Our B.V.I. Adventure

What's wrong with that above sentence?  Well, nothing if you are in the United States of America today, which sadly, we are not.  I'm not going to let my latitude stop me!  In fact, I've used this salutation several times already.  We had a pre-Thanksgiving Feast last night with some of our American friends and I made a point to say it to everyone there.  (Huge thanks to Larry, Gabby and Tony for sharing your culinary skills with us!)

This will be our fourth American holiday celebration in the BVI and if the "celebrations" for the last three are any indication, today won't resemble anything like a traditional Thanksgiving.

Let's see...where were we on Memorial Day?  That's right - Michael worked and I took our visitors, KK, Lauren and JMac swimming with the dolphins then over to Marina Cay for an afternoon at the beach.  Not bad actually.

Fourth of July?  Oh, I remember!  Michael's band had a gig at The Elm.  That's the night Da Tree Men played the song, Jost van Dyke for the first time!  Not necessarily patriotic...but it was fun!

And the only thing I remember about Labor Day was the water shortage we faced at the time.

As I type this, Michael is already at work...no sleeping in, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, lounging around or watching football for him.  I will find away to keep one tradition alive and that's making my signature Thanksgiving dish:  dressing.  We've accepted the kind invitation of another group of friends and I get to bring the dressing tonight.

So, Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!  Even though we are away from our families today {which I have to admit is a lot harder than I thought it would be!}, we have so many reasons to give thanks today. 

I think Freeman Roger's list is a pretty good place to start...

As I was reading the various BVI online publications this morning, I ran across a funny headline...

"Armed men caught attempting to rob RT police station"

The story doesn't offer up much more detail than that.  Three men broke into the police station in the early morning hours and were apprehended by a police officer - you guessed it - who was working there at the time. 

Over on BVI Platinum the headline of the story refers to the robbery as a "police station invasion!"

Come on guys!  Please don't make me submit this to Dumb Criminals.

Of the five Pusser's locations, which ones did you visit on your trip? (Road Town Pub, Pusser's East, Marina Cay, Soper's Hole, or Leverick Bay)

Answer(s): We only ate at Pusser's East but we did drive by the Road Town Pub 734 times. Okay, okay. It only felt like 734 times. It was probably closer to 16 or 20.

What restaurant has the sturdiest chairs?
A) Nanny Cay
B) Jolly Roger
C) Pusser's East
D) The Elm
E) None of the above
Answer(s): While the chairs at all these establishments are outstanding, the Jolly Roger is the best place to visit if you like chairs that look sturdy but are actually cracked. The cracked chair leg makes for a fun, although somewhat painful, slow motion ride to the floor. Let the good times roll. Literally.(He is so perfectly describing my slow and painful fall, not his own.  I hit my head on the specials board which then fell over and pinned Travis in his upright chair!  What a mess!)
What was your favorite wake-up call?
A) The roosters
B) The sun
C) Milly politely barking at my bedside, her way of asking for assistance in getting on the bed
D) The smell of bacon
E) None of the above (I'm not a morning person.)
Answer(s):
F) All of the above. It wouldn't be a Tortola morning without hearing the 1,931 voices of the Crowing Rooster Choir sweetly announcing the arrival of the morning sun. After hearing of the torrential rains of the "rainy season" I was thrilled to wake up to blue skies and sunshine every day of my visit. Ms. Milly is a rock star and the bacon, grits, waffles, and OJ at the Daniels Café are outstanding! All in all, the mornings were pleasant even though I'm not a morning person at all. True or False:
The slide and overall pool experience at Scrub Island puts Dollywood Splash Country to shame.
Answer:
True. I did enjoy the slide, infinity pool, hot tub, company, and the serene setting overlooking the ocean at Scrub Island. However, there is something to be said for thousands of overweight, tattooed, bikini and jort clad rednecks prancing and dancing around in a waterpark induced high that tugs at my heart and brings a tear to my eye. It truly is a tough call on this one.
Finish the following sentence:
The thing that had changed the most since my last visit was...
Answer(s):
1) The accommodations at Chateau Daniels are much more refined and comfortable. They were good before but now they're outstanding!
2) The roads. Just when I thought the roads couldn't get any worse, torrential rains set in. Potholes galore. Enough said.
It was great having you here Travis!  You are such the comic relief in any situation...even when I'm the one falling out of my chair! 

In the afternoon we accepted the kind invitation from our new friends, Louise and Richard to join them for an afternoon of wakeboarding!  Michael loves this sport and until now, he hasn't had the opportunity in the BVI.  Louise and Richard, both from England, have lived in the BVI going on three years now, but just recently started wakeboarding.  You wouldn't know it though - just watch them go!  First up?  Louise!

Michael picked it back up as if no time had passed from his days on Lake Holiday...
This next shot is the only one I caught of any of the wakeboarders in mid-air!  This was actually the last run of the day - Richard finished strong!
Oh, and you might  be wondering - where are the photos of yours truly weaving in and out of the waves?  Unfortunately there are none.  There are several embarrasing videos of me attempting to wakeboard.  I did manage to get up two of the seven attempts, but it was short-lived.  Maybe next time? 

Here's one last shot...love the sun in this one.  That's Michael on the board.

We also stopped off at a beach that's technically on Tortola, although it's only about 40 feet wide.  We haven't come up with a name for this beach just yet, but we're working on it...
This beach has a clear view of the airport and we timed it just right!  Travis's plane was scheduled to leave at noon and sure enough we were able to watch his take-off! 
We also paid a visit to the conch mound again and I found a really pretty shell.  I expect it will soon take residence on our bookshelf in the living room.  I first need to get rid of the smell!  (Blah!)  A little bit of bleach and water should do the trick...

Pusser's East recently unveiled a new menu and I just had to take Travis back there, considering it was one of his favorite restaurant experiences the last time he was in the BVI...

We started off with some cocktails: the Naked Lorna and the classic Bushwhacker.  Andre was tending bar so these were extra delicious!

For dinner we both had the fish tacos, made with fresh, grilled mahi, cabbage, tomatoes, housemade pickles and new spicy aoli that was most definitely spicy!  Yum!

Afterwards we headed to Nanny Cay where Da Tree Men were playing for the Carib 1500 - the largest and longest sailing race.  The boats set sail on November 7th from Hampton, Virginia and arrived in the BVI on November 18th!  Long trip!

This was Travis's first time hearing the band - I think he enjoyed it!
Oh, and the band became "Da Tree Men and a Lady" when a crew member of the boat Smidge got up and sang House of the Rising Sun.  She killed it! 

Our friend Travis arrived in the BVI on Day 336!  Whoo hoo!  It was great to see him again.  {Faithful readers may remember that Travis paid us a visit back in February.}

Other than family, Travis is our first repeat customer!  Like so many of our friends who come to visit, he packed more than swim trunks and flip flops in those suitcases...

He brought us some of our favorites from the grocery store, like grits and the makings for jambalaya and gumbo.  Can't forget the Keurig K-cups either!  A few more of our bath towels.  The most important import was the new underwater Olympus Stylus Tough camera!  I was able to order it online at BestBuy.com and select "in-store pick-up by friend."  How cool is that?!?

Underwater pics to come!