Our B.V.I. Adventure

We enjoyed a leisurely morning stroll through the Caribbean Arts Festival today.  The weather was perfect for it.  Anna Drake enjoyed her view from the Baby Bjorn.
The festival, which was held at Trellis Bay (also the site of the Full Moon Parties) featured local artists as well as many from other islands like St. Thomas and St. Maarten.  My favorite piece was this abstract on plywood of Tortola's waterfront in Road Town.

The artist was on hand creating another work during the festival.  She doesn't use the bright, cheery colors that are typical of Caribbean art.  I think that's what I like about it...  The black, white and shades of grey work harder to tell the story.

We also enjoyed yummy lattes at D' Best Cup Coffee.  (Okay, and we also had one massive chocolate chip cookie.)  With no Starbucks on the island, this is about as close as we can get.  

Michael and I enjoyed our first "date night" since arriving back on island.  And where did we head for our romantic night out?  The Dove, of course!

We enjoyed a delicious meal, as always, that included champagne cocktails, PEI mussels in a creamy artichoke sauce, an amuse-bouche that consisted of a salty shrimp sushi roll, followed by perfectly prepared Dove steaks.

Oh, and I can't forget the delicious chocolate dessert!  Our wonderful waitress, Lauren, informed us our dessert and after dinner drinks were compliments of the owners and dear friends, Paloma and Scott, in honor of our first date night back on island.  How sweet!?!

Apple Bay is the hot spot for surfers on Tortola.  The break in front of Bomba Shack attracts surfers day after day, but on Saturday it was almost crowded out there.  Take a look at this video I shot while watching from the sidelines:



It makes me wish I could surf...  Instead I'll stick to my flat-water paddle boarding.  (Sigh.)

In honor of the BVI's longest serving Chief Minister, we're taking the day off along with the rest of the territory.  Today is a public holiday - one of four holidays in March!

Hamilton Lavity Stoutt was not only the longest serving Chief Minister, he was the first.  Since his death in 1995, the BVI has declared his birthday a public holiday.  We'll take it!

The beach is beckoning...

The Noble Duke of York; he had two thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill; And he marched them down again
And when they're up, they're up; And when they're down, they're down
And when they're only halfway up; They're neither up nor down

Prince Richard, who's the youngest grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, will take part in several public events while on Tortola.  The guidelines for interacting with His Royal Highness are floating around Facebook, though they were originally published on the government's website.

Most of our UK-citizen friends that live here wouldn't necessarily classify themselves as "royalists" but I imagine the Duke will receive a warm welcome from locals and expats alike.  We're thinking of meeting up with his Highness along his tour of the territory.  He plans to take a walk down in Cane Garden Bay and see the Callwood Rum Distillery (something we've yet to do ourselves!)  I wonder what the protocol is for taking photos with him...

Of course, all of the royal rules went out the window when Prince Harry visited Belize this weekend.  Have you seen the footage of him drinking and dancing during a street party?  Maybe we should get the Duke over to Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost van Dyke for a painkiller...

We're getting into a routine on Saturdays...

It starts off with an early morning SUP at Smuggler's Cove.  The drive to West End gives Anna Drake a chance to nap.  I love her reaction when she wakes up on the beach. Michael and I take turns on the paddleboard, before taking Anna Drake for a swim.  She is loving the water more and more.



Then, we headed back to the pool for a quick dip and some "limin'" under the big umbrellas.  By 3:00, it was time to head home for afternoon naps.  Yes, plural.  We had to take naps too!    

So remember how I poked fun at Michael for throwing around British-isms?  Well, I'm guilty of it too apparently.  We had Anna Drake's 4-month check-up this week, which included her "jabs" (aka vaccinations.)  

All of the mums (whoops! there I go again) refer to the shots as "jabs," and if you've ever held your infant while he or she has been stuck with a needle, the term is pretty accurate.  This is the "before shot."

While getting her jabs was for the most part unpleasant, our surroundings at Penn Medical were lovely.  This doctor's office has the best view on the island!  Check it out:


We were so proud of our little girl, and very relieved to have such a wonderful, caring staff looking after her in the BVI.