Sisyphus

If you have to leave St John this is not a bad place to land twelve hours later!

For the first time in memory we bailed on a tree. That's it in the background with the red ornaments. There seemed to be some blahs in the air. True, the cost of trees is through the roof but the whole city seems pretty dull by standards. The usual displays of gi-normous trees looking professionally decorated were absent in most homes. 

Venice at the De Young

Museums and movies--most of the Academy nominees--take care of the cultural dt's for several months.

Only time in the US and third time out of Rome in 400 years.



 Interesting story behind the piece: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=166541

Yet another exhibit at the Legion. It's common to think of Pissarro as a leading Impressionist but Virgin Islanders tend to think of him as a local boy made good! Born and raised on St Thomas in 1830 when it was still Danish.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/2011/10/pissarro-s-people-home-san-francisco-s-legion-honor

One of the world's best settings for a museum. Virtually everyone has seen the Legion, one way or another.

Sixty five years later little has changed in this video from the museum to the city scenes.

Back on the rock....

Returned to St John after more than a month in SF which included a week long delay on my return flight. It was obvious I was going to miss my connection to St Thomas out of New York so I simply took a flight a week later rather than hassle with what could be nightmares in NY and later trying to get to St John, my truck and on to the shack. There's a good chance I'll have a flat and the truck may not start. I'm bringing a new ground cable with me. Denise was thrilled with the week delay.

A week later the truck wouldn't start and it had a flat! The cable worked and a can of fix a flat or whatever it is called got me to the gas station. The shack was in reasonable shape but the power had been off. The micro was showing "0" for time. However the bowl of ice cubes in the freezer still had their shape so the outage was less than a day so everything was still good. The chickens and cats were long gone as usual.

It's always something when I get back. This time it was the beginnings of mold/mildew. Before I had left I painted most of my skim coat patches with the remaining oil primer from the shutters. Sure enough all the places I didn't paint were showing mold. You can see a distinct line in the picture below.

It's a little disconcerting having been told this would not happen. More work. The rock just keeps rolling back down the hill. Next day jumped over to St Thomas on the barge for food and painting supplies. To sleep at night I'll have to paint the entire place with oil primer after washing the walls with bleach and setting up the scaffolding in the living room again.

Lesson learned--if you have to wash walls with bleach wear a respirator. I did not on the first day and it was nasty. It sort of sneaks up on you. It is not good! Is there such a thing as bleach poisoning!?

Two days to paint the place. Had to wear my respirator for oil primer.  Working with a respirator is a real pain in the ass.

This is what happens when things break in paradise. Watch the video. Forty two days!

The mold issue really psyched me out. Even though the oil paint seemed to solve the problem I thought I kept seeing some starting here and there. I had to get an eggshell finish coat up with some extra mold/mildew additives thrown in. Painting was not part of the master plan at this time. Finishing the window shutters and trimming out the interior was. Whatever work I do now I'll have to do again at some point. I could not wait for a final color decision with Denise. I bought  a color that I thought would be close and painted with the knowledge that ultimately I would have to put up a second coat. I could adjust it then. I left the other rooms with just the oil and every time I thought I saw something, real or imagined, I washed the wall with bleach.

The last of the window shutters being constructed

This is not what you want to see at the bottom of your coffee cup after the last sip! One of my close friends.


Just another "moderate slope" build!

Things are taking shape



Eric Clapton drops the hook in Coral Bay.I would have preferred Jimmy Page but.... 

When we dry out we look like California in the dry season.

A lousy way to start the new year. Hovensa decided to close its refinery on St Croix. This is the VI's largest employer with good paying jobs. Not to mention it supplies us with all our energy needs. Two thousand jobs on an island of fifty thousand. Try to imagine 10% of your community being laid off on the same day and no one could leave town. Not good.

He was run over in his dingy one morning by the Caneel passenger ferry, shown below, at 6 am in Cruz Bay. He's in very bad shape in a Florida hospital.

Well its not all work and no play. My friend Roger called and asked if I could help a friend of his bring a boat over from Tortola. After a careful review of my non existent social calender I grudgingly said okay. Coincidentally my friend Thor was also returning to St John from a sailboat delivery. We jumped over to Road Town, Tortola along with Fran, Roger's wife. His boat was at Moorings. Here's their promo.

John's 42' is in there somewhere




Waiting to clear customs for our sail to St John

Sailing to St John

A perfect day was had by all. John wondered if we would be interested in cruising for several days around the Virgins. That's how I got roped into sailing the islands! ;~))

We over nighted at Norman and with an early start made the Baths at Virgin Gorda by ten.




The Baths at the east end of Virgin Gorda

Thor and I amongst the rocks

the Caves

We made for Cooper by night fall. Cooper has a nice layout with a great bar. As it turns out we had looked at some property online there many years prior. I got to see it in person. St John was a much better choice. Cooper went from remote and sleepy to a small bustling resort and a favored yacht destination.

http://www.cooperislandbeachclub.com/look/

Captain John

It was a great three days. Don't hate me but John wants to do it again next December for a week!

Sisyphus will get back to the house tomorrow.....

I never saw the kittens again.