The lack of public interest there is not what bothers me. What does bother me is the fact that when we had tuna sashimi at the Deck Bar (it was fantastic, as were the sushi rolls Maggie prepared for us), and asked whether it was caught by our local fisherman in our waters, we were told that no, it came from FL. It may actually have come from our waters but if it was, it came through a distributor there.

Our local fisherman have been having difficulty catching tuna recently, and this is the sad part, because there are Japanese floating fish factories in the waters down island taking everything they can from the sea. Many of the migratory fish don’t make it back up here.

When we were in St. Vincent, we saw evidence of this. Not only did we see the trawlers, but when we snorkeled, we saw only tiny reef fish. The governments down island have sold water rights to other countries in exchange for having  marketplaces or soccer stadiums built. This makes me sad. Because the island people who have already very little (the agricultural economy seems to be less healthy than it had been in the past, as well), cannot now find fish to feed their families.

We have heard of other island nations selling their votes in favor of ending the moratorium on whaling to Japan as well.

It makes me wonder about the future of our little planet. It truly does.

Well, they didn’t but it was good to have a new appraisal done on the house, and updated paperwork with Michael’s name on it rather than my ex’s, and increased insurance coverage just in time for the height of hurricane season.

We went in on Friday for an hour of signing our names on the many forms and papers included in our packet. But our banker forgot to include flood insurance, so he had to make changes and we had to re-sign a few of them on Monday.

Yesterday, we receive word from him that, since we’d wanted to put the house in trust, we’d have to re-sign all of the papers and add the words “as co trustee for the ************ trust”. So this morning we sat and hand wrote our signatures and “as co trustee for the ************* trust” on papers we had already signed, even though it was typed beneath the signature line. There were twenty-six pages!!

I just kept giggling thinking of the absurdity of this. But at least it’s done (we hope) !

Also, I’m very excited because I’m on Donna’s list. We got an e-mail from the office of the Delegate to Congress, Donna M. Christian-Christensen about a “St. Croix National Heritage Areas Study Meeting”. This is being run in conjunction with the National Park Service. Meetings will be held from 6:30-7:30pm, the first one on Thursday evening, July 24th, at the American Legion Hall, Hospital Street, C’sted; and also on Friday, July 25th at Pier 69’s courtyard, F’sted. After the F’sted meeting, there will be a cultural presentation from 7:30 until. Another meeting will be held at UVI’s Great Hall on Monday, July 28th. again at 6:30.

They invite the entire community to participate. “Please come out and share your ideas, concerns, suggestions, and visions for the future of a possible National Heritage Area on St. Croix.”

For more information on the public meetings, contact delegate Christensen’s office at 778-5900. For additional information on the cultural presentation, contact Frandelle Girard at 719-5455, or chantvi@viaccess.net.

By the time our food arrived, however, the sailors were all safely back in the club house. It was a fun idea. We just don’t know why the kitchen took over 1/2 hour to get 2 bacon cheeseburgers and an order of sushi out to us. All in all, we had a nice time with good company .

Anyway, Saturday night, we went to a party in Judith’s Fancy. This was such a large affair that guests would need to park at the gate and be shuttled by taxi van to the villa.

There were plenty of people we knew waiting in the parking area with us, and fortunately there was a bit of a breeze, so we didn’t melt. Three the taxi vans had been hired, and when two finally got to us, we did not fit in the larger one. We got the 7 passenger model. It would have been fine except that the driver had some sort of death wish for us or something. There are numerous speed bumps in this neighborhood. But rather than driving at a sane speed between the bumps, this guy sped up. He’d gun the vehicle from one bump to the next and have to slam on the brakes when we got to the next one. We felt as if we’d go flying through the windshield! It was absurd!

At one point there were kids on bicycles and a dog walking on the side of the road. Do you think this guy slowed down? Hell no! He wasn’t right on top of the next speed bump yet!

The strangest thing was, when we got to the top of the driveway leading down to the villa, he stopped and left the van to make sure there was no other van waiting to come up. We were left to wait for him. So….what was his great hurry, we wondered?

We’re not in the driving business per se, but we do know that you use up more gasoline with that type of driving. This taxi driver should know that, and he should take better care of his passengers, the neighborhood kids and his gasoline buying dollars. Duh!

Anyway, the party was great. Lots of smart, successful people, great food and wine, music and dancing, and folks jumping in the pool with their clothes on. Fabulous!

After all that fun, Sunday was a work day. I had a couple of clients and Michael worked on the pool and the Pumpkin. I got a little painting done and managed to get more paint on the wood than in may hair. Not too bad for an after-party attempt!!

It’s where”Mango Court” used to be. Alas the huge mango tree is gone, but the courtyard has been transformed into a welcoming space. This is good to know, since Christine’s, Café Fresco and the Pickled Greek are not open for lunch for the next few weeks.

Clayton offers a half-dozen or so coffees ranging from extreme in caffeine content, to something I can drink without bouncing off the walls (French Vanilla…Mmmmm!). Bagels with salmon and cream cheese, quiches and yummy muffins round out the breakfast options. Check for daily specials.

Sandwiches and salads to go with your midday Java are served until around 3pm. After that, you can have a coffee at tea time. Frozen cappucino frappé-type thingies swirl around in freezey blending machines. Stop by and give one a try for your afternoon kick before happy hour!

Hours are 7am - 4pm Monday through Saturday. Namasté!

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, ‘Who’s on First?’ might have turned out something like this:

“We need to rediscover our earth in the face of our God and creator and to re-find our responsibilities in front of our maker and the creatures of the earth he has placed in our hands in trust,” he said.

“We need to reawaken our conscience … I want to give impulse to rediscovering our responsibilities and to finding an ethical way to change our way of life and ways to respond to these great challenges.”

Believers in the “God” the pope speaks of, should pay heed. I imagine they also believe in hell and do not want to spend eternity there for ignoring the problems caused by excessive development and consumption.

We need to “change our way of life….”, he says.

Well, this is not news to us. There are numerous reasons we left the “American lifestyle” of develop and consume with no regard to the finite and beautiful planet we all inhabit. We want something better for all, and St. Croix can be a shining example of conservation and environmentally responsible development and tourism.

Too many people here are trying to follow the examples of too many others who have made grave mistakes in the stewardship of our environment. Why can’t we be world leaders in forward thinking rather than blind followers of outdated methods?

Go Pontiff!!!

He does miraculous things and always wins against Voldemort. The “god” in the bible often seems to act like an agent of evil. He smites people. Even innocent people. Ever been smote? Sounds like it might hurt.

Harry Potter would never smite any one except if they were trying to kill him or cause harm to someone else.

He rarely, if ever does harm to animals, no matter how big or mean or ugly they are (unless, again, if it’s totally in self-defense). In the bible, “god” makes people sacrifice animals, and their own children!

Harry Potter respects the women in his life as well as those who look nothing like him, like Hagrid.

He’s young and energetic. I think those are good qualities to have in a “god”. He’s also cute, and I like his accent. Sounds like the perfect “god of the world”!

People expecting to go to Buck Island and be allowed to terrorize snorkelers should read more about the park rules and policies at http://www.nps.gov/buis/planyourvisit/things2know.htm

However, since deJongh took office, we have seen the Christiansted by-pass begin. We have also seen more activity on the south shore from the “Golden Gaming” aka “Wyndham St. Croix” project.

We KNOW that this project cannot even begin, since the “permits” Golden and his proposed project has procured are ILLEGAL!!! [Point #1…the CZM board which originally voted to grant Golden a permit did not have a quorum (this means there were not enough voting members present to conduct business that day)].

They should have just gone home…or put off the question to a later date. But the local CZM board proceeded. Ignoring the law. There are many more complicated legal issues that this proposed project has, but we continue to see illegal activity in this area of particular concern (APC).

It seems to be an ongoing problem with this project. Currently, there is a gigantic sign, of billboard proportions, being erected at the entrance to the property Golden/Wyndham purports to be theirs. After repeated calls to government agencies, it appears that there has been no permit issued for this sign.

Everyone I have spoken to this morning has “passed the buck” . My latest written and spoken contacts with agencies involved (including the governor), speak about my concerns regarding federal funding for the territory. I would hate to see federal funding (which lends these agencies credibility) be suspended due to impropriety.

Temporary jobs for the people do not solve the entrenched problems that keep our island oppressed (downpressed) in the long run.

Let’s hope the deJongh administration sees the errors of the ways of the previous administrations and rises toward making St. Croix into the unique and precious gem of the Caribbean that it truly is…