Our B.V.I. Adventure

On Sunday, we did what any good host and hostess would do...

We personally escorted our guests, Cristall and Will, to their next destination:  The Westin on St. John in the USVI.  The Harkins were blessed with magnificent weather during their stay.  We thoroughly enjoyed the ferry ride out of West End, as did this seagull that soared above the boat most of the way.
When we weren't ducking from the bird overhead, Michael and Cristall took turns posing at the top of the ferry...

The pool at the Westin was the perfect way to spend our Sunday.  We had lunch on the beach and recommend the fish tacos and Caribbean pulled pork sandwich to anyone heading there on vacation!
It was hard to say goodbye to Cristall and Will, but it was time for the two of them to explore St. John on their own...  So, it was back to Tortola for us, not before getting Mexican food at Margarita Phil's to take back to Tortola!  (We can't resist! We go there every time!)

Cristall and Will, we loved having you here!  You are welcome back anytime!

Unfortunately the rain during Caty and Matt's visit kept us off the beach for a few days, but that's the perfect reason to head to St. John for a little retail therapy.  Who needs sunny skies when you've got boutiques that take American Express?  :)  We also stopped in the local pub, St. John's Brewers - a must if you like hoppy beers and flavors like mango and coriander mixed with citrus. 


The delicious Mexican Food at Margarita Phil's and the great finds at St. John Editions however weren't the highlight of this day...

Michael ran into a fraternity brother from his days at the University of Tennessee!  Shane and his girlfriend Anna, who live in Nashville, were staying on St. John for a fun-filled week of limin' and scuba diving. 


 What a small world!  These guys hadn't seen eachother in at least four years!

Amex in hand, we headed for the USVI on Day 353.  Normally, this means catching a ferry from either Road Town or West End, but our friends Louise and Richard elected to take their boat, Lady Sol since the conditions were so perfect.  Flat water and no wind made for a smooth (and more importantly dry) trip!
We "cleared" through Cruz Bay on St. John. This means we went through Customs there and got the necessary paperwork for the boat, which allowed us to legally motor in US waters.  We grabbed a coffee at a charming little bakery and headed for Red Hook on St. Thomas. 

Check out this member of the welcoming committee there...yikes!  He gave me quite the startle!  I think it's a he...
 We hitched a ride on the open-air "dollar bus" - Charlotte Amalie bound!
We enjoyed a yummy lunch at W!kked in The Galleria at Yacht Haven Grande.  The shops there include Louis Vuitton, Gucci, BCBG, just to name a few! 

The big winner of the day, however, was K Mart, yes K Mart.  When you live on an island where a generic microwave costs upwards of $250, it was fiscally responsible of us to shop there and stock up on essentials, from scotch tape to "toilet rolls."  :)
The most gorgeous part of day came as the sun was setting over St. Thomas. 
While boating in the dark isn't necessarily what any of us had in mind when we started out, it was a beautiful view.  We had to go back through Customs in the BVI and settle up with the Duty Officer before navigating the Sir Francis Drake Channel, again, in complete darkness. 

Richard did a stellar job as "captain" and returned us safely back to the docks at Nanny Cay.

You know, after writing this, I'm amazed at the energy expended in the name of retail.  While it was the most enjoyable day, don't get me wrong, I just think about the lengths people (in this case, us!) will go to when it comes to shopping.

SO, if a short car ride happens to separate you from a mall or shopping center, will you do me a favor?  Savor that convenient little drive, free parking, and selection of stores stuffed with the latest and greatest!

Reciprocally, we will savor the sunshine and warm temperatures this holiday season while many of you are bundled up and scraping ice from your windshields so you can take aforementioned trip to the shopping mall!

Merry Christmas!

It was no Soccer Taco, but on Day 171, we headed over to St. John and had lunch at Margarita Phil's.  It was completely worth the ferry ride!  Just look at that margarita!!! 

This week's Signage Sunday isn't coming from the island of Tortola - nor is it coming from the coast of Texas as it would have you believe. 

This sign is located on nearby St. John, part of the USVI!  That's right - JJ's, Texas Coast Cafe is on the coast of St. John - it makes perfect sense if you think about it...  Okay, I just thought about it again and I'm still at a loss.  According to TripAdvisor, they have a great breakfast, kind of like Texas, so that's a good thing! 

Michael and I went to St. John on Day 125 (last Saturday).  We grabbed lunch at High Tide.  It was delicious!  Check out Michael's fish tacos, with a side of Blackberry, of course:


While my mahi mahi sliders were wonderful, I was in the mood for crab, after these two crustaceans welcomed us at the ferry dock as we arrived in St. John:

We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon on St. John.  We also ran into some of our long lost friends over there.  Kate was there, as was Lilly, Shep, Ian, Milly and who can forget Smathers and Branson?  If you're a shopaholic like me, you've probably figured out that these "friends" we ran into were in the form of clothing brands.  (Kate Spade, Lilly Pulitzer, Shep & Ian of Vineyard Vines, etc...)  We were in heaven at an adorable boutique called Nell!

It was a great trip and a reasonable ferry ride - only 25 minutes from West End.