Happy Monday!
We start off this week with a photo of an idyllic beach morning on our little island.
Early morning on a St. John North Shore Beach
Visitors to the local resorts may not have realized that the Virgin Islands have been experiencing a drought because of their on-site desalinization plants. But island villa and cottage rental guests have been asked to conserve water more than normal for the past couple of months. The need was real.
We wonder if the drought was the reason someone left this offering tucked into a nook inside an island sugar mill ruin.
Goodness knows, we’ve been praying for rain like most islanders. Fresh water is hard to come by unless you know just where to hunt for it. It also helps to be a bird to spot the hidden oases of lush greenery when the rest of St. John is very dry.
Some island critters, even the very youngest ones, seem to have no problem finding lush tropical plants bearing yummy (to them) food to eat even in the scorching sun.
Other creatures are spoiled rotten by the kindness of humans and hardly need to hunt for nourisment. This little bananaquit isn’t just taking a sweet bath. It’s taking a SWEET bath washing it’s tail in a bowl of sugar water after a gluttonous feast. Now that’s a sugar bird!
Fresh drinking water is precious and most of us rely on rainy days to fill our cisterns with that liquid gold. Except for the water delivery guys, of course. But when there is a water shortage, even they can’t get enough and you can see the tankers lined up in early morning hoping for a turn at the community spigot.
Our prayers were answered this weekend. Ah – our cisterns are filled again. It gave us a day of cool weather too so we could dig out our socks and ancient sweaters and feel blessed; we do it so rarely. After all, the temperature went below 70 degrees last night!
Life is returning to normal now. And we can blessedly look forward to many late afternoons under the golden sun before the next rainy day.
- Maho Bay Turtles Play at Sunset
So this week, we hope to spend time taking sea baths under golden sunsets and floating with the turtles on sunny St. John. Isn’t life in the islands just wonderful?
Until next Monday - warm wishes to all.
- Bob and Karin Schlesinger
Your Island Photographers
Bob+ Karin ~ just discovered your blog. Love it! Great photos and a nice sampling of island life. I’ll be checking back regularly. My family visited you at your house about 4 or 5 years ago. We have twin girls… they would have been about 4 years old then (or 2 years old?). You were just finishing the “love shack” in your back yard. It’s been nice getting a glimpse of you here and there on various blogs (mostly On-StJohn). Glad to see you’re doing well. We don’t get back as often as we like, but still dream of following in your footsteps. Best, Steve
Comment by Chicago Steve — March 9, 2010 @ 12:27 am
Super pics… great reminders to conserve… especially love the iguanas, and am so glad the islands got some rain!
Comment by Linda Walker — March 9, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
Thanks for the compliments. We think it’s time you planned another vacation to St. John. Meanwhile, we promise to bring a little St. John to you through our photos.
Comment by Karin — March 9, 2010 @ 5:59 pm
It’s a love/hate relationship with the rain, that’s for sure. It’s warmer today too!
Comment by Karin — March 9, 2010 @ 6:03 pm