Press Release: Rae Ellen Lee’s My Next Husband Will Be Normal

My Next Husband Will Be Normal

Rae Ellen Lee, the owner of what once was the Canvas Factory in Mongoose Junction has followed up her first book, If the Shoe Fits, with her new memoir, My Next Husband Will Be Normal.

Below is the description from the back cover:

“Lee’s first memoir, I Only Cuss When I’m Sailing, (first published as If The Shoe Fits) chronicles her move with husband, Tom, from Montana to the West Coast to live on an old boat, fix it up, learn to sail, and set off for the Caribbean.   “ . . . charming, witty, beautifully observed, and above all, delightfully genuine. –Living Aboard Magazine

“In My Next Husband Will Be Normal, Lee and her husband ditch their sailboat and fly to the U.S. Virgin Islands with a down payment for a mom and pop business on St. John. The plan:  when they aren’t sewing canvas bags at their little shop, The Canvas Factory, they’ll be beach potatoes. But there are risks to living in paradise one cannot anticipate, especially on an island where residents bask in the mantra:  You can do anything you want, as long as the rest of us know about it. For soon after unpacking their flip-flops, the husband—a former Republican state legislator with a silver crew-cut and solid traditional values—realizes he is really a she. Convinced the world needs more humor, Lee rations the angst in favor of the picturesque and absurd. Adding heat to the story is a cast of colorful cats, customers, and Caribbean personalities. Toss in a few sex toys, some steel pan music, a pinch of voodoo—and stir.”

My Next Husband Will Be Normal – Link to Amazon.com

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Saturday, January 28

Castaways – Dance Party – 11:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Guitarist James Milne – 700 -1 0:00 – 777-4015
Winston Wells Ball Park – Cruz Bay – Morgan Heritage plus Niyorah, Melame Gange &Bambu Station – 6:00 – 422-0289
Morgan’s Mango – Luba – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Rascio on Steel Pan – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-3304
Rhumblines – Lauren – 7:00
Shipwreck Landing – Mike Miknut – 6:00 – 9:30

See the weekly schedule

St. John Film Society presents:

Concrete, Steel and Paint

Tuesday, February 7, 2012
7:30 pm at St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay

Directed by Cindy Burstein and Tony Heriza
55 minutes, 2009, Documentary

When men in a Pennsylvania state prison join with victims of crime to create a mural about healing, their views on punishment, remorse and forgiveness collide.  Finding consensus is not easy, but as the participants move through the creative process, mistrust gives way to genuine moments of human contact and common purpose.

This complex story raises important questions about crime, justice and reconciliation, and dramatically illustrates how art can facilitate dialogue about difficult issues.

JOIN DIRECTOR TONY HERIZA AND MURAL ARTS PROGRAM ORGANIZER JANE GOLDEN FOR DISCUSSION AFTER THE SCREENING!

TONY HERIZA Since co-founding the Community Media Workshop in Dayton, Ohio in 1974, Tony Heriza has been involved in many aspects of media for social change: producing, editing, teaching and working with community organizations. His work has been broadcast nationally on PBS and featured in many festivals. He is now the Director of Educational Outreach for the American Friends Service Committee and teaches documentary film at U Penn / Philadelphia.  Along with his co-producer, Cindy Burstein, he is an active member of the New Day Film distribution co-operative.

JANE GOLDEN As a young artist Jane  was initially hired by former Mayor Wilson Goode to help combat the graffiti crisis plaguing the city. She reached out to graffiti writers to help turn their destructive energies into creative ones.  Under the direction of Golden, the Mural Arts Program has become the nation’s largest mural program earning Philadelphia international recognition as the“City of Murals.”  The Mural Arts Program has created more than 3,000 murals.  In addition, Golden has developed art education and workforce development programs that serve youth and adult offenders at area prisons, detention centers, and residential placement facilities, utilizing the power of art to break the cycle of crime and violence in Philadelphia’s communities and sparking a national dialogue based on the concept of restorative justice. In addition to leading the Mural Arts Program, Golden has been an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a guest instructor at Princeton University. Golden holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and degrees in Fine Arts and Political Science from Stanford University.

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Friday, January 27

Aqua Bistro – Mark Wallace & Rich Greengold – 5:30 – 8:30 – 776-5336
Beach Bar – Sol Driven Train – 9:00 – 777-4220
Castaways – Mikey P – 9:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Mark Wallace – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
Island Blues – Get Right Band – 7:00 – 776-6800
Miss Lucy’s – Reggae on the Bay- Inner Visions – 6:00 – 11:00 -Round trip shuttle -leaves Fatty Crab 6:00 ($20.00 r/t) – 693-5354
Morgan’s Mango – Lauren – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – T-Bird – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304

See this week’s live music schedule

Overseer's House 2012

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Thursday, January 26

Banana Deck – Steel Pan by Lemuel Samuels – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693-5055
Beach Bar – Get Right Band – 9:00 – 777-4220
Castaways – Dance Party – 11:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Jante Samuel’s Caribbean Band – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Inner Vision – 8:00-11:00 – 714-6169
Morgan Heritage Sandy Feet – Sundown Beach Lime @ Oppenheimer Beach – 3:00 – 7:00
Morgan’s Mango – Mark Wallace – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel  – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304
Skinny Legs – Lauren – 6:00 – 779-4982

See this week’s live music schedule

Caneel Bay Mill Round 1960 photo by Jack Boucher

“Significance: An important remnant of an early sugar factory. The mill round, a circular, masonry platform, supported an animal-driven cane crushers, which was used to extract the juice from sugar cane. Animal-driven crushers later replaced by wind and steam-driven types.” Library of Congress

Caneel Bay Equator Restaurant 2012

Today the Equator restaurant sits atop Caneel Bay’s old mill round.

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Wednesday, January 25

Castaways – Kenny Floyd – 8:00 – 777-3316
Coconut Coast Studios – St. John Flutes – 5:30-7:00 – 776-6944
Driftwood Dave’s – Carly Powell’s Caribbean Band – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
Sun Dog Cafe – Wednesday Night Jam – 7:30-10:00 – 244-9713

See this week’s live music schedule

Great Cruz Bay Rainbow

A light squall in the early morning placed a rainbow over Great Cruz Bay. It only lasted for a little while. I’m happy to have had my camera at hand.

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Tuesday, January 24

Castaways – Karaoke Night -9:00 – 777-3316
High Tide – Erin Hart – 4:00 – 7:00 – 714-6169
Morgan’s Mango – Greg Kinslow – 6:00 – 9:30 -n 693-8141
Shipwreck Landing  – Chris Carsel – 6:00 – 9:30

See this week’s live music schedule

Mary Point Great House 1965 photo by Frederik C. Gjessing

Mary Point Great House 2009

The remains of this old residence can be found on the Francis Bay Trail.

“Significance: Both the 1780 survey of St. John and the Oxholm map of St. John published in 1800 show a building on the site of the existing great house. The present building incorporates several late additions from this century. The date of construction of the older masonry structure has not been determined. Cornice & other architectural details imply an early 19th century date.” (Library of Congress)

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Monday, January 23

High Tide – Rascio on Steel Pan – 4:00 – 6:30 – 714-6169
La Tapa – Samba Combo – 6:30 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Maho Bay – Open Mic with Bo & Lauren – 7:00
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel  – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304

See this week’s live music schedule

Frank Bay Sunset

St. John Live Music for tonight, Sunday, January 22

Aqua Bistro – Lauren – 3:30 – 776-5336
Beach Bar – Don Dilego Band – 4:30 – 777-4220
Concordia – Bo – Sunday Brunch 10:00 am
Driftwood Dave’s – Carly Powell’s Trio – 1:00 – 4:00 – 777-4015
Miss Lucy’s – Samba Combo – 10: 00am – 2:00pm – 693-5354
Ocean Grill – David Laab – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304
Shipwreck Landing – Hot Club of Coral Bay  – 7:00 – 10:00

See this week’s live music schedule

Cruz Bay Dock 2012

Cruz Bay Dock 1941

Caneel Bay Dock 2012

Caneel Bay Dock 1941

St John Live Music Schedule

Beach Bar – Don Dilego Band  – 9:00 – 777-4220
Castaways – Dance Party – 11:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Guitarist James Milne – 700 -1 0:00 – 777-4015
Morgan’s Mango – Luba – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Rascio on Steel Pan – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-3304
Rhumblines – Lauren – 7:00
Shipwreck Landing – Mike Miknut  – 6:00 – 9:30

See this week’s live music schedule

St. John Live Music Schedule Friday Night January 20, 2012

Hear the sounds of the St. John tree frogs serenading each other in the Virgin Islands night

Aqua Bistro – Mark Wallace & Rich Greengold  – 5:00 – 8:00 – 693-5055
Castaways – Mikey P – 9:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Mark Wallace – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
Morgan’s Mango – Lauren – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – T-Bird – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304

Line for customs at the St. Thomas Airport

All the way to Baggage Claim

The afternoon line up to pass through customs inspection at the Cyril E King Airport on St. Thomas has been longer than I have ever seen it.

The line shown in the above photo began at the baggage claim area and extended to the doorway that leads to the customs area. From there it passes through the alcove where you normally fill out your customs forms and then leads into the actual customs area. Here there is a maze of four long lines defined by roped off paths, which extend the length of the room. You walk down the first line, switch back to the next, down that line switch back and so on until you are finally called to one of the customs desks and are cleared to enter the TSA area.

You’re not finished. There’s still the agricultural inspection, which is fast and easy and the security scan lines, which may not be that fast and easy.

All in all, I would say that the customs, agriculture and security people are fast and efficient, however, there’s no way that you’re going to breeze through all  in no time at all.

The message here: Give yourself plenty of time before your flight out of St. Thomas, especially in the afternoon.

St. John Music Schedule Thursday 1/19

Banana Deck – Steel Pan by Lemuel Samuels – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693-5055
Beach Bar – Don Dilego Band – 9:00 – 777-4220
Castaways – Dance Party – 11:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Jante Samuel’s Caribbean Band – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Inner Vision – 8:00-11:00 – 714-6169
Morgan’s Mango – Mark Wallace – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304
Skinny Legs – Lauren – 6:00 – 779-4982

See this week’s live music schedule