sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Neat, 
Story Aunt Gus and Little Bear's Adventure Book 3 (Complete)
- Thread starter Kathy in FL
- Start date
Dec 11th: Yes, I know. I’m a Stinker.
I know I’m a stinker. I just kinda dropped that on the blog too. The reaction on the blog was pretty hilarious if you want to know the truth.
I’m not going to explain how Lev proposed. One it is no one’s business and two, I don’t know if I could explain it exactly. It just … it just kinda happened. Obviously wasn’t planned. Oh, by the way, will you marry me? Yeah. Just like that.
On the other hand, it was pretty phenomenal when he said, sorry for the lack of romance that he just couldn’t wait to plan something good enough. Yeah, like just him asking wasn’t good enough. Especially when he explained why it had popped out of his mouth on Bird Island. Why Bird Island? He wants me to know that we’re free to explore but that we’ll have a home base, a nest, just like the birds on the island do; that even when the time comes that Benny grows up and moves out on his own as an adult, we’re mated for life just like the fruit doves of Saipan. Wow.
“Good thing you said yes Abuelita. I got the whole mess on film.”
“You did not.”
“Did too,” Diego said holding up his video cam with a sad sorta smile.
Benny was doing some bizarre Snoopy dance declaring that it was official, we were keeping Lev forever.
It was a lot easier to arrange it than I thought it would be. I mean ridiculously easy. We could have had our pick of spots. It could have been a family picnic to Obyan Beach or Pau Pau Beach. On soft sandbar islands at Micro Beach. We could have been surrounded by shells at Wing Beach. It could have been underwater with turtles at Laolao Bay. Or we could have done like the locals and took a “boonie stomp” down the Beach Road Pathway.
However, we chose the tiny island of Managaha, just a 10-minute boat ride from the main island. We spent the day taking photos and film while we snorkeled and swam and played on the beach. We were married by the boat captain just off the beach at sunset today. Benny did double duty; he gave me away and was also the Best Man.
My dress was from a tourist shop; a cream-colored beach cover-up that was sheer but hid everything vital, it even looked like a swank dress because of the lace panels, but wouldn’t suffocate me in the heat. Lev found me a ring at a pawn shop near the base. It was a simple and narrow gold band and he swore he would find me something better, but I told him that he found the one that fit me and my personality and that’s what mattered most. To go with the ring he found Micronesian jewelry made out of cowrie shells. He kinda whoops on those, he was only aware of that they symbolized destiny … Chan let everyone know they also symbolized fertility. Lev nearly panicked until I elbowed him in the side and said, “Ignore him. I don’t think that is Hawaiian Punch he is drinking.” Lev’s laugh was a little high-pitched and we’ve talked it out but I’m sure not recording that conversation right now.
Diego did something sweet but I’ll never tell him that in a million years … unless I am in a position to do it in public and embarrass him righteously. He bought me a flower crown to wear instead of a veil or any other kind of nonsense. I had enough trouble keeping the curls from hell from reaching out and strangling everyone in the vicinity, including me.
I wasn’t buying a pair of shoes, not even sandals, to wear one time so went barefoot. And the only reason I wore a minimal amount of makeup is because Diego called his friend the guide up and asked if his sister still had the salon. She and her brother showed up at the island and acted as our witnesses. I was gussied up, but I was still my Barrymore self with just enough paint on to suit the film that Diego and Chan were taking. I’ve shared a few clips with those that matter.
Lev and Benny were in matching shorts and tropical button-down shirts. When I saw them after coming out from behind the bushes where I’d been hiding all I could do was laugh. It was perfect and they matched my “dress.” Just like with our t-shirts in Alaska. And yes, they were barefooted too. In fact everyone was. The reception had come before the ceremony.
We’re back at the hotel and are all packed up. Tomorrow we fly out on the next adventures … and one of them will last a lifetime.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you very much, that's how weddings should be, simple.
Dec 12th: Different? Only Sorta Kinda. On the way to St. Croix (Part 1)
Not that it is anyone’s business, but Lev and I have made an agreement that until we can have more privacy, we are just going to keep on keeping on doing things the way we already have. Besides, we need to figure out all the personal stuff like birth control and that won’t come until we are back in the States. And that really won’t happen until after the beginning of the year.
And then there is the stuff about Benny. For now, Lev and I agreed that I will put him on as Benny’s co-guardian but that is tricky, and we want to talk to Benny about it before we shove it down his throat. Lev is hyperaware of potential problems, so he definitely wants Benny to have his say. We are working on that a little at a time but I’m not as worried about it as Lev. That’s Lev’s issues coming out, but I respect him for wanting to make sure things are done correctly. I wouldn’t be with Lev if I didn’t trust him to do the right thing.
Why won’t we be back in the States, or at least until we reach our home base until after the beginning of the year … or thereabouts anyway? Because we … including Diego and Chan … we will be filming the content for the US Virgin Island episodes. I’ve had to tune out of the blog for a couple of days. It was just getting overwhelming. Lots and lots of well-wishers. I mean lots. I had no idea so many people were tuning in for the Aunt Gus and Little Bear Adventure. I mean I saw the hits the site was getting but I just thought it was the “bots” that Townzen has explained to me. Not to mention that we are still getting the announcement out to those few that are closest to us. Not that Benny and I have anyone really.
I sent a notice to Groucho and all he said was, “Okay. Be better at it than I was. Stella and Kirkland say hello and good luck. Shutting down this email address. Will try to remember to send a new one when we get it.”
Well okay then. It hurts a little, but I don’t know why; I should have gotten over that by now I suppose. The only real connection was through Penny and … enough said about that. Groucho’s health and mental acuity will never be what it was. And it seems like Benny and I complicate that or make it harder or something. I’m not sure I will ever understand it, but I have to accept it. They’ve moved on and I suppose it is time that Benny and I do as well. I will continue to try and let them know what is going on with Benny but I’m not forcing us on them. If I’m reading between the lines with any clarity, they have a lot of their own problems these days. Groucho has a long way to go, and he never wanted to be on the receiving end … not being the needee, but wanted to be the giver. Stella knows how to do this but at the same time … geez, none of my business. I’ll keep them in my prayers to the Creator, give them some grace, and maybe there will come a time when we can all meet in the middle and do it standing on our own two feet.
The Judge and Meemo were a completely different kettle of fish. Mrs. Phelps says that we better be ready for a par-tay when we get “home.” Yes, she wrote “par-tay” and was very sweet. Wants to do a belated bridal shower and the whole nine yards. Er … not sure I want it, but we’ll see how it goes. The Judge seems to be doing some better except for his blood pressure, a consequence of years of using painkillers. They’ve seen some improvement but not as much as they were looking for. Mr. Jensen will be my legal contact from here on out, at the Judge’s recommendation. His wife works for the property appraiser’s office so that’s a nice touch.
Lev sent an email to his sister – who still hasn’t responded indicating I’m not sure what – and to his Uncle Cyrus via Kenny. Kenny he let know that all was still on as far as he was concerned and that as soon as he had a date that we’d be back in the States, he would let them know but that it would likely be after Christmas and probably sometime after the New Year. Kenny did email back surprised and not, and sending well-wishes from the family. He also wanted to know if it was okay to put some stuff in storage in the outbuildings.
“Dude, you know what kind of shape the place is in, just get the keys from Uncle Cyrus. I’d change the locks on the outbuildings though. I do have some stuff stored down in the basement of the Old House and I’ll get that out of there as soon as I can get there. Do me a favor? Be on the lookout for an enclosed trailer … around 8’ x 20’. I’ve got to have some way to haul the junk out of your way and don’t think renting a U-Haul is going to be an option.”
Well turns out that they are going to trade for a trailer that Kenny already has, and it will be part of the down payment for the land which will bring down the remaining balance. Lev has stuff he wants – or for now thinks he does – that belonged to his father and grandfather. I’ll have to go through the stuff in Jacksonville ‘cause I’m fairly certain that we aren’t going to want or need all of it. I need to make a plan for that. I don’t know how upsetting some of it will be for Benny. Maybe not at all if I handle it right but I can’t assume that.
At this moment we are waiting here in the airport to fly to the US Virgin Islands. Freaking out a little bit. Gonna be a 30-hour challenge:
- We fly out of Saipan at 1:35 am for a 4 hour and 45-minute flight to Icheon, South Korea.
- We’ll have a four-hour layover there. I mean South Korea for Pete’s sake.
- Then we’ll take off at 9:40 am for a nearly 14-hour flight to Atlanta where we will land approx. 10:10 am.
- Yes, I know that sounds weird, but we get all those hours back we lost flying to Guam.
- We are on a less than two-hour layover and then flying 3 ½ hours to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- Another short lay over and then a forty-minute flight to Christiansted on St. Croix landing at 5:30 pm the same day we take off despite the 30-hour flight. Twilight Zone stuff.
Whew. Here’s hoping we make all those connections, or we could be stranded for who knows how long.
Dec 12th: Different? Only Sorta Kinda. On the way to St. Croix (Part 2)
Still Dec 12th. Well, here we are in South Korea and all US flights are delayed. Something diplomatic went kaflooey with North Korea during the Winter Olympic preparations. There are also rumors that some of the stuff during the elections was traced some place that NK wasn’t/isn’t happy about. What’s more, the crazy man in charge is reaching his expiration date and maybe feels like the world should not outlive him or something; or at least he’ll take his “enemies” with him. Witchy-poo that runs things with him is every bit as ruthless, if not more, but at least is slightly less crazy. Sort of. Possibly more ruthless if the rumors are true. Maybe she’ll simply help him leave this world and take over and keep things running like a baby carriage with square wheels … for a while longer anyway. Gah!
I will admit that I’m glad I am not in this alone. Lev is tall and skinny but unbelievably solid and calm right now. When I first met him I never, ever imagined the type of man he has turned out to be. I will always be a version of CPO Barrymore – it isn’t just what I did for a very short period of time, but is big part of who I am today – however it is a relief (and joy) to have found someone I can trust as a Captain. Or he’s admiral to my captain. Something like that. He’s different, but strong when it counts, and allows and expects me to do my part without trying to tell me how to do it. And it is important that we work together even more with the insanity going on. And that Benny is being protected by both of us.
For now, all planes carrying US citizens must be carefully checked. Additionally, all passengers getting onto any flights must be spot checked and deep cleaned … including a health check which I will admit is disturbing. The winter Olympics don’t happen until February but there are lots of run up preparations and all they are saying is that some threats were made yesterday (last night?) that has turned worldwide diplomacy on its head.
There is this huge, long queue that we are sitting in. We’ve just gotten our electronics cleared which is the only reason I am writing this. Oh wow, our group is being called …
# # # # #
On a plane direct to San Juan. One of the old 777-200LR’s because that is what got cleared first. Chan, who has a brother-in-law that is a pilot, says that it is unusual, though not unheard of, for that plane to fly into San Juan. We were all allowed one call home. I donated mine to Lev who in turn used it for Chan when his first call failed. Diego called his son. Lev shrugged and left a voicemail for Kenny to relay my location to Mr. Jensen.
By listening to some of the plane’s personnel we were able to determine that since we did not need to land on the US mainland, we were bumped up to fill the long-range plane to move more passengers through and to deplete the back up of so many travelers in Asia. San Juan is going to hold passengers that need to go to the Mainland and allow others to catch their new connecting flights.
From San Juan we will still fly to Christiansted and arrive roughly the same time we would have, assuming there is no delay in San Juan. At the moment I don’t have a lot of confidence we won’t be delayed. We’ve already been warned that as soon as we land in San Juan, we will be walked off the plane, through a security scan area, do not pass go, do not collect $200 if you screw it up and cause a problem, and go straight to a federal holding facility. Every thirty minutes they pass out new forms that everyone must fill out. I hope they don’t do this for fifteen hours.
Dec 12th: Different? Only Sorta Kinda. On the way to St. Croix (Part 3)
Yes. They did it for nearly the entire fifteen-hour flight. No one slept. No one was allowed to sleep until those forms were filled out. With the exception being minors under thirteen years of age. If you were thirteen years or older you had to fill out your own forms. There were many near “behavioral issues” but soldiers walking the aisles kept things buttoned down. The lines for the restrooms were crazy. They only allowed people to go in sections which they rotated through the entire flight. And you got searched both before and after your turn.
I was “commandeered” to help hand out forms and snacks. It was a little freaky how they knew that I’d been a naval cadet. I guess the incident at Pearl Harbor didn’t exactly hide me either. I wasn’t the only one “commandeered” but I was the only female and only one in my age bracket. Hopefully it served some purpose because I hated being away from Benny who was wide eyed and nearly panicked the first couple of times he fell asleep and then woke up to find me gone. My purpose? I stopped two women who wanted to use the gender card to get some answers who had been planning something stupid … or stupid in my opinion.
I whispered to them, “Don’t try it. Doesn’t work that way. At least three of the soldiers on this plane are female. Two of them are special forces and I’m pretty sure the third is Duvdevan which is an Israeli special counter-terrorism unit. They will shut you down hard and with no remorse. And by signing the forms before you got on board you gave them the okay to do it. So, think about that.” I calmly and carefully looked around and added, “Have some patience. We will all get off this plane. Remain calm. Think of your families if you start to lose it. And keep your kids under control. They had a near incident toward the back of the plane and I think they said they would remove the child from the mom’s custody if she wasn’t capable of following orders. They aren’t screwing around. Do you understand what I am saying?”
The two women eventually nodded but I kept an eye on them the rest of the flight. I didn’t rat them out but apparently I didn’t have to because I noticed that several of the military personnel start paying “special” attention any time the noise in that area got above a certain decibel.
We did eventually land, and it was as structured and controlled as I’d been given to understand it would be. As we got off the plane, there were about two dozen people removed from the line and marched away. I knew what was going on but with a look told the men in our party not to ask or appear to notice. The rest of us were separated out into two groups. The largest group walked single file towards a fenced in area for those to be processed and then allowed to return to the US mainland. The rest of us walked in another direction.
Under my breath I told the men, “Just walk. Don’t look around. Don’t ask questions. Don’t draw attention to us. Don’t stand out. Don’t let anyone catch your attention unless they are in uniform and officially giving you instructions. Don’t take your hands off your equipment. Don’t act more knowledgeable than anyone else. Just stay in line and go.”
I carried Benny, big boy that he is getting to be, because he was asleep on his feet and would have tripped and fallen otherwise. Most kids from the flight were being carried. If you were too big to be carried you better be able to walk or you were gonna be dragged if you wanted to stay with your party. If not, you would be sent to the federal prison yard and yeah, I saw a few of the “typical” troublemakers finding out that playtime was over and school was in session. I think they had us walking by that fenced-in lot for effect. And trust me, it had an effect on both sides of the fence. Riot batons are a very effective control tool and they leave a mark.
Luckily I donated the roller bag I had been using since LA and went back to using my large backpack. That meant that I could carry Benny who was wearing his backpack and wear my own backpack at the same time. Everyone had to carry their own bags, no exceptions, and Lev and the other men needed all their hands to carry the film equipment.
It wasn’t as bad on the flight to St. Croix. That’s not saying much as it was a shorter flight. Bathroom breaks, forms, etc. were all treated the same. Did have one man try and throw a hissy. He was jerked out of his seat and taken to the back of the plane.
Dec 12th: Different? Only Sorta Kinda. On the way to St. Croix (Part 4)
You would have thought we would have collapsed. No. The vibe on the plane was very stressed. And everyone had had enough caffeine mainlined into us through coffee and sodas since the beginning of our previous flight.
We landed but were instructed not to move or talk and that they would remove us from the plane a few at a time. Ye gawds. Luckily they were taking people on in “groups.” Meaning whoever you got on the plane with is who you got off the plane with. All five of us were taken off the plane, run through a metal detector and had everything checked, including our teeth. No, I’m not being facetious. Getting our luggage was fun. Apparently it had been going through its own inspection process, proven when a soldier took it off the conveyor belt, checked our ID and ticket before having us sign for it and putting the info where we’d be staying. Each piece of luggage was taped four times … two from top to bottom and two around the middle … and we were instructed we were not to open it before leaving the airport or it would be confiscated and disposed of for security reasons. Great Googley Moogley.
We had to hand over the deposition of destination at a hastily thrown up “guard station” and a taxi-like vehicle took us to our destination (hotel) to make sure we arrived and had already paid for our stay. Some people apparently tried to get around giving the info and were taken straight back to the airport and arrested. They didn’t read the fine print. Lying on those forms or to any representative of any government was reason to be charged with perjury and/or fraud. Geez I’m glad that’s over with.
We are finally in a hotel room, and I was able to explain to the men what I had heard and seen. I’d overheard two of the stewardesses saying what they’d been instructed to do if a passenger created an issue. And how I’d also seen the paperwork being compared for discrepancies to make sure the answers were the same between the ones being filled out by individuals and if there were differences between group members. How I’d recognized the Israeli military insignia that one of the women was wearing before she’d hidden it under an arm band.
“Whatever is going on has worldwide implications,” I told them unable to form any more of a coherent thought than that.
We ordered room service. We’ve eaten. We’ve talked. Now it is time to sleep.
Of course, there was a lot of relief by the men because their contracts were still in place. And since theirs are, so is mine and Benny’s. And outside of the airport everything is nearly normal. It is mainland US that the problems are at. I'm still figuring that one out, but it won't happen without info and that's the one thing we don't have yet.
One of the things that Lev and I agree about is that we need to sit down and talk about finances but all of that still feels awkward and the current chaos is not helping. Not a good thing for married people but we both know it still needs to be done. We plan on sitting down and doing some of that tonight. I’ll admit to being nervous. I’ve gotten used to dealing with the “complications” of the estate issues because I’ve had several years to do it. It is just how I learned to take care of finances. Then Lawrence teaching me to take care of stuff when he was deployed. Then the aftermath of him not coming home. Then Penny leaving and leaving such a mess. Yes, I’ve got some control issues, but I need to make sure Lev understands that I must make sure that Benny is taken care of. Ugh. Please don’t let me screw things up with Lev. I read that money is like the #1 cause of arguments in a marriage. I don’t want to flatline nearly on day one.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
Dec 13th: Christianstead, St. Croix
I reread what I wrote yesterday, and the last part is disjointed. Probably due to nerves and lack of sleep. Woke up this morning to find that they’ve identified at least three “lone wolf” terrorists on their way to the US from Asia, none on our flight as far as I know – since they didn’t track us down to question us - but it isn’t like they are sharing that information with the public. At least one of the three was carrying some kind of physical threat to the US mainland. They are not saying what that is, but travel is going to be even more difficult to get home for a little bit until they see if there are any further threats.
Not sure how they were labeled “lone wolves” if they were part of an organization. More media-speak for “we don’t know crap but we gotta sell the stories to pay the bills.” No word from the Production Company beyond a form email that our contracts were still “in force” whatever that means, though we sent an email to them letting them know we arrived.
Diego gave everyone a “pep talk” of sorts this morning. “Our paychecks depend on us completing this assignment. I thought it was a little strange that they insisted on including that clause ‘upon completion of on-site assignment’ in the contract. No, I’m not Bob and I’m not wearing tinfoil and I don’t think they had any heads up on our current situation. What it sounds like is someone fired or let go from an assignment is trying to get what they think they are owed and the production company is covering their bases for future problems. I don’t want this team to become a target for accounting and the lawyers. And I sure as hell don’t want to get abandoned with no paid way home. Let’s just continue filming what we can until the National Parks open back up.”
Lev looked up from a computer monitor and added, “Current White House administration wants to get things opened back up as quickly as possible. They are claiming the normal rainbow, unicorn farts, and skittles. Some of the saner ones are admitting that we can’t afford an economic bump, or the house of cards might come crashing down. Some in the administration might want what they are calling another reset, but apparently not everyone wants one at this point in their timeline. They’ve over obligated themselves to foreign interests and are just now figuring that out. Duh. However, it looks like the States’ mainland might take a little longer to reopen but if I’m reading things right, they are already trying to reopen other travel zones whatever that means.”
Chan took that moment to say, “Travel Zones. They’ve blocked the Mainland into zones or areas for security purposes. The boundaries are being adjusted until the most efficient routes can be identified. Alaska is its own block, as is Hawaii. Then the US territories are blocked with other near geographic locations. But it doesn’t look like everything is quite as easy as they planned for. Hell, it looks like they are using the old fragmentation lines.”
Having heard the term before but never seen the desired implementation I asked, “For instance?”
I don’t usually put my two cents in, but they accepted my question without a problem. “They used the Mississippi as a boundary but it is causing some major backups. Not just personal travel between states but some interstate commerce that could monkey wrench the economy.”
Lev growled and then in a fake Russian accent said, “And vere are your papers Comrade?”
I snorted. “That might not be far from the truth. My dad couldn’t travel in some areas because he couldn’t take the covid vaccines. In the South it wasn’t really a problem. Out West and up North? It could be a real pain for him to get some of the better paying trucking routes.”
Diego asked, “You and the kid have all your vaccines? And don’t give me that look, I’m just trying to make sure there aren’t holes in the travel plans.”
Obviously some of us still needed more sleep. I told him, “I wasn’t giving you a look. I was thinking. I’ve got all of our paperwork … Lev’s too ‘cause I’ve been holding onto it since the Florida Assignment. They’re all certified copies and I’ve got certified digital copies as well. I was wondering if you and Chan have something similar or can get it for just in case.”
Diego and Chan looked at each other and nodded. “Digital. We’ll see about getting printed copies if we can. Good idea. Don’t lose that shit.”
“Don’t plan on it,” I responded while I tried to make sure that Benny wasn’t listening to Diego’s mouth. I’m no hypocrite and got my sailor’s mouth honestly, but I gave up being a sailor up for Benny and gave up the mouth as well for the same reason. I didn’t want him talking like that, but I walk a fine line to keep it that way.
Diego must have noticed and nodded and then continued discussing the general schedule sans the foul mouth, hoping that the National Parks would reopen sooner than later but also admitting that they weren’t really closed here in St. Croix, only the offices were.
“You can’t really close an entire town or miles upon miles of beaches that are part of the local travel space. Let’s stay on schedule and do what we can. So far it only looks like the Mainland is completely shut down. We can film every day and then piece it together with shots of the NPS offices and personnel when they open. I want everything checked off as quickly as possible so we don’t run into contract issues.”
Diego was making more than just a little bit of sense so today was devoted to the St. Croix Heritage Trail. I did my part by gathering intel as I found it. The trail consists of a 72-mile-long driving tour that took us by many of the island's attractions and historic sites as well as many natural areas. Brown and white road signs mark the historic trail and have a sugar mill logo which helps to direct visitors as they travel the route. The trail extends between Frederiksted and Christiansted, mostly following Centerline Road (Route 70). It goes all the way to Hamm's Bay on the north end of the island and all the way to Point Udall on the Eastern end of the island (the eastern most point in the US).
The St. Croix Heritage Trail was designated one of fifty Millennium Legacy Trails by the White House Millennium Council in 2000. The Millennium Legacy Trails were originally designed as nationally recognized trails “symbolizing the spirit of efforts to connect the nation’s culture, heritage and communities”. Unfortunately, budget cuts caused the Millennium Legacy Trails program to be canceled and as a result the ‘trail’ and its markers are no longer being maintained except when a local chooses to volunteer their time to do so for some reason. So, while the trail is no longer official, it is still one of the recommended activities and used by local tour operators for island tour routes. Usually for economic reasons.
It traverses the entire 28-mile length of St. Croix. We started the trail in Christiansted which is itself a National Historic Site. Then we headed west towards Frederiksted then wound our way back to Christiansted. It was such a whirlwind – especially with the news going on in the background the entire time – that I can’t give you the exact order we saw things in. I will try and include most of what we stopped at or passed by.
- Fort Frederiksted and the other sites on Strand Street - rich with history, and everywhere you look you can find it. The town has been nicknamed “Freedom City” because enslaved Africans forced Danish Authorities to declare their emancipation in 1848
- St. George Botanical Garden – 16 acres on the grounds of a pre-Columbian Indian village and an 18th century sugar plantation. Smell the fragrance blooming in the tropical rainforest, witness the beauty and brilliant colors of orchids and hibiscus, see the drama of the cactus garden and learn from your guide the many medicinal uses of the plants. There are over 1500 species on display.
- Cruzan Rum Distillery - The Cruzan Rum Distillery has been producing the world’s finest rum since 1650. The Nelthropp family continues the tradition of producing this high quality rum using only the purest, natural ingredients and process. A visit to the distillery will show you how Cruzan Rum is made. After the tour you can enjoy the free samples at the visitor’s pavilion, and buy the many varieties of rum and merchandise directly from the source
- Estate Whim Plantation Museum - The stately greathouse welcomes you with gracious guides waiting to tell you the stories of the house and plantation life. In the old kitchen, you can sample a traditional, homemade “johnny cake”. The fully restored windmill and sugar factory ruins are open for you to explore. You can even see sugar cane growing nearby in one of the plantation gardens. The grounds are graced with tropical flowers, plants and trees.
- Lawaetz Museum
- A couple dozen churches ranging in denominations from Catholic to Methodist to Episcopalian to Moravian as well as their associated cemeteries
- Base Array Telescope
- Point Udall
- Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve - a living museum covering the major periods of human habitation in the Virgin Islands, several South American Indian cultures and the 1493 encounter with Columbus.
- Columbus Landing Site Quick overlooking stop
- Ham’s Bluff Lighthouse
- Sandy Point National Wildlife Preserve
- Buck Island National Monument
- And more beaches, bays, estates, etc than I can recall off the top of my head.
One of the stops that got the guy’s attention – and yes I’m being totally truthful here – was the Mount Pellier Domino Club, also known as The Jungle Bar. But not for the reason you might think. The “Club” is known for its beer drinking pigs. I. Am. Serious. And wouldn’t you know they would insist on paying from their own pocket – after yesterday’s worry about their contracts – to take a turn at feeding these beer-swilling pigs. Oy. Men. They also decided that since the park offices were not going to open tomorrow that they’d sign up for another activity instead. I will probably wind up having to take most of the photos. We’ll see.
Our guide dropped us off at the Christiansted Market and we were to walk back to the hotel from there. I’ll admit that it was kinda fun to shop and get a taste of local cuisines. No, it didn’t change from a I-hate-shopping person to give-me-what-you-got, but it was interesting as I was looking it with an eye to possibly being able to send some to Lev’s drop spot. The economy being what it is, locals were working because otherwise they had no income and no prospects of government support. They were also eager to take advantage of the Americans and their digi-dollars, and give them a “good deal.”
The market is right outside the historic area so the men got another chance at filming some historic churches, courtyards, shaded walkways, stone arches, antique lampposts, and rows of restored townhouses which add to the city's appeal. There are souvenirs shops, boutiques and galleries all over the place. Christiansted is considered “the most beautiful town in the West Indies.” Reading the many brochures, the historic district is full of tropical colors, Danish Caribbean architecture, restored government houses, and a waterfront boardwalk full of all things touristy. People were scratching their nervous itches with some retail therapy, but I admit it looked more high end and cheap tchotchkes than durable goods.
There are obviously things that Lev and I need to discuss. How we are going to work our finances being one of the most important. We ran into the issue a couple of times. Lev doesn’t get offended in a typical male way. It’s … strange. It is like it dings his self-esteem but not in how you’d expect. More like … I don’t know how to describe it exactly. He becomes hesitant like he doesn’t know quite how to deal with the potential changes. I don’t want to hurt his feelings by saying I don’t really care, but I don’t really care. I figure we are partners and so long as Benny gets taken care of then I can play along however way it works. I don’t want him to get the idea that I married him for his money and reputation and I kinda get the sense he feels the same way. Geez, why does this crap have to be so complicated?
We picked up take-out for dinner at the hotel using our debit cards after checking the balances and making sure that the system was up and running. We got lucky that it was here. On the Mainland there were some reports that it was down and freaking people the frell out. We’d all gotten the expected deposit on them so hopefully we are good to go. Where we are staying doesn’t have a kitchenette so that’s mostly what we are going to be doing since they don’t even have a hot plate. So much for Lev and I saving as much of the per diem as we can for our cross-country trip. There is a “kettle” in the room so I might have to make something that way.
The men are trying to edit some of today’s filming though they are tired. Tomorrow the parks will remain closed so a little goofing off. I feel like that is all I do – I know this is a job, but it rarely feels like it – but tomorrow I’ll be playing straight man to their silliness.
Lev and I said we will talk tonight about finances. I am so stressed about it that I just want to avoid it which is ridiculous. I need to do this for Benny if not for myself. Please, please, please let me do this correctly and not hurt Lev.
Resources:
Heritage-Trail_Brochure.pdf (gotostcroix.com)
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Dec 14th: St. Croix – Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum (39 flavors of them) - Part 1
The Money Discussion last night could have gone a lot worse. As a matter of fact, it went a lot better than I expected. “Babe I expected that you’d already have set things up for Benny. I’ve known that all along.”
I ground my teeth. “Then I’m an idiot. I’m … sorry. I didn’t mean to underestimate you. Just …”
“… this whole marriage thing wants to freak you out? Yeah, me too. Are you sorry for not waiting?”
I stopped for a moment then answered, “No. Um … are you?”
I was relieved when he obviously answered truthfully by saying, “No. Gladder every day. But I do admit there’s things I didn’t think about.”
“Such as?”
“I need life insurance. I mean I have some, but I made Uncle Cyrus beneficiary though he don’t know it. But I need more.”
“Why?”
Something must have revealed itself in my tone. “I’m not rethinking taking those jobs.” I will admit that I relaxed. “It’s something that Diego mentioned. You know he’s got grandkids?”
“Just the basics. I don’t make a habit of getting into their business anymore than I can help it. The crazy ex-wife and that he has adult kids is about all I really know,” I answered, a little surprised and not sure where the talk was going.
Lev explained. “Diego is in his 50s. Got married young but his wife left him and all the yada yada you already know. Diego was born in Colorado and wouldn’t go after her to drag her back, not even for his kids. He wanted them raised in the States and he managed to get a court order, fat lot of good it did him. Law was on his side, but you know how those things can go. It was made harder because her family hid her and the kids for a while … until the kids got older themselves and wanted to come back to the States and snuck out letters to him that their mother and her family didn’t know about. He was already working in film back then and it took a year for him to pull it off, get a lawyer, get all the paperwork, etc. and none of that was cheap. And the courts of Honduras said they’d support his case but only if his sister and her husband adopted his kids. I don’t get that part, but it was some type of legal problem that Diego’s father had. Diego finally gets the kids to the States and that’s when everyone finds out the kids had been lied to; said Diego had abandoned them. Lots of personal crap I don’t want to know later the kids turned out pretty well except for his youngest son who just can’t or won’t break free of the gang life. He thought Diego was some kind of rich guy in Hollywood – that’s what the kids had been told – and he was going to use the connection for his gang family. I don’t know all the details, Diego doesn’t talk about him much, but the boy, guy, whatever, is in jail and ain’t getting out and won’t even let Diego come see him. Nor Diego’s sister after she refused to pay money to get a different lawyer. The other girl and boy … man and woman now … cleaned up and the other son has his own business and a family. The daughter is a nurse and has a family as well. Diego says he’s leaving them life insurance for the grandkids to go to college. And he takes care of his sister who is now a widow, because she practically raised him after their mother died. Long story short, he was talking about life insurance and that’s what made me think. I need to do my part for Benny. And um … if we have a kid or something.”
“Oh.” I said, still processing the whole life insurance thing.
“Er … we never talked but … do you want kids?”
Being honest I told him, “I’m not against it, I’m just not sure I can have any. I told you about my mother.”
“Yeah. And about that. Uh …” He made a face. “I don’t want a houseful. You okay with that?”
I looked and his face and it was something to behold and I finally had to put the pillow on my face until I could stop laughing. “Lev, at one point I never even thought marriage was in my future … and that’s back before Benny was even born. I was going into the Navy and that’s what I was going to be married to. Kids didn’t figure into the picture at all for the same reason. Being Benny’s aunt and guardian didn’t change that until you came along.”
“What about you and Rick?”
“There never really was a me and Rick. He made me think. He didn’t make me commit. Only you’ve ever done that.”
He smiled and then got serious. “Gus, I don’t have a problem with Benny being an only. And to be honest maybe … I mean I know no matter what sometimes you don’t get a choice but … if a kid comes into the picture, I’d like for their arrival to be down the road a little bit, or at least until we can figure a solid home base and we figure a few other things out. I swear it isn’t because I don’t want kids exactly but …”
“But you just want to have things more settled and figured out. You don’t want to have to worry about Benny now that you’ve proven you want to help take care of him. You don’t want him to feel like you did as a kid and all that means. And you want it to be ‘us’ for a while before the family gets bigger than three.”
He made a funny face on purpose. “You’ve got that wife mind-reading trick down already.”
“Nope,” I told him bending forward to give him a kiss. “I’ve just found someone that considers the same things important that I do.” I sighed. “I’m serious about the kid thing Lev. I don’t know if I can. It is a hereditary problem on my mother’s side of the family tree. But … if I inherited it … if we are going to have kids I can’t wait until my biological clock is screaming. You know?”
“You mean you need to be younger to avoid the scary as hell idea that you could die in childbirth like your mother did.” I could see the idea did bother him … a lot.
“And like my great grandmother did and like my great great grandmother and so on and so forth if the family Bible and my aunts can be believed.”
“Aunts? I thought you said you and Benny didn’t have any family. I mean besides the guy you call Uncle Daniel. I take that back, I guess you have said something but I got the feeling … oh hell, stop me before I sound more like an idiot than I already do.”
“Take it easy, we don’t. Not anymore. My mother’s side of the family was pretty small, and died out or moved away and didn’t keep in contact. Neither of my aunts had kids of their own, but they did have a couple of step kids they helped raise that they claimed as their own. I knew my maternal grandparents for a while … by the time I was ten they were all gone one way or the other. Grandfather Barry didn’t really like them much because some of that side of the family blamed Dad because my mother caught preggers with me and when she died, they wouldn’t talk to him anymore. My grandparents from that side didn’t blame Dad, considered him a son and all, loved Lawrence to pieces from what I remember, and they tried to keep things up. Then my grandfather on that side died and their daughters took my grandmother on that side to live with them up north someplace, and then she died and things just … were the way they were or was or whatever.”
“So …”
“So if they want to contact me I won’t say no but I doubt anyone of them would give a real crap one way or the other. Unlikely that any of them even know about Benny. I didn’t have a lot of connection to them except for my grandparents, and like I said they were gone before I was ten. My mother was the youngest daughter, and she was in her 40s when I was born so you can imagine how old everyone is that I would have known. Lawrence knew them a lot more than I did but even he got cut out by most of them when our mother died. There was some jealousy about him being the only blood male left from that line and potential inheritance issues.” I shrugged then said, “Just one of those things.”
I think trying to take some of the sting he thought the facts had Lev asked, “So, you wanna share all the nuts, knotholes, and twisted branches on my tree? There’s plenty to go around. They might not claim me though.”
The thing is none of it does sting. Not for me. It would have been nice for Benny to have family but that’s the way life rolls. I knew some of it bothered Lev because of his childhood so I tried to lighten it for him as well. I said, “I tell you what, since family is what you make of it, we can build our own. We’ll start with Benny. Maybe we’ll add biological units, maybe not, but there are people out there that can be framily.”
“Framily?”
“You know, sorta like frenemy – friend/enemy – only this is framily … friend/family.”
Obviously willing to go along Lev nodded and said, “Sounds like a possibility.”
We’ve got more to work out. Most of it is mumbo jumbo of the legal paperwork variety, but it appears that so long as I don’t have a problem with Lev sharing the financial responsibilities, Lev’s ego is a little, maybe a lot, less fragile than the stories you hear about a lot of guys. I’m still not going to be stupid and take things for granted but we’ve made progress. Turns out neither one of us is poor which complicates things a bit, but at the same time neither one of us lives rich and our “pile o’ assets” – even combined – won’t last forever without additional input of some type in the now and in the future tense.
Dec 14th: St. Croix – Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum (39 flavors of them) - Part 2
We were going to talk some more tonight but today’s activities kinda shot that one in the foot. I hope they feel better in the morning. Really I do. I won’t even make loud noises on purpose even if tempted. I suspect this is more about them needing to blow off steam than anything else. As a sailor -former wanting to be a sailor anyway – I get that. I also saw that Lev was trying to rein his part in but even he reached that tipping point and I had to play the sober fifth wheel after a while.
It started when they were feeding the pigs beer. And isn’t that a statement I never expected to say in this lifetime. One of the guys there was a tour guide that specialized in tours for the two distilleries on the island. Rum and tourists. Yeah, you get the picture. Well the disruption in travel, as well as the government issued edict that travelers couldn’t be penalized if their plans were impacted by the recent travel mandates meant a lot of people were cancelling their reservations. It also means a lot of locals are losing money. As a result, guides and companies are out and about offering discounts to tourists already on the island.’’
Color me surprised when Diego (Mr. Metabolic Issue) and Chan (Mr. Teetotaler) got all excited and wanted to give it a go. Lev later explained to me that they both “broke their vows” once or twice a year and apparently were due. Sounded like rumspringer, or however you spell it, where Amish kids take a year off and cut loose in a big way to get it out of their system and decide whether to return to their parents’ lifestyle or not. Oh my gosh.
St. Croix is home to both the Cruzan Rum, which we’d already driven by, and Captain Morgan Rum distilleries. Both distilleries offer popular tours ending with rum tastings. Is the picture starting to form?
The Cruzan Rum distillery is set on the preserved historic remnants of the original Estate Diamond sugar cane plantation. The Nelthropp family, owners of the distillery, have been producing Cruzan Rum for a lot of generations (since 1760) and are still running the distillery hands-on today. Their tour offers a look at their historic grounds, and an up-close look at the process of distilling rum.
The Cruzan distillery is “the world’s most honored rum distillery in the world”. Or so they claim. The hand-crafted rum is not only the basis of Cruzan rum, they are also the largest supplier of American private and distributer label rum, meaning they make it but other people put their labels on it. Additionally, the Cruzan Rum Distillery is one of two rum manufacturers included on the American Whiskey Trail which is crazy to think is a real thing. American Whiskey Trail. Why do I have a feeling that is on most guy’s bucket list?
The Captain Morgan Rum distillery is, by comparison, the new kid on the block on St. Croix. Their state-of-the-art Visitor Center offers a multi-sensory experience complete with a film presentation in their on-site, air-conditioned auditorium, followed by a look at modern distilling via a comfortable tram ride. It was like a theme park. Even Benny wondered if they have a Junior Ranger program. I kicked Diego in the ankle and told him to stop encouraging him to think those thoughts.
At the end of the distillery tours, each adult visitor received two cocktails, as well as the opportunity to taste some of the seemingly endless variety of rums. I’ll be honest, I was tempted, but in the end I had to decide it was not my thing because I had Benny along and because I had to play Den Mother to the three men who seemed to have trouble choosing from the 39 flavors of rum that were offered. I’d nearly made a mess with the cider in Hawaii, and given our circumstances, now is not the time for me to experiment.
Now this is the surprise that I had waiting for me at the end of the tour. The distilleries offer great deals on 6-bottle packages. I’m thinking, “Meh. Who cares?” Then I found out that each adult returning to the US can bring back 6-bottles of alcohol duty-free as long as one of the six was distilled in the US Virgin Islands. What?! Then came the fact that the distilleries will pack your rum safely into a travel box for you to take home. And the best part is that it doesn’t count as one of your checked bags. You can thank the USVI Government and Dept of Tourism for that. But you must have it properly packed and stamped. Did I mention each adult? And that there were 39 flavors to choose from?
That meant that Lev and I would be packing 12 bottles of rum back to the States. He never has been a drinker per se but he likes to “collect” stuff on that order. Lev chose black strap rum, single barrel rum, mango rum, pineapple rum, black cherry rum, and tropical fruit rum. For my six we chose blueberry-lemonade rum, peach rum, key lime rum, strawberry rum, banana rum, and spiced rum. Those were all from Cruzan. At the Captain Morgan distillery Lev was already a little “loose” and decided to have some shipped to his drop point. And yeah, I had to grit my teeth and let him spend his money. “Let” being the really stupid thing I told myself until I realize that was really, really stupid because I am not the boss of him and … control issues; I’ve got ‘em and I know it and I’m trying … really … to keep them in check.
Let’s see if I can remember all the flavors: sliced apple, original spiced, white rum, black spiced rum, 100 proof spiced rum, gingerbread spiced, orange vanilla twist, pineapple rum. Then there were some “rare” flavors like apple smash rum, grapefruit rum, long island tea in a bottle, and watermelon smash.
I thought, okay, we’ll head back to the hotel now and I can feed them, preferably with a first course of strong black coffee. Nope. The guide was quite happy to keep going and so were the men.
Next came the Leatherback Brewing Company. This isn’t a rum distillery but a beer brewing company. It isn’t nearly as old as the rum distilleries but has a good reputation … or so they claimed. It was almost put out of business but survived the 20’s pandemic by the skin of their teeth as Dad would have said. They started on St. Croix but eventually expanded to a St. Thomas location that is now larger because of more tourists there. They do ale, lager, stout, spiked seltzers, and a few other unusual things that I had never heard of. What the heck is hefeweizen? When you can’t pronounce something does that make it exotic?
Next stop … yes, the men wanted to keep going … was a distillery that made something called Mutiny Vodka. In addition to their main product, they had a bunch of what they called “micro batches.” Uh huh. Ginger Lime. Summer Sorrel. Banana Cream Pie, Guavaberry, Mango, Coffee … and a bunch of other things that made me wonder who’d been sampling the secret recipe a little too often. Especially something called “Smoked Island Peppers” Vodka. On top of that weirdness, I was to find that these vodkas were distilled from breadfruit. Apparently they also use citrus, tropical melons, and green bananas in the process. Alrighty then.
It was no fun trying to keep Benny occupied so he didn’t notice Lev and the others were getting smashed. The people at the distilleries must have been accustomed to keeping kids occupied because there was an area outside where I could go with Benny where non-alcoholic stuff was available. Unfortunately, there was also a gift shop out there and Aunt Gus decided to do some shopping of her own.
The St. Croix Food and Wine Experience book features recipes from celebrity and island chefs, but it's more than just a cookbook -- it's a keepsake, full-color island guide to St. Croix. The book features more than 70 recipes, chef profiles, historical and cultural information on the island, and a guide to enjoying wine in the tropics. Yes, I copied that off the book jacket.
I got a couple of six-pack variety of Tortuga Rum Cakes. I know they aren’t gluten-free but since the vodka was, I was just being snarky I suppose. I discovered the cakes in Key West and they taste just like the rum cake that Grandfather Barry would make at the holidays. Discovered they had all the flavors and splurged: Moonshine Apple Pie Spice, Kentucky Bourbon and Butter, Tennessee Whiskey Spice, Premium Rum, Mexican Vanilla Rum, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, Mamajuana Rum, Caribbean Rum, Coconut Rum, Key Lime Rum, Orange Rum, Banana Rum, Chocolate Rum, and my favorite the Pineapple Rum cake of which I got two. I’m very lucky they offered free shipping because of the size of the purchase. Hurray … snippy and frugal. I paid the additional for expedited shipping since there were possible shipping delays, the same way that Lev had done for the booze.
I heard a couple of older women exclaiming happily over the spice prices … as in the prices were incredible compared to how much they were “back home.” I find I enjoy cooking so long as I am not just cooking for me. It is like a mission or something. Spices sounded like a good financial investment, so I made the clerks very happy and my wallet somewhat morose, but I mean … investment, must think investment. And since they fit in the case of stuff already going to Lev’s drop point … more frugal which is a good thing.
I had to pull the “just married so I don’t have any ID in that name” routine so that I could address the package in something other than the name on my ID but I had a copy of our marriage license and everyone wished me luck … and then giggled a bit when they realize the slightly tipsy man with the squinting eyes was my so-new-I-hadn’t-knocked-the-shine-off-yet husband. Oh brother.
Lastly, we hit the duty-free store over by the cruise port. Oh. My. Goodness.
I found out that a US resident may ship goods purchased in St. Croix, U.S Virgin Islands (“unaccompanied purchases”) to the United States. Well I knew that part because of where I’d just come from but the rest of it is what I learned from the posters at the store. Unaccompanied purchases are goods you buy on a trip that are being shipped to yourself in the United States. In this instance you may declare: Up to $1,600 worth duty free per person under your personal exemption if the merchandise is purchased in the USVI. An additional $1,000 worth of goods may be mailed dutiable at a flat rate of 1.5% percent.
All the men were taking advantage of this. Chan bought cigarettes, presumably for family because I’d never seen him smoke; he didn’t even vape. Diego and Lev spotted the Royal Crown at the same time. Diego mostly stuck with the expensive Signature Series. Lev seems to like flavored stuff: apple, vanilla, peach, and salted caramel. He actually crowed when he found some dusty bottles in the back flavored with honey, maple, and two bottles of the old Texas mesquite. They bought some weird canned stuff too … Peach Tea, Washington Apple, Whiskey & Cola, and Whiskey Lemonade. When I caught him wandering towards the expensive jewelry, I pulled him around and said, “Oh no you don’t Big Boy.”
By then the men were listing to the side just a bit. They were never drunk … per se. But they weren’t functioning at 100% either; the biggest reason why I was not going to see Lev buy jewelry at that point.
I’m not going to fight with Lev over this. The guys needed a break. They haven’t had a day off and unlike Benny and I, they haven’t exactly been having nothing but fun. I keep saying that this is a job that doesn’t feel like work. Everyday is a play day. The guys on the other hand haul equipment all over the place, stay up till all hours meeting deadlines, and put up with major crap from the other end of the phone lines. Sure, I cook and do a little housekeeping somewhat but that’s not really work for me because it is something I would have to do either way. And the guys all help me look after Benny. They are like family even including the bumps we’ve had.
But I will admit, my situational awareness radar kept pinging every time they did something silly. Maybe what I saw and sensed on the plane affected me more than I want to admit, but I just don’t want to take any chances right now. They’re asleep after I got them to eat just a little bit. After all three crashed and burned Benny asked what was wrong with them.
“Uh … not wrong exactly. They had too much to drink.”
“Huh?”
“You know how you get squirrely when you have too much sugar? Especially too much sugar and red dye?”
He grinned. “You mean they’re drunk?”
“Benjamin Lawrence Barrymore, where did you hear something like that?!”
He snickered. “Uncle Groucho and Aunt Stella after they had a honeymoon.”
Oh yeah. Now I remembered that particular incident. “Well that was a long time ago. And Lev isn’t drunk. He’s a little … tipsy.”
“He sure was tipsing over when you tried to get him to go to bed,” he snickered.
I rolled my eyes and tried not to laugh. They were indeed “tipsing over.” Good thing I’m a big, tall, strong girl or their “tipsing” would have squashed me flat.
Resources:
Welcome | American Whiskey Trail (distilledspirits.org)
RememberGoliad
Veteran Member
Isn't that soda pop? I thought Crown Royal was the hooch
...or is that just Gus' ignorance of booze coming through? If so, well played! Got a chuckle out of me. Thank you for all your work on this, especially getting the future-history correct for the Hawaii part.
Dec 15th: St. Croix – Salt River National Park and Hiking
Today’s plan was to focus on hiking until we got word that they were reopening the national park. Or should I say I got word last night after the men finally made it to bed before “tipsing over.” I left a note so that all three would see it when waking up and notes on the bathroom mirrors and a note on the inside of the toilet lids just in case.
All three men came into the living area giving me an evil look. I busted out laughing though when Benny came in off the balcony and told them, “I wouldn’t go out there if I were you. You still look like you are going to tipsy over and that’s a long way down even if you land in the pool.”
I fell off the sofa and just kept laughing. I laughed even harder when Benny walks over and asked if I was “tipsing over” too. I finally manage to pick myself up and tell him, “Nope. You’re just funny this morning. Go get your hiking shoes on Little Bear.”
After he leaves the room I ask the men in all honesty, “Are you guys able to make it today?”
Lev grinned a little bashfully and answered for all of them, “Ready, willing, and able. Next time don’t give us so much rope to hang ourselves with.”
“Sorry, not playing auntie to men old enough to know better. I assume you got the message about the park being open?”
Diego grunted. “I wanna stop at the store and grab plenty of water. We’re gonna sweat today.”
“There’s cups of coffee at the mach …”
All three saw what I was pointing at and cuddled the paper cups of strong, black coffee like long lost wubbies. Chan was hesitant until he saw I’d made him a mug o’ tea. He smiled beatifically.
While we waited for the driver/guide to show up Diego went over the NPS locations we’ve already covered.
“I think we’ve done Christiansted plenty. If we catch anything else it will be by accident, not because of a special shoot. Today we’ll take an eco-tour of Salt River Bay, but I don’t expect to get a lot from it because of the damage it sustained back in 2017 from Hurricane Maria. They never have re-opened the visitor center. Tonight we’ll do the bioluminescent kayak tour, assuming I can get a confirmation. If there is time between those two, we’ll take that hike to Jack’s and Issac’s Bays. Everyone ready?”
And that is exactly how things worked.
Have you ever walked on water? That’s what those kayaks felt like. They deserved their award winning reputations. Hobie Mirage pedal kayaks was like going for a walk, on top of the sea. Strong Caribbean tradewinds didn’t slow anyone down. The kayaks are foot pedaled, giving you the ability to cut through the wind and currents with ease. We used them during our two-hour Salt River Eco-Tour where we learned about the ecology of the Mangrove Estuary, the Tainos and Kalinagos, migratory birds, the encounter with Columbus, the earthen fort, and the Taino Ball Court. This close to the end of the assignment, I was also thinking of Benny’s school portfolio. I’m behind on it but the log will help me catch up. I should have never gotten behind to begin with.
Then the hikes.
On the east end of the island we took a hike to Jack's and Isaac's bays. Two outstanding examples of Caribbean beaches. On the west end of the island, near Cane Bay, we hiked the hills surrounding Blue Mountain, which stands at 1,096 feet and is St. Croix's second highest mountain (Mt. Eagle has the highest point, at 1165 feet). Located on the far northwest coast we also hike to the Tide Pools at Annaly Bay.
We managed to grab a dinner of authentic island food before heading back to the kayak shop for our evening activity.
Pot fish and fungi is not at all what you think it is. The unofficial dish of the USVI, pot fish and fungi dates back to when slave rations primarily consisted of fish and cornmeal. In this dish, fresh fish is fried, stewed with vegetables, and served with the cornmeal mush called fungi (foon-ji).
Roti, an Indian flatbread, has a slightly different meaning in the Caribbean as well. Here, when people mention this treat, they have in mind potato, chicken, beef, goat, or other fillings wrapped like a burrito in a roti flatbread. When the waitress found out that Benny and Lev were GS she brought cornmeal pancakes to put the filling in. Delish!
The waitress also brought Benny a glass of peanut butter milk. I was prepared for him to be grossed out, but he loved the stuff and now I need to learn to make it. Hopefully I can use peanut butter powder because fresh peanut butter is expensive as heck.
For dessert Chan and Diego had rum cake. Lev, Benny, and I had something called “Red Grout.” It is a Danish tapioca colored red with guava, also known as rodgrod.
I tried a local nonalcoholic drink. Whew. Pineapple ginger beer is pretty intense but tasty. The guys swore off anything that even thought it had alcohol in it and stuck with water … except for the rum cake of course which was strong enough to smell from the other side of the table.
St Croix Bioluminescent Bay kayak tour was relaxing, peaceful and low key. The company we used took us to one of only ten super glow biobays left in the world. Biobays are found in tropical mangrove estuaries and are disappearing from over-development and light pollution. We met at the kayak shop just prior to sunset. Once it got dark, we kayaked across to the Biobay, where we witnessed the “magical” underwater lights, like gold dust or lightening bugs. These tiny single celled organisms, called Dino-flagellates, sparkle in the water when agitated.
No time to edit tonight and I’m kinda glad. Is it wicked to want to snuggle? Lev and I are married afterall. But we have an agreement. I don’t want to tease him but … gotta admit … I’m enjoying not having to keep my distance.
Dec 16th: St. Croix – Buck Island Tour
Today we used a NPS approved concessionaire. The tour lasted six hours, not what I consider all day but that’s what they call it. 9:30 am – 3:30 pm. I suppose that will give people time to go back to their hotel, wash up, and grab dinner before heading to the bars.
We took a cruise on a 42' Catamarans named Adventure. Was a perfect name even if it was a relaxing trip to Buck Island. We departed from downtown Christiansted to Buck Island's Turtle Beach, voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world numerous times. They provided snorkel gear and lessons as part of the “all-inclusive package.” Started on the beach but also went to the lagoon on the other side of the island where we broke down into small groups for the crew to take us through an underwater trail. After snorkeling, we headed over to Big Beard's private beach on St. Croix for a barbeque lunch -- all you can eat (burgers, dogs, fresh fish and assorted chips) and drink (Mutiny vodka punch and fruit punch). My two carney-vores happily ate away, not having to worry about gluten for once and put away some chips as well. The day “ended” with a relaxing cruise back to town. I ate enough that I felt like a fishing bobber for a bit.
Benny and I still had more go in us, but the men needed to produce some feed for the LA beasts. Instead, he and I went down to the pool and I let him play and swim to his heart’s content. I was working off the feed the cruise put on. While we were down there Benny asked me what we were going to do next.
“Well, we still have St. John to go.”
“No. I mean when we are all done. Lev is going to stay with us. Right?”
“Yep. We’re a family.”
“And you and Lev are married for real?”
“For very real.”
“Where are we going to live?”
“For a while we are going to keep using the van. That okay with you?”
“Will we be together? Lev is staying?” He asked yet again, letting me know just how concerned he was on the subject.
“Yep. He’s kinda stuck with us and us with him. By choice for all of us.”
“Okay, then it doesn’t matter.”
“What doesn’t matter?”
“Where we go next. If we go there together then I don’t care where it is.”
“What if it is Florida?” I asked.
“Not at Lev’s old house?”
I explained, “No. His cousin is buying that. The three of us are going to find a home base. Lev and I are still figuring out what might come after that but all three of us will be together.”
“Are we going to live with Uncle Groucho?”
“No. Groucho … he’s …”
“Moved on.”
“Benny?” I asked and he knew I meant had he been listening to adult conversations again.
“I heard you and Lev talking,” he admitted. “And I want to call him Uncle Lev, but I don’t want to scare him off. And I don’t want to live in Grandfather Barry’s house if Uncle Daniel is still there, but I do if him and them women are gone, and I really do if Lev will be Uncle Lev and we’ll all be there together. Are you angry that I heard you talking?”
“No. Not angry. But I’m upset you didn’t think you could talk to me since this bothers you.”
He shook his head. “I’m not upset. I just don’t want to scare Uncle Lev off.”
Cautiously I asked him, “Why would you think this would scare Uncle Lev off?”
“Because he worried a lot he was going to scare you off. He mushy loves you Aunt Gus. You aren’t scared of that are you?”
Truthfully I answered, “No. Not anymore. He proved I could trust him.”
“Good,” he said with a pleased but serious sigh. “Uncle Lev needs a strong girl like you.”
When he turned serious I got worried. “Little Bear?”
“Daddy needed a strong girl, but he got Momma. And then he went away and she wasn’t strong enough to stay. I’m glad you’re a strong girl.”
“Oh Benny.”
“And when I grow up I’m going to find me a strong girl like you. I don’t want a girl that is going to … going to …”
Good thing I was in the shallow end of the pool. At that moment life was getting a little deep.
# # # # #
Later that night …
“Uncle Lev? May I work on the paint app?”
Lev nearly stopped breathing. “Hey, of course. But … um … you don’t have to call … er …”
“It’s okay. I’ve been calling you Uncle Lev in my head a long time. Now I can call you Uncle Lev out loud without people looking weird about it. Um … if you don’t want me to …”
“Are you kidding?! If I had a cake it would have a million candles on it.”
“We’d burn down the hotel Uncle Lev. Let’s have ice cream instead. What picture can I work on?”
Later still …
I asked Lev, “Are you okay?”
“You didn’t say anything to him?”
“Nope. Purely his choice. Apparently he doesn’t care where we go next as long as we stay together.”
“He said that?”
“Yep.”
“Wow."
“Yep. Wow.”
Dec 17th: St. Croix – Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge
Last day to get things accomplished here in St. Croix. Up and at ‘em early to make sure we had evening this time for the men to work and everyone to get their person stuff handled.
First was Sandy Point Beach. It’s proper name is Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, but that’s a mouthful. It has incredibly clear blue water and a 2 mile long stretch of sandy white beach - one of the longest in the Caribbean – that remind me of the beaches in Florida. This beach is typically not as crowded as many of the West End beaches, but there is little to no shade here and no facilities. There is also the issue that the beach is only open on the weekends (including holiday weekends), with the exception of April-August when it is closed entirely due to turtle nesting season. Well it isn’t the weekend but I made nicey-nice with the national park service and they took us over there for nature pictures. Benny and I stayed out of it to make the point that it was the Refuge that was the subject, not tourism.
We made sure to thank the rangers and I even wrote a blog entry to post on our way to the next site; Rainbow Beach. It is located on the west end of St. Croix. Unlike many of the beaches on the island, there was plenty of parking available. The big draw was the restaurant/bar where you can hear the live music from the beach which draws you in to order food and drinks. We were told that this is a Sunday hang out for locals as well as tourists so expect crowds on the weekend. The water was calm, so was a good spot for snorkeling, and paddle boarding, and there are jet ski rentals located here. Didn’t want to have to do any more rentals so we just played in the water.
Diego insisted on eating at the beach bar and what the crew chief wants the crew chief gets. Lev, Benny, and I shared a double order of pork nachos and a basket of sweet potato fries. No, it wasn’t the healthiest in the world, but at least I knew it was gluten free and wouldn’t break the bank. Nearly $20 for six grilled shrimp on the starter menu? That should tell you that’s how expensive the place was. Diego and Chan both had Grouper Sandwiches.
“Gus …” Lev said in my ear.
“No,” I said turning to him with a smile. “And don’t do the puppy dog eyes because you’ll make me sad having to say no. I am not ordering one of those overpriced sandwiches.”
“You sure? ‘Cause I’ll do the puppy dog eyes really good.”
Our nonsense was stopped by a rude, gagging noise from Diego. I nearly kicked him under the table. I know he is just joking but kinda done with his types of jokes. Lev and I aren’t usually publicly demonstrative but it would be nice to not have people poke at us the few times we are.
The only thing that saved the man from de-knee-pitation was Benny’s giggling at our mushiness. For some reason it makes him happy. I can guess but I won’t. Just thinking back I’m embarrassed enough as it is.
Spent the remainder of the day packing our bags and making sure we have all our paperwork in order. I also boxed up all things unnecessary and sent them, along with some last-minute purchases, to the States. Ours we sent to Lev’s drop point and Diego and Chan sent theirs to Chan’s oldest sister’s place.
All of that out of the way the guys are deep into editing. They have a goal to finish packaging the Saipan stuff and at least get started on the St. Croix film. I’m going to try and take care of some of my adulting world in case there are more problems. The news is repeating itself. Supposedly no new news is good news. I’m not convinced of that but that’s all I have to work with at the moment. If things go as planned – finally heard from LA which was a relief to everyone – we should be back in the States and in LA on Christmas Eve.
SairieBelle
Member
Big happy sigh. I need a tissue now. Thank you Kathy.
Dec 18th: Problems, Problems, Problems
We were supposed to take a chartered flight to St. Johns today, but we didn’t find out until the last moment that the flight plan had not been approved by the federal regulators under the new procedures. Then we found out it wasn’t us but our pilot that was on a no-fly list because he hadn’t completed his newly required background check. We also found out at the same time that a lot of the tour operators were having similar problems. Luckily I figured out a way around it by listening to a couple of local women in the bathroom. The ferry system. It worked for us in Alaska so I figured it would work for us here.
It wasn’t going to be an easy trip but it wasn’t perilous either. First, we had to get to the ferry at Gallows Bay (what a gawd awful name) that would take us to Charlotte Amalie. We had to get there with all our luggage – and wasn’t it a good thing we’d already sent most everything but a carry on each and the photo and film equipment back to the States. My bigger worry was getting tickets, but I was able to buy them ahead because I had cash in physical digi-dollars which was more reliable than the digital currencies that were getting hacked left and right and the debit/credit cards that only worked or were approved half the time. The cash had its own problems but this time it was a good thing that I had it. Two and a half hours on the ferry we arrived at Charlotte Amalie, just in time to catch the next ferry to Cruz Bay for another forty minutes.
Diego had called ahead to confirm that our driver/guide would be there. Well nope. However, his younger brother would be. He was another one that hadn’t passed the background check yet and his touring license was currently suspended. The way the got out of that for the brother was that he was seventeen and as a “friend of the family” he would take us on a tour of the island.
The “friend of the family” tour was five hours long and by the end of that time the kid had more than earned his tip. We saw nearly the entire island if you can believe it. We checked out the beaches, ruins, hiking trails and plenty more. We spent some time snorkeling with turtles which thrilled both Benny and I. And happy campers, we even managed to fit in a lunch stop on the Coral Bay side of the island.
I’m telling you we ran all over the place. We started at Caneel Beach, passed by Hawksnest Beach Hawksnest Beach, Oppenheimer Beach, Jumbie Beach, the world famous Trunk Bay Beach. Next came Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay Beach. We made a stop at the historical ruins of Annaberg Sugar Plantation. Took a peek at the Bordeaux Mountain Trailhead. Drove passed Reef Bay Trail which is one that leads to the island’s Petroglyphs.
We stopped long enough to take a hike at Salt Pond Bay and Ram Head Trail. The trail was just under a mile long and followed a narrow path that wound its way to the top of Ram Head. The dramatic views was worth the effort and was perfect as sunset hike. But, that’s all we had left to give to the day. Thaniel dropped us and our gear at the hotel and was ecstatic at the tip and was already calling his brother to tell him as he pulled away from the curve after helping us to get everything inside the lobby.
We had a crew meeting tonight. The news finally has a few new stories but you could sum them up by saying that people weren’t happy with the restrictions still in place on the Mainland. In some places the threat of “social unrest” was increasing in direct proportion to this unhappiness and the government wasn’t taking the hint and was only strangling things more despite the promises all would soon be over.
After talking it over to the point of saying the same thing too many times Diego called and break and laid a plan out. He wants to get this last part “in the can” and get back to his home base as soon as possible. Chan is of the same opinion. Lev looked at me and I nodded in agreement with him.
In our room and making sure that Benny really was asleep we talked our plans out.
“We need to get the van and head to my drop point, stop by the farm, then get to Jacksonville to get yours and Benny’s stuff. Have you heard from Judge Phelps?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. There was an email when we got in. Everything is finalized and the Judge said … he said that there was some vandalism. They arrested … look … the place is ours but there is going to be some clean up. Nothing major but lots of cosmetic and ..”
As upset as I was Lev seemed to gain assurance. “We’ll make it ours. And we have the van to stay in. Can the Judge hire someone to secure the place?”
“Mr. Jensen – my legal rep as assigned by Judge Phelps – did that as soon as the vandalism was discovered. The storm shutters and roll downs are down, new locks on them and the door locks changed, same for the outbuildings and the gate as well. It’s just that …”
“I know,” he said drawing me into a hug. “That kind of crap feels like a violation. But we’ll get things fixed up. It might not look like it looked when your grandparents lived there but …”
“I don’t need it to look like that. Uncle Daniel – or someone of his – painted over some of the colorful walls that Grandma Barry had painted as decoration. They’re gone and not coming back. I’ve accepted it. But the place already needed a serious amount of cleaning. That’s what I was supposed to live there and help do. The yard is … Lev there was already quite a bit of work that needed doing. I mean …”
“Breathe Gus.”
“But I didn’t want you to have to …”
“So that’s the problem.”
His statement caught me off guard long enough for the hamster to trip and fall out of the wheel it had climbed in. “What?”
“Gus, look at me Babe, I’m not …” He stopped and took a breath then carefully said, “Gus I’m not going to leave you just because things aren’t as easy as you want them to be for me. I get it. Okay? You’re always so damn appreciative and make out like I’m doing some big and noble thing when I try and treat you and Benny to something besides what we get in the job. And that gets me. It really does. But just because what you plan to do for us doesn’t turn out just so, doesn’t mean I’m not just as appreciative. Like Benny said, where doesn’t matter so long as we’re all together. I do get that the where needs to be … organized and stuff. Well the place on the river might not be organized and neat just yet, but we’ll fix it up together. We’ll neaten things up and get it organized. We’ll mesh our stuff and make it work. Okay? Just stop thinking you have to do it all yourself and present me with some finished product. We’re still in the editing phase but we’ve got a contract.”
I relaxed. “You’re crazy. But I guess that is a good thing since you seem to understand my crazy.”
“It is all the craziness going on around us that you don’t have any control over that is stressing you out. But we’ll figure things out … just like you did with the ferry transportation. We’re a team.”
I know it is the damn OCD hamster in my head. I know it is. Thank goodness someone gets that and helps me get the evil vermin duct taped into submission without breaking me in the process.
Lev is right this time. Yeah, part of it is remembering what the place was like when my grandparents lived there. Part of it is remembering what it was like when I visited Uncle Daniel there and seeing all the changes that he’d made, most of them through neglect. If the river house is where we decide to have our home base, I am going to have to accept some compromises. Trying to make everything the way they used to be is just asking for disaster.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
A very big thank you.
Dec 19th: Virgin Islands National Park
Today was all things Virgin Islands National Park. The tour we were given by a ranger started at the Visitor Center in Cruz Bay.
Virgin Islands National Park covers 60% of St. John and served as the backdrop for our 3-hour kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling adventure. There were white, sandy beaches shaded by sea grape trees and coconut palms. We saw tropical forests providing habitat for more than 800 species of plants. We took a snorkeling trip where we saw hundreds of exotic tropical fish that seemed to have no fear of the humans in their midst. We also did a little kayaking after a shark was spotted too close to our location. Lev got enough photos to create a book just on tropical fish in the Caribbean.
From there Thaniel was back and he had a picnic basket with him. Hoo-ray.
Diego clapped him on the shoulder and said, “You’re doing good Son, you’re doing good. I need to tell Ray.”
I found out later that “Ray” was the older brother and was a friend/contact of Diego’s that he tries to throw business to when possible. Ray was trying to get Thaniel to settle down and accept he needed to work in the family business to help support their mother if he wasn’t going to further his education. Well, this was one way. A little carrot to go with the stick of having to work while his friends were still screwing around like kids.
Thaniel started by taking us back to Caneel Bay where we had the picnic lunch. Then we kayaked a bit and did some exploring of the palm-fringed beach, hiked along scenic wooded trails, and snorkeled over colorful coral reefs. Thaniel, because he was local, knew how to avoid the holiday crowds which was definitely a help.
While hiking we saw wild deer, donkeys, mongooses, and hilarious little hermit crabs. We’d already seen sea turtles and sting rays while we snorkeled. The other hike in the area we did was Caneel Hill Trail. It was a little strenuous but just what the doctor ordered for Benny and I. For our picnic dessert we’d had crustless cheesecake with orange segments on top. Oh it was so good. Oh it was so sweet. My foot was bouncing like Thumper the Rabbit after my first bite.
When we got to the bottom of the hill Diego rolled his eyes and said, “Mush!” Like I was a sled dog but you know what? He was right. Man on man. I got to the top before anyone then ran back down and hauled Benny and Lev’s camera up with me. Geez did I need to get the wiggles out. I’ve got a headache tonight and I know the reason was too much sweet. Gonna have to watch that. Wrong time to be going Fritzy.
Next activity was another hike, this one not quite so strenuous. The Cinnamon Bay Nature Loop Trail ran through the ruins of Cinnamon Bay Plantation and up into the forest. Sign-thingies along the trail provided information about plants and animals along with life and culture during plantation days. We wandered through the site then ventured up the hill through the bay rum, tyre palm, and other native trees that Thaniel named for us. I could smell the bay rum leaves and it reminded me of Grandfather Barry’s aftershave. There was also a small cemetery that contained the remains of the former plantation owner's wife Anna Margarethe and her children in above ground crypts. The trail also passed over “the gut”, which provided water to the plantation below.
Another hike was the Yawzi Point Trail located between Great Lameshur Bay and Little Lameshur Bay. It was a very short trail that was only .3-mile but it took us through ruins of homes from the Danish colonial period.
Last hike of the day was the longest; the Johnny Horn Trail. It was a strenuous 1.8-mile trail that began at the east end of what Thaniel said was called Waterlemon Bay beach. The ascent took us past historic sites on both sides of the trail. At the top of the first hill, a side trail on the left led to a hilltop site with great views in all directions. It continued past the start of the Brown Bay Trail at 0.7 mile, to the near the top of Base Hill where there were good views of Coral Bay. Also, at that point was a spur trail to the left that led to the top of the hill with great views of Hurricane Hole and continued down to meet the main trail along the road. The main trail continued to the paved road at the Moravian church in Coral Bay where it ended. We returned the way we had come so the guys took advantage and got more film to work with.
I’m finally wound down but oh, it is like I imagine a hangover feels. I also did something to the arch of my foot, probably running uphill like a Doof. Benny wasn’t this buzzy. I need to be more careful.
Dec 20th: St. Johns
The people around us today were nearly manic in their desire for things to approach normalcy. The people my age were better at it than the people closer to Diego’s age and older. Diego was a young kid during the Pandemic of the 20s but he said it was pretty awful. The constant back and forth of the lockdowns, masks/no masks, the inconsistent access to facts and transparency from those in power. There were a lot of lies flying around to control the country’s population plus a lack of control at the borders all added up to a bunch of unraveled thread. Diego said this is what the new lockdowns remind his generation of, and the extended nightmare they produced.
That gave me a lot to think about as we boarded our tour at 9:45AM. We started the day with a continental breakfast as the yacht headed to the National Park in St. John. After the captain determined the best snorkel spot based on weather and currents, we were given plenty of time to explore the coral reefs. Snorkel equipment was provided. Next it was time for more food, this time lunch on board the boat. Our final stop was at Great St. James Island for more snorkeling. On the way back to the marina, we were plied with yet more food … snacks and drinks. They fed us well during the five hours of the tour.
That much food required another hike, this one called Reef Bay Trail. It was called a strenuous hike but nothing like Guam and Saipan where it would have been considered “moderate.” The trail took us past some of the oldest and tallest trees on the island. There was also Danish sugar plantation ruins, stone walls from cattle grazing, and ancient rock carvings left behind by the pre-Colombian Taino to be seen along the trail. The waterfall which was part of the hike was spectacular.
There were sign-thingies here and there along the trail that gave us information regarding the plants, their traditional uses and other interesting information regarding the days of the sugar plantations.
This trail was steep in places, uneven and rocky, and could be slippery despite being dry. Our hikers were nearing retirement condition but at least we had them to use. I don’t see how someone in flipflops could do it, though I saw a few trying.
There was a beach at the end of the trail were we took a dip but we didn’t stay long. From the trailhead to the beach is about three miles one way and much of that was along the 900-foot elevation gain and we’d have the same thing in reverse getting out.
We were later returning to the hotel than planned but it was still a good day. The guys are still working but I hope they quit soon. Tomorrow they are going to be humping their equipment without benefit of a vehicle as we are going to be on a boat with potentially a crowd of people. And if they are going to be the same tomorrow as they were today, we’re all going to need some patience. The Christmas decorations up all over the place makes everything even worse. If I hear "Jingle Bells" one more time there will be mayhem.
Dec 21st: Boating to four islands
Diego managed to get us on a great cruise due to some last-minute cancellations. It’s good to have contacts. We visited four different US Virgin Islands in 8 hours. The name of the touring company was a little corny – Stormy Pirates – but they had a really good reputation and have been around a long time. Their stated purpose was all about having fun and meeting new friends in a small-group setting.
I’ll admit I was a little uncomfortable. And no, it wasn’t just the bizarre pirate-themed Christmas decorations on the boat. There were only a total of twelve of us plus the crew making for some close contact with strangers. But, it turned out pretty good as the others were a single group and were happy to give us room to film though one woman seemed to take particular interest in Diego and wasn’t shy about being obvious about it.
We experienced the beautiful scenery from the water, as we “Beach Bar & Island Hop’d” our way through the US Virgin Islands. There were non-alcoholic options, thankfully, though several of them were red and I had to keep steering people away from giving those options to Benny. At each stop we had the option to swim into beaches or snorkel. They had snorkel equipment on board and it was included in the price of the excursions so Benny and I took advantage of it.
At two of the stops we had it to ourselves as everyone else stayed on board. The stops at Water Island and Coki Point did not have docks and if you wanted off you had to swim in. The water was over our heads, so it is a good thing the men had dry-bags for their camera gear.
The flirty woman almost had to stay on board a couple of other places due to dress requirements. All guests were required to wear proper bathing suite cover ups at Lovango Beach Club and ZoZo's at Caneel Bay. Luckily one of her group had a spare she could borrow. What she was wearing otherwise was to optimize the amount of skin getting kissed by the sun regardless of whether she was sunny side up or not … if you get my meaning. Strings? More like floss is what was holding some of those pieces in place.
I wouldn’t say any of the other group was smashed but they weren’t completely sober either. There was a free open boat bar on board that served beer, soda, water & rum punch all day. There was also bottled water, soda, and a light snack of Cheese Pizza from Pizza Pi included in the price of the trip. I packed a lunch and snacks for our team. There were supposed to be opportunities to buy lunch at one or more of our stops but I wasn’t betting on it given the time the men would be spending filming.
I was correct and they all appreciated that I’d saved their bacon … or at least their stomachs. I am happy to say the guys got their liquor-need over with. I didn’t want any more “tipsies” to deal with.
Tomorrow is our last day in St. Johns. I think we are all trying to stay calm but it is hard not to think about what it was like leaving Saipan. Nope. Not going to give the hamster a toehold. I’m going to do some sit ups to work off the wiggins.
Dec 22nd: St. Johns
A floating taco bar. I’m so not kidding.
We spent the morning gathering some filler for just in case, did a little bit of snorkeling though the weather wasn’t cooperating. Then took a boat to this place called Lime Out, the only floating taco bar in the Virgin Islands. If I had to guess, it was the only floating taco bar period. It was a “swim up” bar similar to a few of the trendy things in the Keys. They’re expensive because they’re trendy. Sorry, I was not impressed but everyone else looked like they were having fun. Maybe I’m just abuelita like Diego was teasing me about. But to me, too many of the people were acting like fools. I don’t know if it is the holidays, the booze, the worries they are trying to avoid thinking about, or a combination of any of that. I stayed out of the shots and kept Benny with me. Most of what was going on wasn’t age appropriate.
We’ve spent the remainder of the day getting everything “in the can” and packing up and making sure our travel plans are ready to go. Lev and I did have a discussion.
# # # # #
“You sure Benny isn’t going to miss … I don’t know … Santa Claus?”
“I explained last year that Penny … er …”
“Yeah, his mother was in the midst of a breakdown and didn’t really understand what she was doing. I get that but … Christmas.”
I sighed. “Lev, I know it’s … look, Christmas this year is that we are a family. Best Christmas present you can give him … and me.” I shook my head in regret. “I’ve been looking at the map and I just don’t know how under any circumstances we can get anyplace before the 25th and it looks like we are going to have to walk a tight line just to get back on the mainland and travel across the country.”
“Is this one of those no false hopes things?” he asked putting an arm around me for a hug before lifting his suitcase onto the bed.
“You are a smart man,” I answered. “But to be honest, my hopes have already been met way beyond expectations. And Benny is only anxious because he is worried we are going to get separated at the last minute. That woman at the travel agency scared him to death.”
“Don’t even get me started. She … never mind. Keeping my mouth closed since she and Deigo know each other. Let’s just get us to LA and then plan to get to my drop location. Uh … you have a problem with Diego and Chan going with us that far? If they can’t get a ride out of LA?”
“No.”
“Er …”
“That sounded rude. I’m just … stressing. I don’t have a problem if that’s what we must do. I’m just trying to find the file with the inventory of what supplies we left in the van. It’s not in the file I thought we put it in.”
“Check my tablet. It might not have sync’d up.”
“Crap! I hope one didn’t overwrite the other,” I said as I grabbed the device he was handing me.
The one problem we were having is that it was taking forever to get Lev’s files to upload to my Cloud drive for safe keeping and easy access. Luckily we haven’t lost anything because I back up my backups out of habit but I’m just waiting for something to blow up in our faces.
Thankfully I found the file with the list and it wasn’t as bad as I worried. Nothing fresh of course but nothing should be spoiled either. The lithium batteries should be okay since I disconnected them since the van was in storage since the very end of September … that’s nearly three months … but we’ll need to rehook them and charge them before I do anything in the van like cook or use the other devices like the signal booster. I just hope we don’t have any trouble with the van battery or any other mechanical issues … tires, starter, fuel pump, alternator, etc etc yada yada. A trickle charger would have been nice to have kept the van battery hooked to but there were no plugs in the storage area that I could see.
On the plane, assuming we aren’t given busy work with more forms, I am going to try and find a path that boondocks as much as possible just in case we can’t get any RV or camp spots. It is going to be nice winter weather in Florida, upper 70s and low 80s during the day, but not all of the roads we are going to travel will have such. If I can just identify our route after LA to get to Lev’s drop point. Lev says that he has already notified the mail service that he will be picking up all his packages. Las Vegas is not my idea of fun but apparently it was pretty central for Lev on his various projects and assignments.
Dec 23rd: Travel Day – St. Johns to Los Angeles
Ferry from Cruz Bay, St. Johns, USVI to Red Hook, St. Thomas, USVI
20-minute ferry ride, ferries run every 30 minutes
Taxi from Red Hook to Charlotte Amalie airport
Approx. 16 minutes
Flight from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI to Miami, FL
3 hours on a 737
Sounds clinical if I just type it out but it took 3 hours to get through immigration, security, and then to get on the next plane. We had to pick up luggage and walk it through. I was surprised but they didn’t say a thing about the booze. Of course it already had a gazillion inspection stickers on it and I guess they were used to such things coming in from the USVI.
They made more noise about the fact that I had a gluten free snack in my bag until they found out I had it because of Benny. I was able to show them his doctor’s note, etc.
The worst was how militarized the entire process was. Really. US military uniforms were everywhere. They weren’t just the semi-normal National Guard but real, live activity duty military personnel. They were also carrying full-auto weapons. And everyone else – staff, personnel, flight crews, and passengers – were all obviously stressed and strangely silent.
Flight from Miami, FL to Los Angeles, CA
As we got on the plane in Miami we were handed a box lunch sort of thing. They had four types – regular, diabetic, vegan/vegetarian, gluten free. Sealed bottles of water were provided once the plane took off. Aside from that we were told no talking unless we had permission. No getting out of the seats unless we had prior permission. I wanted to ask if we had permission to breathe but took a hammer to the hamster to keep its mouth shut. 5 hrs and 10 minutes on a 777-300
During the entire flight there was a movie playing that consisted of a looping set of instructions and announcements on the new travel rules. They didn’t call them restrictions, just acted like they were the new normal. It explained about the travel zones with the main points being that while there was still open travel between states, there were also check points and pop inspections of vehicles, and that we’d need to have our passport and any other forms of ID we had available within easy reach at all times. We also needed to have filed an entry form in Miami that would be compared with our exit form in LA so to please make sure they matched or there could be … repercussions. Thank you Creator for letting Benny sleep through the flight. One couple with a child that wouldn’t settle down was removed from their seats and taken to the rear of the plan by the Air Marshalls. The mother wasn’t pleased. I heard rumors they doped her drink and gave the kid some Benadryl. That could have been rumor but … after what I saw form SK to San Juan, anything is possible.
After we landed it took two hours to get our luggage that was going through yet another inspection via x-ray. We had to sign for it when it came off the luggage carousel, same as St. Croix only these people weren’t nearly as nice about it. Flying business class had saved us a little bit of hassle but not much.
Mrs. Honeycutt had arranged for us to take a SPM (Secure People Mover) from LAX to the production company building. It was almost 8 pm when we arrived and all we could do was sleep in the van as that was the only part of the building that remained open.
I spent the next couple of hours going over the van. I put Benny to bed while Lev and the others worked on packaging a few more shots they took today so that they can be turned over to Bob tomorrow.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Another thank you .
.
Dec 24th: Los Angeles
Someone banged on the van at four this morning to get us up and moving. The big bosses were here, and they wanted to get things done.
Bob was there but he was looking a little gray around the edges. I was going to say thank you and goodbye to some of the people that had helped me along this assignment but none of them were there. The production company normally shuts down from 12/22 to 1/3 for the holidays. Everyone was gone for that reason. Or should I say most people were gone for that reason. And the Big Bosses should have been off celebrating with celebrities and their families at celebrity Christmas Eve bashes … but they weren’t.
I was just standing around reading the posters and awards on the walls of the reception area when Lev jerked the office door open and called me to come in.
“How fast can you have the van up and running?” he asked urgently.
“Everything is ready to go. We even have a full tank of gas.”
“You still on board taking Diego and Chan as far as Las Vegas?”
“Sure. We already …”
“We need to go. Now.”
The vibes coming off everyone in the room was spooking me and making CPO Barrymore feel like demanding a few answers. I didn’t have to ask however.
“Ms. Barrymore … Hargis? … Barrymore? Dammit, these papers better stand up.”
I’d never seen Bob like this. “It’s Gus to you and I haven’t changed my name yet so any legal papers will still hold up.”
He relaxed and looked over at the others that were talking in serious tones at the other end of the conference room. Then he turned to me and sotto voice said, “One of the Big Bosses has a … connection. He got a call in the wee hours that there’s been a credible threat against LA. We’re trying to get out before the city gets a whiff of what is going on.”
“This … isn’t a prank?”
“No. But it isn’t a sure thing either. The connection is sure the threats been made. No way to know if it is actually going to be acted on. Sign this … and this. Okay, here is the bank transfer. And here is a partial cash payment.,” he said handing me a manilla envelope that was thicker than I thought normal. “The guys are getting the same thing. The owners had a lot of cash stored here and they’re using it to pay off some of their debts … just in case. This is some of yours and all of Benny’s. I know. This under the table shii … crap … isn’t kosher but …”
“They’re trying to avoid issues with employing a minor. Lev explained. It’s why the contract is in my name alone.”
“Good. You get it. I wasn’t sure you would. Lev’s a good man but he damn near squeaks when he walks so you’re going to have to … do the doing on occasion if you know what I mean.”
I did know what he meant but it appeared I wasn’t the only one to underestimate Lev.
Bob continued. “Careful where you spread that around,” he said pointing to the envelope. “Most businesses are begging for cash despite it being old-style currency because the digital system keeps going up and down. Problem is that the banks aren’t accepting cash deposits because they’re fully onboard and operating via the digital currencies. Problem on top of that problem is that in some locations the power keeps going up and down, and if it isn’t a power issue, it is an internet connection problem. So at the local level, businesses will accept cash which they’ll turn around and get rid of as fast as possible through payroll and re-supplies, etc. but the feds and regulators aren’t liking it. They’ve been taking cash out of the system for years and now it is causing them a problem.”
“What about other company employees?”
“Too big a risk to tell them. It is a big risk saying anything to you. But you are the only team in LA right now and …”
“What about Mrs. Honeycutt?” I asked unable to let it go.
“Don’t worry about Honey. The Producer has sent her out with his family.”
The man overheard what we were saying and added, “She’s my damn right arm. It’s a matter of business continuity.” Uh huh. Sure. Right. Hard and crusty on the outside with a surprisingly soft squishy spot hidden in the center. Who would have thought? And surprise, surprise. Mrs. Honeycutt’s loyalty was returned in spades by those she’d served for so many years.
As they say, time was of the essence, and we split off immediately afterwards. We left the secure conference room at a fast march to find some kind of cleaning crew taking all the awards off the walls and out of the trophy cases. I overheard one telling another, “I know. It’s a PITA, but they want to get some painting done while the place is closed. Just hurry up. The faster we get this stuff packed up the bigger our bonus will be. Holiday pay at triple time plus bonus. I might just be able to pay off the damn child support before I’m hit with another interest payment and more fines.”
Geez.
We got to the van, and everyone piled in. I had to adjust Benny’s booster seat last night and also had to have him adjust his attitude. He’d grown, he hadn’t grown enough for the kind of driving we were going to do. Almost, but no cigar just yet.
Then I looked at Lev, sighed, and pulled up the floor and opened the thumb lock on the hidden compartment for the first time since Groucho and I had closed them almost two years earlier.
Chan snapped, “What the hell?”
“I don’t expect you to carry one. I don’t expect any of you to …”
“Hand me the rifle,” Lev said quietly.
“You sure?”
“Yea. You drive. You can make this beast dance. I’ll ride shotgun.”
“Lev …” Chan said, trying to object.
I turned to him and said, “I’m not telling you what to do Chan. We all know your feelings about violence. What I’m asking you to do, is if something starts, to help get Benny out of his seat and both of you get on the floor and stay there. Can you take the responsibility please?”
He opened his mouth twice before he finally said, “Yeah. Yeah I can do that.”
“Thank you.”
Diego said, “What’s got you so wiggy Abuelita?”
“Can’t you hear it? That’s not someone popping their gum out there.”
They got real quiet. I think Lev must have already heard it because he took the rifle so readily. Diego slid the side door opened and we all could hear sirens and automatic gunfire. He quickly shut the door and reached over and took a 9mm.
Benny’s eyes were huge. I went over to him and looked him straight in the eye. “I will not let anything happen to you, but you need to follow the rules. ‘K?”
His head bounced like a ping pong ball on speed. I gave him a kiss on his forehead, something I didn’t normally do except in private and then got into the driver’s seat. The rest I’ll have to write tomorrow. I’m exhausted.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Oh my goodness, CLIFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.
F5 F5 F5 F5"The Christmas decorations up all over the place makes everything even worse. If I hear "Jingle Bells" one more time there will be mayhem."
My favorite Christmas song.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieRcfzWaN8M
My favorite Christmas song.
Dec 25th: Christmas Eve on the Road >> Christmas Day (Part 1)
Getting out of the garage yesterday was interesting in a way I never want to have to deal with again which is why we are still in the Las Vegas area. I’ll explain but I’m going to do it in order to keep the hamster from waking up.
“¡Maldita mujer! ¡Van por el camino equivocado!”
“Diego, knock it off already. Benny can understand you even if you are screeching in Spanish. I’m going the only way that the cops are letting us go. Unless you want to get out and tell them how to do things,” I said a little too calmly, letting everyone know I was about done with the backseat driving. “I know we are going the wrong way. As soon as there aren’t tanks and troop transports in the way of me turning east, I’ll take it.”
Diego had a point, but I didn’t need his attitude. And Chan’s beatific expression as he meditated or whatever you want to call it was getting on my nerves as well. Lev was showing his experience from his early years in the rougher parts of the world. When he had anything to say, it was low and calm and to the point.
We wound up in Santa Monica before I could turn around. I finally got off of Santa Monica Blvd. and routed onto I10. And wasn’t that strange, because that interstate goes all the way to Jacksonville, FL. However I had to bank off of I10 to get onto I405 and take it north to I5 then to 14 on the east side of Santa Clarita, also known as the Antelope Valley Freeway. All of us relaxed somewhat after getting out of the big city because you could tell that everyone was staying home for Christmas Eve.
It was still relatively early in the day, despite the insanity of LA, when we made it to Barstow. We pulled over into the parking lot of the Route 66 Mother Road Museum.
Lev had been listening to the radio while I paid attention to the road and Chan and Diego worked out their own plans. Lev said, “It looks like the news is calling this just another day in LA. Maybe a little worse than normal but they are putting it down to Christmas Eve celebrations.”
“Celebrations?!” I yelped quietly, trying not to distract Benny from the app that Lev had downloaded for him to “play” with.
“Ha!” he laughed just as quietly. “You need a break?”
“No. Driving will actually give the hamster something to do besides run in circles.”
“Let’s put a plan together to make sure we don’t drive in circles.”
I wanted to get snappy for a second until I realized that Lev was trying to joke me down out of the trees he thought I was ready to swing through. I forced the tension out of my shoulders and nodded. “I’d like to find a store before it gets too much later and the groceries close.”
“Okay,” he said without even questioning.
Diego said, “Assuming you can find anything open today, that’s going to slow us down. I wanted to get into Vegas tonight.”
“And barring any incident stopping us that’s what will happen,” I told him. “However, you two are going to leave us there and we still have a long way to go. So we are going to stop, fuel up, and stock up. You also need to make sure you have all your meds and get something to eat, because your hangries are not helping here.” Again I was calm but I think for the first time Diego got the message that he wasn’t in charge of the Ark. He was being given a lift by friends because we could, not because it was a paying gig. I suspect the only reason he backed down was because Chan said he still hadn’t reached his sister and needed to give her a little more time to respond, and it might be nice to come bearing gifts rather than showing up empty handed.
Lev had been checking the maps app and said, “There’s a wallyworld just a little way up the road. We’ll stop there and do what we can. We’ll each grab a cart.” Before the other two could say anything he added, “According to the news, The Limits are in full force so you better get what you can when you can. Chan’s right, better to come baring gifts than be a burden.”
That shut Diego up and Lev also broke out the nut and seed bars to give them something besides us to chew on. When I pulled into the parking lot it was fairly full, but not as bad as I had expected. People were coming out of the store with a bag here and a bag there and I was a little worried. Then I saw a couple of families with cart fulls. I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to get so I told Benny. “Gotta be able to trust you. You’re too big for the buggy seat and if you sit in the other part, you’ll take up a lot of room. You promise to walk beside me and stick close?”
“Sure Aunt Gus,” he answered excitedly, like I told him it was time for his first driving lesson.
When we finally got inside – there was a line since they only let so many people in at a time – Wallyworld looked picked over. The men headed to the canned food aisle, and I took Benny and headed to the staples. I bought the limit on everything I could that fit our diet … rice, dried beans, gluten-free baking mixes, cereals, bars, etc. Gluten free pastas and snacks. Dried and canned milk. I knew there would be coffee for Lev at the drop point, but I also stocked up on some teas and zero sweetener fizzy water. I tossed in a couple of high caffeine drinks but not for the reason most people thought. I headed to the camping section and while it was picked over, once again it wasn’t quite as bad as I expected so I picked up camp meals, some white gas and a few other things that wouldn’t look too suspicious. My “hide in plain sight” training was foremost in my head while I still wanted to get things we would actually need and use.
I pretended to look at a list on my phone but was actually adding up the amount of my purchases. Prices had gone up since I’d last done this but still not nearly as high as they had been in the islands of both the Pacific and the Caribbean.
Lastly, I headed to the fresh food area where my expectations were met and exceeded as far as how bad it could get. The department was very, very picked over. I grabbed some lemon and limes – no oranges to be had - some of the greenest bananas I have ever seen, a box of kale to split between kale chips and salad fixings, some root vegetables including two large bags of potatoes, a very large bag of carrots, some sweet potatoes, and some beets, and then gave up and got the rest of it frozen as well as some meats and a couple bags of ice to fill the cooler with to hold what wouldn’t fit in the freezer. Worrying for some reason I ran over to the baby food aisle (limits on every item there) and grabbed wipes and containers of banana mush and then over to the fruit aisle and picked up several big jars of applesauce.
From there I ran back to the RV/Auto area and grabbed the correct kind of toilet paper, the fluids that we were out of or running low on, and all the other miscellany that I had found needful and/or useful over time. In the tool area I grabbed a couple of packages of assorted nails, screws, bolts, and washers. I was trying to think ahead. And that’s when I spotted the duct tape, gorilla glue, and some other stuff. I eventually had to force myself to stop. I was not going to be able to get everything in one trip and I needed to think about a “want” list to work from before I bankrupted myself.
I used the rest of my debit card from the Islands to pay for my buggy plus a little bit of cash when that wasn’t enough. But I was happy to empty one of the cards just in case it got deactivated while there was still money on it.
I headed out to the van and popped Benny in and was planning to put stuff in myself when Lev hurried up and said, “Just stuff everything in. We’ll reorganize when we get out of here. People are starting to complain that the shelves are so bare. The sound isn’t friendly if you know what I mean.”
“Then hand me the ice, quick, so I can toss it in the cooler with the frozen stuff. And what did they expect? It is Christmas Eve.”
Lev asked me to lock the doors and he went to go help Diego and Chan “move a little faster.” Turns out they’d had a hard time figuring out The Limits and had to change a few things and return a few others before they could check out. I was all ready to go – having put mine and Lev’s purchases away by lifting my mattress and the sheet of plywood to just slide the non-perishables in as best I could - and telling Benny not to mention it because it was no one’s business but ours.
“Are we keeping secrets?”
“Sort of. Do you need me to explain why?” I asked, trying to give him some credit.
“Maybe. But not until Mr. Diego and Mr. Chan go home. They take up a lot of room and might not understand.”
Smart boy. I nodded and chucked him under his chin to show him I appreciated what he’d said and got into the driver’s seat just in time to see them coming.
Dec 25th: Christmas Eve on the Road >> Christmas Day (Part 2)
It was another two and a half hours to Las Vegas. And it was a long two and a half hours. As much of a team as we had become since Alaska, it seems that it was unraveling. It lasted six months and with every mile along I15, it was like we were going the opposite direction.
Had they not been with us there are several things that Lev and I would have likely done: Soda Springs; the historic Hi-Lo Restaurant in Baker, California; the Mojave National Preserve; and the Welcome to Nevada sign. But the tension was building, and walls were going up. I hated that it was ending the way it was happening.
I was left feeling like a freaking cab driver, putting their luggage on the sidewalk while the people in the house ran out to great them joyfully. Turns out Chan’s sister might have a thing for Diego, or had a thing for him in the past. There was some kind of past there if the looks they were giving each other said anything. What hacked me off was that they said goodbye to Lev, waived at me, but basically ignored Benny yelling bye to them. Asshats.
“Lev can we get out of here?”
“Yeah,” he said dryly. “Apparently we shouldn’t let the door hit us on the way out.”
“What? Did I do something to offend them. Do I smell. Do I …”
“Don’t. It can be this way sometimes at the end of a long assignment.”
“Bull crap. They were being jerks. And after six months of working and practically living together.”
“I didn’t say they weren’t being jerks. I said it can be this way sometimes.”
“But they’re your friends. You’ve known them ten years.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t say it made sense. I just said that’s the way it is.”
I wanted to have a whole lot to say about that but didn’t do much more than say, “I made a mistake trusting them. Won’t happen again.”
He let it go. Smart man. Besides, we had more important things to do. Like find a place to stay for the night.
# # # # #
They could have offered us a place to stay. But then I found out that the HOAs that I grew up with along the river were different than the HOAs in other places. Some told you what you could and could not do down to the color and style of your mailbox, how many inches your grass could be, and that you couldn’t park in your driveway but mandated all cars had to go in the garage of your house.
“Geeeezzzzzzz.”
Lev snorted a laugh. “Been like that for decades Babe.”
“Whatever you say but why would people live like that? I mean I was going into the Navy and there would have been a crapton of rules. Heck, I like me some rules as it keeps messes to a minimum. But what font the numbers can be on your mailbox? Really?”
“I guess because they like what they get out of it.”
“Fine. It isn’t like I didn’t know there were crazy people in the world. Some people even tell me I’m one of them.” He chuckled but then we both got serious as we pulled into his “drop point” which was more like a warehouse with climate control bays that people rented.
As we were pulling up Lev says, “Uh …”
“Uh what?”
“Er … uh … you remember that luau where the story talked about the warrior proving his love to the princess by building a hut and all that other stuff?”
“Vaguely.”
“Well ….”
“Lev, just spit it out and stop freaking me out.”
He sighed. “I don’t want you to think that I was planning on bribing you.”
“Bribing me how exactly?” I asked suspiciously.
“Let me check in and I’ll … er … try and explain.”
He let management know that we were picking up the contents of his storage container and then drove back to it.
“Security is stiffer than last time I was here,” he said.
“When was that?”
“Right before the Florida assignment. I was er … dropping off stuff that I’d had at Bridgette’s place.”
“So that’s the name of …”
“Yeah, but I really don’t want to get into a discussion of all my mistakes.”
“Are there are a lot of … mistakes … out there?”
“Not as many as Diego might have made it sound. Bridgette was just the last and worst … and Diego doesn’t like her much.”
“And this would be because?”
“She’s a lot like Gretchen was. Strong personality, a little pushy …”
It was my turn to snort. “No wonder Diego took a while to accept me.”
“Huh?”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Strong personality … a little pushy … who does that sound like?”
“You are not like them at all,” he snapped.
“So Diego might have mentioned the similarities.”
“Gus … Babe …”
That’s when I got a look inside the storage locker.
“I … I … I thought you said this was a drop point! I expected a few boxes, a basket of mail, maybe a few other odds and ends but …”
“I told you we were going to need that trailer.”
“Sure and the heck are.” I took a breath. “Sorry. It just caught me off guard. Benny?! Time to go to work Squirt. I’m gonna need your muscles.”
He came running around and then stopped. “Whoa. Where are we gonna sleep?”
“Uh … most of these cases are like what we got in Nebraska. I’m thinking maybe we can do the same thing we did then … or you did I mean. But Benny and I would help. The food tubs are nearly empty and now that the frig and freezer have cooled off I want to stop someplace and stock up.”
Still trying to not feel like I’d been handed a Chinese Puzzle I said, “Just because we’re out of LA doesn’t mean we don’t need to hurry. And I thought what we did back at wallyworld was stocking up.”
“I agree. But we also need to work smart. The spot next to the storage lot is empty. I know the guy who runs this place and he said we can just park here tonight. Do the boondocking thing. There’s electric we can plug into but no water and no dump station. But there are recycling dumpsters that we can use to offload some of the boxes once we get them emptied. I’ll run across the road and grab some flats of bottles and we’ll just need to top off tomorrow night if we can. Uh … and … there’s a … thing … in a box … I’ll … er … install it when I get back. I want to get over there before the store closes.”
“Can I go Aunt Gus? Please?”
I looked at Lev and he left it up to me. “You can go help. No begging for special treats. You wind Lev up too easy.”
Benny gave a huge grin. “Uncle Lev, let’s go!” he said like he expected me to withdraw my permission if they waited too long to leave.
Lev is still getting used to Benny calling him “uncle” but it’s a good thing. It is also a good thing that I can let Benny go with someone else. I need to learn as well. I turned back to the storage room and just shook my head. Where in the heck were we going to put everything?