(All photos taken by me with a Motorola Droid Turbo cell phone)
This is the view this morning from my patio. I sleep well
with the sound of the waves just a hundred feet away. It has been a long time since I stayed ashore on St. Croix. Over the years, we have anchored the sailboat in Christiansted, and only ventured in as far as we could walk. Today I am at sea-level, but used to live on the top of a mountain on the east end, with a view of the north and south shores.
Just like returning to the home you grew up in, everything here, also feels smaller. Yesterday I went into town to see what had changed, and buy a new snorkel. I was amazed at how many shops were not only closed, but stripped to the walls. I talked to several people that had been here most of their lives, and they knew the answers I asked about shops and people that had moved on.
Up and down this boardwalk, and sometimes as far as Gallows Bay, is my normal hang-out space when I am here. This visit, I have an apartment on the NE shore and a rental car.
Driving on the left, kicked back in, almost instantly. I went into town early and found that many of the shops didn't open until noon.
On the internet, I have read about gangs, shootings, and escalated crime. I confirmed that there are such problems, but in my time back on-island, I have only met friendly people, still waving out their window to let me into traffic, and have not yet encountered the resentment that has often been displayed against tourists. I have drove through school bumbler-bumper traffic, tracked down and bought computer supplies, shopped for groceries, and walked all the streets of C'sted and F'sted. I have an advantage over most non-residents,
I used to live here and know the areas to avoid. In the past, your best protection was common sense.
This morning, I thought that I would like to see what is left of that house on the mountain. Since the castle was built on the properties above it, it was confusing finding it.
On this trip, I didn't sail, so I rented a suite on the East End. Thanks to email, my editor found me, and sent me the latest manuscript. Knowing it was in my laptop, I couldn't help but review the cuts and alterations. I drive her crazy with ellipses and commas.
There is still something special here on St. Croix. A magic pheromone in the air that slightly alters your DNA... permanently. I escaped here many times when I was in college. I never liked the cold of Cincinnati, Ohio. Four-hundred dollars was a round trip ticket, and I had places to stay for free. Any time life became more then I could handle, I came here. Even when I am sailing, I often end up here. Most of my friends from those years have moved on. I found a few still hanging in there on my 2019 visit. I have lived and worked here, and lost the faith and left the island. Even when I'm 1100 miles away, the pheromones still find me, and call me back.
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