As much as I love being home in Valparaiso, Indiana for spring, summer and fall….there’s no better place to be in winter than St. John!
This year I’m out of the ‘kombucha apartment’🤣 and moved into a great apartment I am sharing with EMT and firefighter, Brian. The drawback is I’m back in Gifft Hill and without a car I’m dependent on the bus service…a nice 15 minute hike up a vertical hill to the bus stop and the mercy of Michelle or other drivers. The good news is hitching is completely acceptable and safe. You stick out your index finger and point in the direction you want to go and someone WILL pick you up. It’s just a matter of when😬. I was hesitant to do this but I had been with Michelle when she was constantly picking up people and learned it’s just a part of life on the island. Many people do not have vehicles because they come to work just for the high season ( November-May) then move back to the states either for summer/fall work then return to island or choose to move back to the states for good. . The island isn’t for everyone.
The very first couple of days back were spent celebrating Michelle‘s birthday weekend. Work. Then hike to my favorite quiet little beach, Solomon. But I was met by a surprise!
The swell was so high it covered the entire beach up to the tree line! Well, back on the trail I go a little bit further down to Honeymoon Beach which has a much larger beach.
Yet, as you can see by the moored sailboats, it’s a more popular beach since it’s so large. This is also where cruise ships moored in St. Thomas will bring tourists for a day trip excursion on smaller vessels to visit St. John’s beach. Cruise ships can not get near St. John because of water depth and lack of docking.
But, no matter, I’m hear to snorkel not lay on the beach….I’m not really a lay on the beach kind of person. It’s too dang hot in the sun! But sitting in the shade with a good book after a snorkel….divine!
January 21, 2017 Womens March
The Womens March for womens rights on January 17 occurred the day after the Trump inauguration and was prompted as a worldwide protest since Trump had made many disparaging and distasteful remarks about women during his campaign. In Washington, D.C. , it was the largest single- day protest in the history of the United States . Close to half million people were there with millions more across the United States and even around the world as a show of sisterhood.
Being on an island, sometimes you feel pretty isolated from what’s going on in the states or other parts of the world. Yet, when there’s a cause or an issue that needs to be addressed in a public platform, some people living on St. John make a stand and make their position known. Michelle and I decided we needed to be part of this show of unity.
I was surprised to see not only a large gathering of women but men and children of all ages! Michelle and I were glad to be a small part of it. Whenever you think , “I will just keep my thoughts to myself and let someone else make a stand” is when complacency sets in and radicals take over. This was not only a womens march but a march for equality for all people. Regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or religion. It’s so hard to believe at this point in history that people can not understand that equality is a human right. When will it ever be?
Traveling Rose in St. John 