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For the most recent reports from the BVI see this page.
- - - 2008 Hurricane Season - - -
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- Bertha Ain't So Bad...
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 08:10:18 EDT
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Big Bad Bertha
has gone from a category three to a two and now a measly category one
hurricane. Her category three status was short lived and maybe she was just
clocked during some gusts and that briefly shot her rating up.
At 5am, Bertha is believed to be 790 miles southeast of Bermuda
or 905 kilometers northeast of the northern Leewards.
Bertha is moving at 10 miles per hour with winds of about 75
mph.
As a category one hurricane, there shouldn't be much in land
damages, unless something is poorly built. At sea, well heaven help you if a
boat is caught up in a category one hurricane at sea, it won't be pretty.
Ashore, boats at moorings may be ripped away, if not properly
secured and should be in a hurricane hole to start with, though finding those
with the plethora of boats already in the area, can be difficult at times.
Three fisherman were found adrift from St Lucia in BVI waters.
Luckily they weren't fined for entering the BVI without clearing.  Indeed they had been adrift at
sea for 14 days! Read more here.
Hyerplinks are underlined. 
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- Big Bertha
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 08:30:54 EDT
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Hurricane Bertha is now considered a major hurricane at a category
three located about 1000 miles southeast of Bermuda or about 675 miles north
northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
Winds are near 120 mph with the usual higher gusts. In other words,
a category three hurricane is when you find out the difference between having
your roof nailed down or screwed down or the difference between having hurricane
clips and not.
A loose coconut in 120 mph winds is like a cannon ball flying by,
and heaven help ya where it lands.
Foliage can begin to be stripped of leaves, giving the place a
barren look. If you can take slips and cuttings of your plants before a
hurricane to propagate in indoor pots, all the better.
So Big Bad Bertha should miss us all together, unless she does some
sort of funny loopy loops (it's happened before) but for now,
everyone thinks she is headed for the open Atlantic to terrorize shipping
lanes and the hapless little boats out there that may not even know a hurricane
is bearing down on them.
The sun is finally out in the BVI, we can see blue sky for a nice
change and it's only 83 degrees at 830am. Tradewinds are brisk and keeping
things cool, mon.
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- Category two hurricane by late today?
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 13:18:53 EDT
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Yikes! Better keep your eyes on this one, Hurricane Bertha wants to be
big and mean! Bertha is 775 miles east of the northern Leeward
Islands. Bertha is wobbling around at 15 mph with winds of about
90mph. Tropical storm form winds extend about 115miles from the eye, so
she is nearly 10 times bigger than the length of the
island of Tortola.
Looking at my crystal ball and consulting with my cats, we are
going to get some winds and rains from this one about mid week. We pray she
stays on her projected path to go north east of us. Just the same, I
filled up my heap of a jeep with fuel and am trying to get my generator OUT of
the repair shop. I have a case of tuna and some odd canned goods, like
fruits and veggies and a few packs of crackers, plenty of candles, though I am
woefully short of pricey batteries.
I have water bottled up, and a few emptied jugs, I am filtering
water to put in those as well.
Prepare for the worst, expect the best and probably nothing will
happen at all!
You can bet if Bertha decides to come closer to us, there will be a
run on Rum and other entertaining libations. After all we are notorious for our
great Hurricane Parties!
I have a few extra bunks now, so in the event she heads for us, I
imagine some of my boater friends will come calling for shelter.
I am behind on my washing, so catching up the laundry is paramount,
as having a stack of towels ready for leaky windows and so on, is always handy.
Recently, friends gave me new towels for my birthday, and I kept my old raggedy
towels, just in case, for extra mopping in the event of a storm.
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- First Hurricane of the Season
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 10:30:23 EDT
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Big Bad Bertha is now a hurricane with 75 mph winds, moving a
leisurely pace of 17pmh to the west northwest. You can see her predicted path here (but they
could be wrong...)
Winds extend 115 miles from the center, so we are likely to feel at
least the edge of her sneak by.
More later!
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- Culturati
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2008 11:58:14 EDT
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Culturati n.pl. people deeply interested in cultural
matters.
Culter?
Tropical Bertha
looms in the mid Atlantic poised to make a grand entrance, trouble is we don't
know where she plans to hit. Could be she just stays at sea, but either way, I
bet we feel some winds and rains here next week. I am keeping an eye on the
kitties, if we are in for bad weather, they will be eating twice the food,
stocking up their little round bellies in anticipation of hard times.
It's a cool 84 degrees today with truly typical tropical trade
winds keeping us cool.  (can you say "truly
typical tropical tradewinds" three times really fast?)
The sky is bright and gloomy, an oxymoron, but we have a vast dark
cloud cover, brightly lit from behind, by the near noon sun.
Nothing so nice as a
covered porch on the ocean...
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- You're Next!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 14:03:16 EDT
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As the tropical wave passes south of us, St John and Norman Island
have completely disappeared! Somewhere in the thick cloud mass, they are
lurking, if you stare hard enough you can barely see them.
As for tropical storm BERTHA, the forecasters have
changed their mind and now have her on a more westerly track, coming closer to
us, but missing us. I still don't trust them, my crystal
ball says by Wednesday, be ready for squally weather and stay put in a safe
harbor. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as I got ready to email
this 2 hours ago, POOF the Internet mash up again. *sigh*
I am going to try again
soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speaking of
banking...
Well, we weren't really speaking
of banking, BUT...I read that the BVI has world class banking. That article is
the laughing stock around the locals.
Our banking is dismal. If more
than 5 people are in line, ALL the tellers go on break. If more than 10
people are in line, they ALL but one, go to lunch. If more than 50 people
are in line, then it's a SLOW day at the bank as on a busy day, hundreds are in
line. The longer the line gets, the faster the tellers vanish. No one
comes from upstairs to help out on busy days. No sirree. We want everyone to
wait for ages to do their banking.
Of course you get to hang out
and chat up your friends. One lady suggested the banks relocate to restaurants
and bars, so we could take a number, then eat and drink while we wait our turn.
That's an idea I like.
Banking in the BVI
is maddening. I chose my bank only because they accept
deposits at their machine. They are the only bank that does. I can't stand
to wait in line for two hours just to make a lousy bank deposit.
However, I needed to buy a check
that would be good in the US, otherwise known as an international money
order. Oh brother. That meant a lengthy wait in a non-moving line. I
learned how to nap upright and every half hour or so, the people behind me would
shove me forward. I would wake momentarily, then go back to my standing
nap. Moments before the bank was to close, they sold me a check. It took
over 20 minutes to buy ONE check. I was impressed with the speed.
To the side of me was a lady who
had been pulling out endless little brown bags. She would consult with the
teller and they would make a deposit, then the next little brown bag would come
out of her seemingly bottomless purse.
She had been at this for over an
hour. The folks behind her were sweating and groaning, sorry they were in her
line. Finally, she actually finished and left BEFORE me.
The teller sternly announced in
an impatient voice "NEXT!"
The lady who was now next to get
the teller acted like she was on a game show. IT was hilarious. She jumped
up and down, threw her arms high in the air. "Yes!" she screamed.
"It's my turn!" and she jumped up and down some more, clapping her hands
excitedly with a million dollar grin as she rushed to the
teller.
There she gushed and blushed and
spun around and announced "I can't believe they chose ME to be NEXT!" as she
jumped up and down some more.
I am not sure the bank employees
and startled security guard (her antics ruined his nap too) appreciated her
humor, but the rest of us sure did and we giggled and clapped excitedly for her.
~~~~~~~~~
By the way I KNOW you heard
I made another colossal booboo yesterday. Cattle are herded, not
hearded, but none the less, I somehow let my spell heckler make a fool of
me again in yesterday's posting about being late for an appointment because I
had to herd (not heard) cattle...
~~~~~~~~~
At 2pm I am finally getting this
out, as the Internet is working. (SHHHH...!) I wrote this report at
9am...
About 15 minutes ago we had that
telltale cold blast of wind, the one that whispers in your ear, the squall is
coming, mon. And come it did, with hard cold rain for a good 4 minutes. I can
hear rumbling, grumbling and mumbling from the skies, so more is on the
way! It's that wave passing south of us.
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- The missing picture!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2008 10:11:02 EDT
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This the pic that should have been with the post
below.
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- What If
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2008 09:59:47 EDT
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If Tropical Storm Bertha
were to come straight at us, looks like she would be here in about 6 days.
Hopefully, she will veer off to the North, as the experts predict and leave us
alone.
Just the same, I came home with a case of tuna, the cats have
already eaten about half of the last case I brought home, due to thorough
begging, pleading, imploring, beseeching, appealing, petitioning and guess who
caves in finally. So, the way I see it, in the event of a storm, the other half
of the case of tuna, belongs entirely to ME!
Oh, I wish they had never learned to read the
cans...
I think I will rename the cat brothers. One I
will name SPOILED and the other ROTTEN... Makes for a nice sound when I have to
call them.
Only on Tortola...
I was late for a meeting and a tad
embarrassed, as I pride myself on being prompt, even if I don't wear a watch. I
like to leave early and have plenty of extra time for the unexpected but even
so, sometimes I am still just late, as the unexpected took
longer.
So I told the truth, after apologizing
for my tardiness.
The truth is, I had to heard cattle to
get here and the cows just weren't moving as fast as I had
hoped.
This was met with not only giggles, but
nods of agreement.
They have had to heard cattle too, so
this explanation seemed quite believable. Only on Tortola...
So next time you are late, try THAT for
an excuse...
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- Birth to Bertha
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2008 04:48:13 EDT
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Tropical depression 2 has given birth to Bertha. I
just hope she doesn't find a berth in the BVI...
Right now she is 185 miles west southwest of the
Cape Verde islands and not an immediate threat to us.
Yet.
Stay tuned!
It's 445am here and we just had a
nice cooling rain fall for all of about 8 minutes.
For local info on island
happenings, see City Manager’s
Newsletter – 2nd July,
2008
Road Town and
You!
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- Tropical depression # 2 has formed
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 10:14:00 EDT
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Well, here we go again! Tropical depression #2 is official
now and expected to go north of the islands, but time will tell what it really
does. She is presently located at about latitude 12.6 North and Longitude 22.7
West, moving 9 miles per hour, west northwest with 35 mph winds with of course
the usual higher gusts thrown in for fun.
Thoughts go back to 1996 when Bertha hit Tortola in early
July, as a category one hurricane. My boat was in Nanny Cay Marina at the
time and I stayed ashore in one of the condos there. The name Bertha was not
retired and thus she is our B name for this year. I think all names should
be retired, once used, to save confusion. Be funny if this one is named Bertha
and we get hit twice by her, but my crystal ball says she is going to miss us
(fingers crossed!)
Also of note is a westward moving tropical wave over the
eastern Caribbean is producing disorganized showers over portions of the
Leeward
Islands.
935 am and da current done mash up again! Sad, cause the
storm is no where near us yet. What the heck is going on now? Rumors are
we don't have enough fuel at our power plant and I pray that is just a SILLY
rumor with no truth, but having heard this several times, it's a bit scary.
Probably my fault! I have MEAT in my refrigerator (rare indeed for me!)
and it seems every time I splurge and buy meat, da current done mash up.
*sigh* I need to learn to just stick to dried beans.
I was in town yesterday and found the coveted plain all natural
yogurt. I was afraid it would get way too hot and spoiled by the time I
got home with it, so I bought some frozen chicken, to keep it company and icy
cold, all this because I forget my town cooler. I guess with this power outage,
the chicken witll thaw so I might as well make some Caribbean Stewed Chicken.
*****
I remember after Bertha hit in 96, I ran into a sailing
camp counselor at the bar. He was world weary and bags under his eyes sagged,
belying his 20 something age. So I foolishly asked' Good heavens, what did
Bertha do to you?"
He explained that the day before Bertha hit was turn
around day for the camp. Hundreds of children and teenagers had flown out of
Tortola and a few hundred were expected to fly in for the next session. Due to
the storm, all teens and preteens had been unceremoniously dumped in the San
Juan airport.
He was up there with them, in charge of rerouting all
their tickets and accounting for all the kids. Men awhile 4-500 parents are
frantically calling the camp headquarters, wanting to know were their child
was!
He explained how he had to stand in line with everyone
else at the airport and when his turn came, he hands over hundreds of tickets
for rerouting, much to the surprise of the airline staff. They took pity
on him, sent him to a back office, where he could sit down, while a
supervisor and assistants frantically worked to reroute all the children.
Men awhile the kids set up their own half acre camp on
the floor of the airport. Those returning from camp were chatting away with
their new friends while the newcomers looked around apprehensively.
Two days and several gallons of coffee later, the
counselor had all his charges back on planes and either homeward bound or
arriving in dribs and drabs on Tortola. At last, he was able to leave San Juan,
having had only a few cat naps the past several days. He had somehow managed to
garner a 24 hour break from the camp, to recharge his batteries, then it was
back to life at sea, teaching children to sail, dive, snorkel etc.
Wish you were
here!
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- Magic Shrooms are good for ya!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 09:16:32 EDT
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Garbled
Sunshine...
83 degrees (29c)at 730am, slight winds, moderate seas. Potential for the
odd shower, lots of clouds, but the sun is fighting hard to make a shining
appearance.
Multiple waves in the tropical Atlantic can be seen via latest
satellite imagery this morning. While the largest and most impressive
tropical wave with two distinct eastern and western vort maxes off the
coast of Africa has caught the attention of many,it remains nearly a week
away from the Lesser
Antilles.
Stay tuned!
Vort Max -- Common slang reference to Vorticity
Maximum; a center, or maximum, in the vorticity field of a fluid.
Vorticity--Physics. A measure of the rate of rotational
spin in a fluid. (kinda like what you see when you flush a
clean toilet...)
Of more immediate concern will be the tropical wave
located near 10n and
52w, which is expected to propagate
westward just south of the BVI, so we may
get some wet scattered showers Thursday and Friday.
If you are out sailing, remember please, to close up all your hatches and
ports (especially those side ports!) just in case a gusty wind and rain should
come your way.
I was surprised it took the newspaper so long to report the last sinking
(ports left open, gust knocked the boat down and glub, glub!) We rarely have
sinkings around here, so you would think it IS newsworthy. Of course we still
have a few boats missing in action, mostly privately owned fishing vessels
(small dinghies). Sad but true, folks still take to sea without radios, life
jackets, flares and cell phones. One day they turn up missing, and by then, it's
hard to know where to begin to look for them.
I used to go on offshore sailboat deliveries. On my watch, I used to
scan the horizon 360 degrees, looking for life rafts, swimmers, flotsam, jetsam
and so on. never found much, but once had to divert course because a huge 40
foot container was adrift and one corner of it was poking out of the
waves.
Another time, in broad daylight, far offshore, much to my horror, an
unmarked submarine surfaced in front of us, and we had to tack in a hurry to
avoid hitting them. I am sure they must have known we were there. No flag, no
name, just a submarine.
Recently some of us boaters had a discussion about offshore deliveries and
the importance of taking triple the projected food supplies. I once had a real
heated argument with an owner, who wanted us to provision for exactly 10 days
for an offshore trip that was estimated to take 10 days. I was shopping
for 30 days, and he was angrily yanking things out of my shopping cart.
I was trying to explain to him, the rig cold break, the winds could die,
the engine give up the ghost, and poof, you could find yourself adrift waiting
on a random rescue. It would be nice to know there are at least provisions
to keep the crew going for a little while. Then there is the matter, what
if you rescue someone (or several someones) offshore? What if the closest
land is still 3-15 days away? You can't very well starve them, while you eat in
front of them, and so on. I told him over and over, when we deliver the boat,
you can HAVE all the leftover canned goods and so on. But I sure wasn't setting
foot on an offshore 10 day delivery with exactly 10 days of meager food.
It's one thing to cruise the islands, where a food store is only a few hours
sail away, and a plethora of boats aroudn to effect an emergency rescue, but to
be offshore, all alone and in trouble, the LAST thing you want to fret over is
lack of food.
***
One boat I joined had an entertaining elderly owner and a partially
disabled crew man, so they were looking for a 3rd crew to move the boat. The
owner assured me he had food for MONTHS on board. This turned out to be numerous
cases of Dinty Moore Beef Stew. Every time you opened up a locker, there
was another case of Dinty Moore lurking about. So one day we had it
plain, the next day with catsup, the next day with BBQ sauce and the next day
with A1 sauce and so on. We kept dumping different condiments on it, to make it
taste slightly different. What a fun but strange trip that was. Some days out of
sheer boredom we had a mock argument over who got to "cook". Ironically, we were
days late at our arrival, but we never ran out of Dinty Moore Stew. Whenever I
pass the cans of Dinty Moore in the grocery store, I instantly think of that
boat trip.
***
For those of you interested in the medicinal benefits of magic mushrooms,
(legal in the BVI) the John Hopkins medical study has been published
with unusual findings that these magic s'hrooms have positive effects.
(Haven't we in the BVI been saying that for years?)
Well, that's nothing new to the regulars that attend the Full Moon
Magic S'hroom parties on Tortola! Maybe John Hopkins researchers should come to the BVI and study the masses that
enjoy these monthly ingestions in a party atmosphere. For more info on the
study, see medical
use for magic mushrooms.
*****
Recently I ran into a hilarious tourist. She said she ate a bunch
of magic mushrooms and then decided to go snorkeling. She reported that the
underwater colors were incredibly brilliant. The more she watched, the
more she realized that each fish had individual personalities.
Now that is some magic! Fish with
personalities!
We train dogs, cats train us, now fish with
personalities? Ohhh-Kayyyy!
*****
Might as well move along to more silly stories, this one
also true. A friend of mine works 60 hours a week and keeps fairly regular
hours. One day at work, he became seriously ill and was unable to continue
his shift. The boss sent him home in hopes he would recover quickly and miss
very little work.
He caught a ride most of the way, then walked the final
100 yards or so home. He could smell a strong aroma of burning weed the closer
he got to his home. He approached his front door, and noticed as he unlocked it,
that it was already unlocked!
He walks in the front door and there is a stranger,
sitting in his favorite chair, smoking weed, drinking beer and watching his
cable TV! He screamed at the intruder who made a very hasty exit.
A search of his apartment revealed that the intruder had
emptied his fridge of all the cold beer save one, smoked about half of his
personal weed stash and was apparently just enjoying a movie on his TV when he
was interrupted. Nothing else was missing.
It occurred to my friend that he had come home before to
one lone beer, thinking he definitely had more than one in the fridge, but
clueless as to where the rest had gone. Ditto for the weed, that seemed to
shrink in his absence.
Even the thieves are slow here...
I ran into my friend recently and asked him if he had
any more intruders and he was relieved to report not only was he seemingly safe
and sound now (after changing the locks) but his beer and weed stash seemed
untampered now and he often came home to find his beer in tact, rather than just
the lone one left there. A thoughtful thief? He drinks all your beer, save
for the last one?
The hilarity of this is just mind
boggling!
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- Tuesday after the holiday
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 12:39:22 EDT
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Rainbow in paradise,
shared by Mike the musician
Well, it's Tuesday, and I'm back from my walk about. Actually
the itnernet has been at war with the cyber world and I was getting cut off
every few minutes, so it was hard to write.
Monday was a holiday, so it's been a fun long weekend. The tropical
wavev went well south of us producing only teeny tiny swells. We still have this
haze that sometimes make our world look black and white.
I spent the day at the beach, and it was beautiful. The
bartender had his music full blast, which I could have done without, I just like
the sounds of nature, but I guess he wanted everyone to know he was open for
business by cranking up his stereo to full tilt boogie. I think I still
hear the music ringing in my ears today!
A slice of
paradise
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- Cat Paws
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:26:19 EDT
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Weather is purr-fect, Dear Miss Mermaid has gone to
shoot some pics for ya and told me to post something, so here's my
purr-tee mug.
Warm and Furry Regards,
Dear Miss
Cat
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- Moorings Vessel Sinks in Sir Francis Drake Channel
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:57:36 EDT
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OK, it FINALLY made the newspapers but the write up is a bit
comical.
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- Plain Beautiful!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:17:06 EDT
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A beautiful day in paradise, the haze has subsided just a teeny
tiny bit. It's raining sunshine and we are expecting fantastic weather through
the weekend though be careful, we may have some choppy seas on the north side.
Often times I am asked the very same question "Did you
just go on vacation and STAY here?"
The answer is always no. Matter of fact, I have never
heard of anyone that went on vacation somewhere and just "stayed". But I
bet I have been asked that question well over a thousand times.
So now, I wonder has ANYONE ever met someone who went on
vacation and just "stayed". If so, let me know!
It is true, I used to vacation in the Caribbean. I
was young, making good money and while my friends were putting their money into
car payments and credit cards, I was driving old faithful and putting my money
into travel and vacations.
A friend of mine transferred from the US to Barbados
because her husband was a career Navy man. He had stayed on past the usual 20
year retirement and was at that time about in his 30th or so year with the Navy.
He had carefully worked his way up and was offered a real cushy position in
Barbados at the Embassy. So they moved and invited me to come visit. Well I sure
took them seriously, and immediately planned a trip, 5 months away, for
April 16th as back in those days I did a mountain of tax returns and we always
closed on April 16th and I typically took a vacation then.
They told me I could bring friends, they lived in
a 6 bedroom house and only used two of them. Well, I tried my best to get
friends to go, and no one would take the plunge. So I got my passport and by my
lonesome, flew to Barbados.
I learned to sail while there, and fell in love with
Barbados and the Caribbean. It was nothing like anywhere I had ever been. I am
eternally grateful for that invitation.
Next a friend transferred to St Thomas in the USVI and
invited me to visit, so next April, I found myself in St Thomas enjoying
carnival. At that time I met professional crew that worked on gorgeous yachts. I
thought WOW, you can get PAID to go sailing? Why wasn't I told this
before? How did I overlook that as a career option? I thought the crews
were awfully lucky.
Incredibly, I won a free trip on Windjammer for one week
for 2 people. My boyfriend and I broke up, so I asked if I could change the trip
to 2 weeks for 1 person, and they agreed if I took a shared cabin with 6
bunks. I did and only 2 bunks were full the first week and only 3 the
next week. We sailed all over the BVI and I just loved the weather, the islands,
the sailing.
All my vacations began centering around either the
Caribbean or sailing. A friend was battling cancer and she
wanted to go on a sailing trip to the Bahamas. We all rode a train from SC
to Florida, then hopped on 2 bare boats and planned to sail in tandem to the
Bahamas. My friend became sicker so there was a change in plans and we instead
sailed the Keys in Florida and never made it to the Bahamas. My friend seemed to
love every minute of the trip. Ten days later, we boarded the
train and came home. Much to our shock, she passed away shortly after we got
home.
I had to go to Hawaii on business and flew out there
with 3 friends. Once my business was done, two of us went sailing
every day on a big Hobie Catamaran. Our last day sailing, the main sheet
jammed, and though we had repeatedly asked the rental company to stitch up the
trampoline, they kept adding more duct tape to it. A big gust of wind hit us,
and when we went to ease the mainsheet, it jammed. The cat flipped so quickly,
my friend was thrown into the mainsail. It was old and simply split open and I
saw him vanish, as I fell through the duct taped hole in the trampoline.
We both resurfaced and tried for hours to right the cat, to no avail. Diving
under we could see the mast was broken.
We drifted for 10 or so hours before being rescued.
Amazingly, we traveled offshore, 28 miles during our drift and were located just
before sunset. It was the first time in my life my knees knocked uncontrollably
as I boarded the fishing boat that found us.
I must have angels looking out for me!
Well, that still doesn't tell you how I ended up
here... I'll get to that part one day soon...
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- good eats
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:56:36 EDT
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Another fantastic day in paradise, just perfect for laying around
the beach! 84 degrees, moderate tradewinds, calm seas in the
Channel. However, strong winds and choppy seas are forecast to begin
Saturday.
I went to a farewell luncheon yesterday for my sailing friend and
we dined at the Boat House. I forgot my camera. Ooops! The Boat House is
NEW and located at Manual Reef Marina. That is the new marina in Sea Cow's
Bay. Actually, it's on the eastern side of Sea Cow's Bay, so if you are
coming from Road Town, you will pass the huge Island Department store on
your left in Duff's Bottom, then about a mile or so down the road, you
enter Sea Cow's Bay and the marina is off to the left on the water side, of
course. The Boat House is upstairs in the pink building.
Chef Vaughn serves lunch all afternoon and Happy Hour starts at
330pm until 630pm. The food is awesome with healthy side dishes like the
julienned fruit salad, the green salad with toasted nuts and all manner of stuff
you aren't likely to get anywhere else. They also have pizza to stay or to go.
Chef Vaughn puts up daily specials, like we had the conch and it was SO tender,
just melt in your mouth. Prices are very reasonable (now that's
RARE!)
Speaking of food...
If you are in town at night, stop by the famous chicken bus for the
best fried chicken on Tortola. I don't know how long he has been around, but I
know I ate there over 20 years ago, for the first time and he is still going
strong.
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- Fair Weather Sailing
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:01:49 EDT
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Another great day in paradise. Very hazy, but the sun is fighting
for attention. We have a general cloud cover and some winds. So far (fingers
crossed) we have da current running. Yesterday it was off
twice!
It's 85 degrees at 1130am, with about 15-20 knot
winds. We might get some rain showers or even a rain squall, so beware.
Typically just before a gusty squall, one feels a brief cold wind. It's
time to move as fast as you can, as the shower is imminent and often gusty.
***
I sent my heap of a jeep and my generator out for repairs. The heap
came back running great, as besides the hiccuping, he fixed my long list of
"weird things". So I drove it around last night, feeling quite confident,
but then as I raced up Zion Hill to go home, halfway up, at the steepest
point, it hiccupped and died.
Ooops.
So back it went this morning, to a mechanic scratching his head,
while he figures out this hiccup problem. *Sigh*. I was so pleased,
he had it running great and even offered to buy it. Well, get in line, I have a
long list already of people who want my cute little heap of a jeep and she isn't
even for sale! I hope she gives me 5-10 more years out of her, afterall
she is only 11 years old... but looking spiffy with her new paint job and so far
NO DENTS (said with prayers that it remain this way!)
***
It's been confirmed, a bareboat did sink during that awful
squall on Friday. It just doesn't pay to sail with your side hatches open and
then experience a knockdown. THey had full sail up and I guess they didn't see
the dark ominous clouds nor feel the sudden cold wind that usually precipitates
a squall. After the knockdown, apparently the water rushed in so fast, through
the open ports, that the crew barely had time to scramble to the dinghy, untie
it and be rescued. A boat that saw the other one sinking, called in
MayDays and someone picked up the crew who reportedly wore only their bathing
suits. An eye witness said the boat sank in just a few brief minutes. Scary
indeed, but yes, it can happen. So, don't be afriad to reef.
I've had the reefing argument several times with macho males. Women
somehow are content to reef, men seem to take it as an insult to their manhood,
something that puzzles me, no doubt. If you're thinking about reefing, you're
likely too late.
One time I headed out on a friend's large boat from Jost Van Dyke,
I was at the wheel and he was putting up sails. I saw this big black ominous
cloud, pointed it out, and asked him to reef the main. Well, the
argument broke out, so I screamed everytime we heeled over, as I fought the
wheel which was straining with too much sail up for the conidtions, and
finally he reefed to shut me up, a bit irritated at me.
About 10 minutes later we were hit with a ferocious squall that
nearly put us on our ear, thoroughly soaked us wet and shot the boat forward at
maximum speed with the rail nearly in the water. (By now he had taken over the
helm.) I bit my tongue and never said a word. But that reef quietly stayed
in the rest of the sunny day and we had no more words about it, just sailed on
to anchor at Cane Garden Bay and enjoy a lovely sunset dinner on deck.
***
My 30' Catalina that I lived and sailed aboard here for years, had
a 42' tall rig mast, as they called it, as that model had an option of a shorter
mast. It also had a shoal keel rather than a full keel. This
meant I only needed a breath of wind to go sailing, and could enjoy
private anchorages that many others couldn't reach, but it also meant that my
winters here often meant a semi-permanent reef in the mainsail. I don't
like to be overpowered or to fight the helm to steer. If you are fighting the
helm, then your sails aren't balanced out or you have too much sail up. I don't
know why anyone would set sail with their hatches and ports open. Sure I was
guilty of having the companionway boards open for sailing, but they were stowed
in a cockpit seat where I could reach then in a second, but all my ports and
hatches were always firmly closed for sailing, even on perfectly nice days.
I was also well known for NEVER and I mean NEVER leaving a hatch
open when I left my boat. Even at a marina, if I was stepping off the boat to go
30 feet away, I closed every hatch and the companionway. My teak always looked
great and you never once saw me running at break neck speed, soaking wet in a
dinghy, to close up my hatches. Short rains come and go, and I never once
fancied a wet bunk or ruined teak varnish. But time and time again, I see folks
go ashore with every hatch open...
When I went to sell my boat, the broker commented on my "new teak
varnish" on the interior. I said that varnish is ten years old!
Surprise, surprise!
It looked new becase (A) I always closed my hatches when home and
it rained and always before leaving the boat, even if there wasn't a cloud in
the sky, my boat was fully closed up. (B) I used Old English Furniture Oil nearly every week on all my interior teak
except for the companionway steps. These I kept in natural teak, no oil, no
varnish, as then the wood provided a natural no-slip surface and I didn't have
to glue on the non-skid strips (which always look dirty).
Often before polishing up the teak, I would mix a bit of vinegar
with water in a spray bottle (about 1/8 cup vinegar to 2 cups filtered water)
and clean up the "sweat areas" on the teak, such as the fiddles in the galley
where sweaty arms rest, and the compression post everyone touched on their way
to the head. My head was also teak and had a shower, I used daily. I would
wipe it down with the vinegar/water spray solution if it got mucky (rarely).
Once the teak was completely dry, then I generously coated it in Old English Furniture Oil usually every week. Even in the shower,
the furniture oil generally repelled the waer and soap scum, so often, just
wiping down the after showered teak with a corner of the bath towel, or a
paper towel, made the head look dry, clean and new again.
So you can imagine, my head and chest swelled when the broker
commented on my "new varnish" which was ten years old. Oh how I miss that
boat...those were the days...
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
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- Ooops!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:02:53 EDT
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The guys below were making an awful racket early Sunday morning
with their noisy, unoiled gasoline fired cement mixer. When it suddenly
stopped, my friend and I cheered and clapped our hands. We were a little too
loud, and I am afraid they heard us. I felt sorry for the neighborhood church
who were trying to assemble inside and preach above the racket.
Spin forward to early this morning, about the time the raucous crew
comes to life with their equipment. They were being incredibly quiet, not
running any dreaded machinery but I could hear them arranging tools, walking
around, talking amongst themselves.
I couldn't help it. I let out the mother of
all sneezes. It was such a hard sneeze it left me breathless and I reached up to
my face, to check and see if my nose was still attached. I probably
blew particles all the way to the Sahara. Then I heard this voice
from the construction crew below.
"Bless you!" he said.
I giggled myself silly. Only on Tortola...
Last night the tropical wave hit us complete with lightning,
thunder and hard rains. I had crew company from a sailboat and suggested they
just spend the night but needless to say, once the rains subsided they wanted to
go home. I walked up the hill and felt this bad omen. What if the rock slides
had hit, what it they hadn't and after I dropped them off at the marina 8 miles
away, THEN the mudslide hit and I would be trapped in the middle of
nowhere.
Islanders don't drive in the rains. They stay home. Or they stay
put. Even the taxis turn off their cell phones and go home. They don't want mud
sloshing on their pretty taxis.
My new used heap of a jeep developed the hiccups and bunny hopped
the first mile. It kept cutting off, coughing and complaining. Something new,
it's been so well behaved ever since I bought it! I told my friends, I was
turning around and going home. They wanted a taxi and I warned them, this
might be impossible. We bunny hopped our way back home, after stalling out a few
more times.
Indeed we called about a half dozen turned off cell phones and
never did find a taxi, and it was already past 10pm on a Monday. We even called
all the local bars looking for a taxi. Nada.
So, I made up the spare twin beds in the office and told them they
could fight over custody of the 12 pillows and turned in for the night.
The haze is so thick this morning that Norman Island is just a
ghost again. It's 85 degrees at 2pm and da current done mash up over
and hour ago. *sigh*
This rumor was mailed to me in a St Croix Cruzan rum bottle (I have
heard it several times already, so it is probably true).
...some of the winds have been reported in the forty plus mile
an hour range. A couple of days ago a charter boat, in the BVI's sunk after getting
caught is a rain squall that they were apparently ill prepared for. The same front turned
over a 28 foot boat on its mooring in St Thomas and broke another boat loose
from its mooring in St John and put it on the rocks.
Bottle #2:
Local gossip: a 393 sank not far away last night. Rumor has it they had
their hatches and portholes open when a squall knocked them over. Sunk in less
than a minute. The boat is on the bottom, in 120' of water, and has been written
off by XXXXXXXX (the charter company). If only I had the appropriate scuba
skills, I'd take dozens of tanks down there and vent them into the cabin and
bilges, and see if I couldn't pop it off the bottom. Then I'd have a
yacht.
Bottle #3:
Wondering if you heard of a bareboat sinking on Friday during that wave
that moved through in the afternoon? We had heard something about that and
then in the morning at the airport we saw 3 guys traveling back to the states
with nothing but a very official looking envelope and the clothes on their
back and may I say they had a very humble look about them. Hmm just
curious......
Well, the same rumor is flying around here, a
certain charter boat, all hatches open on top and sides, over powered with too
much sail when the squall hit and knocked them down... and under.
It's a terrible way to start/end your vacation and it's best to
quietly and quickly leave island and take up a different hobby, such as table
tennis. Something where the equipment loss is not so great. For $125 give or
take, per day, they could have had a professional captain.
***
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- Monday Morning Squall
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:32:07 EDT
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One, two, three waves headed our way. Dawn arrived with a fierce
rainfall that obscurred all visibility. Afterwards, i was astonsihed to still
see the haze!
The powers to be have forecast scattered showers for today. That is
fine with me. I need it for the plants and flowers.
Another Day Ends in a Gorgeous Sunset
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- Marching Squall
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:56:50 EDT
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Last night I woke up and could hear the rain squall marching down
the channel. It eventually came through my neighborhood and simply kept marching
onwards. My plants barely got spit upon. But the cadence of the hard rain
against the ocean was like Mother Nature's marching band.
Typhoon Fengshen (aka Frank) has been the 6th typhoon to reach the
Philippines in 2008. We are so lucky, imagine begin hit six times in one season,
kind of like Florida's unlucky year, a while back.
Ferry ship Princess of the Star, is now princess of the deep with
only 3-4 survivors located thus far out of over 700 on board when she left port
in the Philippines. It just doesn't pay to go to sea during inclement weather,
as this ship sank only a mile from shore after being battered by high
waves. The advisory was for small ships and this one went out anyhow. Sad.
Very sad. My heart and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
Somehow I forgot to mention summer solstice, but I supposed we all
survived the longest day of the year, we love sunshine in the Caribbean on a
near daily basis and maybe that is why I over looked it.
Timing of the next tropical wave will possibly affect seas
substantially across the region by Monday morning. Mariners should expect seas
in the 6 - 9 foot range across much of the local waters as the wave passes with
7 - 8 second periods. Meanwhile, winds will be enhanced with the wave and are
expected to be near 25 knots on Monday. Therefore, expect small craft advisories
to be raised for Sunday night into Monday for much of the local waters.
When in doubt, don't!
It's 83 degrees and my neighbor has his unoiled concrete mixer
grinding away at full volume since 630am. He is just above the church! I
hope they ask him to shut it down. What a shame to wreck such a peaceful day.
Sometimes I am tempted to go down with a can of oil and suggest he lubricate the
noisy t'ing.
*****
Be careful with the cashiers while shopping in the
islands. I usually stand guard at the register, watching everything as it is
rung up. Many stores here in the BVI play hide and seek with the prices. They
don't put it on the item, they don't put a sticker on the shelf, and they don't
have scanners for you to check yourself. Now how are you supposed to stay on a
budget shopping under those conditions?
Oh I FORGOT! Everyone here has endless amounts of
money, so why worry?
When my company was here, we were downtown and stopped
in a store to pick up a few items. Well 3 shoppers and one buggy and we got more
than just a few items but still it looked very reasonable and barely filled up
half the cart. It was a plethora of veggies, no meats, some odd staples, a
few juices and some exotic non-alcoholic drinks my friends
wanted to try.
I wasn't there standing guard at the register like I
should have been. Shame on me. The bill totaled up and the cashier held her hand
out and asked for $615.37
You could have knocked me over with a feather.
I asked if anyone had bought any Dom Pérignon or fresh
flown in ostrich burgers or WHAT that our little half a cart of groceries came
to $615.37
I asked the cashier to let me see the receipt and she
said she would AFTER I paid the $615.37
I said "NO WAY do we have $615.37 in groceries" and she
shrugged her shoulders and continued to hold her hand out.
I asked her rerun the total and began unbagging all the
groceries. She refused.
I was aghast!
At that point, had I not had company with me, I would
have whispered in her ear exactly WHERE she could store my groceries and left
the store empty handed.
Meanwhile my friend offered up her credit card, I think
she thought I was embarrassing her. She just wanted to pay and get out of there.
I pushed her credit card back and said "No!"
Instead I asked for the supervisor and another
cashier came over to check out the problem. Out original cashier wandered off,
she didn't want to stick around and find out what went wrong where.
The supervisor, engaged her brain, before her
mouth, took a glance at our groceries and she KNEW it wasn't $615.37
either.
She rerang our groceries and they came to
$165.49
Whew!
Buyer beware!
*****
One good thing about Alzheimer's, you get to meet new people
everyday.
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- lover-ly Saturday
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:40:07 EDT
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A glorious day in the BVI, just a fantastic time to be alive ad
gaze out at the hazy horizon. The promised wave was short lived.
We should have another one arrive Sunday night or Monday. Meanwhile
its a great weekend for watersports, our number one pastime here, right up next
to drinking rum *hiccup*
This rare Tortola jungle cat is napping under the
banana trees without a care in the world.
Probably dreaming up what he will train his humans
to do next!
Warm and Sunny Regards,
Dear
Miss Kitty Cat
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- The wave ARRIVED!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:32:19 EDT
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12 after 12 noon, the wave blew in with strong gusty winds that
caused several of my window screens to take flight! Then we had heavy
thick rains for a good 5 minutes, now the sun is fighting to play peek a boo
again.
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- Wish You Were Here!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:00:50 EDT
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From the Porthole:
We have waves coming our way and African dust on top of that and
eventually surf waves for next week.
It's cloudy and overcast at daybreak.
At 1020am, it's overcast and very breezy with a slight chop in the
Sir Francis Drake Channel.
Rumors of impending rainfall would be nice if they pan out. We need
rain, I see things drying up already, it doesn't take much to dry up. Our dirt
layer is not very deep, and then you hit rock and more rock.
*****
I used to think dogs were smarter than cats what with
their ability to learn tricks and instinctively protect us from predators. But
having 3 crafty cats living with me these past years and I begin to think Cats
are the smarter breed.
We train dogs. Cats train us.
Now that I have the coveted washing machine, I have a
clothes rack and an under cover clothes line for drying. Most days the
clothes dry faster on the line than they could in a dryer. This saves a great
deal of wear and tear on the clothes, so there is a benefit to not having a
clothes dryer. Power is so expensive here, I hate to think of what a dryer might
cost per month anyhow.
Then along comes one crafty cat who picks out a nice
fluffy towel, manages to somehow, get it off the line and drags it to a corner
of the covered decking and then he scrunches it up in to a perfect cat sized
bed. For the past few days I have allowed him to keep his towel. He
looks so comfy and quite smitten with himself.
Where do they learn these tricks?
I sure wish I had a video of him getting it off the
line, over to the corner and scrunched up so nicely. Eventually I will reclaim
it and reclean it, as no one wants to dry off with a towel full of cat
fur.
If they ever come out with a tiny wireless webcam, I
would love to put one on top of my cat's head and see what he does all day, like
pulling a fluffy towel off the line for his own use. Other days he comes home
with construction debris on his fur. Does he have a job somewhere? One
wonders. I imagine him in a little construction hard hat, supervising some
hapless crew somewhere.
My neighbor remarked that he noticed dogs without
leashes out walking themselves. When they came to my driveway, they promptly
turned around and ran off. Well, I do know that one day some loose dogs came
down the driveway and woke up 3 sleepy cats who gave them a less than welcoming
reception. Matter of fact, one cat took a swipe at a dog who came too
close, and bloodied his nose! All three cats pumped up their fur to look
like mega-cats and chased the dogs up the driveway and down the street!
The pack ran off, yelping like they had been severely scolded and the one with
the bloody nose seemed particularly offended.
Yet, if my friend stops by with her dog to visit, they
barely notice, like "Oh, a doggy is visiting. Whoopee." Apparently they
distinguish between dogs that are acceptable and those that are not. They grew
up around dogs and learned to tolerate them, but they never had to deal with
strays wandering in until the neighborhood gang showed up and then they decided
to let them know who is boss here and who is welcome and who is not.
Beware of the attack cats.
Caribbean Pastels? Caribbean Building
Codes?
Only in the BVI is a building considered a
building if it has at least one wall OR a roof.
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- Lazy Hazy Dazy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:11:44 EDT
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Very hazy day. Crud in my eyes. Ugh. 84 degrees at 948am with
slight to moderate winds. No storm on the horizon yet. Just that mess to the east to watch.
There is a weird bug going around Tortola, give you a high fever
for about a week and cold symptoms. Makes your sweat really stink up something
awful. I lifted my arm to check the overhead fan and passed right out. Ugh. I am
battling the tail end of it and the fluids I run through are unbelievable.
I drank over 2 gallons of water yesterday trying not to dehydrate, and
sprinkling sea salt on everything I eat, and I still feel half dead. Kitties
climbed in bed with me, all wanting to be petted and lay next to me and me
burning up so badly, I had not one but two fans aimed at me.
Check out
the latest City
Manager’s Newsletter – 18th June,
2008
Road Town and
You!
See what else is new here.
Rock slide or rock pile? Gotta love that nice
straight utility pole! The question begs, was it straight when they put it in
(but very shallow) and then the wires pulled it over? Or did they just
plant it crooked cause digging a straight hole is too hard? Who
knows?
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- Wednesday's Bounty
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:33:18 EDT
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Thanks to the Sahara Dust, we have continuing
spectacular sunsets!
A tropical wave
located about 1000 miles east of the Windward
Islands is moving westwards near 20mph. Forecasters are divided about
the potential for development.
I shall check my crystal ball on this and ask the cats. Yep, the
cats know. If something sloppy gets headed our way, they let me know by (A)
eating more than their usual gluttonous meals (fattening up for lean
times) (B) hanging around indoors, staking out individual "nests" (C)
sticking very close to home (30 seconds from the door)
This morning somebody dumped a dead mouse in the floor of
my dining room! He was laying on his back with all four feet stuck in the
air, I think he died of sheer fright as his eyes were wide open and his wounds
were minimal. I suspect the black cat is to blame for this treat as his
specialty is rats and mice. Usually he leave it on the welcome mat, but
being that I didn't open the door yesterday, he may have been offended and
brought the dead creature indoors to make SURE I saw his bounty.
However, the white cat, did a real dirty deed yesterday. The
night before, I was tossing and turning and didn't realize he had snuck up at
the end of the bed, just as I tossed over, my foot squarely hit his jaw. He of
course ran off quite offended and possibly wounded. He wouldn't let me come near
him to check. Poor Kitty.
The next morning, I am in my bathroom, upon my throne, when I
notice a motionless snake in my shower. Well, that is where the white kitty has
lately been depositing dead snakes. I would prefer the welcome mat OUTSIDE, but
kitty has discovered my shower has very tall sides, that a small snake cannot
escape! Indeed you have to step over a 15 inch wall just to get in the
shower and close the shower doors. That is because the sliding shower doors are
tub doors, and were far too short, so they built a tall wall (rather than buy
taller shower sliding doors).
Life in the Caribbean; we build differently from the rest of the
world!
So I came off my throne and fetched the long handled dust
shovel and sweeper. I was trying to sweep up the motionless snake when he
woke up and became quite angry! I screamed and chased him around the
shower with the dust shovel trying to kill him or sweep him up. He moved quite
fast but couldn't escape, finally I won (I think he was tired of my screaming!)
and I managed to toss him (still alive) out the window.
Yuck! Ugh! Puke!
I think it was the white kitty's way of "paying me back" for
kicking him in the chin. Ah HA! Those cats are crafty.
Today winds are around 15mph, scattered showers, we already had a
nice cool one early this morning.
The moon shone brightly last night again, and of course tonight is
the full moon
parties.
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- (no subject)
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:03:50 EDT
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Better late than never, I've still got this awful fever, so in and
out of bed and cold showers, work is waiting, but no choice, until whatever this
is, goes away. So I am late again with my morning report. So what else is new.
The moon has been so incredibly bright the past two nights, that it
wakes me up and I find myself gazing at it for hours. After it passes over
the mountain, the night darkens again and I go back to sleep.
My birth name means goddess of the moon, so maybe that is why
the full moon keep waking me up or maybe I am just a nut...
Weather here is painfully boring, just loads of sunshine, moderate
winds, crystal clear waters. What more could we ask for?
Message in a Bottle:
Dear Miss Mermaid,
Just ordered our summer's supply of Heliocare.
The stuff really seems to work!
Drew & the boyz
Well, thank you for this info! Sunscreen in an herbal
pill! Amazing the number of remedies available from Mother Nature now. For
more information, click
here.
As you may have heard, some airlines are now charging for checked
luggage. Well, I've always been an advocate to pack half the stuff and twice the
cash. Well now you can have more cash by bringing less.
My last two friends that came to visit managed to figure out how to
pack the maximum carry on. I felt bad I had told them to meet me at Jolly Roger,
as that meant they had to lug their maximum carryon down the road.
Oops! I never knew you could pack so much as "carry on". They were
here two weeks and only did minimal laundry.
I think they were skeptical about my Caribbean washing machine. I
lucked out and found a used washing machine, that actually worked!.
Problem is my landlord promised hookups 7 months ago and of course, I haven't
seen hide nor hair of any such convenience. So typical of days gone by when so
many local abodes were built without washer hookups, many folks simply put their
washing machine on the porch or in the yard and hooked it up to a garden hose.
To keep the hot water hose from back flowing (most folks just hook
their machine up to cold water only) you stick a US Quarter over the pipe in
back of the machine, and then tighten the hose over it. That blocks the water
hose nicely. Otherwise as the cold water rushes in, it will rush back out the
hot water hose (learn something new everyday!)
So I did likewise, and when my company arrived, there sat my new
used washing machine in the front yard, on blocks, covered by a shower curtain,
and attached to a garden hose. I had an extension cord to plug in and
poof, we had laundry running with the waste water going to the banana trees.
I had great fun, knowing I have finally arrived in the Caribbean! I
have a washing machine in my yard! Many houses still sport a washing
machine on the front or back porch or in the yard like mine. Now that many
neighborhoods have access to street water from the desal plants, housing is
being built with washing machine hookups. However, when I was home hunting last
winter, I saw a brand new apartment, just gorgeous with Corian kitchen
counters, a whirlpool in the bathroom and I asked if it came with washer
connections. Much to my surprise, the landlord showed me around the outdoor
porch, to the side and there on the porch, they had installed the washer and
dryer connections.
It was all I could do not to burst out laughing! Here they
had built a drop dead gorgeous apartment building, with an oversized kitchen
that could have easily accommodated the washer dryer, yet they had put the
laundry connections on the side porch. It was so funny.
Well, I am not sure my company was impressed with my washer in the
garden. They inquired why had I been so strict that they take such short showers
when I had a washer in the garden? I replied, "that's so we have plenty of
water left to run the washer!"
I could see that over time having my washer outside,
would more than likely shorten the life of the machine. Even though
my dear friend had come up one day and helped me line up blocks to make an
instant concrete pad. This kept the washer level and also, in the event of rain,
my beloved coveted machine would not be sitting in mud.
I did some measurements and discovered the machine would fit nicely
in the kitchen, where the refrigerator was, if only I had hookups. The
refrigerator was shoved up against the cabinets, blocking off 2 cabinets,
because the refrigerator was taller than the cabinets. The real estate agent had
explained I could use those cabinets for stuff seldom used (and move the fridge
every time I needed something). Life in the islands is strange.
A friend of mine stopped by and thought he could hook it up, but
then he became concerned that he couldn't, and he mentioned several ways to
"rig" it up that may or may not result in flooding my kitchen. Well, I suggested
that maybe he shouldn't do me such a "favor" after all. He said he would locate
a plumber for me, after all he is a house builder, just not a washing machine
plumber.
Amazingly, the next day, a man called and said he had heard I
wanted my washer hooked up and he had time to come by and look at it. I waited
anxiously as he promised to be here in a half hour and two hours later he
arrives.
Hmm, he must be a REAL plumber as they are typically late. He
and his assistant looked over the situation, gave me a quote, asked for a
down payment to buy supplies, then left with my money and promises it would all
be done by nightfall.
It occurred to me then, all I knew was his first name and a cell
number and now he had my money and had left for parts unknown. Yep, must be
a real plumber.
Well, I've had this awful fever for days now, so I needed to lay
down and rest with a cold rag. I accidentally dozed off. When I awoke, my
kitchen was torn apart and the two guys had tools and plumbing parts scattered
everywhere.
I began rearranging the kitchen, as the refrigerator had to be
moved to accommodate the washer, then the counter I had built months ago, which
pretends to be built in, but isn't had to be moved, which meant the bookshelf,
on the other side had to be moved to the living room and the big stack of
wicker chests in the corner, had to be moved. So I grunted and groaned, sweated,
pushed and shoved, until all the furniture was moved to its new location. This
resulted in a much larger kitchen, one soon complete with a washing machine, the
only place in the house I could find room for it.
A few hours later, the guys said they were finished and there in
the corner sat new washer hookups while my machine sat in the yard. They were
waiting for their final pay and I asked if this was guarantied not to leak or
back up etc and they of course gave me their best verbal promises. So then
I wiggled my mermaid tail and inquired if they might move the washing
machine for me, so we could test it.
I might be able to move everything else, but no way I could move
the machine from the garden. So they huffed and puffed, moved the machine,
hooked it all up and we tested the hot, the cold and the discharge. It
worked! Yippee!
I have arrived!
***
Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. |
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- Sea Grapes
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:47:28 EDT
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Sea Grapes are producing fruits!
There is just so much beauty to be found all
around us, every day.
I am thankful for the food we eat, thankful
for the people we meet...
A glorious but hazy day in the BVI with moderate trade winds
keeping us cool at 82 degrees. The Sir Francis Drake channel is picture perfect
for sailing and at 720 am I can see a few boats with sails traversing by. I
remember those fun days, of getting up with the sun, on my little sailboat,
parking a carafe of coffee in the cockpit and setting sail for another anchorage
before breakfast.
Those were the days my friend, and I will always treasure them.
NOTE: Da current done mash up at 730am! I am emailing
this out before my batt-tree mash up in mah laptop 'puter. It's all mah fault, I
plug in dat steamer t'ing to make mah dress look purdy and POOF, a moment later,
dat currrent done gone.
Washed un in a Swiss Bottle on the shore:
Dear Miss
Mermaid,
Since we were at Tortola last November we follow your always
informative
and often amusing news from this beautiful island. But what we
learned
about these new resorts makes us very sad. BVI had the chance to
offer
really the last treasures in the Caribbean, means no big hotels, no
McDo, all beaches open to public and without big structures! It's a
shame that the government of the BVI go this wrong way, since we all
know where this way ends.....When we saw what even the cruise ships has
already done to the island!
Is there really no opposition to all this?
"Natures little secrets"
becomes a non-sense!
To you all the best from
Swiss-Tortola lovers
Max and Rita
Ps: We love your cats
too..........
Thanks so much for writing and for reading. Many of us feel the
way you do! Two resorts have now been canceled, both the Smugglers Cove
Resort and the Golf course resort at Beef Island. Yahoo!
I have many personal thoughts and insights from other locals and
overnight tourists that might shock the powers to be, therefore I am putting my
comments elsewhere and not on the weather page.
Click here for more reading on
what I think of the mega resorts and cruise ships.
Sea Grapes
Yes the grapes are edible and the washed leaves can
be used as eco-friendly picnic plates, but the leaves are not at all
tasty for eating.
The Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) is a sprawling bush or small
tree that is found near sea beaches throughout tropical America and the
Caribbean, including southern Florida and Bermuda. It reaches a maximum height
of 8 meters, but most specimens are little more than 2 meters tall. It has
large, round, leathery leaves (up to 25 cm in diameter) with a primary vein that
has a red color extending from the base, and the entire leaf turns red as it
ages. The bark is smooth and yellowish. In late summer it bears purplish fruit,
about 2 cm in diameter, in large grape-like clusters. The fruit also contains a
pit.
The tree is unable to survive frost. However, it is moderately
tolerant of shade, and highly tolerant of salt, so it is often planted to
stabilize beach edges; it is also planted as an ornamental shrub. The fruit can
be used for jam or the fruit can be eaten right off the
tree.
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- Happy Father's Day
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:14:43 EDT
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A beautiful hazy overcast day. Very summery temps. Light
tradewinds.
The tropical wave has apparently declined to make an appearance and
quite honesty, shall not be missed.
It's Father's Day and many are celebrating. We have a
plethora of children here being raised by single mothers here, I hope they get a
rest today as the children spend time with the fathers.
Of course some islanders are deliberately hiding, hoping they
aren't fathers...
I've picked up the phone ten times to call my own father, only to
realize he doesn't have a phone number in heaven. So my thoughts keep
coming back to him and the wonderful memories and the odd gifts I gave him.
As a child it was an endless assortment of either handkerchiefs or ties or
a bottle of Old Spice, his favorite aroma to wear.
He was a gentleman and always had a handkerchief in his pocket. I
know he often didn't make it to work with a clean one, because he had to drive
us to school and the seldom running nose or bloody nose or sneezing and he was
producing his handkerchief for one of us kids to use up.
He had a shoe fetish and while he , and the kids grown, he bought
shoes, both mail order and in person. If he liked a particular style, he would
buy it in brown, black, tan, white and so on. I remember helping him move one
time, kept himself restrained with a family in the household, once he became
singleto a townhouse. As a joke, I stacked his shoes, one pair on each stair
tread. I still had so many shoes leftover, so I had to put another pair on the
other side of the stair tread. I think at that point, he had 60
something pair of shoes and we laughed about it.
Next time I was at his condo, his shoes were still neatly lined up
and down the stair treads. He said he merely came downstairs in his socks each
morning, and picked matching shoes as he descended. He never wore the same pair
two days in a row, this gave this time to air out. All his shoes looked new, as
with 60 pairs and growing, each pair was only worn 3-6 times each year.
He grew up poor and only had one pair of shoes, often hand me
downs. Many pictures of him as a kid do show him barefoot, so his story is
believable. But as a child, he bought us shoes, but in the spring and summer, I
ran around barefoot. When school was let out, I was issued a pair of
flip-plops to carry me through the summer.
My father was the only one in his humble farming family to graduate
from both High School and College. He proudly wore his college ring every
day of his adult life.
Happy Father's Day
to all that qualify!
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- Hazy Projects
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:51:30 EDT
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Another great day in paradise.
It has been severely overcast all day. But there is always
beauty to be found.
No rains, but very thick and hazy. I hope to drive over to the
north shore before sun set, but meanwhile I have my entire abode torn apart for
one teeny tiny plumbing project. Funny how that happens.
Ha ha.
As I look at the sprawling mess, it doesn't seem so funny, but once
we are finished, and I put everything back together, all will be well (said with
fingers crossed!)
I took this pic shortly after sunrise!
Look how thick the haze is towards Norman Island
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- Dark Thirty Again
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:45:19 EDT
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It's dark thirty. The crickets and tree frogs are singing along a
merry tune. No dogs are barking. The wind is mellow. The air is cool yet
it was a warm afternoon. A fine day for the beach .A great evening to
chill out or go to the many music venues in the islands.
We've had a few tiny scattered showers. I would like more.
A tropical wave now located over the eastern
Caribbean
waters will deteriorate local marine conditions beginning
early
this evening. squalls and thunderstorms will be scattered to numerous
and
mariners should keep alert for this. high pressure across the
eastern
Atlantic will build quickly behind this wave increasing
winds ... mainly
across the Caribbean waters ... this will generate
choppy seas through at
least Monday.
I better go stock up on
mice...
later, mon
Warm and Hunting Regards,
Dear Mr
Cat
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- So Pretty Today
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:28:21 EDT
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Bright and clear here, some dark clouds to the east. No rain yet in
West End. The westward moving tropical wave is headed for the southern
windward islands, so noting much to report from here.
Just ho hum drop-dead-gorgeous Caribbean weather with balmy
tradewinds and calm seas.
However, before you get too comfy, we might have some active
weather beginning Thursday or Friday from a secondary tropical wave headed our
way that could bring on some intense thunderstorms and gusty winds. I guess you
call this a trial run for hurricane season.
I brought home my case of tuna for hurricane food, it's the one
thing the cats and I agree on for emergencies. However, they are dancing around
the case of tuna, rubbing up on it and generally begging for it, like I am
supposed to start handing it out now.
That's the problem with cats. Every year, they want to eat up their
hurricane stash as soon as I buy it. *sigh* I already have loads of
candles, I am woefully understocked in the battery department and then there is
that matter with the carburetor for the generator...
My new old home I moved into last December, did come with aluminum
hurricane shutters, but there are the fussy kind, that take forever to put up
and take down, a chore I am not looking forward to at all. I am a sun
shiny type person and the thought of being all closed up in total darkness is
not appealing. Mermaids need sunshine after all.
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- Picture Perfect
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:16:40 EDT
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Another great day in paradise with calm seas and slight
winds.
Da current done mash up again. I called dem BVI Elec-tricky boyz
and dey say dis be d'ere scheduled outage. So what I want to know is, WHAT
happened to all those flowery newspaper articles dat say our current problems be
OVER? Now we got rotating scheduled outages and we don't even have a
hurricane to blame it on! Lawdy mercy, ever since dey got current here in
the BVI, it's been elec-tricky. I heard those war town places in Iraq have
better current than we do.
So now da cable TV be mashed up and da water be off. This is
a great way to make your business efficient. Cut all dem utilities, send dem
employees home and save on payroll.
Might as well just be at the beach all day or out sailing, cause
this landlubber life is rough. This is what we mean when we tell folks who are
thinking of moving here, that we don't have many conveniences. Unless you think
it convenient to have your utilities off half the day. It's not so bad if
all you are doing is vacationing here. You can lie on the beach all day and not
worry about a t'ing. But if you live here and you need to work, then
having dat current mashed up half the day, can be a problem. Of course
many jobs don't require dat current, like gardening and such. Maybe I just be a
gardener now and forget about dem elec-tricky folks.
*****
My battery died and the Internet was flaky, so that
report above I wrote at 9am, is just now going out at 4pm. Yep, da current was
off dat long! And me having company for dinner and the fridge off all
day long. *sigh*
No storms on the horizon, no cruise ships in town
either, imagine that! Weather is drop dead gorgeous and nothing weird to
haunt us. Yet.
Ferocious Island Tiger guards fruit
garden.
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- Flat Calm Lake-like Channel
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:25:38 EDT
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7:30am, Sir Francis Drake Channel, looking
East
TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING
THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
Almost every day, twice a day, I find the above in my email
box. It makes me smile! 48 hours of peace,
yahoo!
Today, it is flat calm. A great day to motor to windward. It
is only 82 degrees, so if you are suffering from a heat wave, come on down
here!
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- short and sweet
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008 08:13:36 EDT
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Wind is flat calm. 83 degrees. If you are caught in that
awful heat wave on the East cost of the US, come on down here where it's nice
and cool! Can't believe you are getting 100 degree temps there.
Amazing!
No storms aimed out way. More later!
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- 1000 words
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2008 14:14:11 EDT
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West End Tortola,
BVI
Glorious weather! Bet
you can't guess where that mermaid is today...
At the beach? Or
Perhaps, behind the
secret door?
Or in the Palm Grove?
Stay tuned for futher
clues to the mermaid's where abouts...
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- cloudy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2008 08:16:33 EDT
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Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming variably cloudy. Isolated
showers. Highs 88 lower elevations ranging to 82 higher elevations.
East winds 5 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of
rain 20 percent.
I copied that from the forecast. Interpretation: moving clouds,
might rain, might not, depends on where you are at the time.
A westward moving tropical wave is current near the Windward
Islands.
Got to the Apple Bay fish fry last night at about 7pm, they
still had food for us and it was delicious. Some of my favorites like pumpkin
and johnny cakes were already gone, but I did manage to get the last serving of
conch, which was incredibly tender and had apparently been cooked in a pressure
cooker.
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- Relax yourself, enjoy life, be pampered
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 11:07:03 EDT
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Here I am! Weather is terrific, perfect for a vacation. I
happen to have company from afar who are enjoying the lovely weather. Today they
are aboard the ferry
and off to Jost
Van Dyke while I stay on Tortola and slave away at my work.
It is 84 degrees and breezy with tiny whitecaps in the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
Sea Temp is 81 degrees. No snow predicted now that June is finally
here. Whew! So far, no storms on the horizon either. What more could we
ask for? Monday and Tuesday might bring enough waves to surf
or learn to surf!
Lately, ome days I am vacationing and avoiding work, and having
great fun being a tourist! Yippee!
Tonight we are headed for the grand opening of the Boat House at
Manual Reef. I ate their twice already for lunch and Chef Vaughn
offers up some really creative selections for lunch, seen no where else on the
island. So if you are bored with the usual hohum for lunch, check out the boat
house in Sea Cow's Bay at the new marina (eastern side of Sea Cow's Bay).
Jenni offers up a generous Happy Hour from 330pm, now that's a
great deal, sit on the balcony, enjoy the fabulous views and breezes while
sipping on Happy Hour priced drinks. You can even order up pizza to stay or to
go as well as choose from the daily specials.
Later this evening, we hope to make the Fish Fry in Apple Bay
before they run out of food. Besides fish they have numerous other offerings all
at reasonable prices. Just look for the ladies under the Banyan trees with their
gleaming stainless steel buffet dishes on Friday nights.
Yesterday we had a super busy day and I just never got to post
because the Internet was intermittent and we had places to be, things to
do. Namely we started off the day with a home visit from Serenity
Spa for massages and pedicures and pampering. Now THAT is just a great way
to start your day! We lazed about enjoying the breezes and views while my
tail was descaled and softened up, just in case I meet a sailor in need of a
mermaid (wth a softened tail!).
My company and cats also indulged in massages and pedicures, so if
you see a bevy of brightly colored toes, you found us!
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- Back on Schedule
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 08:40:14 EDT
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Weather is terrific today at 82F or 29C with gentle winds and calm
seas. No storms, no snow, just sunshine.
Yesterday's report is showing up as
today's report (below). (Posted 24 hours later!) For some silly reason my email
fought me left and right, tooth and nail and absolutely REFUSED to go out. Late
last night I meant to have another go-around with this cantankerous email but
instead I went to dinner at Bananakeet
on the cliffs. The higher you get, the better the view.
The sunset was heavily obscured by thick haze and clouds, but the
wonderful meal made up for it. My friends all had pork tenderloin while I
ordered 2 appetizers for dinner, the tuna sushi roll and the steamed
mussels in a heavenly sauce. Our plates were left clean but we had no room for
their tempting desserts, no matter how hard they tried to entice us.
Anegada, where the roads are paved in
sand
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- Life just couldn't get any better!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 07:19:22 EDT
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Remnants of Arthur still remain hovering around Belize, Guatemala
and southeastern Mexico, like a jilted lover that doesn't want to go away, even
though he's been shooed him off repeatedly.
Today, we have a glorious day in the Caribbean! Life is just
perfect and it's a great day to be outside enjoying life. It's 83 degrees,
breezy with mild seas. Life just couldn't get any better!
Tortola is finally thinking of being eco-friendly!
Yippee! This excerpt is From the City Manager's Newsletter (wow is Road
Town a CITY now???)
An exciting new partnership between the public and
private sector aims to reduce the number of plastic bags being used by Virgin
Islanders and thus eliminate their appearance on the Territory’s streets and
public spaces. This unique
collaboration between the Office of the City Manager, First Bank, One Mart, Rite
Way, Bobby’s and the Conservation and Fisheries Department was announced
yesterday, 2nd June and will launch on Friday, 6th June,
the day after World Environment Day.
To assure the success of
this initiative, we’ve asked several local celebrities to join the effort to
limit the use of plastic bags by serving as baggers between the hours of 3:00pm
and 6:00pm. Each “celebrity bagger”
has agreed to serve at their station for a minimum of one hour and will promote
the environmental and other benefits of using the re-usable bags each time
clients shop. To encourage the use
of the bags, the participating supermarkets will offer clients a discount of ten
cents each time they return to shop with their bag. The receipt showing their discount will
certify their eligibility to enter the quarterly drawings for fabulous prizes
which will be held by the supermarkets.
Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic
bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute.
Billions end up as litter each year.
Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die
every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food. Unfortunately, plastic bags don’t
biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits
contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals
accidentally ingest them. In
addition, the bags wrap around living corals quickly "suffocating" and killing
them according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. None of the plastic bags in the
Virgin Islands are recycled.
Worldwide only one percent of the billions of bags used annually are
recycled.
I recycle my endless pile of plastic grocery bags, by using them
for garbage collection. I have found that buckets hold these bags perfectly, and
then I bag up my garbage in them. I haven't bought a plastic garbage bag in 20+
years! So, um, now what am I going to do for garbage bags? However, many people do
NOT resuse their bags for garbage and they do end up in the dump and blowing
around town. Frankly I miss the old fashioned brown paper bags for
groceries. I have plenty of reusable bags, but often when I go to the
store with them, the baggers try to race me, to pack all my stuff in baggies
before I can get it into my bag! I hope this will now change. But I still
have to rethink my garbage collection. Hmmm.
From the Road Town Fact
File
Cholera, yellow fever, leprosy and various illnesses that one doesn't
hear much about nowadays were quite common in the Virgin Islands up to the early
1900's. A plaque in Long Bush
commemorates the 942 people who died in the local cholera epidemic of
1863.
Seed Cards for You!
In honor
of Environment Month, the Office of the City Manager is offering free seed cards
to the public. Each card can also
be used as a postcard and depicts a tree common to the Virgin Islands, along
with information about it. The
attached seed packets contain a small number of the relevant seeds and
germination instructions. The cards
will be available at various Road Town locations and at the City Manager’s
Office.
YES
YES YES, how many times have you heard Dear Miss Mermaid say WE NEED
MORE TREES! Yippee! I am so excited about this! MORE
trees! Yahoo!
P
Get your re-usable bag and bring it with you the next time you shop at
any participating supermarket and earn a chance to win a prize. Go
Green!
Well,
hats off to:
Eugenia O'Neal
City Manager, Road
Town
"The Little City With the
Big Heart!"
Virgin
Islands
for being so forward thinking
in the BVI! We need MORE like her! A round of applause is in order
for such wonderful insight!
*******
Father's Day is just around the corner. Get your
man/husband/father/grandpa/lover/boyfriend/baby's daddy or
significant other, one of these cool
tropical shirts . Check out the Gift Basket Grande, not only
does it come with a cool shirt, but loads of gifties, sure to please the big
daddy(s) in your life!
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- Cloudy with short passing rains
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 13:10:25 EDT
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Arthur is dying out over central America. In the BVI we woke up to
thick gray skies and scattered rains. The seas are moderate and the winds
are so-so. My friends hung around shopping for awhile then decided
to take their chances and go sailing for a day or two or three while your truly
finished up some work.
Well the banks machine in West End is notorious for running out of
money and sitting empty for lengthy periods of time. To combat this problem,
they now have shrouded the machine in complete darkness, except for the lit
screen. However, the buttons are NOT lit up. So if you are trying to withdraw
cash after dark, you can't unless you have memorized where all the buttons are
and can operate them in the dark to enter your password, as well as the amount
of withdrawal and so on. The alternative is to travel with your own flashlight,
to be able to se the buttons. Overall, this has frustrated many folks who have
neither flashlight nor memory of which buttons are located where, so many can't
get cash out. Fortunately I know where the buttons are, even in the dark
and even without a flashlight, so I was pleased to be able to get some cash out
of the machine. Only in Tortola...
To welcome in the first day of June, I decided to make a chilled
Sunday lunch for my company and a few friends. We sat in the garden and watched
the fabulous views of the boats sailing by and dined on:
***Crescent rolls stuffed with pepperoni, parmesan, basil and
garlic
***Shrimp & linguine chilled salad tossed with red
peppers, Vidalia Onions, garbanzo beans and wasabi
dressing
***Calypso Coleslaw with cabbage, carrots, raisins tossed
with cracked pepper dressing with dill and caraway seeds
***Deviled eggs stuffed with yolks, horseradish, sweet pickle
relish, Dijon and mayo, topped with a sprinkle of cayenne
pepper
***Antipasto marinated salad with artichokes, grape tomatoes,
mushrooms, calamata olives, Spanish green olives, capers, pimentos, garlic
and secret herbs
***Fresh pineapple wedges
***Green Iced Tea with Cinnamon and key limes from the
garden
I hope my company felt better welcomed, as the day of their
arrival, we were all so dead tired, we made our own sandwiches, from selections
I put out, then went to bed like a bunch of wimps. But they had a long day
of travel, and I had a long day of cleaning and organizing and nursing a near
dead ungrateful cat back to health. He thanked me by fighting and kicking me in
the stomach repeatedly as I dosed him with emergency medicine between his firmly
gritted teeth. Getting over half of it down him, I spilled the rest on his
paws, which made him even madder, but it forced him to clean himself, and
thereby get the rest of his liquid meds. He is the only one mean when it comes
to doctoring.
The other two trust me completely whether I am cleaning their
ears, or popping a pill down them, they act very nonchalant.
Once when the three were at the vet for shots, the one meany
screamed his head off like he had been run over flat, and lunged at me and the
vet with teeth bared, hissing and spitting, snapping his jaw like a rapid dog,
while the other two stood stoically silent, without flinching while
getting their shots. Even the vet commented on their lack of reaction. I replied
"They are tamed feral cats, nothing bothers them much." They even ride
quietly in the car, enjoying life while the other one screams at the top of his
lungs as if we are dragging him down the street tied to the bumper by his tail.
Trying to clean and organize the place, I made numerous trips
to the dumpster it seems. Where does this stuff come from? Much of it was
stuff left behind from the previous tenant, broken end tables, 10 year
old magazines, leftover construction mess from previous repairs by sloppy
handymen, and I decided enough is enough and sent it packing. It feels so
GOOD to be clean and semi-organized!
Ain't life grand...
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- Arthur opens the season for us
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2008 09:43:27 EDT
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I missed a day posting! 
Had a whirlwind Saturday trying to do a zillion things before
company arrives to stay for two weeks in my modest abode. Funny how every thing
looks nice until you look at it as "company is coming". Suddenly I
realized my front entrance resembled a garden junk yard with a few projects in
progress.
Yep, I seem to always have these half done projects everywhere.
Waiting on a part here, a piece there, time for that, or even worse, waiting on
an extra pair of hands to assist.
I stared at my on-loan angel statue in the garden, wishing
for an angel to come help me,when my phone rang. A dear friend had just sailed
in the harbor below, on his boat and needed some shore leave. He wandered
if he could come shower at my place and if I needed help with anything.
Heaven help him! I scrambled for my jeep to run pick him up
before he changed his mind.
So it was a full day of cleaning and rearranging and organizing and
repairing and fixing and rigging to make my front entrance resemble, well a
front entrance, without the junk yard, mad scientist projects in progress
look. We were both covered in sweat when we noticed one cat was seriously
ill.
A few frantic phone calls and I located some medicine for said cat,
if I could come to town immediately and pick it up. We abandoned all projects,
but loaded the heap of a jeep with a mountain of garbage and rejects, stuff that
needed a new home,preferably at the dump, a few things worthy of parking beside
the dump, in case some needy soul happened by.
It's customary in the islands to park "usable rejects" next
to the dump, rather than in it, so scavengers can pick through it. Hence I came
home one day with a gorgeous wicker headboard, I found parked beside a
dumpster. Today I returned the favor by parking an ugly but usable table
by the dump. Perhaps the next person would love it and not find it ugly at
all. On another day I parked a brass lamp that had no off switch
at the dumpster and the car behind me stopped, inquired if it worked, and drove
off with it, he didn't care it didn't have an off button, he could "plug it out"
as he explained to me.
We got the medicine for the ailing cat, then did a whirlwind
shopping tour, me for the guests coming for Sunday brunch and my friend to
restock his boat for the month. Heavily laden, we came back to my home, where we
picked up working on the various projects, loaded up yet another load of garbage
and usable rejects, then I deposited my friend and all his shopping at the
dinghy dock, emptied out the garbage and continued.
Next I fetched my newly arrived stateside company who were chilling
out at Jolly Roger, waiting for my arrival. Jolly Roger is a short walk from the
ferry dock and a good way to stretch your legs after long air flights followed
by ferry transits and so on. They were happy I had told them to meet me there,
as when they came out of customs, it was a major traffic jam with taxis vying
for their attention.
Loaded them up, gave them a brief tour before sunset, then took
them home. We visited for awhile, ate a very casual dinner of sandwiches
on wheatberry bread with granny smith apples.
I was dead tired and collapsed in my bed, surrounded by pillows and
never did write Saturday, I think my company was ready to rest too, as their
travels had been long.
***
So, we have a series of shortwaves that will push through the next
few days, we have moisture in the air, but no rain yet, sure would like
some rains. Probably when I take my company to the beach, it will rain.
Isn't that how it goes?
Thunderstorms are predicted for Monday, Tuesday &
Friday. Odd timing! Probably just short burtst to fill our welcoming
cisterms.
Meanwhile tropical storm Arthur arrived to officially open up
hurricane season and chose a most unlikely spot to form. Arthur is due west of
us at 18 north and 90 west, about 115 miles from Campeche Mexico. He is moving
west at 7 mph with 40+ mile per hour winds.
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- Peek a Boo Sunshine
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 11:02:52 EDT
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Bright and sunny somewhat today, still a huge cloud cover, but no rains yet.
Moderate winds and calm seas, a great day for boating.
Just a great day to be in paradise, at the beach,
realxin' yourself.
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- Gloomy Bloomy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 17:57:35 EDT
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Pink Oleander in Bloom
Better late than never. I've been snowed under with work and
swollen foot. Argh! Hard to work with foot propped up, so it's a
battle!
I didn't have my camera yesterday, what a shame. Zion Hill had a
massive traffic jam at the top of the hill. It was comical. First a big tanker
truck broke down at the very top of the hill.
So here I come beeping and honking and flashing my lights, cause
now I am in the wrong lane coming over a blind hill! Next someone pulling
a boat couldn't pass around the broken tanker, and their boat ended up in
the bushes with rocks and coconuts under the wheels to try to keep it from
rolling down the mountain. Apparently they don't know much about backing down a
steep hill with a boat in back so into the bushes went the boat leaving the
truck at an odd angle.
Next a mechanic came and parked in the road to fix the broken truck
and ditto for the broken truck pulling a boat. So now we had two big trucks, one
boat and two medium trucks, all competing for space at the top of the hill.
Traffic was reduced to one skinny lane and no one was directing it. It was
taking your life in your own hands each time!
I got home a bit shaken and helped myself to a shot of tequila to
calm my rattled nerves. Ain't life fun!
Rain! We need rain! I have company coming for 2 weeks,
so house will be full, want that cistern ready to go!
Bougainvillea in Bloom
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- Heavy Moisture in the Air
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 11:52:14 EDT
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Cloudy and thickly overcast, ray clouds, could rain,
breezes are intermittently brisk. 83 degrees at 1145am.
The Sidewalk to nowhere, has been extended a great
deal, since the earlier post (scroll down).
BVI Music Festival
ends with “Lovers Night”SKNVibes.com -
Basseterre,St. Kitts and Nevis
By Suelika N. Creque BASSETERRE, St.
Kitts - THE BVI Music Festival which was held at Cane Garden Bay,
Tortola was a grand event that featured top local,
...
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- Life's a box pf pillows
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 15:56:11 EDT
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View from the
Port Hole
~~~~~~~~
Floating along the seashore, I found another Moosehead
Beer Bottle, (from Moose, no doubt!)
He writes:
Remember the extended cold front that (was) headed your
way? Well, it stalled before Puerto Rico and became stationery. But
....
These images will disappear as circumstances and
conditions evolve so take a quick look at these two images.
Humorously, it looks as if the BVI is the pseudo center of
the "never land universe."
Look at the multi directions of the weather conditions and
circulation over and adjacent the eastern Caribbean. Of course this is a vivid
representation of the multi layer wind circulations at the surface, mid-levels
(to 18,000 feet) and the upper level winds above.
Yes, they are all converging on YOU !!!!!!!! Doesn't it
just give you a warm fuzzy feeling? LOL
And yes, all of this seemingly absurd circulation is a
result of the density and strength of that little Low now just off of Greenland.
Yikes !!!!
Does this all mean you are gonna get some unusual weather,
probably not but it sure looks tempting to forecast something out of Jules Vern
(spelling?)
Have a look as it will change and go away probably within
12 hours ... Enjoy, Moose aka MAX 
Have a nice day and keep an eye to weather ... 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for your insight Mooose! So far
winds have picked up a good bit and skies to the north and west look a tad
ominous. THe BVI is famous for it's "never land universe". We might as
well be on another planet. We do business differently that the rest of the
world, and we are waiting for the rest of the world to
CHANGE.
We could get hit with all or nothing, my crystal ball
predicts some strong winds and a few scattered thunder storms, trailed by even
more Sahara Dust.
Temperatures are headed to the summer ranges of 83-84
F degrees.
If you live on Tortola, please consider making a $25
donation to the BVI Diabetes Resource Center and get a box of pillows in
exchange. I read
the article, called the number and went for my box of pillows. The box was
heavier than I could carry, but the lady cheerfully helped me load it up in my
heap of a jeep.
At home, a sturdy friend happened to stop by and
hauled my box inside for me. He groaned as he sat it down, "WHAT'S in this
box? It IS heavy!"
"Pillows!" I told
him.
He said "Feels more like rocks to
me!"
I took the lid off and we giggled our way through this
never ending Pandora's box as first one bed pillow, then the next popped up,
until we had 12 in all! Somebody mighty strong had packed 12 pillows in a
box that would normally hold maybe 5 pillows. All were spotlessly clean and
freshly laundered. One even had a clean pillow case on it.
In case you are wondering, I am a pillow freak. When I
lived aboard my boat, I was accused of having a "padded cell" to sleep in,
because I had enough pillows to pad the sides of my forepeak, the bulkhead and
more to lay my head on.
Now that I live on shore, my bed is adorned with 7
pillows, 3 King sized, 4 standards, some soft some fluffy and some firm. I have
company coming to stay with me and the thought of having to part with some of my
pillows so they could have some, was frightening. What if I woke up and needed
the very one they were using? What if I couldn't sleep because of lack of
pillows? See I like padded comfort and of course I am forever propping up
my swollen leg, or I might wish to sit up in bed, padded with my pillows and
catch a movie and so on. Then there are the cats who seem to like my
pillows as much as I do and often I find one lounging on or leaning
against one of my pillows.
Well, I needn't worry now! My company of two
will have twelve pillows to fight over!
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- Wild Winds soon come?
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 11:33:00 EDT
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Found in a rum bottle, this note from Max:
Ya might want to get ready for some unexpected winds from the wrong
direction and some weather with it. There's an extension of a cold front
associated with a low that happens to be over Greenland, now passing the
Dominican Republic. You might get some unusual weather within 24 hours for the
next 48 hours ...
Just a heads up ... Max
We are predicting that Tuesday and Wednesday may be wet and wild
around here. We could use some strong winds for a change, from any direction.
I remember eons ago, I was anchored in Sopers Hole, before all the
rental moorings and marinas filled up the place. Maybe 20 boats or
more at that time, were full time live aboards like me. I had taken what I
thought was safe anchoring from the impending storm. When musch to my surprise,
the winds clocked around to the west and blew in hard through the channel
entrance. There is a valley formed by the mountain in West End Tortola and the
mountain on Frenchman's Cay. So this whipped the winds into stronger force than
normal.
The wind was so brisk that the rigging on the boats were sounding
like a beginning band class, with everyone out of tune and off key, but proudly
playing loudly.
My boat was getting pushed around by the currents one way and the
winds another way, then slapped by the ever increasing waves. I was
getting a bit banged up, as it was almost impossible to do anything except lay
in the bunk and read. Trying to make a simple meal was like being offshore
in bad conditions.
Then bigger waves started rolling through the harbor. I had never
seen anything like it in Sopers Hole. Big sloppy waves cresting about 3-4
feet. I might as well have been in a washing machine on heavy duty
agitation.
So I found a big Ziploc baggy, put some dry clothes in it, put my
passport and purse items in a Ziploc baggy, some shower stuff into another
baggy, stuffed all that into my backpack. I manually emptied my bilge, then
checked that the automatic float switch was working and the solar panel had my
batteries topped up. I closed my boat up tightly, climbed down to the dinghy and
fired up my 2.5 horse engine.
I was trying to untie the dinghy painter, and I remember the stern
of my boat riding up and down violently, and me praying that it didn't come down
on top of me! Finally got loose and felt like I was on an amusement ride,
designed to terrify.
For the next 20 minutes I fought waves and winds to travel a few
hundred yards to shore. It wasn't raining but the waves were so ferocious, I
arrived at Pussers old dinghy dock, soaked and dripping wet in very salty
clothes. Even my hair was dripping sea water and my backpack was a pound heavier
with salt water, but my belongings were all dry in their baggies.
I snuck into the restroom and changed into drier clothes and felt
semi-human again. I put the backpack in the sunshine to dry up some what. At
that point and time, I knew mostly boat people and few people ashore, at least
not well enough to ask them for accommodation. There were a lot fewer places to
stay then and no guest houses or hotels anywhere nearby. The closest rooms would
have been Long Bay and they don't exactly cater to the budget minded, as they
charge lavish prices.
But there was this retired gentleman ashore, who ran a machine shop
in his home. He loved to drink wine and talk. So far, I had only had
business dealings with him, but we had sat through a few bottles of wine and
chatted each time.
I was told, by another boatie, the first time I went to see
him, about a bent Danforth anchor, to never darken his doorway without a bottle
of wine. Otherwise, your work would never get done. OK, so the bribe is a bottle
of wine. Got it!
So one afternoon, I had hauled out my bent anchor, bought some wine
and hiked to his shop/home. I explained who had told me about him and that I
happened to have a bottle of wine, I thought he might enjoy and by the way,
could he fix my anchor.
All the while, he is standing there in his tiny bikini swim suit
and nothing else. He volunteered to go get dressed and I said it was OK. (I had
already been warned that he rarely dressed except to walk to the post office, he
would don a shirt, shorts and hat, but rarely shoes and that most times at home,
he wore his teeny bikini as he used to be an avid diver and boater
etc.)
He invited me into his living room and set about with wine glasses
and drinking. After about an hour, I asked when I should come back for the
repaired anchor which sat at my feet, untouched and badly bent.
He didn't say a word, just got up and left with my anchor. I heard
this banging and clanging outside, as if he was rearranging a junk yard loudly
tossing bits of metal around making incredible noises. I wondered if I had
offended him.
He walked back into his living room carrying a nice nearly new
Danforth with no traces of ever being bent out of line. I said something like
"WOW! I heard you were good, but that is amazing!"
He laughed and said, "Oh this isn't your anchor, but it's
identical, so take it, and I'll straighten yours out. One day somebody
will need it and I will sell it to them. But for now, consider this a
fair trade. "
I next inquired what I owed him, and he set the price at 1
bottle of wine, to be brought up "next time you're in the
neighborhood".
On this turbulant day, I sat at the bar, chatting with the
manager about how rough the harbor was. All dinghies were ashore, folks like me
were bruised and banged up and preferring the bar over boat. We traded war
stories and after awhile, I ordered a pizza to go.
Then I finally worked up my nerve to go buy a few bottles of wine,
stuff them into my backpack and begin the hike up to the shop/house of the
machinist, carrying my untouched large pizza.
He warmly greeted me in his customary bikini. I offered him
some pizza and he said it was perfect timing, he was just wondering what to make
for dinner. I unloaded my wine bottles and gifted these to him. He was most
appreciative, claiming to be completely dry at the moment.
We sat down over wine and pizza and he told me much of his life
history. I told him how awful it was in the harbor and that I didn't look
forward to returning home, as much as I loved my boat, I got thoroughly soaked
just coming ashore and it wasn't even raining.
We walked outside. In awe and amazement, we watched these
huge waves just rolling into the harbor and I pointed out my boat which was
bobbing erratically, straining the chafing gear I had fortuitously put on the
anchor rodes.
Conveniently, my new found friend had his living room furnished
with his favorite chair with a twin bed as a couch, a typing table with a
manual typewriter, a coffee table, and a few bookshelves crammed and overflowing
with books and magazines plus a chest of drawers full of antique china and a few
lamps scattered around. His cat lay at my feet purring.
He suggested I could sleep on the twin bed if I felt like it and
thereby avoid the risky dinghy ride back to my boat. I thanked him profusely and
spent the night. Before retiring, he offered up his shower, to get the
rest of the salt out of my hair and skin. I most gratefully took
a boatie shower and used about one and half gallons total, which pleased him
immesely as he lived off of a modest cistern.
The next day, things began to subside somewhat in the harbor. I
hiked back down to the lone bar, where many boaters had gathered. I felt like a
wimp, for staying ashore, but was grateful for my night's sleep ashore. I found
out one couple came home with their dog and started to get into their dinghy to
go to their floating home. They saw how rough it was, and decided to sleep in
their car, dog and all.
I met another couple that found it too rough to go back out, so
they had slept on the beach, where the sand spit boat yard is now. Another
family had splurged for a pricey hotel and stayed ashore. Someone else had
managed to go stay with friends. So apparently, I was not the only wimp! I
couldn't find anyone who had spent the night in the harbor, it was THAT rough.
In all the years since, I have never seen Sopers Hole like that
again. I once brought it up around some old timers in West End and many quite
clearly remembered that wild and crazy weather with the big waves rolling in the
harbor. One day I shall review my log book and tell you the exact date. My
recollection is this was in the early 1990's.
Sopers Hole May 25, 2008
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- Memorial Sunday
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 08:57:53 EDT
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MusicFest was winding down just an hour or so before daybreak. The
show is awesome! Sunrise brought heavy dew in the form of a very
slight rain. We have little wind and scattered clouds, no storms, no snow, just
plenty of glorious sunshine. I feel sorry for the wodden boats and pray
the get some winds by 10am in order to race!
On the long term ... a tropical wave is forecast to move across
the
Lesser
Antilles on Wednesday. if the timing is right ... this will
bring
additional moisture to the area and therefore increase the
likelihood
of more active weather conditions at least through
Thursday.
Tropical waves, or easterly waves, also known as African
easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an
elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which
move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of cloudiness and
thunderstorms. West-moving waves can also form from the tail end of frontal
zones in the subtropics and tropics and may be referred to as easterly waves,
but these waves are not properly called tropical waves; they are a form of
inverted trough sharing many characteristics with fully tropical waves. All
tropical waves form in the easterly flow along the southern side of the
subtropical ridge or belt of high pressure which lies north and south of the
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Tropical waves are generally carried
westward by the prevailing easterly winds along the tropics and subtropics near
the equator. They can lead to the formation of tropical cyclones in the north
Atlantic and northeast Pacific basins.
 I recently took a newbie to the
Fool Moon Party. She works in tourism, but doesn't drink and claims that
therefore she never felt the need to go out much. However, the tourists she
works for are constantly barraging her with questions and it's recently occurred
to her, that she should get out more and see first hand what goes on after the
sun sets and the moon rises.
I think her guests have chided
her into doing this, as they exclaim, "What? You've been here 3 years,
work in tourism and you've NEVER been to a full moon party?"
I assured her that plenty of non
drinkers venture out after dark. You can drink tea, water, juice, soda,
there is no law you must consume alcohol in order to be welcomed in a place. I
do advocate spending some money out, because after all there is no cover charge
and the full moon parties have multiple bands to pay, and naturally they use
their food and drink sales to power the bands.
Much to my dismay, she insisted
on taking her own bottled water, stressing that their water or drinks might be
"suspect". No amount of cajoling could convince her that "their" bottled
water and canned sodas and bottled juices were HARMLESS. I finally gave
up, and thought, well at least I will buy something to
contribute.
She wanted to know if chocolate
would on sale there. I explained that at this full moon party, at Bomba's, they
mostly favored magic 'shooms, Bomba-Bar-B-Que, 'shroom tea and the usual wide
assortment of beverages both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
Street vendors typically set up
and down the street, selling anything from hot dogs to jewelry to 'shrooms. Yes,
the magic 'shrooms are legal. They grow here willingly, though I've been
cautioned many times not to tell you where! Sure I know where, but it's
mostly on private property, so they don't cotton to you sneaking up and t'iefing
their 'shrooms.
Speaking of t'iefs, someone
snuck into my garden and stole about 100 pounds of bananas! Me, the
landlord and the caretaker are all outraged. I've been warning my friends,
not to take offence, if they come to visit and see some rude signs on the
property, directed at the t'iefs.
Someone suggested I get a very
large dog collar, attach it to a chain next to a huge dog dish, to make it look
like our large dog, had slipped his collar and is on the
loose!
My sign that reads "Beware of
the Attack Cats" has mostly brought laughter,so I am going to paint over it and
think of something stronger.
Someone suggested "Fruit Pickers
Shot First, Questioned Later".
Well that implies I have a gun
and that could open up a whole new can of worms.
I like this slogan " Go pick
your nose, NOT MY FRUIT!"
Yep, I came up with that one on
my own!
Two ferocious guard cats, take a siesta
together.
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- Ya Just Otta Be Here, Mon
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 15:59:17 EDT
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Another heavenly day in paradise, if you aren't here, you should
be, or plan to be. It is just drop dead gorgeous today and with the Music Fest
opening tonight, and the Wooden Boat Regatta at
Foxy's, it's a busy weekend for all around here. Always an excuse to
party!
Monday is a holiday in the US, USVI and Puerto Rico, but not in the
BVI. We have our next holiday
June 14th. The Puerto Rican Navy can already be seen coming in droves over
the horizon, they are a fun bunch of people who love a good party and travel in
flotillas, so they can help each other out while en route.
The waters today are just bright brilliant blue. Scattered clouds
and temperatures have soared to a nice sun tan of 85 degrees.
I have company coming down next weekend, and I plan to find time to
sneak off to the beach as much as possible for the duration of their stay. My
office will just have to suffer without me! And those poor kitties, will
just have to be independent boyz and do without me waiting on them foot and paw.
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- internet up! post out FINALLY!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 16:16:06 EDT
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Gorgeous spring weather, flowers in bloom everywhere. Moderate
winds, good sunshine, no snow predicted and no storms on the horizon. What more
could you ask for?
A friend was complaining from here to a long distant caller, that
her company had closed for good, leaving her unemployed, and there are no
unemployment benefits here, you just have to find more work or go where the work
is.
I could hear her friend, say quite loudly into the phone, so that I
caught it all, "WHAT? You are complaining to be unemployed in
Tortola, with all those gorgeous warm beaches to go to? Come up north
and be unemployed and freeze your "rear end" (word changed so as not to
offend) off when it dumps snow on you in May! I have ZERO sympathy for
you."
At least for now, our beaches are still FREE. You can show up
with your bottle of water, and frolic for free all day.
But remember, "If you're gonna lay on the beach all day
drinking rum, You gotta start in the morning..."
And on another note about beaches!
Dear Miss Mermaid,
Hurrah on Smugglers Cove! I
am so pleased. I did send several letters to some officials there ( not
that mine did the deed, as I am sure there were thousands) But I did tell
them about our efforts here in Copper Harbor to save Hunter's Point. By the
way we did it, all with donations of the public, and on top of that we just
bought the adjoining 145 acres for the Hunter's Point Park . I feel so
strongly about saving water front. It is not fair that the rich buy it up
and block it off for there own personal enjoyment. We also have
Gentrification going on here. Where the workers can't afford to buy any
place as the wealthier have driven the cost up. Now that Hunter's Point is
a done deal, my next term in office ( no one is running against me) I hope to
help build some kind of reasonable income homes for the working folk, there's
got to be monies out there some where. Then to top it off perhaps some green
energy, a windmill for power and perhaps some kind of furnace for heat in the
winter that will burn the copious quantities of card board we generate
here. You must have the same problem there. Everything for the
tourist comes in cardboard, as well as everything you buy for food etc.
Here we have to pay three dollars for a 55 gallon bag and then they truck it 140
miles away to bury in a land fill. Personally I see heat. Literally!
I want to process it and burn it all for heat in the winter. In your case
another form of electricity. What about solar where you are. We
don't have the sun shine in the winter, as it only snows here. But you
have sun most of the time and the trade winds for wind mills. I know they
are expensive and probably in the tropics with the corrosive salt air would need
plenty of maintenance, but better that oil. You caught me on a personal
rant. If you like, as I am researching this I can forward it on to
you so you could leave it around elected officials homes. Then they could
say it was their idea. Pipe dreams or would that be 'Shroom Dreams.
Thanks for the update on Smugglers Cove, if I can ever get back to the islands I
will make that a top priority to see. Alas I have projects
here in Copper Harbor to complete (the above mentioned) So I will continue to
read your stories and dream, but some day it will be winters there. With
summer in my beautiful Copper Harbor ( can't take the hurricanes). Thanks
again my Dear Miss Mermaid for a wonderful Mother's Day present of Smuggler's
Cove.
K.
The Good Fairy
Dear K,
Indeed you are a good fairy to
reach out and send your letters to our officials and we do thank you!
I can't take hurricanes
either, though the hurricane parties are quite fun! Since I live in a
slightly larger place now, and it's got hurricane shutters and concrete walls, I
expect some company in the event of a storm and a good party. But on the other
hand, I was just thinking of sending all the hurricanes elsewhere this year, I
feel guilty doing that, but what with the Sahara Dust having the potential to
block the storms (I like THAT idea!) I think we might escape unscathed
again this year. But my crystal ball is wavering on this, so I seem to have a
conflict, I must look into.
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- Something Fishy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 12:11:39 EDT
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A few surfers take turns on the waves, flanked by
the sunset
The morning was greeted with scattered showers at day break.
Ironically first one from the east then one from the west! Surf was up yesterday but don't hold your breath
waiting on it today. Winds are 10-15 mph, more rains are expected but
probably very short showers, nothing noteworthy.
Note, that hardly anyone here owns a raincoat, an umbrella is
sufficient for the few rapid downpours.
Beware of wheel chairs when driving! Matter of fact,
wheel chairs are generally slow moving, so it doesn't pay to run them
down. But low and behold, Sunday evening, Stick Man was run down in his
wheel chair at Apple Bay. He survived even though he had a nasty gash on
his head.
He asked for a Band-Aid and to be put back in his demolished chair
and parked in his customary place, under the banyan tree. Well, the
ambulance finally arrived, scooped him out of the road, patched up his head and
apparently Stick Man didn't wish to hang out at the hospital any longer than he
had to, so he was returned, by ambulance, and parked back under his banyan
tree by 2 am.
So, if you are driving around Apple Bay, look for Stick Man in his
wheel chair and try not to run him down. He's a friendly sort, so if you are
feeling good, stop and chat with him. He's not opposed to accepting gifts
of food or a cigarette or a drink or plain old cash.
The driver who ran him down, bought him a new wheel chair, adorned
with glow in the dark reflectors. I wish she would buy him a prosthetic
leg, so he just go back to walking the neighborhood, something he loved to do
before losing his leg.
I looked for him yesterday, to see how he was faring, but couldn't
find him. Perhaps he was resting up from his injuries. I will go check around
later and see if he is around and doing OK.
Stick Man is so named, because back in his walking days, he
resembled a stick man! He is very tall, very slender with very long
fingernails on one hand. He is a sweet gentle soul and famous worldwide for
being the Stick Man model.
Rare Fish-Cat, Hides from the
paparazzi...
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- a great day for sailing
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 09:24:31 EDT
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A drippy wet day with brief scattered showers, enough to make the
islands nice and green again. Spring has sprung. Gardeners showed up finally to
tackle the jungle and rein it in to resemble more or less a yard for cats to
play in.  Now the
rains will fortify their efforts and make it grow back even
faster.
We can epect another day of showers, give or take. Nothing
significant.
We are so happy to have Norman Island back!
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- Glorious Sunday
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 11:09:33 EDT
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A glorious day in paradise. Sun is out with bright blue skies along
with bleached white clouds. Sea temp is 81, summer is here! Air temp is 82
at 10am. Winds are 10-15mph. We might get a teeny tiny shower, but doubtful. The
moon is up early every afternoon and quite beautiful. The surfers can probably
squeeze in some surf time today, I hope to visit the north shore later today.
Tomorrow is the full moon parties aka fool moon parties!
The next week promises beautiful weather with no worries.
Internet is down again, so not sure WHEN this will get out to
ya! Cable TV was off and on yesterday. Forget about watching any
movies, it goes off when the good part comes around. I have to keep my bad tail
(leg) propped up a lot and frankly I am sick of TV and ugly shoes, cause I can't
wear my nice shoes, I have to wear cut up modified old ugly shoes. *Sigh*. Last
year it was the right leg, this year it's the left leg, excuse me, could I have
one year with both legs working fine? Am I jinxed because I loaned away
the walker to someone who seemed in greater need than I? Who knows?
I miss hiking and dancing! Grrr! I am sick and tired of keeping my
leg propped up, it's hard to get any work done that way.
I've had a bit of bad luck, one of my clients is moving off island
on short notice and bye-bye paycheck. However two good Samaritans made
some minor repairs to my heap of a jeep, to make sure I can get around when I
have to. It's funny to run into my old heap, while driving my newer heap,
it's like running into your twin.
People come up to me and say in disgust "You SOLD your heap of a
jeep? How could you?" Well, DUH, it was only 19 years old...
but this pretty young thing was for sale and at the time it seemed like a great
idea to grab it, as it looked new!
Someone I had not seen in ages, the other day saw me get out
of my heap of a jeep, and accused me of being wealthy because I was
driving a NEW jeep. I said "It's 11 years old with a new paint
job! They came over to take a closer look, and check the interior, as
dashboards and upholstery are a good giveaway to the age of a car. But Suzuki
doesn't change their models much from year to year, so it is hard to tell what
year a particular heap of a jeep is. Plus we get Suzuki jeeps here that aren't
sold in the USA, but designed for other overseas markets that don't have the
stringent requirements that USA and other countries have.
I think this particular model was banned in the USA due to
lawsuits. If you drive at 90mph then slam on brakes while making a U turn,
it can roll over! Imagine that.
It actually does make U turns in a tiny radius, and sometimes out
of frustration in Road Town, (the one way and no turn here roads are laid out
horribly!) I will sneak in a U turn to get where I am going and believe me I
have been yelled out a few times by those pesky people in uniforms.
Well soon, I do battle with Labor Department again, to renew my
annual work permit to remain self employed in the glorious BVI. I think I waste
about fifteen working days a year, just complying with government
regulations. What a life!
I love it here. Folks are mostly slow, mostly friendly, mostly
helpful, mostly crazy. I meet folks from 6 continents here and enjoy the
fact that dress style here varies widely! But no matter what, we can
always identify a tourist. Tee hee hee.
all hyper-links are
underlined
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- What a Great Day to wake up Alive!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 10:45:29 EDT
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Recently I was invited to leave some graffiti behind
on a freshly painted bar. So there you have it! Enjoy!
Still a bit hazy, but nice to have Norman Island back on the
horizon. I was beginning to think some tug boat had relocated the island.
After all, it's reputed to have buried treasure there, to date not found, so why
not just steal the whole island and look for the treasure in a remote spot,
without spectators.
Of course, the treasure may have already been found by someone who
can keep a secret. Not everyone is a big blabbermouth about their great luck.
Once in a while I have something truly wonderful happen, and I keep it quiet,
for fear of jinxing it! Nothing like that has happened a long while, but I
have my fingers crossed!
If you want to dine at Oscar's at Frenchman's Cay, you better step
on it and get a reservation for tonight or Sunday brunch, as then they close
down. No date is scheduled for reopening. We shall sorely miss their great
food and beautiful location.
Today it is sunny with scattered
clouds and 82 degrees at 10 am with 10-14 knot winds. Seas are a bit rough
on the north shores, with big waves and happy surfers. But the seas should
subside somewhat over the next day or so. Monday is the full moon.
A friend of mine tells me why she loves Tortola:
My phone has been out of order for weeks. My husband got me a
cell phone because I am 80+ years old, and sometimes I take a tumble and need
help getting back up. Fortunately last time I fell, my neighbors heard me
calling for help and came right over and picked me up and swept up all the
broken glass, refusing to let me help. Apparently the chair's legs were too
slippery on the polished tile floors and when she leaned forward, the chair
scooted out from under her and she smashed a glass Pyrex lid she was holding,
leaving her sitting on the floor among shards of glass. Now, thanks to her
husband, those chairs all have rubber feet on them, to prevent this from
happening again.
Finally the phone man comes one day to repair the land line
phone. For Christmas, she had received an electronic piano and it was
sitting near the phone. The repairman, sat down at her keyboards and began
playing and singing a hymn he wrote for his church. So she joined in and sang
with him. She said she felt like she was in church again and thoroughly enjoyed
this impromptu rendition as they sang a few songs together.
Only on Tortola, can you get your phone fixed, and entertained
at the same time.
~~~~~~(\_(\_~~~~~~~~~
Here's a video about Bert Kilbride, who was again, this year,
listed in Guinness Book of world records, as the oldest scuba diver in the
world. It also describes the Neptune Memorial Reef,where Bert and other loved
ones' ashes are laid to final rest. The BVI should setup a similar reef, it's a
great idea.
~~~~~~~~~(\_(\_~~~~~~~~
This beautiful Bougainvillea bush greets me when I
come home.
Ain't life grand.
Well, I've got to run, it's wash day here, so I sent the boyz
out for cleaning!
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- dark thirty wet weather
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 04:10:38 EDT
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Norman Island is BACK!!! That is Frencmans Cay in the
foreground, St John to the right in the background and Norman island in the
center background.
Which by the way, get your reservations at -Oscars at Frenchman's
Cay before Monday, Sunday brunch is their last meal for quite a while.
Just before sunset winds were slight, causing the boats to drift
around at will.
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- one of these days, I will get to POST!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 15:19:11 EDT
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This is the THIRD email I have written trying to post today.
*sigh* I gave up yesterday! I wrote and every time I tried to post,
something would crash and burn. Argh!
The utilities are at war again. Internet it intermittent, ditto for
phones, cable and da current (elec-tricky!) You would think we live in a
war zone with so many basics going on and off at all hours. I don't think it
will every improve, no matter what. Just the way life is here. Intermittent
conveniences.
Today it is very hazy to the southeast but not so hazy to the
west. Temps have soared to 84 today but at night are pretty cool in the
mid 70's.
A northerly swell is building up and should produce great surfing on Thursday through the weekend.
Is that a smile or a smirk on his wittle white face?
Notice he is hogging my blankie and my pillow! Sheesh. I got him his very
own bed, but does he use it? Yes, about a half hour a day, to show his
gratitude. I think he wants to claim ALL beds as his own. The only time this
little guy is awake is when he is eating. The rest of the time he is testing
various beds like Goldilocks.
My other cat, managed to drop my camera! I was so
mad, I told him, "That's IT! I am NEVER letting you use my camera EVER
again!" He sulked off and carefully avoided me, the rest of the day. I
waited a whole day before checking to see if the camera would work again. I
wanted to be calm, when I found out. Well, it worked! So that is one lucky cat,
as otherwise his allowance was going to be suspended for the next 4 years, while
he paid for my camera! Grrr!
The haze to the south east just blurs the sailboats,
making the horizon almost impossible to detect. That is St John 2 miles away, on
the right, and Norman Island straight ahead!
OK cross your fingers, I am hitting SEND and praying for a
miracle!
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- Blurry Haze
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 10:30:31 EDT
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Another gorgeous day. A holiday too! Tranquil marine
conditions should last through Tuesday or Wednesday.
Surf will be up come Thursday and
Friday and perhaps for the weekend. Today it is 82 degrees and breezy.
And hazy. Very hazy. Again. The picture here looks blurry, well
it's the haze giving it that blurry look.
Internet it intermittent, so it's been TOUGH trying to open/read my
email or go to websites. No idea what's going on, it being a holiday, probably
nobody working anyhow, they are at the beach parties.
We are laughing our heads off. A pretty little
girl cat in a fancy collar, has invaded the garden. I have three boy cats. The
boys cats are fixed (neutered) and aren't quite sure what to do with a girl
cat. The girl cat is in heat. She is trying her best to get the boyz attention
and they are totally bewildered.
She has tried everything to get their attention, she struts,
she sings, she dances, she pleads and the boyz just run and hide and give her
strange looks. She wants to make kitties, and the boyz are clueless.
I went out to investigate and she looks at me totally exasperated,
like WHAT is wrong with these boys? Poor thing, she will have to keep
looking. Mine are confirmed bachelors. (Single and free like me!)
Last I saw she was walking away, shaking her head, and
occasionally glancing back, in case the boyz changed their mind.
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- HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 09:10:46 EDT
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Still cloudy with patches of blue and that haze is still here.
Monday is a BVI
Public Holiday. We went a whole month (April) without a holiday and that was
rough. It's still kind of muggy like September, I do wish THAT would
go away.
A thoughtful reader sent in info about an article he
read:
It's a rather interesting read.
Bert
Kilbride's remains were recently placed atop a column of
the reef's main gate at the unique underwater cemetary. I wish we had
something like this in the BVI. It's a great concept for honoring our
beloved in a unique way.
Now for the FUNNY bone! I took my sailing friend to town to
fetch a cell phone. We wrote down his new phone number and my number so once he
got his new phone all charged up, he could make a test call to me.
Well, he started calling me a few hours later, and always got this
generic voice mail. After awhile, he notices his phone says "you have 3
messages!" He thought that was odd, he hadn't heard it ring, and
furthermore, no one at the cell company mentioned a thing about how to retrieve
voice mail. He tries to call me again, and still gets voice mail. He keeps
trying and later he noticed he now has 8 messages and he thinks GOOD
HEAVENS! No one knows his new number but me, how could he have so many
messages? A few minutes later, I call, his phone rings and he answers. We
chat away and he tells me how he can't reach me and so on. I said well that is
odd, I have had my phone with me all day! We go over the number and that's
when we discover, he has been calling himself all day and getting his own voice
mail, which is why his phone kept adding more messages.
I said, "Yep, you belong in the islands!"
HAPPY MOTHER'S
DAY!
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- In Honor Of Bob Denniston
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 09:28:19 EDT
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Another beautiful morning with southeast 10-20 knot winds but lots
of haze. Initially the neighborhood was cranky, at daybreak, dogs barking,
chickens squawking, cats meowing, then after awhile it all
got quiet. For the first time in a very long time, the neighbor did not start up
his hack-hammer.
It's now 920 and eerily quiet. As if the whole neighborhood
decided to sleep late without listening to that blasted jack-hammer (aka
jerk-hammer!) The cloudiness and haze is expected to hang over us a
few more days.
The haze is so thick, I still can't see Norman Island.
Yesterday I said "Columbus was right, the earth is flat" when I meant to say
"Columbus was wrong, the earth is flat!" Egads, I get so many things
backwards. Might be that lump on my head, which is now almost completely gone
(the LUMP silly, NOT my head!)
I meant to bring this up sooner, but Smugglers Cove has been
SAVED! The government is going to buy it and not let that big bad investor
wreck it. So many around here are THRILLED!
Miss Mermaid, and MANY, MANY others around the islands, worked
hard to fight this development which was to destroy the last beautiful beach in
the BVI. Many readers here helped support us with their T-shirt and mug
purchases.
I suppose the owner is quite happy, as the developer "set the
price" though no word on what government is paying. We just PRAY they didn't buy
it for the cruise ship taxis. They have enough beaches to overcrowd and don't
need our "local" beach too. Not to sling mud at you cruise ship visitors, but
Smugglers Cove for many years was a privately owned public park . The heirs
though, don't seem so benevolent and seem intent on cashing in rather than
continuing to own a private public park. Such is life. Money talks.
We are forever in debt to Bob Denniston who quietly bought up 11
acres of Smugglers Cove Beach and surrounding areas over the years in order to
protect it as long as he could from massive development.
Here is Bob, just a few years ago, at his old beach bar in
his trademark pith helmet and summer outfit. The last person to ride in his
convertible suicide Lincoln (in the background) was the Queen of England, then
Bob parked the car in his bar for safe keeping. This bar was originally a
restaurant that helped serve his 4 room hotel, named Smugglers Cove.
Ironically, Smugglers Cove is properly named Belmont Bay. But when
the hotel opened, everyone renamed it and though it has never been officially
recorded as such, if you asked anyone today to take you to Belmont Bay, they
would be clueless as to where you wanted to go!
When several hurricanes kept knocking the hotel out of business,
Bob and his wife decided to retire and just fixed up one room for their selves
and let the rest slide. The restaurant became the honor bar. You could
self-serve, then put your money under a rock in the cigar box. Even if Bob was
at the bar, he didn't bother to serve anyone, preferring self service. He
came by a few times a day, to empty out the cigar box ad restock the
refrigerator.
He was a grand man to talk to and I spent numerous afternoons with
him and sometimes his wife Nell, spread over two decades. I used to caretaker a
large home nearby and often slept there for maintenance and security reasons
between rentals, as there were massive renovations to be completed between guest
visits. Whenever I was cooking dinner, I would invite Bob over. Our last
meal together, he seemed to be in excellent health. He was of clear mind, had on
his usual clean outfit and was in top form with keen conversation.
I learned a great deal of BVI history from him, among other
things. That evening, there were 4 of us dining on homemade Chili with
Cheddar and Garlic Bread. Bob usually drank iced tea, but this evening he asked
for a glass of wine, something we had not seen him drink before. We were equally
surprised when he got up not once, but TWICE to serve himself extra helpings of
Chili and Cheese. He even had a second glass of wine.
We talked late into the night, eventually polishing off some ice
cream that was hollering at us from the freezer. He went home around
midnight. A few days later, I was back in my tiny two room apartment and I
was cooking a roast and veggies in the crock pot. I called Bob several times to
see if he felt like driving to my apartment for dinner on the balcony. He never
answered the phone and I was to learn from an incoming phone call, he had passed
away in his sleep. I had set the table with an extra setting for Bob, in
case he turned up. Learning of his death, made that empty plate feel like
it weighed 50 pounds, as I struggled to put it away.
Another time, I was cooking near Smugglers Cove, for vacation
rental guests that had arrived at 11pm for their 8pm dinner, due to flight
difficulties. I stayed to cook for them, as there were no restaurants open and
they were famished. While serving hors d'oeuvres they said they would like to
meet Bob during their stay, having read and heard so much about him. Knowing
that Bob often stayed up late talking on his HAM radio to friends around the
world, I rang him up on the phone and asked him if he felt like a midnight
dinner.
Much to the astonished surprise of the guests, Bob arrived 3
minutes later, around 1145pm, and sat down for this midnight dinner,
entertaining the guests with his numerous stories about life in the islands. He
knew how to enjoy life and getting an invite at nearly midnight for dinner
seemed like a grand idea, carpe diem! (Seize
the day!)
Both Bob and his wife Nell who passed on around
2000, have their ashes scattered at Smugglers Cove. Bob worked tirelessly
to lovingly take care of his ailing wife in her final months of illness,
and kept his promise, her wish fulfilled, that she would be able spend her final
days gazing at the beach, and the Caribbean Sea and sunshine, from her bed at
home, on Smugglers Cove, and not in some rotten nursing home or hospital.
Many tried to sway Bob otherwise, but he held fast and honored his wife's
wishes, despite unwanted criticism. Now that is true love and his wife died
feeling immensely loved, til death due us part.
I am sure they will both be immensely happy
to know their legacy will be forever protected. Just as they wished.
Bob passed in mid-May of 2002. This news
makes a wonderful birthday gift! He would have been 89 now. I still miss
him and a place in my heart will always treasure the wonderful times we had
together.
Rest in Peace
Our world was blessed to have known
you.
*****************
Darn. At 750am the power just went off again. Sheesh. Internet and
power and cable TV and the phones have all been competing lately to see who can
aggravate us the most. They seem to take turns being OFF.
*sigh*
Shift change comes at 8am, so no use calling in the outage, will
have to wait until the new crew shows up at 8. *sigh*
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- hazy lazy daze
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 17:55:08 EDT
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The thick haze still lingers and is currently being blamed on the
Sahara dust, making for poor air quality and reduced visibility.
I spent $$ on fancy allergy eye drops, because the Sahara Dust is
just alternately drying out my eyes, then gluing then shut.
Last night, a wayward sailor found his way to my gazebo, with an
emergency jar of catnip. This sent the cats into ecstatic ballet heaven as
they ate it, rubbed it on their whiskered faces, decorated their fur with
it, danced in it, purred at it, drooled on it and performed patio
ballet. Talk about great local entertainment!
So as a thank you to the wayward sailor, we sat
out in the gazebo from sunset to dark thirty, with icy cold drinks,
devouring a bowl of five spice stir fried wild rice with locally
grown cashews, julienned portobello mushrooms, carrots, onions, cabbage,
pepperoni, sweet peas and garlic tossed with sesame seeds and a hint of my
secret teriyaki sauce. Yum!
We could not see St Thomas due to the haze, and when it was
completely dark, we expected to at least see a hint of lights from St Thomas,
but it was completely enshrouded in a dark haze.
This morning, I took this picture:
Picture taken from West End, Tortola, with Frenchman's Cay in
foreground, St John in right background and to the left in the background we
have Norman Island...
What? You can't see Norman Island?
Columbus was right! The earth is flat and Treasure Island
(aka Norman) has simply fallen off!
The haze is SO thick, that Norman Island is just totally obscured.
We may have this thick haze for another week or so. I wake up
throughout the night with a dry mouth that tastes like the Sahara. Yuck. I brush
my teeth and tongue, drink water go back to sleep. A few hours later, the same
thing seems to happen again. Now that is thick!
I have had Internet problems since yesterday. I am going to try
to get this out NOW. Wish me luck! Been trying since 8am!
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- Muggy-uggy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 10:32:52 EDT
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It's been muggy-uggy. Most unusual for this time of
year. I went back to town yesterday and came home almost overwhelmed from the
heat.
I foolishly didn't wear a hat and en route my air conditioning in
the he new old heap of a jeep gave up the ghost! First time in my life I
have A/C and it died. UGH!
We have some serious haze going on.
On the far right is Frenchman's Cay, less than a mile away is St
John in the background and look how thick the haze is, in just that one mile.
For the next few days we can expect hazy partly cloudy weather with
isolated scattered showers.
Washed ashore in a Foxy Rum bottle comes this note from a Jost
Van Dyker:
Dear Miss Mermaid,
Your article about the "Sidewalk to nowhere"
amused me as we have watched the construction of this over the past year, on our
weekly jaunts to the dreaded Road Town we had a laugh every time we saw it.
Building it round the tree is
totally amazing and could only happen in the BVI, can you imagine
anyone walking down there, they are still going to have to step off into the
road to get round it.
We figured that somebody from the
Government must live above that piece of road as there are a couple of very big
houses just there.
So for a few months things were dorment, the sidewalk to nowhere went
nowhere - BUT only last week major construction has started again and the
"sidewalk to nowhere" is progressing towards Road Town.
Here we are in the middle of nowhere, building
a sidewalk to nowhere, I can think of many places a sidewalk is needed, but not
in the middle of nowhere!
I just cannot fathom the logics of building
this sidewalk, however it would be interesting to find out who lives above. Just
another waste of good Public Money in the BVI.
I will be going to Road Town in the morning, be
interesting to see how far they have progressed!!!!
R.
Jost Van Dyke
In a Gin Bottle on shore I found:
An alert reader (JSM) from the UK sent this
in:
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- muggy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 05:08:34 EDT
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4 am and it's hot and muggy. Most unusual for this time of year. I
can't sleep,so I get up and wander around and note that there is no wind and the
birds are cheerfully singing.
The roosters are thankfully, still asleep. Then a I write the
heavens open up and pour down. A few minutes later and all is quiet and dry. The
humidity seems to have passed and the birds resume their singing.
Sudden drowsiness is setting in, so back to bed for me. More
later...
Warm and Sleepy Regards,
Dear Mister Cat...
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- it was a dark and stormy night...
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 08:52:19 EDT
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Ahoy!
After a dark and stormy night, we are treated to some partial sunny
skies this morning at 79 degrees temperature. Many brown patches are turning
green again. Some of the haze and dust has settled somewhat.
Seas are building on the north shore into some sloppy choppy
waters. Winds are slight at about 4 knots. Today might be good for a little
surfing but don't count on it the rest of the week.
Somehow I missed a day writing. Hmm. I didn't realize that. I guess
I was just having too much fun!
Sidewalk to nowhere. For a few years now, we have been treated to his nice
sidewalk. There are no houses, no businesses, no schools around. But still for
1/8 mile or so, we have this lovely sidewalk.
I am particularly touched that they left the tree, by simply paving around
it. Some blind fool apparently mistook the green tree for a green garbage can
and dumped their garbage there. Thirty lashes to the thoughtless
scallywag who did that!
Some folks claims they don't toss their garbage out on the road
intentionally, but they are afraid to put it in the car, so they put it on the
roof and forget about it. I have seen this many times, and where ever it blows
off to, is where it stays. If you don't overload the bag, then it won't leak and
it can safely ride in the car.
I am not quite sure why the road was cut away, leaving a nice soon to be
weedy patch of muck or mud between the sidewalk and the road. Guess they wanted
some green space. Most municipalities have the curb and road actually touching
in one smooth alignment, but here in the BVI, we do t'ings our own way.
I haven't been able to find the Limin' Times lately to tell you all the
upcoming events, but of course we have the full moon parties on May 19th,
followed by the Music Fest and
Foxys Wooden Boat
Regatta on Jost Van Dyke on Memorial Day weekend which is May 23-25.
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- donkey daze
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 04:40:08 EDT
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Surf is up and getting better. Notherly swell energy from the big
low pressure center over the central Atlantic, will be pointing towards the BVI
the net few days with swells increasing Sunday and peaking Monday at 2.5 meters
(8+ feet) at 12 seconds. Small craft advisory likely to be issued for
Monday.
I heard the government was meeting with the taxi drivers to
design a public transportation system. Excuse me, but isn't that like asking a
heard of goats to watch over your fruit and flower garden?
Duh...
The BEST eco friendly transportation on the island is
the donkey. Here he takes a break under a shade tree.
Sailing, the fine art of slowly going nowhere at great
expense...
Friday I tried to play hooky fro work. Friends called
and invited me to meet them at Rudy's bar for Bar BQ. I dashed right out
there, Rudy's is legendary for his food.
As we munched away, nearly every car that went by the
roadside open air place, knew SOMEBODY there. I was comical;.
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- Dead stuff
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 07:00:35 EDT
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At 630 am the sun is up and all is quite beautiful at 79 degrees in
May. Winds are slight at 4 mph. My neighbor started his jerk-hammer at
601am.
*sigh*
There is talk around the neighborhood of thieving that jerk-hammer
or breaking it. Nothing will happen though, but he has touched a few
nerves and we like to fantasize about the awful things we would like to do with
his jerk-hammer.
I did get quite a giggle watching a guy the other day trying to
chop up a tree that had to be at least 10 inches in diameter and the tree
surgeon was whacking away at it with a machete. I expect he may be there a
few days before he knocks that tree down.
Seeing as how I am up, might as well throw open the door to the
patio and go take a look around the garden. Or at least that was my thoughts at
the time. I throw open the door and before I stepped out, I realized a big fat
rat is staring back at me from the welcome mat. He is dead, having suffered a
really bad gash at his throat and his beady little eyes remain wide open in
surprise.
Gee, thanks kitties, glad to know you are on patrol.
That kind of gagged me, I am thinking, oh it's too early to deal
with dead bodies. I head for the bathroom with intentions of taking a wake-up
shower. With my eyes at half mast, I disrobe and step in the shower,
before I can reach the water faucet, I scream and leap right back out. I
peered back into the shower, and YEP, there is a mouse head in my
shower. No body, just a head.
I put my robe back on. Two dead bodies.
Very busy kitties.
I go into my office and look carefully under the desk, seeing no
dead bodies, I sit down to write. Not a cat in sight this morning, but I am sure
they will show up in good time, purring and looking for rewards for their
double bounty.
Wednesday surfing
Followed by a gorgeous sunset
While we didn't have the Voodoo BBQ, we did split a plate of
cracked conch which was done perfectly and shared a grilled cheese pizza.
I am still half asleep, but wish to email this before anything
crashes. Then I am going back to bed and will deal with the dead
bodies later.
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- Carrier Pigeon has ARRIVED! (thanks Gert!)
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:11:03 EDT
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Ding ding, round two!
That's how I feel about emailing. I had my report all written and
poised to push the "send now" button when , ut oh, the Internet froze, then
crashed and ate my email.
Ding ding, round three!
Wrote my new email, saved it before the machine could eat it, but
Internet crashed before I could send it. 
Ding, ding! round FOUR!
Argh! Those scallywags!
I am REALLY GOING TO GET THIS EMAILED! I have been trying for
14.5 hours now!
And if this doesn't work, Gert will just have to deal with my
carrier pigeon!
Last night we had a squall that was pretty blustery, cold and wet,
followed by 3 wet, cold cats asking for towel rubs and a snack and a belly
rub. They think I live for them and have nothing better to do, than to get
up and spoil them rotten. They are out of catnip and seem to remind me
daily about this dilemma. No one sells the stuff on Tortola. I have asked
everywhere! All this excitement at 230 am.
The squally weather was due here a day ago, but here in the
islands, things run late. Even the weather.
T'is the season where it pays to keep your vehicle topped up and I
don't recommend letting it ever fall below a half tank. Power outages, gas
shortages, you name it, we could have it. Then there is the storm threat and you
want to top up long before the panic sets in.
Then there is other stuff you need to start accumulating for
hurricane gear. My suggestions are:
candles, matches, rum
flashlights, radio, batteries, rum
assorted canned goods, individually wrapped treats and
rum
buckets, bleach, ropes, mops and rum
First Aid kit, medicines, manual can opener,
rum
cash stash, jumbo Ziploc for important papers, rum
spare cooking fuel such as propane or sterno and rum
several gallons of bottled water (I filter my own), a cooler
(though ice may be unattainable if it's a bad storm) and more rum
heavy duty garbage bags and rum
A permanent marker comes in handy for labeling canned goods before
the label falls off as well as other things.
If you have pets, be sure to label or tag them and stock up on
their food and water needs plus a comfort toy/object and/or treats, cats will
need emergency cat litter/sand box.
Shelters won't take pets, so if you and your menagerie don't live
in a hurricane safe home, then start now, asking around who might adopt you and
your loved ones for a few days, in the event of an emergency. You can
embellish your qualifications, such as you come with a case of rum and exotic
canned goods with perhaps a parrot that tells dirty jokes.
After a bad hurricane, pets will have lost their familiar smells
that tell them where their neighborhood is, so keep a good watch on them at all
times until things get back to normal and they've had a chance to pee out their
new boundaries.
If you are lucky enough to have a generator, make sure you have
plenty of fuel and oil etc. for it.
I once read a missive on the bleach that is on every hurricane
list, folks couldn't figure out what the bleach (or the rope for that matter)
was for. Well, a few drops of bleach can sterilize questionable water. One
gallon of bleach can sterilize 3800 gallons of water.
Ratio of Clorox Bleach to Water for
Purification (mix well, wait 30 minutes
before use) Keep an eyedropper taped to the Clorox emergency bottle.
2 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per
quart of water
8 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per
gallon of water
1/2 teaspoon Regular Clorox Bleach per
five gallons of water
If water is cloudy, double the
recommended dosages of Clorox Bleach.
(Only use Regular Clorox Bleach (not
Fresh Scent or Lemon Fresh). To insure that Clorox Bleach is at its full
strength, replace your storage bottle every three months.)
Alternatively, you can bring water to
a rolling boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, all this in lieu of using high
quality filters for fresh water.
Oh, and what's that rope for? Well, many homes in the BVI still
have cisterns to store water and an electric pump is used to supply the pipes.
If the current mash up, then you need a rope to tie to your bucket and then you
can dip water out of your cistern, assuming you know where the access lid is.
OK, if you live in a hurricane area, and actually get all these
preparations done NOW, it will be totally useless and we won't have any strikes
this year.
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- Pass the tums
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:50:23 EDT
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Just after midnight and we have rumbling,mumbling and grumbling in
the distance like some big giant with an unhappy stomach.
So far, no moisture yet to go with it, yet the radar looks a tad
unhappy.
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- From Sleeyphead and Pluffed Cat
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:04:28 EDT
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It rained most of the night, finally easing up into a steady drip,
like the heavens had a leaky faucet. My black cat was delighted with the
frequent rains. He showered thoroughly, then came home and woke me up to
dry him off with his fluffy towel. That felt so good, that when the next
downpour hit, he pretended to be caught outside unaware and came back home,
soaking wet, begging once again to be dried and fluffed. His coat is
now spotless and shiny and he is strutting around like something
special.
As for me, I am still sleepy! But how can you sleep with a
dripping wet cat meowing in your ear?
Today it is 80 degrees and overcast. Winds are forecast to pick up later today and
become squally again. Swells are going to build and surfers would be quite happy
for the next few days, if all goes as planned.
For those that missed the Air Show last week, it's being played on
the Channel 1 loop. No idea what time it comes on, but check back on chanel 1
often and eventually it turns up. I watched a good bit of it very early this
morning, while drying the wet cat...
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- Here's the Pic I forgot to post earlier
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:12:03 EDT
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Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. |
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- You Be Crazy Mon
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:57:36 EDT
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79 degrees, with slight winds, cloudy and overcast. My crystal ball
predicts showers and possible thunder storms across the area, but nothing much
to worry about.
Washed up in an old bottle from
Washington State, USA, was the tear-stained letter
below.
NOTE: The blue writing is from
the letter in the bottle, the pink writing is Dear Miss
Mermaid's comments)
DEAR MISS MERMAID,
I have searched and
searched the Internet to find some speck of reality in the islands, and I came
across your site or blog or whatever.
Reality? Speck of
reality? Sure, a Mermaid in paradise is pure reality! "Whatever" describes my
writing perfectly...
I
recently returned from Jost Van Dyke, which was the saddest day of my
life.
I can understand that! I am
always sad when I leave Jost Van Dyke too!
I feel like I have left home. I didn't get to see too much of
Tortola other than the ferry dock and the Jolly Roger, but my heart is
homesick. Doesn't make sense I know. I was pulled there by some
unseen force I have felt since I was 12. My best friend at the time used
to live on St. Croix and we would lay camped out on the deck at night
on the weekends, and she would tell me stories of the Islands. Ever since
then, I have wanted to go. I finally made my dream come true and spent a
week in White Bay on JVD. We stayed at White Bay Villas.
OK, I know your problem. You have
"Island Fever". Some call it dreaded Island Fever (don't know why)
most just call it "Island Fever". It strikes about 99% of the people that
ever visit a Caribbean Island.
Symptoms includes, tossing your watch
and clocks out with the garbage, feeling homesick, feeling the need to be
slow, thinking "no problem mon" no matter what is thrown at you, excessive
daydreaming of the islands, inability to concentrate on anything unless island
music is playing, a taste and urge for island delicacies, finding that Rum has
become a mainstay in your home, wearing sarongs to work (when they expected you
in a suit), stringing a hammock up in your yard (even though it's snowing)
everything in you life has to be either Caribbean pastels or Rasta colors, you
ask restaurants for a side of plantains (and get bewildered looks)
etc.
In most cases the Island Fever is gone
in 3-10 days and victims resume their normal life. But for a small handful
of patients, Island Fever can stricken them for weeks, and months and begin to
disrupt their entire life. Sometimes the only cure is to compulsively visit the
island often (expensive, but many do it, some coming as often as once a month!)
or attempting to move here permanently or semi-permanently.
I guess I wonder, how difficult is it, being American, to move to the
BVI? They are different than the US VI. Am assuming you are a
local, or transplant? How do I do it?
Every island is different, but all are
Caribbean. Yes, the USVI and BVI are very different in many ways, Jost Vary Dyke
and Tortola are different and so on. As an American, you can move to the USVI at
any time and work legally. In the BVI is vastly different, you have to be
recruited and go through a lengthy convoluted work permit process,
sponsored by an employer and so on, or start your own business in the BVI, but
approval, IF you get approved, can take a long time.
I am a mermaid, and not originally
from the Caribbean. So I live and work here and have to file for renewals
every year, pay hefty fees and provide a small mountain of paperwork and a
great deal of prayer, to get a new stamp in my passport each year that entitles
me to live and work here year round. 
How could I make it happen? If you could give me some sort of
direction, I would be very grateful. I work now as a medical assistant in
a hospital, do medical transcription from home, which I could also do from there
I suppose, but what else is there? Is it possible to buy a house if you
are a foreigner? How expensive, where is the best place to live on the
island, (hopefully with a view like you have)? Am I just plain
crazy?
You already have a great "at home"
job. Familiarize yourself with Skype.com (the wonderful international phone
company that we in the islands just adore!). Then come here on a six month
"visit" and bring your work with you. With Skype.com, your US employers won't
even know you are elsewhere, since you can buy a number in your home town, that
rings when ever you have a computer hooked up (pretty nifty eh?)
Now technically, as a visitor, you are
only allowed to visit up to six months per year, and you are not allowed to work
locally. But if you are working for your US folks while vacationing here, I
don't see where that is a problem. Many vacationers feel the urge to bring their
laptops and do work while theyvisit here (WHY, I have no
idea!)
At least then, with a lengthy visit
you could find out whether you love living here as mush as you loved vacationing
here. It is two different t'ings, you know!
The current laws don't allow you to
even seek employment while visiting here. But while you are up there and not
here, you can fax and email your resume all over creation, in case anyone wants
to "recruit" you. It does seem all over the Caribbean, they are short on trained
medical staffing, so you might be on to something...
Buying a house as a foreigner can be
done if you are quite wealthy and patient, as closing can take 1-2-3 years from
when you first put up your hefty deposit in escrow and there are no guarantees
you will be approved for a "landholders license". Housing is not affordable for
the vast majority of workers here (VERY SAD but true). This is not true on all
islands, but over the years, has become the norm in the BVI.
Many locals inherit land and therefor are able to build their own homes, but
trying to buy a home and land on existing island salaries can be next to
impossible.
There is NO "best place" to live on
the island. Everything comes with a price. People in West End will swear it's
the best place to be, folks in Carrot Bay wouldn't dare live anywhere else,
those in East End are immensely proud to be East Enders and so on. Rents are all
over the place and many are outrageously ridiculous. My friend ran an ad for a 3
bedroom, 2 bath home for her and her 2 kids to reside in. The first rental offer
came in at $2400/month (about double what she has in her budget!)
So finding an affordable place to
live, may dictate what neighborhood you end up in.
A few neighborhoods are very ethnic,
most are international. Some are noisy, some are quiet, many have great
views or great location, some don't.
If you truly wanted to move here, I
would dispose of 90% of your worldly goods and just show up with a suitcase and
take it from there. Anything you pay to ship or move here, assume it is coming
here one way. Sometimes it's just not worth the cost of shipping to bring
your junk with you. Just show up, rent a fully furnished place and then see if
you can live without the junk.
Islanders aren't compulsive consumers
and shoppers, which is heavily encouraged in America and some other places.
People live a bit simpler here. Many just own their clothes and little else.
They hitchhike, walk or drive old vehicles, they own two pairs of shoes
max, they rent a place fully furnished or furnish it from dumpster diving.
Some strive to collect everything and own everything, but many just live quite
simply.
Some folks spend a fortune getting all
their vast worldly goods here, take a great job and move on the
island. Many just can't take the island life and the lack of conveniences.
Within a year, sadly, many depart, selling off their stuff at a huge loss
and heading for "home" again, now broke and empty handed. Very few transplants
last more than a year or two, then there are folks like me, who never leave and
wouldn't dream of moving/living anywhere else.
By lack of conveniences, you have to
learn to be super patient and flexible. It may take cable TV, two or seven
months, to find your new home. The power might go off all day. You go to
the store for milk, bread and eggs and discover they are out of all that, but
limes and canned corned beef are on special. You see something in a store, that
you think will work perfectly at home but you don't buy it just yet, cause you
want to measure or think about it or wait for the next paycheck. You finally get
back to the store, ready to buy, and it's GONE. The store might
reorder it next week or next year or never.
Now typically if you ask folks here,
how to move and work here, you will receive a great deal
of discouragement and most will convince you it can't be done, SO FORGET
IT. That's because everyone that comes here, wants to be the LAST ONE and they
want to CLOSE THE DOOR and not allow anyone else in paradise.
Thanks in advance for any ideas, I really enjoy
your words.
Thanks again,
Signed,
Homesick
Dear
Homesick,
I think I answered most of your stuff
above.
PS:
YES!
I think you be crazy mon!
But that's a requirement to live here
anyhow, so you might be on the right track
already...
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- Hazy Amazy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:07:45 EDT
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Still a bit hazy here! Hurricane season is around the corner,
but we aren't worried. Nope. Not yet, anyhow. Weather is perfect here
right now!
Bullwinkle brought up that you should mark your hurricane canned
food with a permanent marker because the labels can fall off when wet. I would
definitely say YES, mark the top or bottom of the can with the contents, but
leave the labels on, until they fall off naturally. That way if you are bored,
you have something to read.
Gert has updated a good bit of http://StormCarib.com in preparation for
the WHAT IF. I am just glad that none of the storms are named after me.
WHEW.
One of the nicest things about Tortola, is the politeness of the
people and willingness to help. When out shopping and unable to find what I
want, I merely ask the clerk where they think I might find it. Amazingly most
all clerks immediately come up with a list of suggestions, often at stores or
places I am unfamiliar with or had not thought about checking.
Several times when asking for directions, people have actually
taken me right where I was going! Either by having me follow them, me ride
with them or they ride with me, or we walked together.
The few odd times my heap of a jeep, has left me on the side
of the road, I needn't wait long, a good Samaritan has always got me going
again.
I was once mortified to be in a store after buying $80 of goods,
and realizing I had left my wallet at home. The clerk, who knew I frequented the
store often, shrugged his shoulders and told me it was OK, to come back tomorrow
and pay, then let me leave with my purchases. (I did go back and pay
too!) A different clerk was on duty and actually seemed unimpressed at my
repeated thanks, they had done it for 100 other people and now me.
A small island is like a small town. Someone once said the reason
everyone is so polite is because of the relatives. If you get into it with
somebody, they might be related to all the other people you deal with and this
could cause many problems.
On the other hand, if you are well liked by a few, you discover
pure strangers know your name and chat you up!
And finally, if hear the same rumor 3 times, it's probably mostly
true.
St Thomas in the distant distance is more of a hint than a
reality.
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- Caribbean Sunset
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:06:41 EDT
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A glorious end
to a lovely day.
Scattered showers have dotted the evening and night. At 2am,
winds are naught and all is very quiet. Not a rooster nor dog nor bird is making
a sound. However, tree frogs are gently singing in a muted background.
Today should be great weather
for watersports, life and living.
I went to town today. My least favorite thing to do. Town means
spending money, traffic woes and parking problems. Any list over 3 items will
never be completed. It just ain't gonna happen. After 3, your odds change. Say
if you have a list of 8 items to do, you are LUCKY if you get 4-6 knocked out. A
list of 12, and you get maybe 4-8 knocked out, if the Gods are with you, a list
of 18 and if you get 4-10 knocked out...you are extremely lucky and should play
the lottery.
If you have a list over 12 things to
do, and actually get them all done, then you probably end up in the emergency
room with a stroke.
Why is it so hard to complete a simple
list of errands? Because our traffic patterns of one-way streets and
streets that don't let your turn where you want to go, was all designed by
someone who has never driven in their life.
Yep.
So, if you MISS one of your stops, you
can't just run around the block and get back to it. Nope! It may take you
20+ minutes to finally get back to that missed stop.
For instance, I missed my turn off to
the labor department. This meant I had to go turn left onto the double
carriage way, go through the round about, turn at Bobby's, turn at Burnym's,
turn at the cow, then 2 blocks later, WHEW, I am back at labor. Miss one turn,
and you could end up a mile away before you can legally turn and get back there
again.
Argh.
I know, laugh, it's only 12 miles to town, but seems like a LONG
ride when you are stuck behind a chain of cars driving 26 miles per hour.
So I began enjoying the scenery and twisted the cap off my water
bottle and BLIP the cap spun out of my hand and dove into never never
land. Sigh.
Great. This bottle was to last me the next few hours, as Road
Town always seems too hot for me. All that car exhaust, blacktop roads and
A/C units pumping, coupled with lack of enough trees, hot aired politicians and
yep, Road Town is hotter than the rest of the island. So I like to sip on my
cool water and it makes me feel great. Calms me down.
I hate buying bottled water. I filter and bottle my own water and it tastes terrific. If I had to buy
bottled water, I would be broke by now.
My new/old jeep didn't really come with a drink holder, dang
it! Well, there is sort of a spot for a drink, but it's made for the
backseat passengers, which I rarely have. If I had a passenger, I could say,
here you hold the opened water bottle or you find the bottle cap. But it
was just little old me.
Traffic was getting slower, so I was digging around the jeep
looking for the bottle cap, then I decided to give up, after all, stupid things
like this cause car wrecks!
I stuffed the offending opened bottle in the backseat cup
holder. I could reach it, sort of, if I was careful.
I didn't even want to go to town, but had business with
government and others to conduct. I've decided the best way to tackle town, is
to get all dressed up and grin like an idiot, as if I am THRILLED to be in town.
It works. Everyone was very nice to me! I even found
PARKING!
Shhhhhh...
It's as if I was expected everywhere I went, and there right up
front, was a parking spot, saved just for me! Incredible! I am used to
parking illegally somewhere obscure and hiking for a few hours, to run errands.
Being as my cantankerous foot is swollen up like a football and I have to wear
my cut-up ugly shoes that look hideous with my dress, I was actually
hoping not to hike more than a mile.
I even found a place with key blanks to make spare keys. I have
been searching for spare keys for weeks and months now. I like to have a spare
set around, you just never know, when you could lose a set and then be locked
out of your life. When I moved, I somehow lost my spare set of keys along with a
few other things of note.
Actually, I think I lost a whole box of
stuff. Cause I have a list of things I haven't seen since I moved, and tallied
all up, it equals one box. Where that box went, I have no idea.
At the counter, I handed over 3 keys and asked for 2 duplicates
of each. The nice man disappeared in back to go make keys. 10 minutes go by, 20
minutes and then 30. Another clerk comes to the counter to help me. I ask him
what ever happened to the man who went to make my spare keys. He disappears and
actually comes back about 3 minutes later and informs me "He is working on
them". I think to myself, he must be chiseling out those blanks by hand
back there.
Finally he appears, hands over my original keys and vanishes. A
few minutes later he comes back with one set of spares. I ask about the other
set. He looks crestfallen. "You wanted 2 sets?"
Not wishing to wait another 40 minutes for the 2nd set, I told
him it was OK, one spare set would do. He grinned and even gave me a free key
chain. FREE! Now on Tortola, to get anything free from a business (except
on Christmas Eve) is RARE.
Maybe this key chain was left over from Christmas. I
thanked him and paid the $11 for the keys. Yeah, $11 for 3 keys. I shall
treasure them with my life.
At the grocery store, I ran into a few sale items (imagine
THAT) sale items are also extremely rare, but this was out of date or nearly out
of date stuff, that isn't really out of date, but it's on sale and I can use it,
so into the buggy it went.
At home, I decided to back down my
steep skinny driveway to see if this was easier for unloading. I know it will be
easier for exiting the driveway, and I carefully made it down. If you "miss"
backing down my driveway, well um, that is VERY bad news, the dirt to one
side of the driveway has eroded and leaves quite a drop off. I made it.
WHEW.
This for some reason, amused the
waiting cats. As I opened the rear jeep door, two of them hopped into the jeep
to inspect it and my shopping. Seeing that I had remembered to bring home 6
weeks of assorted cat foods, made them extremely happy.
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Work is For People Who Don't Fish...
Check Out Miss Mermaid's store!
