St. John Talk Blog

Yesterday was the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season.  However, many people don’t know about “Hurricane Thanksgiving” which is an officially recognized day in the Virgin Islands, the third Monday in October, after which point the likelihood of being hit by a hurricane in this part of the Caribbean is pretty small.  A lot of people observe this day, which is said to stem back to the 1700s, by going to church.  People may or may not have the day off from work as well.

Nevertheless, it’s easier to take a sigh of relief once December 1 rolls around.  Now, bring on the Christmas winds!!!

Apparently, there was a 3.2 magnitude earthquake yesterday morning at approximately 8:10 centered about 10 miles NNW of Cruz Bay, St. John.  Many people on island reported to have felt the quake although having worked until 2 am, I slept right through it.  Yes, I checked the cisterns – no cracks, no leaks.  Whew!!

Last Thursday when my friend Colette and I were coming back on the car barge from a day of shopping on St. Thomas, the Department of Homeland Security was out in full force at the Red Hook ferry dock, inspecting all vehicles – under the hood, mirrors underneath the chassis and bomb sniffing dogs.  I haven’t seen anything like this since my last trip to Egypt.  Not sure if there was a specific threat called in or if they just felt like flexing their muscle in paradise for a while.

Often by mid to late November, the Christmas winds have already kicked in and there is a sudden palpable change in climate from summer heat to winter warm.  Not the case yet this year.  Temperatures through Thanksgiving are expected to be 88-91 degrees at lower elevations and winds, although constant, are not the typical strong Northeast breezes that are characteristic of the winter months.  Humidity also remains on the high side.  As I write this, it is 91 degrees with 65% humidity on our outdoor weather station in Estate Rendezvous and Ditleff, 400 feet above sea level.  Last year at this time, I’d guess that temperatures were closer to 85 and that REALLY makes a big difference.  So, if visitors to the island want to know what it’s like in the hot months of September and October, this is pretty much it minus a little wind.

For a time, we were regularly posting updated pictures of the Pond Bay development at Chocolate Hole.  However, for the past month or so, development has halted.  Rumors suggest funding has dried up.  Therefore, it seems a bit silly to continue to upload pictures while no changes are taking place.

Therefore, until development resumes, we will halt the Pond Bay updates.

St. John has just lost one of its kindest smiling faces.  Toni D’Puia Schulze passed away last night in Estate Pastory at the home that she and her husband, Gary, were building.   Toni was only 50 years old, having celebrated her big birthday this July.

Toni, you have so many people here who love you and will miss you terribly.  A part of you will always be in our hearts and nothing will ever take that away.

I know there was one temporarily before, but who would’ve thought that there’d be a traffic light on the North Shore Road?

Well, there is.

Today and tomorrow mark the 20th anniversary since Hurricane Hugo churned up extreme devastation in the Territory. A lot has changed since then and homes are thankfully built to better standards these days but still, no one wants to find out first hand how the Virgin Islands would fare if a similar size storm hit today. Thankfully, the weather forecast for the area is fairly calm with no storms currently brewing off the African coast.

Some people scratch their heads in amazement when we tell them that we moved FROM St. John to Boston.  But again, that’s only for the summer.  We’ll be back on St. John by the time the first snowflake hits, rest assured.  And by the looks of this picture of Matt in the Boston Public Gardens, is Boston really that different from St. John? Looks like similar foliage to me.  One wonders what the fate of these palms will be by the time the first frost hits.

Here is this week’s Pond Bay upate:

Thanks to Toni & Gary for the pic!

in wishing our friend, Cami McCormick, a full and speedy recovery. Cami is a journalist for CBSNews Radio. She has most recently been embedded with American soldiers in Afghanistan. She was seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan on August 28.

Based on the information we have, she is conscious and recovering in a German hospital.

Cami, we hope to see you soon. St. John is a great place to recover!

So, when people ask me whether I like Boston.  The answer is I do.  However, I could seriously do without:

TRAFFIC!

Pond Bay Update No. 46 is below:

Enjoy!

And here is this week’s picture:

Sorry we missed last week.  Our on-island photographers got us the picture, but things were a little hectic.  So, here’s this week’s update: