St. Croix-Aren't we Lucky to live Here-A Medley

 

Steeple Building is getting its shingles replaced today

Anyone going through Christiansted for the next five days will have to put up with some slow down. The steeple building is getting a well deserved face lift. New shingles, matched as well as possible to the historic ones, have to be installed.  In order to do this in the middle of town the contractors will be following the practice used in the past to replace them.

What this means is the top has to come off so the carpenters can work safely doing the replacement. To take the top off a large crane will be put in place to lift it down to the ground. The crane will impact the road and traffic will have to be diverted while it is in place. The roof will be repaired, the crane will put it back on and then be removed so traffic can flow smoothly again.

If you have ever wondered how a pig gets roasted this is the first step

Last weekend after a long swim we ended up having coffee at Bernies in F'sted. The owner was having a birthday bash latter that day and friends were preparing the pig to roast. i like to take pictures of all sorts of things and although it looks gross its interesting too. Notice the way it is attached and the seasoning sticking to the skin.

We have such interesting road side stands...love the hats

One of the really great things about driving around St. Croix is you never know what you will see. This stand really caught my attention with all the hats hung out for everyone to view. i hope the owner had a good day.

I love Century Plants and this one is just getting started

Massacred by a crazy bush wacker

A few years ago an amazing Century Plant at the bottom of my driveway decorated the skies with the most incredible curves you have ever seen. A big C that grew into an S and then flowered. i have scoured the entire island for years trying to capture another one and so far nada. Pictures of the curvaceous one are in the August 2008 blog. This one caught my eye the other day because the top had a bit of a curve so i'll be watching carefully to see what it does. Another one that had promise and was in a spectacular spot had its top lopped off by an over zealous bush wacking machine. i can hardly pass it without lamenting its demise. Don't they realize how many years it takes to even get to the flowering stage?

Where are the surfers?

Beautiful waves have been pounding the shores this past week and when waves and weather combined to deliver that "aren't we so lucky to live here feeling" i went out to take pics and just enjoy everything. i was amazed to find no one surfing these waves in a spot that is usually full.

So much character, I love this boat

 This island has so many beautiful things to photograph and enjoy it just never ceases to astound me. My underwater camera broke when i dropped it so i missed some spectacular pictures of a very large octopus regaling us with his ability to camouflage himself yesterday. He went through all the hues from bone white to a complete blend in with some dark coral. We also had an outstanding Moray Eel that was a brilliant green and completely exposed, he wrapped himself around one of those hated Lion fish, which are really quite beautiful, and just moved on. The turtles, fish and general good feel made for an outstanding day in the water.

Tanker waiting to unload, sun reflecting off its port side

Tankers can be beautiful too when they are waiting just off shore to be called into the refinery. This one had the sun reflecting off its port side and made a small statement in a huge sea of blue. And finally the moon. Sometimes we get so busy we forget to look around and enjoy the small things. Everyone lives in a place that has its own beauty, capture it, look for it, savor it. Connecting is important in personal relationships but it is also important to connect with your environment. Try to do a little bit of connecting each and every day. See ya next week.

The moon last night