Galaxy's Frisbee.Now Haley is the spoiler.Haley has no interest in playing ball, a little more interest in playing Frisbee.This morning Cedie was sideways in the hall and Haley ran under her belly to get by. She is so fast and agile. Cedie looked like "what the heck happened?"I'm enjoying playing with them so much that I've been late to work all week. Haley spices up the whole house.

Haley made it through her first night just fine. Gigi let her out once to potty and she disappeared. I went out to find her and she had jumped up in the bed of my pickup to sleep. Go figure?

We got our new dog today from East TN Border Collie Rescue. What a sweetie. She is very obedient and very willing to please.Suzanne did a great job matching our needs to just the right dog.Haley is young and enthusiastic.The other two dogs seem happy to have her. Cedie sulks a bit and Peaches is taking the new girl in stride.

Saturday, February 04, 2006 - I never get sad on the last day of a vacation. I just switch to the "Anticipation" mode for my next vacation.

This has been an active yet mentally restful trip.

This is the point in the trip when you start taking inventory. Not of you life or anything that deep. You start looking at all the stuff you bought and will leave behind.

There are 3 beers in the refrigerator along with some great leftovers. I know the next renters will not appreciate the leftover pizza. Heck I'll take another swing at that for lunch.

A glance to the liquor cabinet and it looks like and even bet. There was a bottle of Jack Black and it's still there. We drank the rum that was there but will leave some 151 rum.

We did use a bit of the Jack Black as a disinfectant. Gigi fell in downtown Christiansted mid trip and skinned her knees.

There's also frozen lemonade and lots of round limes.

Overall we did pretty good not overbuying groceries even though we ate most meals here.

Honestly I have been insulated from the worries of the world. This has been very relaxing.

I'm still getting over the scuba dive from the other day. I can't seem to get my right ear back to normal. My ear doesn't hurt.

Diving was a life changing experience. Heck, just being able to breath under water was life changing.

I just put the top back on the Jeep. That's top is one fine piece of fine American engineering. NOT!

We had a back panel fly off yesterday in the middle of the highway. I did a u-turn and Gigi flung open the door and scooped the panel up. I did not have the panel zipped up.

The ladies are off to town for some last minute shopping. I'm headed to the pool.

It was one relaxing vacation.

The tan will fade but the memories will not.

Friday, February 03, 2006 - We are off to an 8:30 Tee time at the Buccaneer this morning. It will be interesting with the ladies vs the men.

Well we didn't pull off the golf. As we pulled in the Buccaneer an ominous black cloud with lots muscular backup helped us to decide that maybe it wasn't the day for golf. Oh well, no worries.

We headed to the dry end of the island where it was bright and sunny. Looked at Point Udall, and worked our way down the south shore.

Hay Penny beach was a real disappointment. It had been billed as something special. It was so remote. Maybe nudie types go there because it is deserted. We felt a bit unsafe there.

Pizza! Tonight's the night. Lori with Just-in-Case Deli has taken our order for three fresh take and bake pizzas. Can't wait! I'm hoping for a 5 shrimper!

We spent the afternoon with our island friend Margaret Walsh.

We ate "Goat Water" a goat stew, herring, rice and spinach, and johnny cakes for lunch. Completely Carribean.

Then we ate the pizza to go from "Just in Case" deli. It cost like a zillion dollars for one of them but was very, very good.

Judy and Tom came over to join us.

We did splatter the oven a bit. Sorry Terri and Joe.

It was a very hot and humid day.

The stars are bright tonight.

Happy Ground Hog Day!

Thursday, February 02, 2006 - We plan to head to the Divi this morning for breakfast. Then we have reservations to scuba this afternoon. Oh boy! Another brush with death for me.

It is raining all to be damned this morning. It's a chilly 72 degrees. We are huddled around our hot coffee mugs.

I never have figured out why coffee carafes dribble water and coffee all over the counter when they are full. This one here is no exception.

We have the fastest dial up here. I am consistantly connecting at 52.0 kbps on an Earthlink connection from St Thomas.

This looks like the day is going to end up with a trip to the Cruzan Rum distillery and a nap if it keeps raining this hard.

It finally quit raining about 10:30. It was a flooding rain. There are lots of washouts and the parking lot at the villa is very pot holed.

Breakfast was good at the Starlite Grill in the Divi Resort. We all had pancakes and bacon with fruit. It was what you expect in a decent breakfast with good service. Nothing special, nothing bad.

Starlite Grill in the Divi Resort


Judy was raving about a lunch place her and Tom ate the other day. Judy got the Carib Shrimp Salad at The Mix on the waterfront in Christiansted. She said it was fresh pineapple with greens, grilled seasoned shrimp with grated fresh coconut.

The service was outstanding and very friendly.

The Mix


News Flash.......... St Croix is slowly but surely getting street signs. This is a major developement.

We did the scuba dive from Cane Bay and I didn't die. I've always wanted to try this and figured I'd better try scuba before I get too old.

The instructors were great. The view looked like Discover HD Channel.

The equipment weighed about 5 times as much leaving the water as it weighed going in. We are very tired.

Jerry was a great instructor. I would say give scuba a try at Cane Bay Dive shop.

We are headed to Bacchus for supper.

Thank goodness Bacchus botched our reservation. We called in earlier this morning and left a reservation on their voice mail. They got the call, they got the time, they got number in the party, but they didn't understand the number to confirm the reservation. Shame on Bacchus.

I asked them to call Kendricks. I wish they had tried to help us earlier. Kendricks could seat us at 9:00 PM. No thanks. I was hungry from diving.

Oh well.

To our good fortune we ended up at The Mix. The sevice was outstanding. The food was fantastic. The live music was very good. The view was the water front. The bill was about 1/2 of what we expected.

The Mix is a hidden gem. I hope they can keep the chef.

The Mix again gets


As a bonus Channel 2 was filming a TV commercial that will air in Puerto Rico, USVI, and the British Virgin Islands.

They had their pretty actresses all having a fancy dinner with lights and cameras. We sat and enjoyed and became the background for the commercial.

They even panned the camera our way a few times. Thank goodness we were dressed for Bacchus. Our ladies looked stunning.

So next time you are watching Puerto Rican TV, watch for the commercial with Reggie, Gigi, Tom, Judy, Dee and Bill in it.

Wednesday 2/1/2006 - If you want a Pizza on Tuesday in St Croix then plan to make your own. We tried twice to get a pizza last night and were told they don't make pizza on Tuesday.

This must be a universal fact all over the island. I didn't probe for any details. We just accepted the fact and moved on.

We first tried "Just In Case Deli". They had a rather complicated schedule of days they made and didn't make pizza. I here these pizza's are the best on the island from the villa owners. We'll never know.

Then we went to another quaint open air restaurant over on the west side of Christiansted. It's near the Hibuscus Resort area. Smugglers Cove Bar and Restaurant is worth a visit.

There seemed to be a lot of regulars, blue collar types. My guess is they all were contract workers at the refinery.

The service was good but "island slow" which is no problem. They cook fresh pizza here but we were told not on Tuesday.

So we orded a variety of food from the menu. All items were good and reasonably priced.

Smugglers Cove Bar and Restaurant


So far the award for the coldest beer in St Croix goes to Styx on the boardwalk. This is a real dive. The bartender is not friendly and the patrons look like questionable characters.

The good news is they keep their beer in a giant cooler on ice. Then sit outside and watch the day go by.


The agenda today is the pool in the AM, horseback riding this afternoon, then fresh lobster at the villa for supper.

Okay....no lobsters today. We'll have to make other plans for supper

The weather is June-like today. Very warm with a breeze.

If you don't see anymore blog entries then I assume I died horse back riding.

I didn't die. In fact we had a blast riding.

Paul and Jill's Equestrian Stables is well worth the drive to Fredricksted. We took a tour through the rainforest, a short ride on the beach and had lots of laughs. Jill did a great job of matching her horses with our abilities.

Gigi looked like a humming bird on a water melon. She rode a huge Persian horse.

Paul and Jill's Equestrian Stables


We stopped by Schooner Bay Market and picked up some huge thick New York Strips with veggies and merlot.

It was funny....the store had just been resupplied and folks were buying up all the items that were fresh from the mainland. I think everyone had a container of ice cream in their basket.

The butcher shop had plenty of very good cuts of beef, but no pork. The seafood looked good, but no lobster. The ladies cooked and the guys broke out the charcoal grill. It was wonderful.