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For the most recent reports from the BVI see this page.
- - - 2008 Hurricane Season - - -
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- 1 hurricane, 1 himmacane and a TD plus few more to watch
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 15:20:56 EDT
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WOW! Hurricane Hanna has become the 4th hurricane/himmacane of the
season and is headed for the Bahamas. To add insult to injury, now we have
4 areas of disturbed weather to watch closely inlcuding Tropical Depression 9
which was numbered at 11am. TD9 is halfway between Africa and the Leeward
Islands. Of course himmacane Gustav is crashing into Louisiana and that's all
over the news.
We've been so LUCKY this year to be spared thus far. But it's
September, and stuff is rolling off Africa, putting us on edge again.
The sun has rolled out in Tortola and it's 86.9 degrees.
********
Nanny Cay has a new yacht storage system that enables people to
store their boats here and still maintain their insurance coverage. Of
course it comes at a price! Read
more here. I was surprised to learn that insurance companies still want
boats to head south, I thought after Ivan hit Grenada, which was storing
thousands of boats, that suffered massive damages, the insurance companies had
quit trying to predict where hurricanes might hit. *****
I spoke with someone in Slidell, LA, which is northeast of New
Orleans, on the other side of Lake Ponchatrain. and they were wide awake while
everyone else was sleeping. The gusty winds had my friend scared.
She still had power, and then suddenly the phone went dead. SO either she lost
power or phone or both. Remember, you need a regular plug-in phone that doesn't
require electricity during storms when power might go out and render your
cordless useless.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- All is Calm, but not calm for all
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:24:59 EDT
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This was the headline at daybreak for New Orleans. A few hours later, the
headline had changed to "Gustav Wading Ashore as Category Three".
However, at 8 a.m., Hurricane Gustav had weakened to Category 2 strength,
with winds decreasing to near 110 mph as its center began moving onshore, the
National Weather Service reported.
An extremely dangerous storm surge of 12 to 14 feet is still expected to
near and east of the center of the storm as it goes ashore.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward 70 miles from the storm's center, with
tropical storm force-winds out 230 miles.
A monitoring station on Grand Isle reported 14.61 inches of rain had fallen
in the past 24 hours.
In the BVI we have flat calm seas, you could water ski from West End to
Virgin Gorda and barely get wet. Winds are slight, temperature is 84.1 F.
We still have two areas of disturbed weather east of us to monitor, but no
info yet of much concern.
After any disaster, pleas for help come in and many claim to have formed a
"new organization" to handle contributions. Sometimes these are nothing but
scams. You can never go wrong supporting the Red Cross, which spans
the globe in 186 countries with over 115 million volunteers.
With a vibrant and varied history, from its birth in the aftermath of a
battle in 1859 and the vision of founder Henry Dunant and four other men,
through two world wars and up to today, the Movement is widely acknowledged as
an unstoppable force for help and compassion.
*****
On a comical note, I've mentioned some quotes from a sheriff in
Louisiana:
St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens said his decision to bus any
looters to the state penitentiary at Angola appears to be deterring
post-evacuation crime.
"As soon as we announced we would be taking people to Angola, you could
see the dirtbags starting to leave the parish," he said at a news conference
this evening. "It was like somebody sprayed for roaches."
"Once you get up there, who knows when you'll get back," Stephens said.
"There's a lot of paperwork involved, and the storm will probably set things
back even farther."
Amen! Sounds to me like the looters could be in for some
real time.
With all the doom and gloom, here's a bit of beauty:
white oleander in bloom.
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com
Sign
up for "Message in a Bottle" and be notified when
Dear
Miss Mermaid's next book; HURRICANES & HANGOVERS
and
other tall tales and loose lies from the coconut telegraph
is
available to buy.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Raised in a Cave...
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:15:33 EDT
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Himmacane Gustav with 120 mph winds is a major hurricane at category 3.
Heaven help those in his path. It just can't be good. The damages suffered with
winds and rains that strong, are sure to be bad. 
All the weather reports indicate that the eye of tropical storm Hanna is
well north west of us, but we have had incredible rains throughout Saturday, the
evening, last night and this morning. Seas are flat calm and not much wind to
speak of. Hanna sucked that up for us, I guess. Cisterns are happy and water
truck owners are unhappy. 
This morning, I was reading on NOLA.com
, the New Orleans online newspaper. I've noticed it appears to update every
few minutes, so after you've devoured the front page, refresh it, and you will
see it has changed again. I am partial to New Orleans having made
dozens of trips to this unique city and was seriously considering relocating
there at one point, but never did. I have not been back since Katrina
hit. The images on TV, the Internet and so on, have made it too painful to
even contemplate such a trip. Any movie that shows New Orleans pre-Katrina is
sure to get my attention as I catch a glimpse, with a tear in my eye,
of a grand old city I love. Himmacane Gustav 11:15am
The online site has set up a section for readers to offer their advice. I
picked a few articles to read and most are sensible; the usual stuff of what you
need before, during and after a hurricane. One lady though, took her advice a
bit further with this quote that left me laughing uproariously!
"Finally, marry a man who is crazy enough to go back home armed
with a shotgun before the authorities give permission to do so. This is the only
way to ensure that your stuff is still there when you return, whether your house
is damaged or not.
If you are already married to a man who is not so inclined,
divorce him and marry a man who was raised in a cave. It may be your only chance
to survive..." 
More quotes:
Bring the wedding album, if you still have one.
********
Pitch in. No matter how bad your problems are, there's always
someone whose problems are worse. Helping others helps you.
Advise on coping with stress after the hurricane and before being able to
return home:
Make art. Art has the power to lift us above our troubles.
Throughout history it has sustained humankind during disasters even worse than
Hurricane Katrina. I'm a novelist, and writing my next book saved my sanity.
Should another lengthy hurricane evacuation befall us, then write, paint,
sculpt, dance or make music. Transform suffering into beauty.
************
Brush up on some of those prayers your momma taught
you.
*************
Pack lots of perfume next time. We had no showers for 10
days. 
84 Degrees on Tortola and quite honestly, it looks gloomy outside at
1:15pm, no winds, flat seas, no sun. Pray for those in the path of the
hurricanes, himmacanes and storms, we seem quite OK where we are here in the
BVI, very lucky indeed.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- 1150am, southern storm on the horizon
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:52:21 EDT
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It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- All's Calm
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:11:03 EDT
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The sun is out, it's 85.9F degrees and winds have just started to reappear
again. As tropical storm Hanna moves away from us, our winds are slowly coming
back online. Seas are still flat calm. Amazing.
It's a good day to sail or motor-sail to weather, as you'll make
really good time tacking. I saw a near empty freighter going upwind this
morning at sunrise, moving at near record speed as there were no waves and
only very slight wind to impede his movement, bet that was one happy captain.
Lori shares this excellent picture from her East end deck of a Pearly Eyed
Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus) dining on her proffered mango.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- On the edge of Hanna
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:28:45 EDT
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A rain band associated with Hanna dumped rains for almost an hour around
2-3am, very little winds, just steady rains.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Busy Weekend
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:17:33 EDT
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Himmacane Gustav is packing 80mph winds and Tropical Storm Hanna is still
at 50mph. While her eye is north of us, you can see the tail of the storm is
edging towards us. She certainly sucked out all our winds! I am haivng to
use electric wind tonight.
But wait, there's MORE!
Two more areas of disturbed weather for us to watch as we ring
in Foxys 70th Birthday tomorrow on Jost Van Dyke.
Monday is a major American Holiday, Labor Day, a last hurrah
before summer ends in 3 weeks.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Flat Seas
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:05:13 EDT
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Daybreak brought gentle rains and cloudy skies, winds are very slight,
ocean resembles a calm lake. 85 F or 30 C degrees.
Tropical Storm Gustav, with winds near 65 miles per hour, is near the
southwestern coast of Jamaica
headed towards the Cayman
Islands.
Tropical Storm Hanna, is poorly organized at this time and is about 245
miles north northeast of the northern Leeward
Islands. Flat calm in the Sir Francis Drake Channel (Nanny Cay foreground)
Flat in Sopers Hole too!
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Fay, Gustav, Hanna, the list keeps growing!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:36:12 EDT
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Thursday at 4pm and I am back online. Sometimes even a mermaid
gets mightily tired. I fled to another island to visit friends, and we had great
fun, though I slept a lot more than expected, I guess I was just plain wore out.
I didn't travel with my laptop, and though they had one, I didn't touch
it! Laptops remind me of work, as 92.8% of my work is done on a computer
and I've been working entirely too much. I think what I need is a good old
fashioned vacation. Once my book comes out and the hurricane season has passed,
I hope to take one, as I just realized, I haven't had a real vacation in years.
Well, nothing that lasted over 72 hours.
Tropical
Storm Gustav is pouring heavy rains over Jamaica and not a threat to the
BVI. He could head for western Cuba or Mexico, depending on which way he
warbles.
In the BVI, we have 87 F degrees , flat seas, and gentle winds.
Tropical
Storm Hanna has just been named and her eye is currently northeast of the
Virgin Islands, with her predicted track to stay well away from us and other
islands (but this could change.)
Two more areas of concern are further west and well worth watching, in term
of whether thy pose a future threat to the BVI.
Message in a Bottle on the Seashore:
Hi,
I am an avid reader of your site on the Carib weather
network...I am a weather buff from the midwest section of the United States..and
I hope to live on an island someday...I was wondering what the "Invest92L" means
in regards to upcoming hurricanes...why do you call it that instead of
say..."Fay" or "Gutav"? What does the word "Invest" mean?? I can
understand the number following because that is probably the succession in which
the storms come....
Looking forward to your reply...
I love to read your stories and the message in the
bottle
Yours truly,
M.L.A.
Dear MLA,
Thanks for the note and
thanks for reading!
Invest:
A weather system for which a tropical cyclone forecast
center (NHC, CPHC, or JTWC) is interested in
collecting specialized data sets (e.g., microwave imagery) and/or running model
guidance. Once a system has been designated as an invest, data collection and
processing is initiated on a number of government and academic web sites,
including the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the University of Wisconsin
Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (UW-CIMSS). The designation of a system as
an invest does not correspond to any particular likelihood of development of the
system into a tropical cyclone; operational products such as the Tropical
Weather Outlook or the JTWC/TCFA
should be consulted for this purpose.
A tropical
depression is an organized system of
clouds and thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum
sustained winds of less than 17 m/s (33 kt, 38 mph, or 62 km/h). It has no eye,
and does not typically have the organization or the spiral shape of more
powerful storms. It is already a low-pressure system, however, hence the name
"depression."
A tropical storm is an organized system of strong
thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds
between 17 and 32 m/s (34–63 kt, 39–73 mph, or 62–117 km/h). At this point, the
distinctive cyclonic shape starts to develop, though an eye is usually not
present. Government weather services assign first names to systems that
reach this intensity (thus the term named storm).
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Be Prepared
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:32:11 EDT
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Well, just looking at that makes you want to run out and get ready
for a hurricane (then it won't come!)
Bowling in the Caribbean! We wee islands are the pins and the
Africans are tossing their bowling balls, looking for a strike. Heaven
help us!
~~~~~~~~~~~
On the Seashore this morning, came another Message in a
Bottle:
You talk about the " Flying Cloud
", and evoke the wonderful
memories I have, of which you evidently also have some as
well
How really great, ( but ironic
) that she will once again be
"home " in the BVI.
Have you any idea on
the location where she will finish up ??.
As you may recall, I am a " barefoot old windjammer
" and
have sailed on --Yankee Trader, Flying Cloud,
Mandalay,
Yankee Clipper, ( only one I ever got sea sick on !! ),
&
Fantome,.
Wish the fleet was still around,
but, like all good things, now
only great memories !!.
Yes, I did buy the book !!, how
could I pass that one up ???.
Like your new web
page--.
Wish you well in all your
experiences.
MGS
Dear MGS,
Thank you!
The "Flying Cloud" is to be
respectfully placed between Ginger Island and Cooper Island after a complete
cleaning and environmental checkup. She was recently in the hands of
professional scrap dealers and a majority of the cleaning process was
accomplished. Anything that has been salvaged off of her has in no way taken
away from her value as a historic wreck-dive. (Click for
source)
I too was on the " Yankee Trader"
but she caught fire around 1987 and was retired from the
fleet.
I just learned recently that Windjammer is out of business
as of May, and that is VERY SAD. I know with the new laws coming up soon,
many older ships are at peril. I tried to sail with the tall ship
Polynesia 2 years ago, as a final farewell, but most unfortunately, the ship
broke down and we didn't sail at all. I stayed aboard most of the week anyhow,
we still had meals and parties, they provided numerous options for day trips,
each day, on other boats to other islands. I could see the writing on the wall,
that what with Americans propensity for lawsuits and the cheap tickets they
sold, it wouldn't be long before lawyer fees alone could consume an entire
company.
For those of us that sailed aboard her many tall ships, it
was a grand adventure, like stepping through a time machine.
I will be eternally grateful to their "Amazing Grace" who
delivered my 42 foot mast for my 30 foot sailboat from Florida to the BVI.
Some of the rigging was lost in shipment by truck, from California to Florida,
so I couldn't raise the mast.
A few months later, I ran into the Amazing Grace, anchored
at Jost Van Dyke, the captain invited me aboard for drinks. He
offered to raise my mast in two weeks at Road Town.
Two weeks later, at 6am I tied up alongside Amazing Grace
and she used her boom to pick up my horizontal mast and place her vertically for
me. My friend and I ran around frantically, attaching the stays and
turnbuckles, then the boom was released and the mast stood proudly on her
own.
They refused any payment, but I sent up a hefty tip in an
envelope attached to a rope. We sailed for Jost Van Dyke and had a huge
party, as the island residents had watched me for years, working on my old
dismasted boat, and the raising of the new mast, was the crowning touch, the
last piece of work to be done. The boat looked new inside and out.
It was like my own "freedom day" there was no stopping me now.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Himmacane Gustuv
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:12:14 EDT
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WOW At 5am Gustav has been named a himmacane! He is headed for Haiti
then considering Cuba. Amazing. He has built up really fast in under 24
hours. Keep an eye on him here. If you don't hear from me for a few days,
it's because I swam out of internet range.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- GOO-stahf
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:07:04 EDT
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Tropical Depression 7 was born at 11am this morning, and by 2pm had
upgraded to a tropical storm named Gustav. As of 8pm, Gustav, is headed for
Hispaniola which has a himmacane warning and watch in effect. SO I other
words, he packing a punch and gearing up for more.
Gustav is a very rare male first name and a very rare surname
(source: 1990 U.S. Census).
Gender: Masculine (so that means he will be a himmacane instead of a
hurricane...)
Usage: Scandinavian, German (let's be politically correct and use
tropical hurricane & himmacane names from around the globe)
Pronounced: GOO-stahf (German)
Means "staff of the Goths",
derived from the Old Norse elements Gautr "Goth" and stafr "staff". This name
has been borne by six kings of Sweden, including the 16th-century Gustav I
Vasa.
Tropical Depression Fay is shedding copious tears (torrential rains
and flooding) through out Mississippi with an eye towards dumping more rains in
Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. (Talk about a drama queen...)
We had scattered rains across Tortola today and the sun never did
make a strong appearance.
~~~~~~~~~~~
URGENT KITTY PHONE CONFUSION:
Roger writes:
|
Thanks for posting those pics of the Kitty, would you amend the phone
number though, that one is no longer in use and shouldn't be listed, the
correct one is 495 9888 or my cell is 544 1333
Thanks,Roger
My sympathies are with you Roger, our local phone company is so
difficult. A friend of mine inherited his grandfather's business, and they
refused to let him keep the same phone number! How silly is
that? When I moved in December 2007, I became hopelessly entangled
with the phone company move and to this day they have not moved my land
phone, so I canceled it finally, now I am trying to get my refund due me
out of them. HA! I can only imagine how a long standing business
such as the Soggy Dollar Bar ended up with different phone numbers. I
think contacting Aliens in Mars is easier than getting something straight
with the local phone company. I pray a loving soul will scroll
down and see the cute pics and adopt this lovely kitty.
On another note, years back, a well to do foreign man was held in
the BVI prison for about three years, and eventually his conviction was
overturned and he was a free man. In the interim, he had adopted 3 stray
cats that wandered in and out of the prison and began feeding them and
loving them. When he was turned loose, he was anxious to get off the
island, but waited the extra time it took for him to get his cat passports
(from the vet) so his 3 companions could travel homeward with him. I've
often thought of those 3 lucky cats and I bet they are living the high
life now.
Note that local lobsters do not have claws.
My Rum Runner Lobster recipe is going to appear in a
BVI book soon, by another author, I will post details when that book is
available. |
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Radio Exposure for StormCarib.com
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:46:44 EDT
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84 F degrees and overcast with only a slight hint of blue. Frenchman's Cay
looks vividly green against a backdrop of black, white and gray. Today, the BVI
could use some color!
Nothing on the horizon of any danger to us, just fair skies ahead. We seem
to have the fly invasion though and I'm not sure what caused that, but they can
be downright pesky.
Last Tuesday, I was on the radio! Due to technical problems, with the
long distance phone lines, the interview was cut from 30 to 15 minutes,
but they are threatening to have me on again at a later date. I will try to let
you know, with more advance notice, so you can tune in world wide on the
Internet radio.
A reader texted a message to the radio station, saying how much they
enjoyed reading the reports at StormCarib.Com! So it was nice to give this
site some worldwide exposure on radio. This site is maintained
by Gert and postings are by volunteers from the various islands. A round of
applause to the webmaster, Gert, for such an innovative idea. 
]]]]]]]]
PLEA for Safe Loving Home for BVI Kitty:
Here are two Pics taken tonight, she's still limping on her right
rear
leg but she still has some deep wounds there that are healing,
eating
and sleeping well.But we do need to find a good home for
her.
Thanks
Contact: Roger, Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke (284)
495-9075
Awwwwwwwww, this cute little kitty was mauled by dog(s) and is
recuperating and desperately seeking a safe loving home. She is a tabby with
white patches or a (white with tabby patches) and very loving. This
towel appears to be her security blankie. I hope somebody special will
read this and give her a great loving and safe home.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Ferry from Tortilla
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:00:13 EDT
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Well, we are safe and sound at the moment, still have a Sahara
Dust haze on the horizon, partly cloudy skies, 84.2 F degrees at 7:11am. Seas
are calm, winds are slight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be careful not to step on the stingrays, they often bury in
the sand. You can slide your feet through the sand, and this will chase them
off. The stinger can attack with venom, and actually break off. It will
grow back, at about the rate a fingernail grows.
A group of stingrays is commonly referred to as a "fever" of
stingrays.
Ironically, while filming a documentary entitled "Oceans
Deadliest": Steve Irwin, a TV personality, famous for his daring crocodile
escapades, was stung and killed by a stingray barb while snorkeling, on
September 4, 2006, in Australia. (Perhaps he should have used a tamer
title...)
Jacques Cousteau's grandson, Philippe Cousteau Jr., was
working with Irwin on the "Ocean's Deadliest" documentary at the time of Irwin's
death, and later described him as "a remarkable individual." (Crikey, that's
quite the understatement...)
Foxy turns 70 and is having a birthday bash next Saturday
the 30th. Gosh I must be getting old, when I met him, he had just married Tessa,
now they have 3 grown children together. My, my, where does the time
go?
I'm not the only one who does battle with my spell heckler, I
noted on his website, you can get a ferry from "Tortilla". Maybe the
webmaster had his head in the Tah-Kil-Yah bottle with Tortilla's on
his mind...
I'm a big fan of Mexican food and love Tortillas any way I
can get them. I threw a party and made chips from store bought round frozen corn
tortillas, cut up into wedges, and deep fried briefly then drained on brown
paper bags. Many guests were not aware how easy it is to make your own Tortilla
chips and couldn't believe the huge difference in taste.
7:58am, and 84.6 F degrees now, with winds causing a slight
rustle in the garden.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
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- Pack Mules
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:37:49 EDT
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All is clear here, a teeny tiny sprinkle of rain in the wee hours of the
morning. Not even enough for the cat to shower in. It's 86.0 F
degrees (yes .0 today!)
***Internet crashed a few times before I got this out and I note the
temperature climbed to 86.1, 86.2,86.3 which is the temp at 1203pm.
Tropical Storm Fay is still touring Florida with apparently no fixed
schedule as she meanders around drenching them in rains.
Invest 94 seems to be avoiding us and heading south or down island as we
like to say. The next one behind it is gearing up to pack a powerful punch, but
no idea yet where it will land. We're still greedy for water here, so we hope
more comes out way.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I've been updated by a dear reader who sent this message in a bottle:
I know you've been fighting with power and Internet outages, but I'm
sure that your calendar is the old fashioned "on the fridge" variety and the
hullabaloo over the floating restaurant was last March. It's been a
non-issue since back then as the owners withdrew their permit request in all the
furor.
Thanks for the update! Calendar? What calendar? I was
filling out a form yesterday, and I said, hmm, today is the 16th isn't it?
I was politely informed (by a tourist) it was the 22nd.....(I didn't ask
what month, should I have?)
~~~~~~~~~
I went to the new wholesale place again. It's on two floors with
a steep stairway or an elevator that resembles a jail cell to the upper floor.
No one uses the elevator. I'm not the only one scared of it. It has massive
stainless steel doors and the inside is thick stainless steel, it's built to
look like a fortress that if you got stuck in it, you would never ever get out
again.
So I joined the pack mules on the stairs. I had to wait at the
bottom while a crowd of pack mules came down. These are people packing
everything under their arms, which then makes them so wide, you can't pass them
on the stairway. Once they descend, the rest of ascended to the 2nd floor.
All the heavy stuff if up there, the cases of cat and dog food
and the 20 and 50 pound bags of same. I was trying to stock up for the cats, on
my last trip, so I had 2 cases of canned food for them plus 2 boxes of fish
pouches plus a bag of dry kibble and I somehow stuffed the jumbo toilet paper
package under my elbow, with both arms heavily laden, and stuff perched
precariously on my hips, I started the laborious process of going down the steep
stairway. It is built of steel and concrete, so if you fall, it won't be soft.
There were 2 pack mules ahead of me, a tiny lady on six inch
heels that had crates of diapers stuffed under both arms, making her appear
twice as wide as tall, I feared for her tee tottering on those tiny high heels.
Ahead of her was a large man who managed to stuff about a dozen items on
his hips and under his arms, and then me with my load.
The folks coming upstairs, had to turn around and go back down,
so we could get down, as there just isn't room for them to pass. If you are the
go to the gym type, no need to here! Just go shopping and try lugging a
few cases of this and that from the upstairs to the downstairs.
So on my 2nd trip, which was yesterday, I was tired, but since
my favorite store with the super cheap cat food burned down, I've been forced
over to the wholesale place.
This time I fetched an empty cart from the parking lot, pushed
it inside and over to the elevator, and sent the cart upstairs without me.
I then ran for the steps on the opposite side of the building, and somehow, beat
my cart up to the 2nd floor.
I grabbed my coveted cart, when the elevator finally arrived,
loaded it up with cases of assorted cat foods (the little buggers like variety)
and a few bags of dry kibble, a new mop head and I was done with the 2nd floor.
I went over to send my cart down in the elevator and there is a sign that the
elevator button is broken. (Already? Store just opened recently!)
A clerk wanders by and says, "Oh, I just called them to
send the elevator up for you". About 5 minutes later, the elevator finally
appears (where did it go in the meantime?) Nobody was on it, so I shoved
my cart in and punched #1, then raced for the stairs on the opposite side of the
building.
I get downstairs and find my other cart, the one with all the
downstairs stuff in it, and I go park it at a waiting cashier and tell her I
have to go find my other cart at the elevator.
The elevator is closed, and my cart is nowhere around. I push
the elevator button and again I hear a great deal of creaking and whooshing and
noises from behind the thick stainless steel doors and finally, about 3 minutes
later, my cart appears. I grab it out, making sure, I keep one foot OUT of the
elevator and make it back to my cashier.
She tells me, "Nobody rides the elevator. Everybody scared of
it."
I said "Well, no wonder! It's built like a jail cell and
the repairman lives in Puerto Rico! Who wants to spend a weekend in an
elevator? Plus having that sign on it that says the buttons are broken,
isn't very encouraging. Why didn't they just put a nice long ramp to the
top floor?"
She shrugs her shoulders, we both know the answer: that
would have been too convenient!
~~~~~~~
86.5 F degrees as I finally get this out!
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com
Sign
up for "Message in a Bottle" and be notified when
Dear
Miss Mermaid's next book; HURRICANES & HANGOVERS
and
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is
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It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
|
|
- Another Floating Bar?
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:30:43 EDT
|
|
85 degrees, slight winds, calm seas, thick Sahara dust haze. It must
be August. It's finally hot and I am going to town and East End and I must
admit, I am ever so grateful to this year be driving a heap of jeep with air
conditioning.
~~~~~~~~~~
August is unofficially "Knock-A-Pole-Down" month. Every August
drivers attempt to knock down a pole, every day it seems, so that
our utilities are disrupted until the pole is replaced. Some days/nights bring
on multiple car crashes into poles and sometimes a knock down.
It's only 1030am, and we are already on our 3rd power outage today.
Argh! Grrr... Not nice. I can be sound asleep, as I was last night,
and when that elec-tricky go off, it wakes me up! I guess cause I wake up
and wonder who turned off my fan?
Our utility poles are not buried very deep, so it's pretty easy to knock
one down, where in communities where a pole is typically buried 6 feet down,
it's not so easy.
Just this week, every time our power or TV cable goes off, I have been
informed, "another pole was knocked down".
I remember two years ago, after carnival, (I missed last year due
to an off island funeral) we had four poles hit and knocked down in one
night! One pole was simultaneously hit on both its east and west side by
opposing cars and managed to remain standing but the other 4 poles were not so
lucky.
That was the year I learned to start carrying my camera around all the
time. It's amazing the things I catch when I do. The few times I have left my
camera at home, I have missed some truly amazing moments.
~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe now we know why the DPNR is going to forbid liveaboards on
boats, in Christmas Cove: perhaps because now there is a proposal to put a
floating bar there? See :
~~~~~~~~~~
35 people have signed up to buy my next book. YIPPEE!
If you sign up, I will send you a "Message in a Bottle" telling you when and
where the book is ready to buy.
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com
Sign
up for "Message in a Bottle" and be notified when
Dear
Miss Mermaid's next book; HURRICANES & HANGOVERS
and
other tall tales and loose lies from the coconut telegraph
is
available to buy.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
|
|
- What is blue, black, white and khaki?
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:13:02 EDT
|
|
Tropical Storm Fay in stuck in a rut, just hovering off the east coast of
Florida, planning her next path, or perhaps just settling into a condo where she
is and sticking around, as suggested by Max-Moose.
Invest 94, an area of disturbed weather, has these spaghetti tracks
forecast below:
Basically they've given it a wide swath that may or may not include us,
depending on if the spaghetti sticks or falls on the floor...
Skies are semi clear today with the Sahara dust making for a fuzzy horizon,
it's 85.8 F and 30 C degrees today with moderate winds and small seas.
Beyond Invest 94 is yet another disturbance about 600 miles beyond I94 and
we will watch it too. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Calvin Klein's new print and television ads for his Obsession fragrance
feature a topless Moss filmed by her photographer beau, Mario Sorrenti, 21, on
the Caribbean island of Jost Van Dyke.
Obsession is one of my favorite perfumes. It is sold upstairs at
Bolos in Road Town. But wear sunglasses when you go up there. Last time I
was up there the new overhead excess-energy-use lights were installed and it was
brighter than a cloudless day at high noon on the beach in full sun.
I could feel the heat just radiating down at me, and asked the clerk what
was up with these ridiculous lights as I used my purse to shield my eyes.
Of course no answer was forthcoming, but after I made fun of them a few
times, I did elicit a giggle or two.
~~~~~~~~
Each wore matching shirts dominated by a huge flag of the BVI, and the
shirts were not mentioned in the article, (they are good
looking shirts and certainly deserved coordinating pants worn by all team
members) but the fact that the team showed up wearing
assorted trousers, from bluejeans to black to white to khakis,
caught the fashion writer's eye. It is a slight embarrassment. Bet their
shoes didn't match either, but thankfully, that wasn't mentioned.
I thought BV Islanders loved uniforms, children wear them at
school, most all restaurants and hotels, have them, many banks and
insurance companies wear them and most all athletic teams and associations wear
them.
When picking up a hitchhiker, I give extra credit for a uniformed working
person and will pick them up over anyone else, even if I have to empty out my
front seat of the day's shopping, as it generally means they are going to or
from work and they can't ride the (non-existent) bus system and have to
rely on the kindness of strangers to give them rides. If you drive alone in the
BVI, have a heart and give these folks a lift now and then. You'll meet new
interesting people most of the time.
But how our BVI team ended up at the Olympics without full
proper uniforms is a big OOOPSY and I bet it's rectified at some point in the
future. Seems to me everything, the shirts, pants, shoes, all of their outer
wardrobe should have been provided with strict guidelines of what to wear for
which event. But on the other hand it's a giggle, islanders are known
for embracing their own fashion individuality. But let's face it, the
Olympics are all about representing your country and unfortunately we caught the
eye of a critical fashion reporter.
It should be noted that from the Caribbean, Antigua, Barbuda, St Kitts, and
Nevis all made the top 10 sharpest dressed teams. So overall, the
Caribbean stood out pretty well, in this particular article.
But, needless to say, we are immensely proud that the BVI is
represented in the Olympics, and it is a huge memorable accomplishment
for these athletes. We know they worked hard to get where they are and they
deserve our support 100%.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For you boaters:
In the USVI, the DPNR (a huge government agency) is planning to
remove all live aboard's in Christmas Cove, Secret Harbor and False Entrance
starting October 1st.
They have stated that they will issue overnight charter moorings at
Christmas Cove but so far do not have a plan laid out as yet.
Yikes!
It is increasingly harder for working liveaboards to find a place to
anchor, live and work anymore. This is rather sad, as I used to be amongst those
ranks. If liveaboards are wealthy and living aboard, this is not a
problem as they can afford the pricey marinas and expensive overnight mooring
rentals. But the working class liveaboards, are getting a tight squeeze
where ever they go and may very well become nearly extinct. So sad!
This puzzles me, as they are a great group of working class folks who
happen to live afloat instead of ashore. The working liveaboards I am talking
about are folks, like me in my former days, where our ONLY home was a boat and
we relied on local jobs to support ourselves. In my case, I worked aboard large
yachts and then came home to my modest boat on my breaks. I could not afford
local housing ashore and a boat home.
Many working liveaboards often provide the needed high season employees,
that both the USVI and BVI desperately need, yet these same folks, are
willing to go elsewhere off season, and/or live off of savings they made
during high season. Many working liveaboards, live off of half their income and
save the rest for off season. Most take good care of their floating home, as
they intend to travel in the off season.
These "working class" liveaboards, I speak of, are NOT the early retirees,
who only want to make supplemental incomes, but folks who prefer owning their
own abode and/or a traveling gypsy lifestyle and must work for a living.
We need this kind of short term employees to fill our high season
jobs, and they bring their own housing (their boat) with them.
They are very often able to leave during off season and traverse islands
southward. But with landlords and rental agents demanding iron clad one year
leases for land housing, how do you attract seasonal employees?
Now that working liveaboards are being squeezed out of anchorages and many
local jobs that working liveaboards take, very often, do not pay enough to
afford the current rates at marinas and overnight mooring fees, so
traditionally, they anchored out, on their own anchors and it used to be,
all were happy with this.
However, the powers to be, may have unintentionally run off a very
needed employment sector. Many working liveaboards have extensive skills to
offer, I hate to see this segment of our Island society become extinct.
But, nobody asked me...
I guess I was LUCKY to have spent over 10 years running amok on my
boat, able to work and support myself and the boat and being able to travel
around the islands when off duty. It was probably the BEST time of my
life, but heck, my life isn't over yet...there may be more to come!
Well, Paradise is LOVELY, it just ain't perfect, but it sure is
crazy!
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
|
|
- Pleasant Days & Old Windjammers
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:59:50 EDT
|
|
84 F or 30 C degrees today. Skies are bright
and vivid blue with the typical fluffy white clouds wafting by in the BVI.
An area of low pressure located about midway between Africa and the Lesser
Antilles has become less organized, as it drifts towards us at about 10 mph.
IIIIIIIII
On my very first trip to the BVI's in 1980, I
stepped aboard the "Flying Cloud" for two unforgettable fun filled weeks of
barefoot sailing. This ship, beloved by many, is now coming back home
to the BVI's permanently and will be sunk as an artificial reef and no doubt, a
diver's delight. The "Flying Cloud" which has a colorful history dating
back to 1935, is a 208 foot Barquentine with a 32 foot beam and a draft of
16 feet.
She was originally built for the French Navy Fleet,
then became a cargo freighter. In 1968 she joined the Windjammer
Barefoot Cruise Fleet. One of the earliest charter boats to arrive on the BVI
scene, she sailed these waters until 2002, taking on up to 64 passenger per trip
with a crew of about 20-25.
Those were the days my friend and I still vividly
remember many of the passengers and crew as well as the truly unspoilt halcyon
days of lazy afternoons spent at near deserted beaches.
Indeed, when we arrived in Cane Garden Bay with our
60 or so passengers it was considered an invasion and several bars hosted live
entertainment only on the nights we anchored out. At Salt Island, the crew took
a hefty box of fresh produce ashore for the family living there and they in turn
gave the passengers a walking tour and verbal history of Salt Island, the wreck
of the Rhone and the burial ground where the deceased were buried. The crew set
up a sumptuous picnic ashore, then we sailed onwards for an overnight anchorage.
One night it was really breezy and the crew served
a Barbeque buffet on the top deck and urged us to dress in our sheets for a toga
party. One young man had just picked up his plate of food and an icy cold beer,
when a gust of wind whipped his sheet away, sending it floating out to sea. It
left him standing there in his birthday suit, with a beer in one hand and a
plate of food in the other, before 80 passengers and crew.
We were so busy laughing our heads off, as he set
his food down and streaked below to grab another sheet. He
encountered a startled stewardess below decks, who let out a shriek of surprised
bewilderment that was loud enough to send us into heaps of giggles again.
Sometime during the two weeks, there was a
hurricane scare, that the captain failed to tell us about, but I remember the
stiff winds that nearly put us on our ear one day and that our original route
was abruptly changed, to take us to a more protected anchorage. Ashore, I
learned about the imminent hurricane, which fortuitously skirted on by only
giving us rough seas and brisk winds.
The captain aboard my trip, is now living and
working in the BVI's as a dive master. I think actually there are several folks
in the BVI who managed to work on the BVI during her 30 plus years of
chartering.
For more information on this and other classic tall ships, lovingly
referred to as windjammers see:
This is a fantastic coffee table
book, I have read from cover to cover, a must-have for those interested in
modern piracy, tall ships, life at sea, and one man's quest to save these
beautiful tall ships so others may experience the thrill of sailing in another
time.
Unfortunately, with new cruise ship
passenger laws on the horizon, the remaining beautiful tall ships, still
plying waters around the world, have an uncertain future.
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com
Sign
up for "Message in a Bottle" and be notified when
Dear
Miss Mermaid's next book; HURRICANES & HANGOVERS
and
other tall tales and loose lies from the coconut telegraph
is
available to buy.
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
|
|
- Flat Calm Seas & Chicken Balls
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:27:24 EDT
|
Tropical Storm Fay is dying down over Florida. In headlines she was named a
killer storm due to deaths in Haiti
and the Dominican
Republic. I feel sorry for them, every storm or hurricane seems to bring on
more deaths for their island and countries. The rest of us should be
extremely grateful that we live where communications are easy to obtain and we
are able to protect ourselves ahead of the storm warnings.
Today in the British Virgin Islands, it's 83.4 F degrees, seas in the Sir
Francis Drake channel are flat as a calm lake, like a cloudy mirror. Skies
are slightly overcast but at 630am, the sunlight against the brilliant greens I
see on Frenchman's Cay are awesome. If I were a landscape painter, I would want
to paint today.
Instead I have to wake up and be alive, for an 830 radio interview by
phone from the UK. It will be my 4th time on radio, but I am still
not good at it. Not really sure the other 3 even count. As a child, my
first grade class toured the local TV and Radio station and we sang a song:
"Jesus Loves Me This I Know" on the radio station. I was singled out and asked a
few questions, like the name of our school and the grade we were in and the name
of our teacher. Fortunately, I was able to answer all correctly.
Then about umpteen years ago, sometime in the early 90's, I was on the
radio in St Thomas, US VI, about the charter boat show and the
charter chef competition. Ironically, a few days later, I came in 1st place for
appetizers, but someone else took the overall grand prize. Still, I received a
bounty of gifts and a small bit of money. My captain didn't even bother to
attend the final announcements, and you win by your charter boat name, so I was
the only one, sans captain, to accept the award. It made him look bad, he
was the only captain not in attendance.
I put all my gifts on the dining saloon table and went to bed in my crew
bunk. He was home ashore with his wife and kids. The next morning he showed up
at the boat, saw the gifts and award and put them all away, pirating them all
for himself except for the apron and a cookbook. I was a bit miffed, he
had done nothing to earn the gifts, except pay the small entry fee for the
competition. The food I cooked had been partially provided free, including a
whole bottle of Gran Marnier, of which I had only used a few scant shots.
The advertisement it brought for the boat was quite an asset and he wanted
all the little gifts too. Well, that's a pirate for you!
I must admit, in my haste to name the appetizer, I foolishly chose "Madras
Chicken Balls" this must have produced some giggles amongst the
judges. (Do chickens have balls???)
It was a recipe of cooked chopped chicken and assorted other ingredients
molded into bite sized round pieces. Both chicken and Gran Marnier had to be on
the list of ingredients. I had carved a swan out of a honeydew melon and
filled the center with vines of assorted grapes which contrasted with the pale
green of the swan. Around the centerpiece were the round chicken
bites. The swan brought on the ooh's and ah's as the judeges came by to
taste and make secret notations in their notebooks. By then I was just a number
for them to refer to.
Someone remarked later, that had I chosen a better name, I might
have taken the grand prize, but no one wanted to risk "Chicken Balls" as the
winning entry to be published in newspapers, magazines and cookbooks. Still it
brought 1st place in the appetizers and I was immensely proud.
The overall winner had made a dessert of 3-D pastry sailboats with a bit of
pudding, flavored with Gran Marnier, no doubt, in the hull of each
boat. These were then set in a tray of chilled blue Jello. When the judges
walked up, the chef would slide the tray back and forth to make the Jello wiggle
the sailboats as if they were fluttering in the breeze. I also heard later, that
the blue dye the chef used in the Jello was a bit overdone and some judges were
alarmed to find they peed in bluish-green later on. What a hoot!
Last week at the donkey races, I was suddenly accosted by a man rigged up
in techie head gear, with heavy backpack and holding a big
microphone which he thrust in my face, announced I was live on the radio and
proceeded to ask me rapid-fire questions about the Carrot Bay
Carnival.
So now this morning, a talk show host wants to interview me about the
hurricanes I survived. I am pouring coffee down, trying to wake up and act
alive by the time the interview starts at 830am.
You can hear it online at www.playvybz.com, which is 130pm UK time,
where the radio station is. The show is called "Inspire Me with Esther
Austin".
Not sure I am much of an inspiration for anything, but someone
once said at least be good for something, even if only a bad
example...
It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. |
|
|
- Fickle Fay
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:28:10 EDT
|
|
 Now this
is one honest prediction about where Fay might choose to go!
|
|
|
- Storms and Kittens
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:26:20 EDT
|
|
Tropical Storm Fay left here, bye bye, but she is headed for Florida,
the powers to be predict. With winds near 50mph, she has to get up to 74mph to
be a hurricane.
| Category |
Wind
- Knots |
Wind
- MPH |
Pressure - MB |
| 1 |
65 -
82 |
74 -
95 |
>
980 |
| 2 |
83 -
95 |
96 -
110 |
965 -
979 |
| 3 |
96 -
113 |
111 -
130 |
945 -
964 |
| 4 |
114 -
135 |
131 -
155 |
920 -
944 |
| 5 |
>
135 |
>
155 |
<
920 |
In the BVI we still have a cloud cover at 1230pm that makes it
look a tad dark and gloomy around here.
We are supposed to have another active wave hit us Monday or
Tuesday.
µµµµµµµµµ
While walking the seashore, I found another message
in a bottle:
Miss Mermaid,
Hi this is Roger at the "Soggy Dollar Bar" on
Jost Van Dyke. I know how you dote on your Kitties so you sprang to mind
immediately.
My wife has rescued a real cute little Black,
White & Grey Kitty, it had been mauled by a dog and has a number of Teeth
marks and a bad back leg which obviously took the brunt of the attack.
It's recovering nicely and at the moment is
sprawled on our bed. She needs some TLC. However we cannot keep it because
we have two dogs that hate Cats with a passion.
So I am looking for a good home for it without
dogs, If you are not interested yourself in taking her, maybe you know a good
friend who would like a new Kitty, she's very affectionate and has obviously
been raised in a house. She's also very young just a few months old at the
most.
Roger & Sandy
Sandcastle Hotel
Dear Roger,
I would love to have such a delightful kitty
to add to my menagerie, BUT I am a renter and not a home
owner. I was cleared for 1 cat and his brother to live here, then 3 because
the 3rd one was supposed to be a cat sitting job, but was apparently abandoned
because of my good nature.
I was not happy at being fooled into taking a
3rd cat, but that's life and the 3rd one lives on here, quite happily. I
would love to find him a one-cat home, as that is what he is used to. He
would like a stay-at-home companion, such as an elderly or disabled person who
would like constant company from a purring cat who is willing to sit with them
nearly 24/7.
Meanwhile, all 3 cats manage to live in harmony and
would probably love to have a kitten around. As they don't pay the feed
bill anyhow, so the more the merrier to them. They used to have a neighbor cat
that visited them often, so they get along with other cats
The landlord did take notice of the 3rd cat, and I
explained the situation and received kind of a "grunt" in reply. I did pay a
separate pet deposit, when I first moved in, which to me seemed a tad unfair,
given the fact that my boyz are avid hunters and have substantially reduced the
pest population for the entire neighborhood.
They've also managed to train the neighbors' unruly
loose dogs to stay OUT of our yard, under threat of a bloody nose by one
swift cat paw. Yet, they like my friend's dogs that visit and are well behaved
and basically ignore the cats.
I am HOPING a gentle reader in the
BVI, will see this and offer to give your rescued kitty a SAFE and loving
home. (PLEASE!)
I could suggest you retrain your dogs to
accept the cat (yes it can be done) but on the other hand, sounds like the poor
kitten was pretty roughed up and would probably prefer a home without dogs, or
one with a gentle dog willing to protect the kitten.
BVInews.com offers up
FREE BVI classified ads and you can submit a cute picture of
the kitty with the free ad.
Good luck and let us know the final outcome for the
recuperating rescued kitten.
|
|
|
- It's A Girl! Tropical Storm Fay Has Headed Away
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 07:46:12 EDT
|
|
TS Fay is now crossing Haiti. We are still hiding under thick cloud cover
here as of 7am. Only 82 degrees. The islands are lush and green from
the steady rainfall. Though we haven't had a drop since sunrise.
We had power outages yesterday and the intermittent Internet service, just
another typical day in paradise.
The next tropical wave could hit us Monday or could steer North of us, time
will tell, no doubt about that.
I went to greet some friends who came in from Louisiana last night.
The weather here is much cooler than there, so even the clouds didn't faze them,
as today they will probably pass and our sunshine will come back. They brought
my spoiled rotten kitties a nice bag of organic catnip!
My cats must be psychic (psy-kit? psy-cat?) I drove home with this
super sealed airtight bag of catnip and they all came running up to meet the
heap of a jeep and swirl around my legs and meow their heads off about
that bag of catnip. I gave them each some on the patio and they sniffed
it, ate it, rolled in it, then entertained me with cat ballet followed by cat
yoga and goofy looks. They like to rub their cheeks and face in the
catnip and look silly with green heads. If you are bored, lonely or depressed,
just get a few cats and your whole outlook on life will change.
I felt sorry for the guys that arrived on the ferry with 8 surf
boards.
Seas are flat to the north.
Seas are flat to the south!
Flat to the west!
I caught this moonrise from the southeast when I came home.
Tonight is the full moon and the fool moon parties!
The secret to
happiness is a Good Sense of Humor and a Bad Memory.
|
|
|
- Clearing Up?
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:41:54 EDT
|
|
At 9am the rains stopped.
At 1030am, the sun is doing battle to break through the thick cloud cover.
At 1115am, the winds have picked up slightly, sky is half dark, half
gray.
AT 1130am, it looks like dusk instead of near noon!
Overnight temps plummeted to a chilling 78 F degrees, causing me and the
cats to take refuge under the comforter. Now we are boasting 82 degrees, (but I
still have fuzzy t'ings on my feet.)
~~~~~~~~(\_(\__~~~~~~~~~
There I was hitchhiking at the runway with my camera in hand, when the
hurricane hunter showed up and offered me a ride in the jump seat...he said he'd
never picked up a mermaid before...
Below is Coral Bay and Hurricane Hole, St John, USVI
with Tortola, BVI in the background.
More Foolishness!
Before the storm, the gardener showed up to plant
some new plants the landlord bought. I had errands to run. When I came back he
had left a note. "Can't work today, I be gone looking for my missing
ho"
Another Slip of the
Tongue...
Awhile back, I was invited to meet my date and a
nice couple at a fancy restaurant. I got all dazzled up and put on my favorite
perfume. The same one my date is very fond of, so naturally, I wear
liberal amounts around him. When I arrived, I could see all three had
preceded me, and were sitting with their backs to me, facing the wonderful
view.
I walked up to the table and my
date jumps up, throws his arm around my shoulder and jovially says in a
clear voice heard by the entire restaurant:
"I knew you were here, I could smell
you coming!"
There was brief silence, followed by loud
outrageous laughter from the restaurant patrons, while a grown
man tried to hide beneath the tablecloth...
If ever I have wanted a trap door to just open up
and let me vanish, this was now. 
|
|
|
- Daybreak Drizzle
|
- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:59:03 EDT
|
|
Woke up to near zero visibility. Rains coming down in a steady drizzle.
While I was sleeping, one cat used the indoor welcome mat to roll his wet
body up in, then snooze, when I found him, all I could see was a rolled up rug
with a little pink nose poking out.
The other two cats ventured out for the neighborhood sand pile, then come
back begging to be toweled off and fed again. They are stocking up for a famine,
eating as much food as they can stuff in their bellies, then they curl up in my
blanket, nap, then wake up and eat again. I've renamed them The Little
Piglets.
No sign of the sun, just gray skies backlit against more gray. I
suspect we are pretty saturated now, our dirt isn't very deep before you hit
ancient volcanic rock. So, if the rains keep up, I expect that soon the
rock slides and mud slides will begin. Our building boom has brought on frenetic
carving of steep dirt roads, which are slowly transforming
into shallow rivers.
I can hear a neighbor scraping up something with a metal shovel against
concrete. You know they don't use levels here, and I think this morning,
he is wishing he had used one. Nothing like pouring a new concrete balcony that
drains inwards towards the house... Only on Tortola...
All the roosters are super quiet. What a treat!
Well, I may go back to bed, just for the fun of it.
At Carrot Bay Carnival, the cops said you had to be parked completely
off the road or face a $50 ticket. Well, here's one car that took them
seriously.
Photo by Kim
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- It's HERE!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:42:16 EDT
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It's 1135pm as I write this. About 10pm, the rains and lightning picked up
with gusto. Then around 11am it began blowing hard with horizontal rains. I
have 17 windows, each with 2 knobs to close them, so I was busier than a long
tailed pussy cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Then CRASH, in my haste to close some of the windows, I managed to knock a
glass in the floor which broke into a zillion pieces and of course I am standing
in the middle of the mess... barefoot.
Grrrrrrrr.
Well, I have to go mop up the flood in the bedroom. More later
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- MIA?
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:37:50 EDT
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Flat as a lake!
You could skip rocks off the ocean right now.
These pictures were taken at 630pm Atlantic Standard time. We have
had only a teeny tiny sprinkle of rain, more of a teaser like the sky sweated on
us.
It's hot as you can see, we have NO winds and I am sweating buckets.
Bring on the rain, we are ready!
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- I-92 is almost here!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:48:56 EDT
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 The tropical wave
is just east of the BVI. It could become a tropical depression later today. We
had a tiny rain shower this morning, we were temporarily excited as we hoped the
construction crews wouldn't show up for work. But, it was not to be. They came
anyhow, and the neighborhood is good and noisy now. Sea are flat and the air is windless. Boats in the harbor are turned in all
directions. The calm before the storm...
Saturday is the Full Moon and another partial lunar eclipse. Most of
Eastern Europe, Africa, and a large portion of Western and Central
Asia plus India, will see the entire eclipse. South America, Eastern Asia
and Australia will observe part of the event.
So, since we won't be able to see the lunar eclipse, we have a consolation
prize in the form of the planet Neptune will be 2 days past opposition, visible
in binoculars as an 8th magnitude "star" just two degrees west and slightly
south of the moon.
The next full lunar eclipse is not until December 21, 2010 which is
also solstice.
It's 1045am as I post this, we have a very slight drizzle outside.
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- Slippers and Waves
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:49:44 EDT
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The tropical wave is about 300 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. It
may begin to enter our area late tonight and spend a day or so passing by,
perhaps with some showers and thunderstorms. Then another wave may arrive right
on the heels, just to keep us entertained. A little rain would help us all, but
boaters beware, we don't want anymore knock-down sinkings during a squall.
It's 85.2 F degrees. Seas are almost flat, winds are intermittent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~(\_(\_~~~~~~~~~~
I get a lot of emails from folks wanting to know how to move here. Well,
the number one thing, is you must be very patient and willing to laugh at
everything that goes wrong.
For instance, I have been trying to buy a simple spark plug for my tiny
generator. Ha! Each time I bought 3-4, so I would have spares. Ha!
Ha! I now own 17 spark plugs and none fit my generator. All are
non-returnable. I even ordered straight from the dealer, who managed to
ship the wrong ones. Each time I supplied the correct number and each time was
told I was getting that exact thing, but when I get it, it's the WRONG one. The
latest one, I took it to the mechanic, he sadly shook his head, wrong one.
He supposedly found someone on island that has the mystery spark plug, but
they say they don't sell them, it's for THEIR repairs only. So now I may be
faced with paying double repairs plus eating the cost of 17 spark plugs...
Living with lack of convenience...it's a giggle a day! I wouldn't
NEED a generator if they fixed that big bad elec-tricky corporation. But they
can't keep the big-uns running and apparently, I can't keep the small-un
running.
You gotta laugh at the madness,of living in paradise, where crazy is the
norm and sanity is rarely tolerated... if you don't laugh at everything
that goes wrong, you'll go bald, tearing your hair out... ~~~~~~~~~~~~(\_(\_~~~~~~~~~~
By the way if any of you readers were pestered by
Zinester.Com in your emails, ignore their junk and toss in spam. It was a grave
error on my part. I was trying to set up a super simple system to alert
interested readers when my book comes out. Zinester then used the mailing
list as an excuse to send out numerous confirmations littered with ads and
spam. Very disheartening. I canceled all business with them and instructed
them they had NO permission to use my lists. I am sorry for the
inconvenience this may have caused anyone. I sure do NOT want to be a pest and
like most folks, I hate spam.
~~~~~~~~~~~~(\_(\_~~~~~~~~~~
I do have a new super simple way to sign up to receive notice of the latest
book offering. I don't ask any personal details, just an email and that's it.
You will get 2 notices and then nothing more. Pretty simple I hope! ~~~~~~~~~~~~(\_(\_~~~~~~~~~~
On a FUN note about living in paradise, I met this wonderful craftsman who
has now made me 4 pairs of leather slippers. He is from Guyana and comes to
the Art festival at Trellis Bay in early spring, now he has added
Carnival to his list of BVI visits. He displays up and down the
islands. In other parts of the world these slippers are commonly referred
to as sandals and flip flops. Where I grew up, slippers were
house-only shoes, often decorated with stuff you wouldn't be caught dead wearing
outside your house anyhow. But here in the islands, slippers are any shoes
you can slip on and off and wear about town. If you spot this craftsman,
try on his slippers. All four pairs of mine wear like a glove and my feet are
having a love affair with them. A Collage of Women's Styles, some flat, some wedged.
He usually sells Men's slippers too, but at the time I
caught him, he had sold out of the men's sandals. I photographed his
work, every time I see him, he has added new designs. If you run into
him, in the Caribbean, BUY the shoes, you won't be disapointed. My first
pair is 3 years old and still looking terrific and great for walking. 100%
leather with rubber soles. Good for the soul too...
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- Tuesday After Carnival, still moving slowly
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:26:37 EDT
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86.0 F degrees at 234pm. I meant to get this out to you sooner, but
nothing is working right around here. Intermittent Internet, da current mash up
off and on, cable TV playing roulette, phone disconnecting every time I answer
it, you name it and it ain't working right. But not to worry, this is so
typical after Carnival. Even I am not working right, needing extra rest to
get though the day, ugh...
Found on the Seashore this morning, a note in a
bottle:
Hi,
I just recently found your site (first time
traveling to Tortola on Wednesday the 13th) and wanted to know if you could give
me an idea of what we're in for with the weather. It looks like it will
get pretty dicey later in the week? Should we be worried about a major
storm? We arrive Wednesday afternoon and we're staying until the
19th. Any insight you could provide would be much
appreciated.
Thanks,
Jerod
PS: Love the site, it's a good read and helpful!!!
Well thank you Jerod for your nice note!
Looks like the tropical waves, have
sped up some and we may feel the effects of the first one, as early as the wee
hours of Thursday and it could potentially become a tropical
depression. Either way, we still want rain water, without the storm, though a
few sound effects thrown in is OK, just no hurricane (not asking for much here
am I?)
Another large area of disturbed weather is in the mid Atlantic,
and it too, could become a tropical depression and follow on the heels of the
first one, a day or so later.
Let's see, next on our list of storm names are
Fay and Gustav. It's not likely either one will be able to build up strength
or to pack much of a punch at us this week to even earn a name this
early. Even the surfing
enthusiasts predict only minimal wave action for the rest of
the week, patient beginners may be able to try their luck on some small
infrequent waves.
After consulting with my crystal ball, it appears, you've
nothing really to worry about this week, some intermittent rains perhaps with
some brief thunderstorm activity. If you're traveling with a loved one, what
this means, is plenty of excuse to cuddle by candlelight.
No need to pack a raincoat, no one wears them here. People use umbrellas,
if they must, but generally avoid going anywhere when it's raining, as usually
the rains come and go in under 5 minutes.
The beaches aren't crowded, except if a cruise ship comes in, then stay
away from Cane Garden Bay unless you love crowds. Everywhere else is not
that busy at all. If dining out, call ahead to make sure the restaurant is open
and to see if they are taking reservations or not. Many places closed up for the
month, some for two months and some not at all. Some close early if they aren't
busy, so a reservation may help, even if they aren't busy, just to make sure
they don't close up before you arrive.
If, and it's a big IF, we had a big storm, then we have
storm parties or hurricane parties, any excuse to have a good time! You're
not likely to get injured unless you do something ridiculous and you have no
investment locally such as losing a home or having a car flattened by a falling
tree, so if I were you and coming here on vacation, I would look for the best
and enjoy relaxin' yourself.
Pack half the clothes and TWICE the cash, then you're
bound to have more fun and less hassle. If you depart a mere 6 days later, then
probably everything the two of you need will fit in one carry on bag and
two wallets.
If you plan to drive here, we do it on the LEFT and if it is rainy or
stormy, don't rush out in it! Just stay put until the conditions improve,
then venture home or out or where ever. The bars enjoy a good storm,
as everyone nearby, runs for the bar and stays put until the storm is gone.
Since you've never been here before, t'ings move slowly
here. So take a deep breath, smile like the village idiot, and
greet folks with a cheery Good Morning or Afternoon or Good
Night (which locally means hello not good bye) and so on, and t'ings
won't speed up any, but at least the folks will be nice to ya!
Through the porthole, today is just perfect for sailing.
Carrot Bay Carnival, last weekend, looking festive.
For extra good luck, sign up to buy my new
book!
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com
Sign
up for "Message in a Bottle" and be notified when
Dear
Miss Mermaid's next book; HURRICANES & HANGOVERS
and
other tall tales and loose lies from the coconut telegraph
is
available to buy.
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- Monday after 2 weeks of Carnival
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:33:23 EDT
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Nice and breezy today with winds of 15-18 knots. We have two tropical waves
heading our way, we expect one to arrive on Friday and the next on Sunday. This
could change. (Covering my bases!) 84 degrees at 820am.
Internet was mash up part of the morning, Cable TV has been out all
weekend. The current is still working, amazing. I heard a radio
personality complaining on the radio that here they are doing major
maintenance with rotating outages on our electric plant, and he thought since we
are into storm season, that it seemed an odd time to be unprepared.
Ha! Where's he been, under a rock? I don't think our
electricity woes will ever be fixed. It's improved somewhat over the last few
decades, but not much. I was glad to see the diesel ship showed up and topped up
our tanks, supposedly.
The dump is on fire again.
Carnival is over. Sadly, they will take down the colorful streamers
throughout town and the island. I wish they would leave them up until Christmas,
makes the island look so festive.
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com
Sign up for
"Message in a Bottle" and be notified when Dear Miss Mermaid's next BOOK is
available to buy.
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- Don't Stop the Carnival!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:24:31 EDT
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We've got some tropical waves out in the Atlantic on the way
here, so maybe we will finally get some surfer waves going. One is 1200
miles away and the other one is large but still near the Cape Verde
islands.
The rains last week turned things from brown to green pretty quickly, and
topped up some parched cisterns, so we are happy.
We had another 3.0 earthquake on
08-08-08, about 27 miles north of Anegada. Due to the carnival, it went by
largely unnoticed.
My hot water tank blew up again. Maybe this time they will get an
electrician out here, lots of stuff not working right. My fridge, which I have a
hate-affair with, well it keeps purring along through all the electrical
nightmares.
Actually, while I was dumpster diving recently, I found the missing shelves
and drawers for it, so I don't hate it as much. Now it can't throw the food back
at me like it used to when it was possessed. And the shelf can't collapse, since
I found the correct one at the dump. Now the ill fitting one that used to
dump all the food on your feet, is in the dump. (YAHOO!) The drawer fits
perfectly and works much better than the ill-fitting square plastic baskets I
was trying to use. The tenant before me must have been rough on the place, to
bust up the inside of the fridge so badly. Or maybe it was possessed then,
before we got the jumby out of the house.
Thanks to Lori and Ken, we have some more parade pictures from
carnival!
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- Yee Haw Hee Haw
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2008 13:24:47 EDT
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86.3 F degrees at 101pm on Tortola in the BVI. Seas are gentle,
tradewinds are moderate, sun is playing peek a boo with big cottony puffy
clouds.
I survived the donkey races (and didn't break a leg or anything!) But
I sure am SORE today. Not sure which ass got rode
harder...Merman, the famous donkey!
No rules against riding side-saddle.
The heat is on!
Merman and I left them in the dust!
(I turned around and took the pic above from atop my
speedy donkey!)
A piece of foam for a saddle, a rope for a bridle, a stick
for a whip and the jockey is fully equipped. (Who said riding is an
expensive sport?)
Today's Quote:
When your lizard is drunk, you have a reptile
dysfunction.
DEJA MOO
The feeling you've heard this bull
before...
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- Donkey Races Today! Yahoo!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 09:53:50 EDT
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Beautiful balmy weather with powder blue skies and deep blue seas. The
official Public Holidays are over, but many businesses remain closed for
vacations or due to lack of staff, aka MIA's (Missing in Action...)
Carnival Parade pictures shared by Ken & Lori:
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- A Walk on the Beach
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 12:20:51 EDT
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The email below, got away from me before I could insert this
sunset.
Warm and Sunny Regards,
DearMissMermaid.com
see new changes!
All Hyperlinks are Underlined
(Clickable)
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- (no subject)
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 12:17:04 EDT
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Beautiful halcyon days. Birds are tweeting away in the garden, I
guess they found my treats. I found some dead corn tortillas in the
freezer. Hard as a rock. Something went off in them, and yuck, not fit for human
taste, unless you have teeth of steel, so I crumbled them up and tossed them in
the garden. The birds are enjoying them, apparently the birds think they
are fine and are nibbling away.
When I moved in, we seemed to lack birds, so I toss out old bread, stale
crackers and other tidbits that the birds might like. Worked like a charm,
I seem to have a garden full of birds that make frequent visits including two
chickens. I keep looking for fresh eggs, but no luck.
A friend of mine, had an old heap of a jeep that doesn't close up. He
rarely drives it, preferring to walk or hitch. One day he discovered a
mother hen was laying eggs in there. How nice, to have fresh eggs
delivered to your driveway every day! One day though he was in a hurry and
hopped in the jeep, not realizing mother hen was in there. She got out after
much squawking and ado, and he hasn't seen her since, so that was the end of his
fresh eggs.
It's 86.5 F or 30 C, depending on which thermometer I look at. Winds are
moderate, seas are flattish, no white caps, however, I see several sailboats
moving upwind at a good clip.
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- Festival Wednesday
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 11:52:48 EDT
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There is another BIG tropical wave southwest of the Cape Verde
Islands somewhere moving west real slow.
We are at 85.9 F degrees with balmy tradewinds and some thick
haze (what is with my digital thermometer? It loves those .9
readings!)
TROPICAL DEPRESSION EDOUARD WEAKENING ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS (Well that
is GOOD to hear, and Ed is no threat to us, yahoo!)
Drivers here are nuts, drive defensively if you are forced to drive here at
all. Then there is the comedy, I was trying to go uphill around a hairpin turn
and had to slam on brakes and pull up the emergency brake, to give my clutch leg
a rest. A pickup truck had overfilled his payload (so typical here!) and when he
climbed the hill and made the sharp turn, half of his load deposited itself down
the turn and hill.
So he PARKED right THERE, blocking BOTH lanes of traffic. He hopped out of
his truck and with speed not typically seen around these islands, he began
gathering up his boxes and tossing them inside his truck bed, and they just kept
sliding back out onto the road. So he grabbed them up again, and crammed them in
his truck cab. Then he squished his self into the cab, and apparently not
having 4 wheel drive, he spun a few thousand miles of rubber off his nearly
bald tires, while he tried to gain enough traction with his over laden load
to make it up the rest of the steep hill. This left a cloud of stinky
burnt rubber smell that made me gag. Ugh.
I nearly floored my accelerator and slowly let out the clutch, while
switching off the air conditioning, so I could get my little 4 cylinder up the
hill myself. I too, wasn't in 4 wd, but my newish tires had no trouble grabbing
and propelling me forward.
I am going to write a driving guide to the BVI:
(1)
For instance, if you drive 3 miles, how many head on collisions in
your lane, would you typically have to take evasive actions to
avoid?
(A) -0-
(B) 1-4
(C) 5-20
(D) It doesn't matter, you're dead by now anyhow
(The correct answer is B)
(2)
A good time to pass the slow poke in front of you is:
(A) On a flat clear stretch of road with no oncoming traffic
(B) On a steep hill closest to a hairpin turn, preferably with oncoming
traffic, that will have to slam on brakes due to your maneuvers
(C) It doesn't matter, cause you just pushed him over the cliff with
your bumper
(D) Never
(The correct answer is B)
Look for the full Driving Guide to the BVI coming out
soon!
Today is Festival Wednesday in the British Virgin Islands. Festival Wednesday
is the second day of the most important holiday in the territory -- the August
festival. It is celebrated on the three days following the first Monday in
August to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the British Virgin Islands.
(HAR HAR HAR, maybe we don't use the word "slaves" anymore, now
we use the politically correct term "Work Permit Foreigners")
August 4, 1916 the U.S. bought the Danish Virgin Islands
for $25 million. It was renamed the US Virgin Islands.
BOOK REVIEW: Off The Deep End: About one man's quest to enter the
Olympics.
The liveliest chapter plays to Carter’s strengths — on a lark, he and a
friend swam between the British Virgin Islands, towing a surf board loaded down
with their belongings.
 Off
the Deep End by W.Hodding Carter
Today at Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island, BVI
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- August Tuesday (Public Holiday!)
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 14:12:40 EDT
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Warm and muggy here today, some sunshine, nice to see as we had frequent rains yesterday, but the island needed the rains, we still need some more but that's life.
It's 86.9 F degrees, my digital thermometer just doesn't want to give up that 86.9, with a low of 83.6.
Edouard (what;s wrong with plain Ed?) was named and made landfall, but no threat to us. We are blessed thus far this year!
Poor kitties just got over their lightning strike. It apparently hit Frenchman's Cay and just wiped out all their electricity, causing most of the bright orange electricity trucks to dot the landscape trying to get the island going again. I heard they were without power for 30 hours!
There is a tropical wave running around at 35 west and 9 north, but not a threat to us yet, but well worth watching. Just in case!
HAPPY CARNIVAL!
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- The morning after...
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 11:13:30 EDT
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Stormy again last night with frequent hard rains. At about 220am we had the LOUDEST clap of thunder and lighting, it really scared me and the cats, who were all outside.
I had just woke up, stumbled around, crawled back in bed, but was sitting upright watching the rain outside. I like rain. Sometimes I check to see if I can hear it trickling into the cistern. I can't access my cistern and have to rely on the caretaker who often just says "you got plenty!" without telling me if "plenty" is half, whole, three-quarters full or what.
A few minutes later lighting and thunder hit so loud, without warning, nary, a mumble, just a big KER-RAAAAAAAAACK-KABOOOOOOOOM! I think I levitated a foot off the bed and felt momentarily quite spiritual. When I landed, I honestly felt, quite afraid. I've been hit 3 times by lightning in my short life, so I have well founded fear. I wasn't hit this time, but something very close by was. Heaven help it/them.
Now, I was WIDE awake with a sudden urge to visit the allmighty throne in yonder bathroom... 
About five minutes later, three very wet, very quiet cats came inside, walking very slowly, leaving a trail of wet cat paw prints. These guys usually meow and talk and they were silent. They didn't say a thing. I got up and put out fresh dry kibble for them. Usually, just my appearance in the kitchen at the same time they are in there, or nearby and can therefore run for it, produces frantic meows and requests for nourishment.
They all seemed bewildered. After I filled their bowl, they silently sat down to eat, often they just stand. But this time, they sat down in unison to eat. When they got up, there was quite a rain puddle around their feed bowl.
One by one, they drip-dropped, plip-plopped as they climbed in the bed and let me towel dry them. I think the thunder had left them speechless. Typically they hang out all night, partying, then come inside for their 17 daily naps. They have a secret cat door, so they can sneak in or out, at their whim. Silent cats. What next?
This morning is a gorgeous day, but the kitties have declined to go out, in spite of the door being wide open.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am going to pirate the Max/Moose report/forecast he sent over in a rum barrel by sea: It seems pretty accurate to me!
The two Invests in the Atlantic have destinations in the Caribbean or Bahamas, at best guess? Grrr
Dazzle you in facts, (Bull s###!) or tell what me little pea brain thinks?
Let's at least acknowledge that this year has started a little differently ... to say the least. If we have learned nothing from Bertha, a self sustained system, developed in dry air, over cool water can damn well do what ever it wants and for as long as it intends!
Taking anything for granted this gurricane season, in my humble opinion, would not just be foolish, it would also be stupid! That said:
The Caribbean: (More correctly, the Atlantic) Invest 99, 18.6N 46.8W, movement west at 20 mph. Forecast, for the past three days was to turn to the north by northwest? Well? This gives the Northern Leewards two days to recognize and prepare or ignore? Grrr I see why forecasts suggest this to head northwest to Bermuda but I also see why it just ain't so .... who knows for sure, certainly not the computer models? (Personally, I think this is gonna dust the northern Leewards and attempt a vacation in the Bahamas ... Grrr
Invest 90, 11.6N 32W movement west at 22 mph, forecast to head straight into the Windward Islands but not soon, it is still only 550 miles to the southwest of the Cape Verde Islands.
What gets my attention most about this one, it is not outrunning its own convection! We have a week to watch this one and I suggest we do exactly that, keep an eye on it! grrr Pictures and spaghetti to follow ...
No man, or woman, or computer has yet mastered or correctly interrupted the master plan of Mother Nature, close, but still no cigar!
Having appropriate stores, provisions, plans and notification procedures may be the only assets between you and possible personal disappointment. I cannot strongly enough encourage you enough to be prepared and have a plan and when necessary, stick to it.
Always keep an eye on the weather and be safe out there, Max
Pictures and spaghetti:
Thanks Max!!!
By the way DearMissMermaid.com is undergoing a makeover! Look for frequent changes and additions.
Channel 55 on the local TV Cable, shows carnival! Not sure what the time delay is, but I watched a good bit of it in the wee hours, after that thunderclap woke me up. Might as well be jammin'!
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- Dark and Stormy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 09:25:24 EDT
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Stormy weather, it blew rain sideways last night, as I had slippery floors this morning. Also, the storms seem to have washed my window screens depositing a pile of muck on the window sill. Yuck.
81 degrees and darkly overcast, no sun in sight, just light patches of gray against a backdrop of dark gray.
Now here is an eco-friendly hat, made from an old box. Notice how the flap in back keeps the sun off his neck. (This was taken on a bright sunny day!)
We could all make and wear these fun hats for the carnival parade, and just jazz it up some with glitter and paint. Besides you could cut it out into fun shapes like a star or triangle or circle or what have you.
Think green! Reduce, resuse, recycle!
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- Last Business Day
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:36:44 EDT
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I woke up to a nice summer rain, it obscured visibility and I felt like I was all alone on a small island. My ragamuffin cat who showers in the rain, was quite smitten, as he needed a good rinse.
Last night we had a short thunder storm, complete with sound effects and one lone bolt of lightning.
Now it's back up to 85 F degrees, 30 C and winds are moderate, seas have small white caps.
Carnival is gearing up while business is gearing down! If you are on island and dining out elsewhere, besides carnival, be sure to call ahead and see if they are open.
If you are trying to do business on island, forget it! Wait two weeks. Today is the last "work" day and town is bound to be a zoo.
Yippee!
oooooooooo
Cat and Boat Trivia.
here are some nautical definitions in honor of the cat.
Cat's Paw
1) A hitch thrown in the bight of a line by twisting two loops close together. The hitch may then be dropped over a hook at the end of hoisting tackle.
2) A ruffled surface patch on otherwise still water indicating a puff of wind.
Cat Walk
Finger pier. A narrow dock walkway which provides access to a vessel. Finger pier. A narrow dock walkway which provides access to a vessel.
Cat Head
A sturdy timber projecting over the side at the bow to which the anchor may be housed in order to swing it up out of the way and clear of the water.
Catamaran
A vessel with two hulls joined by a deck and bracing. Sailing catamarans usually are designed with asymmetric hulls, each of which operates most efficiently when the boat heels and the opposite hull is lifted clear of the water.
Cat, Catting
To swing the anchor up under the cathead so that it is secure and clear of the water.
Cat Rig
A sail plan having a single sail with the mast stepped right in the bow, and a long boom.
Cat O' Nine Tails
A lash made of unlaid three ply rope. Since there are three lays in each of the three plys of a twisted rope, when unlaid there would be nine strands or nine tails.
Cat Boat, Catboat
A small sailing boat with a single mast stepped right in the bow, traditionally broad in the beam, light weight, with a shallow draft and carrying a centerboard. The New England catboat often has a long bowsprit to support the mast and foresails, and a very long boom.
Cat
1) A ship of the 18th C. similar to Norwegian coal ships. The British sometimes employed a cat, such as the HMS Endeavour, which was used by Captain Cook for extensive voyages. 2) Short for the cat o’ nine tails.
Wild Cat
A special wheel on a winch shaped to accommodate the links of an anchor chain.
All Hyperlinks are Underlined (Clickable)
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- Hot, Brown and Hazy
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:51:48 EDT
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Very hazy today, what with the volcano ash lurking about, 87 degrees and overcast, with wishes for rains! The greenery is looking a tad brownish these days.
My slipper mon from Guyana called, he makes these wonderful hand made sandals of leather, which in the Caribbean are referred to as slippers. He will be at the Festival and wanted to let me know. I already own three pairs of his heavenly shoes, so I shall go see his latest designs and probably come home with more! He is quite the craftsman, utilizing leather with tooled deigns, and rubber soles, your choice of flat or wedges. He also makes men's sandals. My three pairs all fit like a glove and I constantly get compliments on them. So if you make it to Carnival, check out his leather slippers. They are well worth the money. My first pair is three years old and still looking nice. Since I mash up my legs, my feet changed, and I had to toss out all my shoes and start over. Nothing in the stores seemed to fit me, then I met the slipper mon! Ah, my feet feel so pampered now.
Washed up in a hot sauce bottle:
Hi,
I try to read your musings a couple of times per week. Very enjoyable and insightful to the weather and island mentality. I checked out your store front it looks great.. Will you be listing any "hot sauces" of the local nature in the future? Would love to try some of the local fire in a bottle.
Again, thanks for all your effort in your reports, it's appreciated.
Good weather and clear skies,
Ken
Thank you Ken for your kind letter! I do have local Caribbean hot sauces listed here that can be sent through the mail. Most of the BVI sauces are sold out locally leaving nothing to be shipped out! Maybe we will improve upon this at some point.
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- Lazy Hazy Dazy's
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:22:16 EDT
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A fantastic day in the Caribbean with 86 degrees and brisk tradewinds, bright sunshine and the usual clouds wafting by. Just a typical summer day, so beautiful. However, the haze is substantially thicker due to the SOufriere Hills, MOnserat volcanic ash.
My experience with this stuff is that is somewhat caustic and if you can find the water to wash your car, after the ash has passed, do so, as it will eat the paint and speed up the rust zits. I didn't know this, until it was too late for my last heap of a jeep.
Before I got this email out (intermittant internet problems plague us today again ) the temperatures climbed to 87.5 degrees.
As you can see, these smart cats, carefully avoid the sun, preferring the cooler shade to lime about. (Lime in local lingo or Limin' is to laze about or go out on the town, basically relaxin' yo-self.)
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- Volcano mash up!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:44:58 EDT
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We have a weak tropical wave passing by with little effect, then another one right behind it that should be here early Thursday and hopefully bring some much desired rains with it. The weekend should be fair weather and we sure could use that for Carnival!
All in all, glorious day in paradise, a tad overcast, but you can't have everything perfect all the time. Temperature has climbed to 87 degrees, highest I've seen it all year! WOW. I slept under 2 fans last night, just couldn't get comfy, was up and down all night with sinuses, probably from the volcano ash.
By the way, BVI News has a new classified section that recently includes free personal ads!
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- sundowner with jet trail
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:13:59 EDT
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- Sunday
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:47:08 EDT
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Well, Dolly is about to sing her last song. Nothing much coming at us yet, just that disturbed weather about 1000 miles east of us, that is slow to develop, which sounds OK to me!
I am pretty much ready for a storm, so that means we won't get one!
85 degrees with slight winds.
My neighbor started his jack-hammer at 6am on Sunday. What a ruckus. I guess he thinks the whole world wants to listen to his jerk-hammer at 6am on a Sunday, bad enough we have it 6 days a week. First he put a new roof on, then he tore it off, now he wants to jerk hammer like mad. Maybe he is putting a 2nd floor on? The first floor has teeny tiny bedrooms. He has two jerk-hammers now. He has a carpenter who bangs with a hammer trying to take the roof joists down. He isn't very good at it, so a lot of banging with little effect. I get the impression this guy wakes up with a different plan every day, and is clueless.
Most of the housing here is built without plans or inspections. Sure you are supposed to have plans and inspections, but most folks just build without them. If there is any enforcement, it's sure not evident. I would just be SO happy if these 3 houses below me would finally get finished. I know I am dreaming. Ask me in 10 years if they are finished.
Life in the islands.
Washed up Note in a Bottle:
Dear Miss Mermaid,
Sorry to bother you but I'm hoping you might be able to answer a couple of questions.
I read your weather reports and comments about BVI life and life in general on a regular basis. My wife and I have vacationed in Tortola 8 or 10 times in the last 20 years. We are leaving Tuesday for 2 weeks in Little Apple Bay.
My first question concerns weather. There seems to be something nasty developing in mid-Atlantic. If it develops further, do you think we can beat it in by early Tuesday?
Secondly, would we be able to pass through customs with a metal detector? My wife read something (she's not sure where, about some vacationers entering from St. Thomas--our route of travel--have a metal detector confiscated in West End customs.
Your insight to both of these would be appreciated.
Signed,
MP
Dear MP,
No bother, glad you read the reports. I wouldn't worry about the disturbed weather out there, it hasn't organized yet. Come on down and have some fun. If it does get nasty, well sit back and enjoy the hurricane parties.
As for the metal detector, I've never seen them here, except at the entry points, and I assume you mean the hand held type to hunt for spare change. If it's small enough to fold up in your suit case, then I sure wouldn't mention it. Just grin like a fool and say GOOD AFTERNOON and keep smiling and hope they don't look and don't ask.
On the other hand, you could call customs in West End, and ask them what is on their list of BANNED items you can't bring into the BVI while vacationing. I know like you can't bring a jet ski, spear gun, mangoes, marijuana, or a regular gun while on vacation, but that's the extent of what I know about banned items. (So you better start unpacking that jetski!)
You could also try the Tourist Board and ask them about a list of banned items. Not sure they would know but it sure would be a handy list for them to have to provide tourists on request.
As far as packing to come to the BVI, I recommend you bring half the clothes and twice the cash!
My last company, managed to arrrive with only carry on baggage, but lawdy mercy, they packed it to the max size and limit and huge purses to go with it! They survied two weeks with just carryon though. But no metal detector, but they did bring the proverbial laptop.
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- Saturday
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:17:28 EDT
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We have a tropical wave about 1000 miles east of the Leeward Islands that is still disorganized (aren't we all?). Conditions are marginally favorable for slow development, but we should keep our eye out for the next few days, in case it has a change of mind.
84 degrees with moderate tradewinds and small seas. We had a few teeny tiny showers last night.
JJJJJJJJJ
Yesterday, I woke up very early, the sun was almost ready to creep over the horizon. I decided in my sleepy brain, I had a lot on my plate to do that day, probably more work than hours allotted.
I so wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, jerk-hammer or not, I've learned to tune the noise out by chanting in my head over and over, it puts me back to sleep despite the excessive noise.
However, I do enjoy the view from my bedroom, 4 big windows, facing south, watching the Caribbean sea and early morning sailboats and/or freighters drifting by.
I decided to treat my self to coffee in bed, while I planned my day. So I stumbled into the kitchen, wiping my blurry eyes, and managed to make a pot of coffee, then whipped up some NIDO milk since I was out of the fresh stuff, and hauled it all to my bedroom on top of a little round wooden stool that doubles as an occasional table.
I fluffed up my big jumbo pillow and propped it up against the headboard, then fortified it with a few vertical king sized pillows. I climbed in bed, sat up right, tucked another pillow behind my head, to make the seating just right, then propped up my feet on standard pillows. I reached for my coffee, poured it into the mug followed by a generous portion of milk.
I sipped on that and gazed out at the view, as daybreak slowly spread across the Sir Francis Drake channel. I smiled and thought life just doesn't get any better than this. My thoughts turned to the pile of work ahead of me for the day, most of it pleasant stuff but a few touchy things I wish I could bow out of, stuff that is real stressful to deal with and lawdy mercy, I live in the Caribbean; we don't do stress very well. It would be so easy to say "Don't worry, be happy" and just put it off...
Sometimes I do just that, and usually it ends up costing me unnecessary money or creating a bigger mess, or sometimes it does just go away (rarely but it happens!)
I sipped on my coffee, willing the caffeine to wake me up further, lest I have to put toothpicks to prop my eyes open, yet inexplicably, about an hour and a half later, I wake up, quite startled and confused, I am still sitting upright, feet propped up with empty coffee mug in hand. The remaining coffee in the pot and the milk, sitting on my stool, awaiting me. I never made it to mug number two, just apparently dozed right off into la-la land, even with that evil jerk-hammer sputtering away.
So much for an early start to the day! Somehow in the confusion, of hopping out of bed and tackling work, after a cold shower to revive me, I missed writing my Dear Miss Mermaid report yesterday.
I guess you could say I slept right through it.
JJJJJJJJJ
By the way, if you're a sailor, this is the perfect coffee pot press! It's unbreakable, holds 34 ounces of steaming hot cofee, with a lid that locks on tight. It's also great for home use, or travel, as it keeps the coffee hot all day, without electricity.
The NIDO milk is good to have on hand afloat or ashore, it's the best powdered milk ever made, 100% milk, just add water, you can make it regular or thick like cream.
So what's a carpenter's level?
Oh, about four rums...
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- Thursday already!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:35:50 EDT
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84 degrees, sun is out in full force, easterly trade winds are moderate at 9-14 knots, seas at 3-4feet. We are in need of some scattered rains, we had a teeny tiny shower last night, could sure use more. It wasn't even enough for the cat to shower in, and he loves rain showers to clean his black fur. Now is that lazy or what?
His brother, a tabby, keeps himself immaculate, almost to the point of obsession, he never has a piece of fur out of place and if he notices anything astray about his fur, he grooms furiously to put it right again. I vaccuum up tufts of his fur all the time from his excessive grooming. Blind folded I can touch either cat and instantly tell them apart, even though they are identical in body and weigh the exact same, their grooming habits give them away.
You’re invited…
To the last Play in the Park on July 26th when the CADA Players will perform “Shall We Dance?”, an exciting and interactive performance of Latin dance styles. This play will begin at 3:00pm. Bring your own seating and prepare to be entertained!
A seagrape tree, found inland, on the mountains, clings tenaciously to this massive rock.
My favorite motto: "We need more trees!"
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- Open everyday, Sunday and Wednesday...
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:01:41 EDT
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I woke up to a gorgeous day with 84 degrees and gentle tradewinds. It was nice and quiet, the roosters were sleeping, the dogs and cats all quiet. I was marveling at the sheer beauty of such a wonderful daybreak. The ocean is just this incredible cerulean, the sky baby boy blue with puffy clouds.
Then at 718am, the neighbor with the jerk-hammer started up, tearing down his wall again. The one he poured concrete for the other day. He is tearing the top off again. I think he is losing his mind or having an unnatural love affair with his jerk-hammer. Actually his big jack-hammer (I call them jerk-hammers) broke down or was stolen and now he has this tiny inadequate one he just LOVES to use. He can't use it in the middle of the day. No sirree. He must start at 6 or 7am and rouse the whole neighborhood.
alalalalalalalalalalalalalal
From the mailbag:
Hey there,
I came across a conversation on a bulletin board, about energy in the BVI and thought what a great idea that would be. Check this out:
If any "place" could utilize being "off the grid" the BVI would be it. Wind and Sun. No more surges. No more outages. Wow, now that's a unique idea?? Just out of curiosity, what does an average electric bill down there run? with a/c and without? let's say a 1,000 sq. ft. home.
Hope to hear back from you soon.
Patti
Dear Hey You,
We sure could utilize being off the grid here! I have been told it was illegal for years to do so, every home is required to be hooked up to BVI Electricky, whether you want it or not!
Supposedly we can now have some alternative energy, as long as we still stay connected. Go figure!
While the rest of the world is going green and eco-friendly, the powers to be here, seem to go the opposite way. Not sure why.
Folks here seem terrified of the solar and wind generators, as so few utilize them. Sure we see solar hot water tanks on roofs, but very little else.
It has ALWAYS puzzled me as I lived on my little boat for 10+ years, with a lone old decrepit solar panel, yet it still managed to give me loads of electricity. I ran my laptop, VHF, radio, stereo, cell phone, fans, lights, water pump, bilge pump and fridge off of it! I even used it to recharge smaller batteries to put in flashlights and torches (for you British readers).
When I moved ashore, I was flabbergasted at the random electricky and water outages. Life on my boat (which also had a simple rain catcher) was far more reliable and comfy.
Also, at that time (since changed I do believe) you were not legally allowed to live aboard your boat if you had a local work permit. I have NO idea why this was in force, but it was. Strange indeed. I guess they didn't want folks like me to be spoiled with 24 hour electricity and water, when that wasn't available ashore. I was supposed to move ashore and suffer like everyone else!
Now, as to electricky bills, you better have a sit-down before we go over this. Currently I do live in about 1,000 square feet. I am very lucky. However, I do have a housemate to help meet the bills. Rents have skyrocketed the past few years and never before have we seen so many people looking for housemates.
We do NOT have air conditioning in my home. Whole house A/C is rare but some places have A/C in the bedrooms, or room by room. Basically IF your house was built the island way, you should have lots of big windows and doors to take in the natural tradewinds as well as tall ceilings to relieve the heat.
However, the last few years, I have seen many new places built with teeny tiny windows, or what I call "snow windows" the type that are single hung, so you can only open the bottom and not the top. Duh! Those windows should be banned from here. I know they are cheap, but you pay dearly in the long run with bigger electricky bills to run fans and/or air conditioning. Also, many new places are being built with low ceilings. This makes for a hot room, as hot air rises.
When I was home hunting I wanted tall ceilings, lots of windows and doors and the proverbial overhead fans plus a hurricane proof place, a garden for the pets, hot water (many places come with cold water only) and room for my small office. Well, my place came with some low and some semi-high ceilings. The view was fantastic, and all things considered, and that it had room for a housemate, I decided to grab it. It came with 17 large windows and 2 doors, spread around 3 sides, as the backside is backed up to the mountain. Luckily we get tradewinds, plus I am on the ground floor of a 2 story duplex, so I don't get the brunt of the solar heat (sun) on my roof, as the upper apartment provides natural insulation.
We are VERY careful with the electricky! We unplug computers, cell chargers, anything that has a converter on it, as those burn electricky, even when you aren't recharging. My office is plugged into electric strips that I can turn off when I am not using the equipment.
We turn off fans and lights in every room but the one we are using. When we depart, we run through the house to make sure EVERYTHING is off. So basically we are running a fridge and a small hot water tank. We recently got a clothes washer, but no dryer, the sun and wind dry a load in under an hour most days. We cook by propane.
Yet, inexplicably, our last electricky bill was $190!!!!!
My friend gets hot and uses her Air Conditioning PART of the day, but then she started getting $600 electricky bills and decided she liked the fans better.
Last year I used an energy star compliant A/C in my bedroom for a week when I very ill and had a high fever. My bill shot up $60 for that week of pleasure, for ONE room being cooled. Then I noticed the unit had a dehumidifier on it, and man oh man, that think worked wonders and seemed to use only about $20 electricky a month. I only used it nights in August and a bit in September. That was before fuel prices shot up the way they have now! My new place has no A/C units. My housemate and I discussed A/C but after we saw the $190 bill and knowing how miserly we are with our usage, we haven't discussed getting A/C since.
I only used 645 kWh last month, but at $190 we are paying about $3 a kilowatt hour. Our bill is very confusing, as there are 5 amounts listed on it, with no explanation as to HOW they arrived at those figures. They also throw in a vague "fuel surcharge" with no explanation as to how they figured it.
If any island could benefit from solar and wind "passive" electricity, it would be us, as we are only 18 degrees above the equator. If I were lucky enough to build a house, I would build it with both 12 volt and 110 volt. Fans, lights, small pumps, radios, stereos, computers, printers etc. can all be run off 12 volt and solar panels like to pump out 12 volt. Of course if you have an array of panels you can also have inverters to step up the electricity to 110, but if you have most of your stuff running off 12 volt, you will get more bang for the buck.
zvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvzvz
Yesterday I went to what I thought was the cheapest gas station on island, and paid $28 for 5 gallons of gas.  I look at these mammoth SUV's that are so popular here and think, oh my goodness, if they have a 30 gallon tank, they must pay close to $200 to fill it up! I am SO glad I have my old heap of a jeep with 4 little cylinders, at least it doesn't burn much gas.
Ya gotta love it here...
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- More Trees
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:21:08 EDT
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The Banyan Tree
Tropical Storm Cristobal (Crystal Ball?) is no threat to us, running around the North Atlantic. Ditto for TS Dolly running around south of Texas. A large tropical wave is located over the far eastern Atlantic and is worth watching to see what happens next.
85 degrees here with light winds and beautiful blue skies full of jumbo cotton balls. Seas are calm, great for lazy sailing.
I managed to catch the Banyan tree in full bloom! This tree is very old and a historical landmark in Apple Bay. As you can see, I couldn't get the entire tree into one picture! Usually locals are hanging about under the tree, on the benches, enjoying the shade, trading gossip, waving at their friends that drive by. Often a hitchhiker is in the shade, trying to catch a ride. A few times I've been flagged down, because someone sitting on the bench wanted a ride.
Within walking distance is the ball park, the school, medical clinic, the weekend fish fry, dumpster, payphones, ocean, hotel and a few bars and eateries. The banyon tree is the unofficial "community center." It's a rare day or night, to catch the benches empty.
Recently the garbage was picked up around this area, making it a grand photo op! I hope this tree is forever protected from future growth and that it always be allowed to live in peace.
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- 85 and holding
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:07:07 EDT
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This was for Monday and the internet crashed...
Another glorious day in paradise. Da current done mash up though...
I called dem elec-tricky boyz and dey say dey got no plans for da current to be mash up and dey go no idea why we got no currrent. I told them a few minutes after da curent mash up, I smelled something awful, like a bad fire, but I couldn't see one anywhere, like maybe their current transformer died?
Lets see Bertha is dying a slow death up north, Cristobal is off Cape Hatteras North Carolins and Dolly is singing in Mexico.
A big wave is coming off Africa and threateneing to turn into a big mess. Yep, not even August yet, and we already up to A-B-C-D and another maybe. Gosh are we going to run the whole alphabet this year (again)?
It's very dark south of here and we are expecting some scattered showers. I wish it would rain now and cool us off. My battery is dying, so I must get this out to ya, befoe the internet mash up!
';lkjhgffghjkl;';lgghjkll;'';lkjhgffghjkl;';l
Washed up in a Cruzan Rum Bottle from Love City (St John) I found this note:
Dear Miss Mermaid,
I was amused by your tale of Hurricane Danny, but my wife beat you to it by a year. Her daughter came to St John in July to be married. The wedding was July 5, 1996. Four days later the honeymoon was interrupted as Hurricane Bertha passed directly over St John, leaving us without power (it would stay gone for 10 days). Fortunately, most of the wedding party had left the island on the 7th. Without power, and with ice scarce we began cooking furiously on the gas grill all the food in the fridge, of which there was still a plentitude. We fed the honeymooners and family for the next few days till they could get a flight back to Virginia. We rigged a hose to siphon from the cistern and bathed in the driveway in front of God and everybody. We hauled buckets from the cistern to flush and after four days a friend loaned us a very old, and very loud generator so we could save the frozen food (we had not dared to open the freezer until then).
On July 12th my wife and the honeymooners retreated to Virginia where the bride's father was throwing a huge reception on July 13th. I don't think anyone was following the weather reports much, but the whole bunch got dumped on by TS Bertha as she passed through Virginia. Seems these early storms are likely to run inland up the east coast - we had lived through the winds and torrential rains and floods of Agnes in Virginia back in 1972. My wife had also gone through some big ones when she lived in Texas and Key West, but this was the first time she had ever been hit by the same storm twice. Our little island is a very small target and I'm convinced that home is the safest place to be. And while we may be wet and powerless, at least it's warm.
May you stay safe this year and may all the rum you've put by for the hurricane parties last till our Old Year's Night celebrations!
JF of St John
Dear JF,
I can imagine the exasperation of getting hit twice by the same storm and during wedding celebrations and honeymooning. If the couple survived all that intact, then perhaps their marriage will be able to weather the small stuff.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
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- Bertha, Cristobal and Danny of 97
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:42:26 EDT
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Today east winds 13-17 knots, seas 3-5 feet, temps in the mid 80's with a chance of scattered showers, possible thunder storms later on today.
Bertha is still wandering around with 70mph winds.
Cristobal is 40 miles off the North Carolina coast with 50mph winds.
Today in the BVI, it is bright and sunny with a bit of haze to the south.
qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp
Years back, I was fortunate enough to go spend a summer alone in a little rustic mountain cabin on the border of SC and NC, adjacent to the Caesar's Head State Park, about 3,300 feet above sea level and significantly inland.
Several hundred miles of mountains to the east, separated me from the ocean. My boat was tucked away in the Caribbean and I looked forward to a summer of not worrying about tropical storms and hurricanes.
Ha!
My first weekend in the mountains, my brother, Holy Pirate, drove up and deposited a starving kitten in my lap, he had found wandering around a dumpster, crying in distress. Not having a cat carrier, he had deposited the cat in his trunk and hoped for the best while he shopped for kitten food, then drove an hour to see me, with this unexpected gift. We showered food and love on the kitten and she grew into a beautiful cat who accompanied me on my daily hikes into the wilderness, as if she were a trained puppy dog.
Hurricane Danny of July 1997:  The ONLY hurricane that year to make landfall, started in the Gulf of Mexico and traveled east, not west. He marched right across my cabin, dumping cold winds and torrential rains.
I stood on the screened in porch, holding the kitten, as the wet winds battered us, watching the path to the cabin become a raging river that just kept growing until the entire cabin appeared to be sitting in the middle of a stormy lake. The water kept rising, but never made it past the top step.
I couldn't believe it was July in the Carolinas, and I was building a fire in the fireplace to keep warm in this uninsulated cabin. It was so cold, the kitten and I slept by the fire all night while Danny stormed around us. I had closed all the windows and doors, closed off the bedrooms and bath, as I piled on just about all the clothes I had traveled with, plus wrapped up in an old, but beautiful, handmade quilt. I turned the electric oven on and left the door open, to try to warm up the kitchen long enough for me to heat some soup.
While the phone was still working, I was describing to a friend how cold I was and that my stash of dry wood was rapidly depleting, the rest stored outside was soaked. How ironic, I escaped the Caribbean to avoid hurricanes and now I was in the middle of one, on top of a mountain, several hundred miles inland. My teeth were chattering over the phone, as the phone cord wouldn't reach the fireplace. The next day, as the storm moved eastward, my dear friend drove up and loaned me two electric radiators and an electric blanket, which delighted the kitten to no end. She wouldn't budge from that electric blanket except to eat and visit the litter box, then back to the blanket she stayed. (I must admit, I pretty much mimicked her!)
I placed one radiator in the bathroom and was forever grateful to warm up the icy cold toilet seat. Eventually the temperatures climbed back to the low 70's and I was able to shed a few layers of clothes and indulge in a sponge bath. The cat had enough of being cooped up inside, she was so used to our daily hikes, that she walked out on the screened in porch, ripped open a corner of the screen and took herself on a walkabout.
I patched the screen and scolded her, but she scampered off without a care. When she returned, I opened the door and scooped her up before she could track up the place with her wet muddy paws. I highly insulted her, by washing the sticky red mud off her legs and paws, before allowing her to roam the cabin. I can still see her sitting on the electric blanket with her ears folded back in disgust as she washed her "injured" paws and put herself right again. For the rest of the day, she refused to let me hold her, instead holding a grudge that wouldn't melt until the next day.
The rest of the summer, I was taunted by my friends for leaving the Caribbean to avoid hurricanes, and ending up in the middle of one anyhow.
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- oops report a tad late...
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:12:04 EDT
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86 degrees and sunny today. Nice soaking downpour last night to make the plants happy. Full moon was obscurred by clouds off and on throughout the night.
Tropical Storm Cristobal has formed about 100 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. WInds are currently at 40miles per hour. He's expected to travel up the coast. Yikes, this is prime season for southerners and others to be at the coast soaking up sunshine, dining on crabs and shrimp.
(Christobal? Crystal Ball?)
Bertha has become a hurricane again and is in the northern Atlantic. This is turning out to be the start of a wild weird hurricane season!
By the way, August 4-5-6 are Public Holidays in the BVI. We take our Festival seriously!
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- Full Moon Tongiht
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:53:03 EDT
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Last night all was quiet and still. The full moon bounced his reflection down across the harbor. All was quiet, not a bird, cricket nor dog or rooster was making a sound. Suddenly at 330am, the heavens opened up and the winds arrived and we had a tropical wave pass us with great gusto.
This morning, everything looks nice, clean and dewy. I can still see lots of brown patches across Tortola, but this heavy rainfall was able to soak in good, perhaps greening the place up again.
Tonight is the official FULL MOON. Since it falls on a Friday, you can bet the parties will probably be popular.
Speaking of betting, last year, we were able to bet on hurricane futures. But I wrote the website owners, when I didn't see anything listed for Bertha and was told by the professors in charge of it, that funding had not been forthcoming. Well, I thought the gamblers were supporting it, but what do I know? Not much.
I'm a gambler, obviously, I live in the Caribbean amongst pirates don't I? But my gambling is severely limited and since moving to Tortola, I haven't found a fun weekly poker game to enter. On St John, I was fortunate to have a weekly game going, though I was the only female (and thus the only mermaid) that gambled with the old boyz. It was great fun, and since they aren't around anymore, I can admit, I did quite well (like a good pirate!). Ah, the good old daze....
Tenacious Bertha refuses to weaken and is still careening around the North Atlantic with winds of 60 mph.
MORE HAPPENINGS:
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- Pray for Peace
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:03:24 EDT
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Tropical storm Bertha is still meandering around about 355 miles east-northeast of Bermuda. Bertha is moving towards the SOUTHEAST at 10 miles per hour.
Well, that is strange indeed! She better not come back at us.
At 1030am it is 85 degrees here with moderate breezes. No sign of the tropical wave yet.
Last night I was up at 330am and the full moon was clearly reflected in the flat calm waters of Sopers Hole in West End Tortola. I tried to catch it with my camera, but must have the settings wrong, or else my camera isn't fancy enough to catch a nighttime shot like that.
But it was beautiful! I tiptoed around outside, marveling at Mother Nature's creation and grateful to be alive to enjoy it.
ssssssssssssssssssssss
We are reeling from the shock of a double murder at Big Ben's parking lot near West End around 10pm last night. Two men were shot and killed. Police have no motive nor suspects. Names have not been released. This is the 4th murder of the year, all 4 are currently unsolved. SCARY!
What is happening to us? In a land where owning a gun is illegal, we've been plagued with gunpoint holdups and 4 murders by gunshot. Very sad.
I think of all the times I've made a late night run to that very store and could have very well been in the parking lot when this took place. During the afternoon and evening, many neighborhood folks hang out in the parking lot, chatting up gossip and drinking cold drinks from the store. I guess THAT will come to an abrupt halt. I've often stopped to chat, because someone I knew was there already. Even if I don't know the parking lot crowd, I usually say "Good Night" (locally that means hello, not good bye) when I pass by them to enter the store. The faces are often familiar, even if I don't know them all by name.
It's creepy to think murderer(s) are lurking amongst us. 
Pray for Peace in the BVI.
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- Sailing is Safe Again in the BVI
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:42:08 EDT
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Weather is gorgeous, sun is out with a few scattered clouds.
Many of you have written me about the new exorbitant "harbor" fees that were to take effect July 15th, well we are so very fortunate, that government came to their senses in the nick of time and the fees have been indefinitely deferred. Let's hope this is the last of this, but nonetheless, a committee has been set up.....
We've already received a big black eye around the world in the media, for trying to impose such fees. For instance a 50 foot yacht would have incurred additional fees of $787.50 per month for the privilege of being here in the glorious BVI.
Needless to say, we could have possibly gone from the sailing capital of the world to watching our marine industry bankrupt nearly overnight, as I imagine many boats would simply flee the area rather pay the increased fees. Furthermore it was to apply to our freighters delivering our food and cargo so our cost of living would soar even more while our marine economy eroded.
I am not alone in wondering if we were headed for doom and gloom, had this fee come into effect.
The government should realize that boats are readily movable assets, imagine the mass exodus if 90% of the boats chose to leave. Employees in the marine industry would be forced to flee, housing would sit empty, commercial space would become vacant and how this could be good for the local economy is mind boggling.
Whew, we are safe for now. HAPPY SAILING!!!
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- Sunshine back for a day
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:31:13 EDT
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Yesterday we had scattered dark showers throughout the day and evening. Now the sun is out and we are in the clear until another wave rolls in tomorrow, and yet another one this weekend, so we will be busy. We all need water so these rains are making us happy. My plants are perkier and I love that sound of water trickling into the cistern.
So far they've managed to get the street water about 50 feet away from the house. No idea, if or when they will get it any closer.
My hot water heater bit the dust again. *sigh*. At least it's summer and not as cold as winter *brrrrrrr*.
Gas is $4.05 at the Port Purcell Dominos in Road Town and $4.95 in West End. Hay to ride your donkey is up to $35 a bale. You just can't win. I try to go green and rarely use my car, but businesses in Tortola, just refuse to do business by phone, they always say "you have to come in person..." No matter what.
After eight months, the phone company called and said they were almost ready to move my phone. I told them to keep it. Eight months of people listening to my phone is disconnected after 10 years of having it on, is just ridiculous. I asked for my refund and she said "You have to come in person for that..."
Since the cell companies are at war with each other, I have a phone with each of them. They surcharge you if you call the "other" cell phones, so this way I don't get surcharged and use different phones for calling different people, depending on which system they are on. Complicated I know. What ever happened to the simple life?
When I first came here, tourists came here to get away from it all! The hotel rooms had no phones, no TV's, no radios, no air conditioining. A sign over the toilet reminded you to only flush if you must, if it's yellow, let it mellow. Some showers had pull chains to remind you to be ever so careful with the precious water. Hot water was never hooked up to sinks and not all hotels even offered hot water at all. Many folks just walked around and took the odd rusty taxi somewhere, fares were always for round trip and the taxi just often waited while you dined or shopped etc.
Now tourists come here to have it all, they want high speed wireless, cell phones, regular phones, faxes, TV's, DVD's, Ipods, Mp3's, VCR's, Air conditioing and street water (AKA desal water is available in most parts of the island.) They want to rent big SUV's then have the audacity to ask "Where is the best hamburger?"
Life has changed so much here, but the seas are still crystal clear and the beaches are awesome. The sailing is the best in the Caribbean. Life is good.
Seen in Road Town, this is a 3rd floor door to nowhere, but by golly the codes said every floor must have an emergency exit...
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- alive and wet
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:24:08 EDT
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The tropical wave passing over us has brought thick rains that obscure visibility down to less than a half mile. But as the rains dries up, visibility quickly returns.
The next tropical wave is due over us sometime this weekend.
It's 83 degrees with slight winds.
I wonder how Bermuda has faired with Bertha, as the correspondent from there hasn't posted since Monday afternoon.
************
Yahoo! I am legal again! Yippee! I have to renew my trade license and work permit every year. Of course they come due at different times of the year, somewhat frustrating. I turned my paperwork in early and was told I was too early and to take it away.
So then about four weeks before my permit was up, I turned it in again, after being told 2-3 weeks was sufficient time. Ha!
I call every week and am told it is not ready. I ask why and am transferred to a certain person that always had their voice mail on. Leaving a message is like talking into a seashell, you never get a call back.
Then like so many who live in the islands, I forget about days and they keep happening, one right after the other and suddenly I realize my work permit is due.
I frantically call labor and ask if it is ready and of course it isn't. I try to explain nothing has changed, it's the same renewal with identical info as the past umpteen years, what could possibly be wrong? I am transferred hither and yonder until I end up with voice mail. The one no one listens to. The one no one returns calls from. I hang up in disgust, after leaving yet ANOTHER message.
I call the following week and implore that now my permit is running late and what can we do to get this resolved? Another round of transfers and I am disconnected. The next day I take up my cause again. I am put on indefinite hold. My cell phone beeps the battery is dying. I sigh. I hang up and charge it.
The next day I call, surely my voice is sounding familiar by now, the same name, the same voice. I am told to come on Friday precisely between 845 and 245. That is a 5 hour window. What happened to 8 hour work days? Who cares?
I get there at 2pm with a novel and begin reading. Amazingly I am next in line for my permit and out comes the VISA to cover the hefty charges. Then I wait for my picture to be took. It looks awful. She takes another one. It looks worse. I tell her I really don't care. The camera is set for people with dark skin and thus my skin shows up freakishly pale, like I am lying in state in the morgue. Just like my drivers license. Both have hideous pics now. As a work permitter, we are required at all times to carry our work permit card. Should I punch a hole in it, wear it around my neck at the beach? It costs $75 a year just to buy the laminated card. Good heavens. Then when you turn in your ap for a new permit, they take the precious card away and replace it with a handwritten piece of paper. Go figure.
Next I take a number for immigration and resume my novel. Even though my number is next, the wait is lengthy. I read a few chapters and decide to take a nap. That usually works. They don't like nappers in the government waiting rooms.
Sure enough they wake me up by loudly calling my number repeatedly. I show up. Immigration looks at my passport and gives me a long mean lecture about being late.
Well, DUH, I wasn't late, labor was! Why don't they lecture labor on being late? It took them six weeks to process my paperwork in 3 minutes. Duh. If I performed that slowly at work, I would surely be fired. But I grin like the village idiot and apologize repeatedly for labor's mistake. Apparently I was supposed to show up and beg immigration for an extension because labor is late. Isn't this doubling up on the immigration work? Am I the only one that can see that?
Who cares? Nobody! Local civil servant jobs are coveted jobs that pay outrageously well, come with incredible benefits that often include a government car and free unlimited gas and car washes complete with hand waxing. Reserved parking spots are left empty nearly all day long, while everyone else is double parking and utilizing sidewalks and what have you. Taking lunch for 2-3-4 hours seems the norm. I once called all day for the same guy and from 11m until 4pm, I was told he was out to lunch! Where did he go for lunch? Puerto Rico?
Life is grand. I love it here. I AM LEGAL HERE. Yippee! Yahoo! I get to stay another year!
Support a silly Mermaid, buy a silly shirt or mug or coaster or BBQ apron or...
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- Monday Morning
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:05:15 EDT
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I'm running late. I had to herd cattle again...
Lately the island seems to have a lot of roaming cattle who prefer the roads
over the gardens. Go figure.
We're watching a low pressure system 1300 miles east of the Lesser
Antilles. It seems to be organziing into a tropical depression.
The center of Tropical Storm Bertha is about 75 miles
southeast of Bermuda. I read in today's report from Bermuda, that the
island is functioning normally in spite of the squally rains and 45 knots of
wind. I can tell you if we had those conditions in the BVI, 90% of the folks
would stay home! Of course we have mud slides and rock slides, that can
cut the roads off and you could end up stuck on the wrong part of the island,
well not the wrong part, but the part where you don't have a home or place of
employment and in that case, you're stuck on the wrong part! As in when we
had the floods of November a few years back and folks got stuck all over the
place, some sleeping in their car overnight.
So I admire those hearty Bermudans who treat 45 knot winds as
business as usual.
It's 85 degrees with balmy tradewinds here.
Last Night's
Sunset
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- You Can't Make Bertha Move, if Bertha Doesn't Want to Move
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:26:33 EDT
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BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM BERTHA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER
42A
200 PM AST SUN JUL 13 2008
...BERTHA HESITATES AGAIN...REFUSES
TO MOVE...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR BERMUDA.
~~~~~~~~
Rumors abound that Bertha could very
well turn tail ad head back for the Caribbean, but we hope not. Just that
usually when a hurricane sits, and stews, she gets stronger. In this case she
isn't strong at all, winds are only 65 miles per hour. Still, at that strength,
your garden can take a real beating and I sure wouldn't park a car near any
trees.
Time will tell what Fickle Bertha
decides to do next, even she is quite unsure of herself. This can lead to all
sorts of female jokes: women who can't make their mind up and so on.
I would just be a bit on edge, if I
was Bermuda now. I have never been there. Headed there twice in boats that
changed course. What a shame, I heard it was beautiful and neat; no garbage
blowing around the streets.
It's nice to see in the BVI, that a government
summer program is hiring youths to clean up the islands. If anything we need
year round cleaning. Too many folks still just tossin' there trash any where
they please. Not sure what's wrong with them, I imagine it's just pure laziness
and lack of caring.
My poor heap of a jeep, always seem to have
garbage in it, not sure where it all comes from, but eventually I park by the
dumpster, and empty it out of water bottles, plastic cups, straws, wrappers,
baggies.
When I lived on another island with my jeep
that wasn't a hard top, it had a soft roof, and I parked in the seaside village,
street people, wondering around with beers in their hands, would toss their
empties in the back of my jeep.
I once went sailing for a week, came back, and
the whole back of my jeep was piled high with beer bottles and cans and other
garbage. At least it wasn't on the ground, but annoying that my heap was being
used as a dumpster in my absence. I had removed the back seat when I bought it.
That particularly jeep ran great, but had suffered from a lot of rain damage
with the back seat exposed to the elements. I remember my friend and I trying to
rip it out and toss it in the dumpster.
We got the giggles, it was such an ugly seat.
We pried it loose with bear hands and when we were done, there was 4 rough small
rusty holes in the base of the jeep bed, where the rusty bolts just pulled right
through.
I filled those in with duct tape, and it kept
the mud from splashing up back there. Let's see, I guess that was my 81 heap of
a jeep, I bought around 91 when it was a mere 10 years old.
Well, I am positively spoiled now!
For ONCE in my life, I own a working vehicle,
that has a Radio and Air Conditioner, both working simultaneously. Oh my
goodness, who'd a thunk it... I feel so riveted.
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- internet FINALLY up!
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:46:13 EDT
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A tropical storm warning has been issued
for Bermuda. Big Bad Bertha is blowing winds at 85 miles per hour, enough to
still be called a category one hurricane. She is nearly stationary as if
stamping her feet, mad, like a little child scolded. Her eye is 210
miles southeast of Bermuda but tropical force winds extend 140 miles from her
center.
Time to RUSH to be prepared for the worst,
hope for the best and have a great hurricane party in the
meantime.
Here on Tortola, we have another wave
approaching and hopefully we will see some rain from it by Tuesday or so.
Yippee! The gardeners really whacked the garden something awful, and rains
would be quite welcome for the offended plants. For $20, I got my TV cable
spliced after they unwittingly sliced it with the chompers. I noticed they
had tried to twist the wires back together and buried them, in hopes I wouldn't
notice. Ha! Thanks guys...
Why the hurricane parties?
Well, once you are all boarded up,
shuttered in, the electricity typically goes off when winds hit 40-50 mph.
If you have gas for cooking, you can amuse yourself that way, because eventually
everything in your fridge will go off while your freezer goes into slow
defrosting. If you have cistern only, then your water is shut down, as you
need a pump for that.
Street water, may or may not work,
depending on whether you get it from a gravity fed reservoir or not. If you have
a generator you might be able to enjoy some power, but that depends on how much
fuel you have. Some generators have to cool off every few hours, particularly
the small portable ones. Once their tank is empty of gas, the generator is
typically nice and hot. If you pour gas into the tank and miss by the teeniest
bit, POOF you could have a gas fire on your hands. So typically the small
generators must be allowed to cool completely before refueling.
So there you are in the dark with not much
to do. You can light your candles, play with battery toys like radios. Assuming
you aren't alone, you can play games and talk. Some folks sleep right
thorough a hurricane, others can't because of the ominous sounds from
outside. If you have those fun little book
lights, you can curl up with a book.
But basically, your options are limited,
hence the hurricane parties. Cook up the food that is thawing, mix up a few
drinks while you still have ice and party onwards! Pray for the best,
expect the worst and whatever happens you end up with a hangover, no doubt.
One reason to get ready for a hurricane
EARLY is because if you wait until the last minute, you will find that
many businesses have already closed, so their employees can get the business
ready as well as go home and get their abode and family ready.
I spent an unfortunate hurricane, very ill
prepared. We rushed to get our boats ready, then realized we had no food on
either boat, save for a bag of dried apricots and almonds along with a half
bottle of rum and a full bottle of wine.
We ran to the store, and they were
closed! We had liberated what few battery operated things we had on the
boats, basically a few lights and a radio, a few books to read. We checked into
a sturdy hotel, with our bag of almonds and dried apricots.
Three days later, and I had grown to
despise those dried apricots. I hope I never see another dried apricot in my
lifetime!
I know you are wondering how come two
liveaboards had no food aboard. Well, my then boyfriend had stored his boat in
the yard months earlier and gave his food away. He had left the islands, but
then flown down after hurricane Luis and before Marilyn to check on his
damages. I had sailed over from another island to meet up with him, as I
had the week off work. During Luis, well before Luis, about 8-9 days earlier,
I had moved ashore with friends and taken my food off the boat then, which
was partially consumed during Luis, and the rest was left behind at my
friend's house, on the other island. I thought it would be rude to take it back
again.
So when I moved back aboard and decided to
sail over to Tortola to rendezvous with my boyfriend who was flying in, my boat
had no provisions.
We then ate out the next few days, not
realizing that Marilyn was really going to hit us and by the time she became a
possible threat, we rushed to protect my boat, which was still in the
water, as well as do all we could to protect my boyfriend's boat in the yard.
Then we walked to the store and it was closed, as were the bars and restaurants.
Oops!
The almonds and apricots, rum and
wine were leftover picnic provisions we had bought one day. During the
hurricane, the water in the hotel didn't work, so we would go out on the
balcony, hold our cups out in the rain, then drink that with a splash of rum
(rum and rain!)
The second story hotel room had a huge gap
under the door. The rain blew in horizontal and we found ourselves with about 2
inches of rainwater in the floor and no mop. It was pretty hot, so we took our
clothes off and laid down nude to read books,
each of us with a battery
book light.
I rolled over and noticed the ceiling fan
was vibrating. I jumped up and dressed quickly, in spite of the heat while
my boyfriend inquired why. I pointed to the ceiling and told him when the roof
blew, and sucked our clothes out, I didn't wish to be found naked, running
amok! He quickly dressed as well and we stuffed our spare clothes, wallets
and passports, under the mattress.
We survived, our boats survived. Many had
horrendous damages. As soon as the nearest bar opened, we showed up and ordered
food, which turned out to be a stew made of everything thawing in the freezer.
There was no electricity, the roof was blown off the bathrooms, and the chef was
cooking with gas by candle light. I think we ate two bowls each, we were
ravenous, and when we went to pay, we found to our delight, the food was free.
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- Keep guessing
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:27:15 EDT
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Hurricane Bertha keeps changing in strength and direction, fickle
as can be. I feel sorry for Bermuda, you might get ready for nothing, or
something. Our thoughts are with you.
Well it's going to be dry around here for the next week or so. We
need rains, time for the rain dance!
Internet is intermittant, so no idea when this will post. The
garenders yesterday used their choppers to whack off all the oleander flowers
and somehow, found my TV cable and gave it a whack too! So no more cable either.
THey failed to tell me, just tried to lamely twist the wires together and hope
for the best. Ugh.
I only watch TV in the middle of the night when I can't sleep.
Besides, it's the only time they aren't doing noisy construction that I can
actually HEAR the set anyhow. So last night I stayed up as late as I could doing
odds and ends, trying to wear myself out, so I wouldn't wake up and wonder where
the movies are. Grrrr. One more thing to fix. What a mess.
Got my jeep out of the shop and about fainted at the bill. Far more
than my budget allowed, I had a note "don't do anything major witout calling
me". They FORGOT I wrote that.
Well, I could only pay part of the bill. The rest will have to wait
until money grows on trees, tee hee hee. My main income dried up, the business I
worked for closed up on super short notice with no plans of reopening. Sad but
true. So I am beating the bushes to find more work. In slow season.
While so many are planning to close for their customary break of one to two to
three months. Argh. Life is what happens when you are planning something
else!
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- All Eyes on Bermuda
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- From: DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:12:33 EDT
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Good luck to Bermuda. You are going to need it. Bertha is big and
bad and definitely going to kick up some swells and high surf your way. If it
were me? I would be putting up shutters and propagating potted plants for
indoors, as well as stock up for the hurricane party. Bermuda is so teeny tiny
and Bertha is so big, one little hiccup and she could be on top of you.
Big Bad Bertha
Moving northwest at 9 mph with
Winds of 105 mph
I tried to call my friends in
Bermuda and I can't get through at all, so no idea what is happening there. They
have their boat there, so I expect they are pretty darn busy getting it ready
for a hurricane. Everything on the deck, including sails must come off and be
stowed below.
When I used to get my 30 footer
ready for a storm, by the time I emptied out the deck and cockpit and took the
sails off, my entire interior was practically full and I could barely move
around.
Once the storm passed, I had to
work a few days to empty the boat out again, just so I could move back aboard. I
don't stay aboard during a storm or hurricane. Mama didn't raise me to be a
fool.
After hurricane Luis, it took a
diver two days to unscramble my six anchors. Two had broken off and been
pirated, but I managed to pirate them right back. Grrrr. The nerve of some
people to start thieving anchors the minute a storm is over!
I heard recently the thief who
stole mine, eventually got a horrible disease and died. They say karma can come
back to bite you...
*****
This morning I tumbled out of
bed to the usual cacophony of jerk hammers, pounding nails, rusty concrete
mixers in bad need of oiling and a frequent dump truck moving dirt and rocks to
make parking lot level, where it once was vertical and unusable. I
worked late last night and was a few hours short of a good night's sleep.
The gardeners showed up to
weedwhack and finish the yard. Last night, I vaguely remembered the
mechanic had called because he had located the used parts, my heap of a jeep
required. Yep, you heard right. I do my shopping at the junk yards when my jeep
needs something. Saves a lot of money that way.
If it can't be located in the
junk yard, then I see if someone can rebuild the old part rather than sport for
new parts. Amazingly this system seems to work pretty well most of the time. I
just wish we could find a used radio to put in, I would love to have some tunes
to listen to. But you can't have everything. Especially in paradise.
I made my morning coffee in my
stainless
steel insulated gourmet coffee press. I wasn't quite awake, despite
the cold shower. Yep, the hot water tank blew up. Poof. Gone. I was
dead tired this morning and trying to wake up and get my heap of a jeep over to
the mechanic.
Anyhow, somehow, I managed to do
the plunger wrong and it has this fine stainless steel mesh to filter out the
coffee grounds.
On auto pilot, I poured the
coffee into my
mug, topped it up with a generous portion of cream (which is actually NIDO
milk powder mixed up at near double strength.)
With eyes at half mast, I took a
hefty gulp and got a mouth full of coffee grounds. Now THAT got my full
attention, though it did little to wake me up. Mostly just angered my
tired self.
I looked at the coffee press and
the plunger was cockeyed. Found a fine strainer and
strained out my coffee
mug and started all over again. Got the plunger set right
and so on with a great deal of sighing and muttering under my breath.
Meanwhile 3 cats are circling me
for their breakfast, their tails straight up in the air, as they do loops around
me, kinda like being in shark infested waters. I tripped over their wet
food bowl, washed it out and noticed now I had no water pressure. Dang.
This morning is starting off a bit rough.
Opened up their Fancy
Feast, using the pop off lid to slice it up into several portions and spread
it across the oval dish so that their 3 little furry heads could devour it, side
by side. I make them eat together out of one big oval bowl, to foster
peace and unity. They may have their occasional spats with each other,
sometimes taking swipes or even on the odd occasion, breaking out into a
fight,but they KNOW come meal time, they have to put their differences
aside and learn to eat together and at peace. Fancy
Feast canned is their favorite wet food, and when they are done,
they carefully and meticulously lick the bowl spotless. For this, we are
both grateful, as it leaves me little to wash out, just the odd piece of fur
that fell into the bowl while they quietly munched their
breakfast.
Somewhere in the house my cell
phone began playing tunes and after a thorough search, I found it at the
last second and answered it breathlessly. I am still wrapped up in my big
towel, I was a bit cold coming out of that cold shower (I know LAUGH, it's
82 degrees and I am COLD from my cold shower...)
It was the mechanic. He wanted
to know where my heap of a jeep was. I mumbled something about having a
rough start and not being organized enough yet to get it there
and...
The mechanic cheerfully
interrupts me and says he will simply come pick the jeep up, no need for me to
trouble myself further.
Only on Tortola. What a relief.
I race to get dressed, I can't
just walk out in my towel to stick the key in the car, two handymen are working
in the garden. After dressing, I go out and tell them the hot water tank
blew up and the water pump mash up. They groan and we manage to get the
water pump going again, but the hot water tank is one dead soldier, so we read
it it's last rites and now the waiting begins.
Will it be a day, week or month
before it is repaired? In de islands, mon, soon come... And dat means
maybe in 2 hours or 3 days or 4 months or next year. Kind of like Mañana
Man... with his motto: why do today what can be put of until
tomorrow...
Well, I am just grateful we have
NO hurricanes headed our way, and sorry that Bertha is threatening my friends in
Bermuda. Prayers and wishes to all!
*****
A round of applause to Benito
Wheatley who wrote an excellent article: Development
and Social Decline in the British Virgin IslandsPlatinum News Online - Tortola,British Virgin
Islands
In the wake of nearly three decades of unprecedented economic
growth, the British Virgin Islands has slipped into a period of
social decline. ...
It's a sobering article full of
well researched truths. 
~~~~~~~
84 degrees now, trade winds are
slow, sun it out and sky is a perfect azure shade.
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Even older reports from the BVI have been moved to another page.
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