You Guys Got Me Hooked Again ! !

You guys ! ! ! ... MAN ... You guys are addictive ... and your enthusiasm unbelievably contageous ! ! !

I came here today to take a quick "look-see" as to what's going on down there ... AND I'VE BEEN ON HERE FOR 4 HOURS ! ! ! ... ADDICTIVE ! !

I haven't visited this site for about 3 or 4 weeks ... AND I've paid dearly for not having done so ! ! ... Yes, I've been in the doldrums for several weeks ... our relocation, originally planned for the beginning of October, has been slowed by my better-half's brother having had a stroke in Rome, NY. So Shirley will be flying up there to relocate him back home to Raleigh, NC and get him situated with therapy and medical arrangements ... and then we'll be on our way.

Our pre-relocation visit at the beginning of August was ... to put it mildy ... absolutely incredible ! Ya know how, when you're getting ready to take a trip somewhere, you form a picture in your mind as to what it's going to be like when you're there? Like when going to France, you expect it to be soooo romantic ... with the cafés and wine and things like that. And, usually, you're pretty disappointed when things don't quite measure up to the picture.

Well .......... St. Thomas was even BETTER than I had even dared to imagine. I immediately felt at home ... not like some stranger visiting a foreign country. I felt like I belonged there ... no, I take that back ... I KNEW I belonged there. This was MY country. This was where I was SUPPOSED to be ... "for as long as you both shall live."

I loved the odd-shaped buildings that were just "stuck" where they fit ... rather than plotted out and built by design. I loved the rickety fences and chipped and cracked concrete stoops and stairs and sidewalks. I loved the winding, unkempt streets with their 2-foot drop-offs from the sidewalk and the little pockets of trash in the corners of the buildings and stairways. It reminded me of my childhood when those "pockets" were the source of endless treasures and a stage for exploration and adventure.

Maybe that sounds weird, but the whole place takes me back to a simpler time before over-regulation of our lives became so commonplace that we no longer even noticed that it had happened. I felt my whole being slow down to a crawl and, more than ever before, felt a serenity come over me.

Whether it was a few beers at Cuzins or a sub at Bumpa's looking over the harbor and the rush-hour traffic, this was my place in life to be.

Ronnie can tell you, during the week on the Island, I spent HOURS just sitting on the balcony of the Crystal Palace gazing out onto the incredible beauty of the harbor and all of its activities. He called it MY spot, as I was there almost every time he saw me.

My original plan was for this to be a working vacation to scout out jobs and places to live ... but there was no time for those kind of mundane duties. Magan's Bay called ... and we answered her call ... and were treated to the sight of a "wild" ferret as we headed down the road to the beach. I thought ferrets were only home-kept pets ... and, of course, I never really knew where they got those things anyway. And we quickly found that the sun down there is much, much more intense than it is here in Florida ... but it's not nearly as hot down there due to the lesser humidity. Here, you walk out the front door and it's like opening the door to a blast furnace ... there, it's just hot ... but much more tolerable.

We DID get the rented car and toured the Island ... it took all of about two hours to make the cycle ... THEN ... it took ANOTHER two hours for us to find our way back to the parking area behind the Crystal Palace ! ! ! ... and, in the process, we were introduced to numerous areas of the city ... NUMEROUS TIMES ! ! ... LOL ! ! In fact, we had at one point decide that we could park the car somewhere down the road and walk up to Ronnie's and then go back and get the car in the morning when Ronnie could help with the directions "home."

On the Island "tour," we DID check many of the areas for places to live. But more enjoyed the Monte Carlo-like road rally that driving the hills of St. Thomas provided. We experienced baby barracuda's and see-through jelly fish while swimming in Magan's Bay. Passed a cow tied to a telephone pole in the middle of nowhere and slowed for a road full of goats of all sizes.

But most of all ... it was the people that struck me most. They are so different from the people in Florida. Not just in appearence or in accent ... but still civil. Unspoiled. Undemanding. Understanding.

I thank you all for still being here ... you have made the excruciating ordeal of having to be here for an additional 60 days a little more tolerable. I really can't wait to get "home" ... I hear it calling me everyday.

Anxious to be seeing you all soon,
Clay