St. John Talk Blog

Some of us just aren’t so obvious about it…

Happy St. Paddy’s day to one and all!

We recently learned that the rental vehicle of preference on St. John in the 60s and 70s was the Mini-Moke.  I had no idea what that was or who made it.  So, I did a little research online.  Wikipedia has this to say about the Mini-Moke.  It was designed for British Motor Company who makes the Mini we all know.  The Mini-Moke in fact shared many parts with the Mini.  It was a 4-speed transmission that was produced between 1964-1993.

Like the Minis, the Mini-Moke may be revamped and reintroduced.  A concept car has been developed.

In any event, I thought it was kind of cool that this is how people tooled around the island 30 or so years ago.  Now, I want one.

Today marks the beginning of the 2008 International Rolex Regatta. You could watch some of the goings on right from our deck this morning. Check out some of the racing boats:

Well, it should come as a surprise to no one that Casey is not allowed to come with us to any many public places as she was in Zurich. She’s basically unwelcome in restaurants, stores, supermarkets and the most of the beaches which are part of the National Park. Sensing this, Casey has taken the matter into her own hands; she has decided that if she cannot go to these places with us, she’s going to…

DRIVE! 

That’ll show ‘em. In fact, we took her with us to pick up a pizza the other night. When we went in to order the pizza and wait (almost an hour!) for it, little miss sunshine here scrambled to the front seat to watch us inside the restaurant. We thought it was a cute picture so we took it.

We have actually found a number of restaurants where Casey is welcome on the deck or outdoors. This is due, in part, to the fact that she is well-behaved. Perhaps in a future post we can give a plug to the sort-of pet-friendly places we’ve found.

In the meantime, keep off the streets of St. John, Casey’s drivin’!

So, several years ago we bought Casey a collar on St. John; it’s sort of rainbow-ish and is says “Island Dog” on it.  Yes, sometimes we plan in advance.  I’ll add a picture of the collar when we’re a little more settled.

The other day we were at the house with Casey and one of the guys working on the house (on the railing, I think) asked me if she knew who her daddy is.  I said, “Of course” (thinking he meant me).

He replied, “Well then, she can’t be an island dog, man.”

It took me a while to get it.  Do you get it?  If not, let me know, I’ll explain.

Approximately 50 Virgin Islands troops from the V.I. Army National Guard 652nd Engineering Detachment are leaving today for active duty in the Middle East in support of the U.S.-led fight against terrorism.

Godspeed.

Beginning in March 2005, inspectors will begin new property valuations in the VI.

According to this story, an earthquake was felt on the northern Virgin Islands on Saturday, December 11, 2004.

The Puerto Rico Seismic Network called it a 4.5 on the Richter Scale, but the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. measured it at 5.2 on the Richter Scale. The Pacific Warning System put it at 5.7.

Local historians and educators are preparing for an annual hike and tour on St. John to commemorate the leaders of the Virgin Islands’ first rebellion against slavery.

Exactly 271 years ago today, enslaved Africans seized the Fortsberg garrison in Coral Bay with weapons hidden in loads of firewood in what became the 1733 St. John Revolt. Blowing conch shells and firing cannons, revolt leaders sparked a rebellion that quickly spread to surrounding plantations and wrested control of the island from Danish colonizers for six months.

The revolt, which predated the American and Haitian revolutions by decades, became the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary last year. Fortsberg is listed in the National Register of historic places.

Teachers from St. John and St. Croix are taking students to trace the steps of the revolt today. Activities culminate in an all-day hike and program on Friday that will include tours of key sites involved in the revolt including Fortsberg, a steam mill at Estate Adrian, and a sugar mill at Catherineberg. A panel discussion will be held afterward in Cruz Bay.