Today we decided to do a little beach hopping and some snorkeling (because everyone seems to be as addicted to it as I am!). We got up early to head over to our first beach of the day at Oppenheimer Beach. This beach used to be owned by the man with the same name who helped develop the atom bomb. Once he died he donated the land to St. John and they turned his house into a community center. There is very little parking on this beach so usually not many people venture to it. We got some prime real estate right on the beach under the Sea Grape trees. I love these trees because they grow at all levels almost like thick vines. They are also excellent at protecting from the sun. We snorkeled there some but did not see much sadly. There were a few parrot fish and a ton of little fry fish, but what was really fun was we snorkeled to a very secluded beach with about 20 cairns on the shore. If you dont know what these are hikers usually build these on trails to show others that they have been there. We decided to add our own cairns to the display and snorkeled back. We lounged on the beach a bit more but then Rob's stomach started to tell us it was time for lunch.
Apparently a Tucker tradition is to go a restaurant/bar called Shipwrecks. It is across the road from the bay so it has a great view. It also has some excellent food. I was really in the mood for a taco salad with some ground beef on it. What made it awesome though was the Valley Doll hot sauce. There are two kinds: a mild sauce with curry and nice easy spices, and super super hot with habinero peppers in it. In case there is any curiosity I used the mild sauce. :)
After we were done with dinner we headed to a new beach called Little Lampshire. And yes there is a Big Lampshire but it is usually the much more popular one, so we chose to hang out with the little brother. What we forgot though was that today was Memorial Day, which meant all the locals who know about Little Lampshire were there and we had a very hard time snorkeling. Where there are usually a good amount of sea turtles, there were nothing but sea urchins. Lets talk about how much I hate sea urchins. They are these ugly black blobs with huge spikes coming out of all ends and not only are they poisonous they are also barbed so that sucker ain't coming out without A LOT of pain. I was not a fan of this beach and my mask also decided to screw up so I couldn't see much anyway. What was fun was there are some ruins at the top of a little hill in Little Lampshire which I got some great pictures of. Apparently it was a station for men to watch to see if any enemy boats were headed to St. John. It was really neat to see.
Once we were done playing in the sun we headed back to our villa to get cleaned up and have dinner. Ken, Rob and Val cooked an excellent dinner of ham (for me, thanks to my allergies) and chicken for everyone else. We also had mixed veggies and amazing coconut mango rice. It was delicious. Around the time we got the grill started, the sky opened up and started pouring. It rained for the rest of the night. So we hung out listening to the rain and talking until bed time.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Joan's Final Resting Place
Today was both a wonderfully beautiful day and a bittersweet day. Today we chartered a boat to take us around the Caribbean and to help us drop Joan's urn into Waterlemon Key in St. John. The crew of Born to Rhumb was wonderful. Andy and Shane were a wonderful couple that treated both us and Joan with the most respect. The first thing we did was head out to what I will forever think of as Joan's Key. We were all silent as we drove there and of course we were all crying as we lowered Joan into the water. Her beautiful Himalayan salt urn would dissolve and eventually Joan would be at rest in her Key. We did not stay there long because we all agreed Joan would be madder than hell if we wasted the day mourning so we said our goodbyes and headed off to do some snorkeling and boating. We first had to go to Tortola to sign in with the British Virgin Islands and "cross" their boarders. Then it was off to have fun in the sun.
My new favorite hobby is snorkeling. Its like entering a new world! I am in love with the ocean. We snorkeled twice that day. Once for about 45 minutes around a rock formation called "The Indians" because it looks like two Indians in a canoe. The coral around The Indians is one of the healthiest reefs in the world and it was awesome! there were so many different kinds of coral and fish you just couldn't take it all in. Sadly my underwater camera didn't want to work, but both Meg and Rob took pictures so I am stealing those :) I wish I could tell you all the different types of coral and fish I saw but I can't. What I can tell you is that I saw a ton of parrot fish which are a beautiful green and orange and a ton of brain and lip coral. It was amazing and I could have stayed there all day if it were possible. The only mistake of the trip happened in about 42 feet of water. Meg dropped her camera! Whoops! Thankfully our group had a mermaid with us ;) Andy is an expert at snorkeling and could actually get down to the bottom to retreive it. The crazy thing is, while the camera is only supposed to go to 10 feet, it still works just fine! After we left the Indians we went to Norman Island which is in the British Virgin Islands and snorkeled in some caves. It was amazing to see how the sea water changed the rocks over time. there were stripes of orange and purple. It was beautiful!
At this point it was time for lunch. We all headed to Jost Van Dike for lunch and a little shopping. We went to Foxy's Taboo for lunch and I had an awesome salad with beets and walnuts in it. I also got a few trinkets from the gift shop. We then got back on the boat to head to a teeny island called Sandy Spit. There we saw some interesting tourists who decided to show off their massive amounts of plastic surgery in the breast area lol. It was interesting but we ignored them as much as possible and walked around the spit collecting rocks and coral. We then headed back to Jost Van Dike to do a little shopping in the main bay. Apparently Foxy got his start selling trinkets, then decided to open a bar and restaurant named after his dog Taboo. Foxy's Store was a tad pricey so I didn't buy much but they did sell Cuban Cigars there that I found interesting. We cant buy them though thanks to the government :(
After we were done shopping we boated around the island to the Soggy Dollar Bar on White Beach. It got its name because there is no dock there so you have to swim to shore and all you can pay with is soggy dollars! Supposedly it is the bar that started the painkiller drink. It is a mix of rum, orange and pineapple juice, and coconut milk with a dash of nutmeg on top. It is quite delightful and we had plenty on the boat during the day. This was our last stop of the day so we headed back to St. John to go back through customs and enter US territory again. Once we got back to the villa we had a simple dinner because we were all so exhausted from the fun and sun and went to bed.
My new favorite hobby is snorkeling. Its like entering a new world! I am in love with the ocean. We snorkeled twice that day. Once for about 45 minutes around a rock formation called "The Indians" because it looks like two Indians in a canoe. The coral around The Indians is one of the healthiest reefs in the world and it was awesome! there were so many different kinds of coral and fish you just couldn't take it all in. Sadly my underwater camera didn't want to work, but both Meg and Rob took pictures so I am stealing those :) I wish I could tell you all the different types of coral and fish I saw but I can't. What I can tell you is that I saw a ton of parrot fish which are a beautiful green and orange and a ton of brain and lip coral. It was amazing and I could have stayed there all day if it were possible. The only mistake of the trip happened in about 42 feet of water. Meg dropped her camera! Whoops! Thankfully our group had a mermaid with us ;) Andy is an expert at snorkeling and could actually get down to the bottom to retreive it. The crazy thing is, while the camera is only supposed to go to 10 feet, it still works just fine! After we left the Indians we went to Norman Island which is in the British Virgin Islands and snorkeled in some caves. It was amazing to see how the sea water changed the rocks over time. there were stripes of orange and purple. It was beautiful!
At this point it was time for lunch. We all headed to Jost Van Dike for lunch and a little shopping. We went to Foxy's Taboo for lunch and I had an awesome salad with beets and walnuts in it. I also got a few trinkets from the gift shop. We then got back on the boat to head to a teeny island called Sandy Spit. There we saw some interesting tourists who decided to show off their massive amounts of plastic surgery in the breast area lol. It was interesting but we ignored them as much as possible and walked around the spit collecting rocks and coral. We then headed back to Jost Van Dike to do a little shopping in the main bay. Apparently Foxy got his start selling trinkets, then decided to open a bar and restaurant named after his dog Taboo. Foxy's Store was a tad pricey so I didn't buy much but they did sell Cuban Cigars there that I found interesting. We cant buy them though thanks to the government :(
After we were done shopping we boated around the island to the Soggy Dollar Bar on White Beach. It got its name because there is no dock there so you have to swim to shore and all you can pay with is soggy dollars! Supposedly it is the bar that started the painkiller drink. It is a mix of rum, orange and pineapple juice, and coconut milk with a dash of nutmeg on top. It is quite delightful and we had plenty on the boat during the day. This was our last stop of the day so we headed back to St. John to go back through customs and enter US territory again. Once we got back to the villa we had a simple dinner because we were all so exhausted from the fun and sun and went to bed.
Monday, May 27, 2013
To St. John!
Today started bright and early. We had to pack up to leave Sapphire Bay because we were headed to St. John on a ferry! We went for one last walk on the beach then checked out. Our first order of business was to pick up the second Jeep from the rental company. I have to say that not only are these roads difficult because they drive on the left side of the road thanks to the Dutch but the road are also extremely narrow AND curvy so these two Jeeps are very very beat the hell up! Our big Wrangler has a wheel cover coming off and a seat belt doesn't work and the small Wrangler has a soft top that is completely falling apart. When you drive it flaps in the wind lol.
After getting the other Jeep we went to eat at The Hook Line and Sinker in Frenchtown. I had another Mahi Mahi sandwich which wasn't quite as good as the Green House but it was still tasty. we then separated and Meg and Ken went to pick Carolynn up from the airport and Rob, Val and I went to the grocery store to get supplies for the next week in St. John. After we finished shopping we headed to the ferry. The entire time I've been here I was hoping to get the ferry called The Roanoke because that's where I grew up and guess what?!? That was the ferry that we caught! I was pretty darn excited! It's a slow ferry but it has Palm trees and a sign that says"tug life" on it so what's not to love!
once we arrived on the St. John we met with the rental company to get the keys to the villa. She also lead us to the house. Man that was a crazy drive. St. John is very much like a rainforest on one side and like a desert on the other. We drove through the rainforest side. The smell was fantastic! Our villa is on the top of a mountain and is named Estate Fortsburg. It is high class! The villa itself is made of poured concrete but inside all the rooms they are framed by mahogany wood. The great room has a full kitchen and dining area and a sitting area with a tv we will never touch because we are having to much fun outside! The outside has 2 large balconies the top one has a pool and a hot tub. The bottom one has a long ping table and more sitting areas. Meg and I are staying in the kids room with two twin beds. the rest of the bedrooms have kings. All have their own bathrooms and get this the showers are outdoors! It's really cool! There is a high wall so no one can see you but you are definitely outside. I guess that's one plus to having no winter!
Once Meg, Ken and Carolynn got to the villa we went for a swim in the pool and got tub. We then got cleaned up to go to Miss Lucy's for their full moon party. We had drinks and pulled pork with sweet mashed potatoes, rice and plantains. it was amazing pulled pork! Very well cooked though I did share my pork and some sweet potatoes with a start cat there. She was a cutie and made me miss Dora :( so she got lots of scraps. During dinner we were disturbed by a very stand man. He wanted us to pay two dollars to crab race. Yes you read that one right! Hermit crab races! We were definitely not drunk enough for that lol! After dinner we headed home and took some pretty pictures of the moon from the villa then went to bed. We had a long day on Sunday so we didn't stay up to late.
After getting the other Jeep we went to eat at The Hook Line and Sinker in Frenchtown. I had another Mahi Mahi sandwich which wasn't quite as good as the Green House but it was still tasty. we then separated and Meg and Ken went to pick Carolynn up from the airport and Rob, Val and I went to the grocery store to get supplies for the next week in St. John. After we finished shopping we headed to the ferry. The entire time I've been here I was hoping to get the ferry called The Roanoke because that's where I grew up and guess what?!? That was the ferry that we caught! I was pretty darn excited! It's a slow ferry but it has Palm trees and a sign that says"tug life" on it so what's not to love!
once we arrived on the St. John we met with the rental company to get the keys to the villa. She also lead us to the house. Man that was a crazy drive. St. John is very much like a rainforest on one side and like a desert on the other. We drove through the rainforest side. The smell was fantastic! Our villa is on the top of a mountain and is named Estate Fortsburg. It is high class! The villa itself is made of poured concrete but inside all the rooms they are framed by mahogany wood. The great room has a full kitchen and dining area and a sitting area with a tv we will never touch because we are having to much fun outside! The outside has 2 large balconies the top one has a pool and a hot tub. The bottom one has a long ping table and more sitting areas. Meg and I are staying in the kids room with two twin beds. the rest of the bedrooms have kings. All have their own bathrooms and get this the showers are outdoors! It's really cool! There is a high wall so no one can see you but you are definitely outside. I guess that's one plus to having no winter!
Once Meg, Ken and Carolynn got to the villa we went for a swim in the pool and got tub. We then got cleaned up to go to Miss Lucy's for their full moon party. We had drinks and pulled pork with sweet mashed potatoes, rice and plantains. it was amazing pulled pork! Very well cooked though I did share my pork and some sweet potatoes with a start cat there. She was a cutie and made me miss Dora :( so she got lots of scraps. During dinner we were disturbed by a very stand man. He wanted us to pay two dollars to crab race. Yes you read that one right! Hermit crab races! We were definitely not drunk enough for that lol! After dinner we headed home and took some pretty pictures of the moon from the villa then went to bed. We had a long day on Sunday so we didn't stay up to late.
Magen's Bay, Mountain Top, and Green House
Today was just as full as yesterday. After a fabulous breakfast cooked by Papa Tucker with drop biscuits and over easy eggs we went to a beautiful bay called Magen's Bay. It was in a nature reserve and there were about 10 people on the entire beach. It was wonderful! Meg, Val, Rob and I swam for a long time. The sand was extremely fine and there was no coral reef close to the beach so there was no worries about hiring our feet or the living coral. Probably the most exciting moment was when Val fought with a reef shark! At the time she thought it was a nurse shark and wasn't scared but quickly figured out it was a little reef shark. Thankfully the shark took her advise and swam away! Val was awesome and very protective of Meg and I it was cute!
After we were nice and pruney we decided it was time for ice cream! We went to the only dairy farm on St. Thomas. Sadly the dairy farm was closed but the ice cream stand was still open. It is called udderly delightful! Get it? Lol. I hand an adult smoothie with almond ice cream and ameretto liqueur. It was udderly delightful! Imagine that lol! We then went to mountain top to get a view from the tallest mountain on St. Thomas. It was awe inducing. We sat on The Drake Seat. this was where Drake Erik sit to see any boats coming into Magen's Bay. Once at the top at the mountain there was a little gift shop wether I did some shopping.
By the time we were done shopping on the mountain top we decided it was time to have lunch even though it was around 4:00. We were very very hungry by this point and decided to go to the Green House for lunch/dinner. I had a great Mahi Mahi sandwich and a Carib it was delicious though that could be because I was so hungry lol. after we finished eating we went back to Sapphire Bay to take a dip in the pool which was nice and refreshing :) we ended the night with some snacks of crackers, guacamole, and veggies and a game of four picks one word wether the object of the game is to all answer a quirky question to see differences and similarities. Overall it was a great day!
After we were nice and pruney we decided it was time for ice cream! We went to the only dairy farm on St. Thomas. Sadly the dairy farm was closed but the ice cream stand was still open. It is called udderly delightful! Get it? Lol. I hand an adult smoothie with almond ice cream and ameretto liqueur. It was udderly delightful! Imagine that lol! We then went to mountain top to get a view from the tallest mountain on St. Thomas. It was awe inducing. We sat on The Drake Seat. this was where Drake Erik sit to see any boats coming into Magen's Bay. Once at the top at the mountain there was a little gift shop wether I did some shopping.
By the time we were done shopping on the mountain top we decided it was time to have lunch even though it was around 4:00. We were very very hungry by this point and decided to go to the Green House for lunch/dinner. I had a great Mahi Mahi sandwich and a Carib it was delicious though that could be because I was so hungry lol. after we finished eating we went back to Sapphire Bay to take a dip in the pool which was nice and refreshing :) we ended the night with some snacks of crackers, guacamole, and veggies and a game of four picks one word wether the object of the game is to all answer a quirky question to see differences and similarities. Overall it was a great day!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Shopping, Swimming, & Sunshine
Today the weather decided to clear away the rain clouds and let some sun shine through. It was an absolute beautiful day and we took advantage of it. Sadly it was a bit too windy to go snorkling so we went shopping instead. I got a traditional island hook bracelet and some gorgeous Caribbean topaz which looks a bit like mystic to give you a reference. For lunch we stopped in to Cuzzins for lunch. I got the conch curry which was delicious and tried fungi (pronounced fuungi) which is corn meal with okra. I am a fan! We also went grocery shopping and Rob and Val comes a wonderful lemon asparagus mushroom pasta! The last thing we did for the day was go swimming! Man this water is stunning! We decided the shadow water is the color of a blue ball jar and the deep water is the color of very expensive sapphires. Overall it was a wonderful day in paradise. no cruise ships were here so we had most of the ships to ourselves. And the island is just so much fun to explore. Tomorrow is hopefully a day for snorkelling and I really want to see some sea turtles!! Of to bed to rest for a big day tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
we're getting there!
Today was our travel day and boy was it crazy! We all woke up around 5:00 am to get to Dulles airport in time to check in and get through security in a timely manner. Sadly that was just not in the cards for us. Ken had trouble checking in and it took United almost 45 min to fix their screw up. Then they wanted to open the bag Joan was in which took even more time. Once it became clear that we were going to have to book it to the plane Valerie, Rob and I decided to go ahead and see if we could steal the plane. To cut a long story short Meg and Ken almost did not make it into the plane! Thankfully they made it in the knick of time and we all made it to San Juan.
So if that was the most stressful past of our day here was the coolest! The flight from San Juan to St. Thomas is all of 30 minutes which means we are on a teeny puddle jumper and guess what I got to sit?!? In the copilot seat!!!! I could see everything! I had a blast watching the scenery and the dials and the nerd in me can tell you we went around 175 mps and the plane was only on autopilot for about 5 minutes. It is very weird to see a steering wheel moving on its own! I will remember that flight for a long time!
Once we landed we got all our bags and picked up the rental jeep and cruised around the island before checking in to our condos. Dinner was also amazing! We went to the Sandbag Grille and had a 5 star meal while listening to the ocean and watching a cruise ship leave port. I had the conch salad and the swordfish with asparagus and polenta. It was one of the bar meals of my life! Now of to bed to get some rest for tomorrow.
So if that was the most stressful past of our day here was the coolest! The flight from San Juan to St. Thomas is all of 30 minutes which means we are on a teeny puddle jumper and guess what I got to sit?!? In the copilot seat!!!! I could see everything! I had a blast watching the scenery and the dials and the nerd in me can tell you we went around 175 mps and the plane was only on autopilot for about 5 minutes. It is very weird to see a steering wheel moving on its own! I will remember that flight for a long time!
Once we landed we got all our bags and picked up the rental jeep and cruised around the island before checking in to our condos. Dinner was also amazing! We went to the Sandbag Grille and had a 5 star meal while listening to the ocean and watching a cruise ship leave port. I had the conch salad and the swordfish with asparagus and polenta. It was one of the bar meals of my life! Now of to bed to get some rest for tomorrow.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Going on a Journey
In five days I am leaving to go to the virgin islands with my best friend and her family. honestly this post is simply to see if I can write a blog on my kindle fire. My editing might be a little off but since this blog is just for me and my family I doubt anyone will mind. I am very much looking forward to this trip and will be posting pictures as well as a rundown of what happens each day. Off to prepare and pack!
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