Happy Birthday to me. Happy Jim.

So it's my birthday. Imagine, I'm still in my fifties. What? Stop laughing. OK, so maybe I'm a touch older. Slightly. Whatever.
For my big day I took Jim sailing on a sloop out of Caneel Bay Resort. See left. It's the 'Spitfire', a 50 foot custom build cruiser built in 1981. Captain Greg and his wife Barbara were our hosts. It was pretty windy but it was clear that we were in good hands. The sailing was absolutely gorgeous. We went up wind to Jost Van Dyke and then tacked back over to Leinster Bay on St. John. There we snorkeled and had lunch. Somone saw a sea turtle. Did Bob? Not. I'm getting a complex about this. There were two other couples aboard who were quite entertaining. Lots of good humor and good food. After lunch we set sail back home. It was all downwind and smooth sailing. I'd guess it was blowing over 20 knots, but on a boat this large you couldn't tell it. Awesome! Along the way we went through a thunderstorm. Us crew all went below and stayed dry. Landlubbers!
So here are Bob and Jim back on the dock. Bob is smiling because he went sailing. Jim is smiling because Bob got the news today that one of his paintings has sold. In less than a week! Jim knows that Bob will be in a really good mood!
Happy birthday to me. Lucky Jim.

Bob is finally 'legit' in de islands.

     So it finally happened. My artwork is now on display at a gallery here on St. John. It's The Michael Banzhaf Gallery. I have ten small paintings of St. John for sale. There will be an opening reception to introduce me as a new island artist on Friday, March 2nd. Drinks and lite hors d'oeuvres will be served. Feel free to stop by? Whatever. The gallery owner has asked that I also show a few larger canvases. So I'm painting like a madman. Here are a couple of examples.
















     On to a different subject. Jim and I have been exploring the island in our jeep. Every once in a while we run into something unusual. In this case we almost ran over the said 'subject'. Please see photo below. Hee, haw!

Winter? What winter? Only wildlife.

This shot was taken yesterday, Sunday January 15th. Jim is trying out his new snorkel gear at Francis Bay. He claims to have seen a sea-turtle. Others saw an octopus. Bob saw nothing. Well OK, maybe I saw a few pretty fish but I want to see the big stuff. I did see a manta ray gliding right up next to the shore. But it was a baby one. Perhaps the big game are afraid of me? Maybe my sunscreen is offensive? Could my swimsuit be too colorful? I don't get it. Could they be confusing me with a whale? Don't answer that! But I'm not ready to throw in the beach towel just yet. Jim has left today for a business meeting on The Cape. Why be cold and wet when you can be warm and wet? Whatever. I will head back to one of the beaches for another try at a close encounter with the marine wildlife kind. I'll keep you posted on my progress.
Check out this photo of our friendly house guest. We call him Shorty because he is short most of his tail, poor fellow. Apparently lizards are quite territorial and this one has staked out our front porch. We see him daily and he is not afraid of us at all. I guess once someone has bitten off your tail nothing phases you? Maybe he thinks I'm a relative because I have no tail. Anyway, he is great to have around because lizards live on mosquitoes. I personally could live without any flying pests. But I guess that's the price of an 83 degree winter.  I understand that it's in the twenties in Connecticut. OK, enough of the temperature. Scarf, hat, gloves? Not.

If it's a full moon you eat de pig.

We've heard from several sources that when there is a full moon a restaurant called Miss Lucy's has a party. So when Jim was looking for a place to entertain a visiting client, and as luck would have it the moon was full, we headed out to Coral Bay. Miss Lucy's sits beside a beach. They have outdoor seating in the sand and limited space. So we went early. A live band was playing some really cool rock/ jazz. The food was amazing. We all had pulled pork, just roasted off a spit. There were johnny cakes, okra and plantains served with a secret hot sauce. Yum! This was the best pulled pork I've ever tasted anywhere. Lots of rum punches were in order to wash down the spicy grub. Then the moon came out. What a beautiful site is was with the reflection over the ocean. De full moon party was de bes ting ever! No werewolves in sight.

Jim knits together a new business.

If there's one thing you can be sure of when it comes to Jim, he can't sit still. That little pee-brain is always churning. So if it weren't enough that he knits his fingers off making sweaters, now he's got those digits working on jewelry. Check out that lovely piece of coral hanging from his neck. Plucked from the sands of of our favorite beach, Reef Bay, this little charmer is sure to win admirers everywhere. Jim also made a nice one for me as well. See the photo below. What will he come up with next? Who knows, but what's with the flower in the ear? Really, how 'island' can you get mon?
Now for more serious news. We woke up this morning to find good old Butch had a flat tire. (remember Butch is our Jeep Wrangler, circa 2007 or so) Anyway, we went to check the spare and of course it was flat too. Luckily, the guy living below us let us borrow his Jeep so we could go into town for help. We picked up a canister of stuff you spray into the tire to plug it up and headed home. It worked! I drove to the one and only gas station and had the tires all checked. Now all is well. Did Jim have his hands working on this project? You guess!