White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

White Bay Rainbow

Caribbean Flamingo

This colorful flamingo lives all by itself on a pond at Brias Creek, on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.
He or she must have come from either Anegada, where there are a flock of flamingos living in the big salt pond in the center of the island or from Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island upon which some 200 flamingos make their home.

Because of its size, my guess is that it came from Anegada as the Necker Island flamingos appear to be smaller than than those from Anegada.

Apparently it has been on Virgin Gorda for some time now, living a solitary existence, which is unusual as flamingos are generally highly social birds and live in large flocks.

An outcast? A loner? Can’t find its way back home?

I’ve also posted a series of photos of the flamingo in flight.

In the following video, Ezius Ashley demonstrates how to climb a coconut palm and pick a coconut. Notice how he uses the natural grooves in the palm trunk foothold. Grasping the trunk on the opposite side and pulling inwards he transfers weight to his feet thus allowing them to adhere to the trunk. Good going Zi!

Abe’s Restaurant, Little Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

Photo by Bill Wakeham

Bob Garrison, better known on St. John as the “Trail Bandit,” has produced the ultimate St. John Trail Map, a must have for any resident of St. John as well as for anyone visiting the island, hiker or not. The maps are available on St. John or can be downloaded or purchased on Bob’s website: trailbandit.org. Back in April of this year, I published an interview of Bob, which our readers may find interesting: Trail Bandit Interview Every year on the last Saturday in September, Bob hosts “Henniker’s Annual Pumpkin Festival” at his airport in Henniker New Hampshire. People arrive from all over, some in their own planes. When weather permits there’s an Air Show where, according to Bob, “People do silly things in airplanes.”

Bob's Plane - Italian Fighter-Trainer, Symmetrical Wing

Trail Bandit Airport - 3000 foot paved runway with lights

biplane parked at hanger

There’s a big barbecue, homemade pies, and hard and soft beverages. Bob personally prepared and marinated 120 pounds of chicken for the event. Mary brought her apple pies, but because of dangerous cross winds she didn’t fly them in herself as she normally does.

Bob "Trail Bandit" Garrison and Mary, the Trail Banditess

Autumn Colors at Airport

Barbecue

The highlight of the day is the trebuchet pumpkin launch. First Bob grows the pumpkins. Then on the day of the festival he sets up the trebuchet. An old wrecked automobile is fork-lifted down the field about two hundred yards from the trebuchet to serve as a target.

Trebuchet

Ammunition

Pumpkin in flight

The trebuchet is armed using the force of about five or more people using a line to raise th 800-pound concrete counterweight. The trebuchet arm is then secured by the trigger mechanism and the pumpkin loaded into it’s pouch. Someone is chosen to pull the trigger and the pumpkin flies off to it’s target at a speed of 69 mies an hour. (Someone was there with a radar gun to verify the speed)

What FUN!!!

Ram Head Point, St. John US Virgin Islands (USVI)

Ram Head

The above photo was shot yesterday at sunset rounding Ram Head Point.  Ram Head, on the southeast of St. John is always a dramatic place, but at sunset it is particularly beautiful.

Sandcastle Hotel, White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
The founders of the Soggy Dollar Bar and Sandcastle Hotel are George and Marie Myrick. They first came to the Caribbean and cruised the island- on the Water Lily, a 53-foot motor-sailer, which they ran as a charter operation and for the owners. They then leased Little Thatch and ran a hotel there. They built the Sandcastle in 1970 and ran it for ten years after which they returned to the America and toured the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Belize. The couple, now in their 80s, live in Florida. They wrote a book about their experience called Incredible Virgin Island Adventure (Which I’m having trouble finding.) and have at least one post on their blog.

More Soggy Dollar Bar 40th Anniversary Party videos:

Lets Have a Party

Conga Line

Hempsted House, New London CT

I’ve been off island visiting family in America. One stop was to see my daughter and her kids in New London, Connecticut.

New London is a really scenic town with a lot of historical and nautical flavor, so on the first nice sunny day I grab my camera and walk around taking pictures, one of which is the house on the corner of my daughters block. The structure dates back to the seventeenth century and the man that built the house had left a diary detailing what everyday life was like for him back then.

Anyway, I’m taking a photo of the house when a man and a women pass by that turn out to be neighbors of my daughter.

“Did you know that that house is haunted,” says the man.

“No,” I say, “but I love stories so please go on.”

The story goes like this:

Apparently a women had died under mysterious circumstances on the second floor of the house. After that there have been numerous reports of strange goings on in the house.

For example, the August 22, 1908 edition of The Evening News, San Jose, California reported:
“The first antics noticed by the Hempsted family took place on Wednesday evening of this week when spools of thread began to tumble from the work basket on the second floor, down the stairs and sometimes apparently through the air at the feet of Mrs. Hempsted in the dining room below…” read full story

On May 4th 2009, paranormal investigators were summoned to the Hempsted House to investigate the many tales of strange goings on in the house. Read story.

But last summer, there was a car accident on the block. A women driving late at night swerved off the street crashing into the wooden fence bordering the property. When the police arrived on the scene, they encountered the extremely distraught driver who claimed that she had just run over a woman. According to the driver of the car a woman had appeared out of nowhere in front of the car. The driver said that she swerved to avoid hitting the lady, but thinks she ran her down. The car went off the road striking the fence and knocking it down.

“Right here,” said the storyteller, pointing to a section of fence that was obviously newer than the rest.

Anyway the police searched the area, but found neither body nor blood or any other evidence of anyone being struck by an automobile.

Suspecting that the driver had been drinking, the performed a breath test which came out negative. Neither did the woman appear to be high on drugs or crazy. The police asked her to describe the supposed victim and the lady described a blond woman in seventeenth century garb consistent with all the other sightings of the ghost of Hempsted House…

The Home of Dr. William Thornton, Little Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin islands

Home of Dr. William Thornton

Dr. William Thornton, the designer of the US Capitol Building, was born in Great Harbour Jost Van Dyke in 1759. In later years he lived on Little Jost Van Dyke.

The remains of the Thornton residence lie on a ridge on the Western side of the island overlooking Tortola to the south and Lost Van Dyke to the west.

The following photos illustrate the hike I took with Curtney “Ghost” Chinnery to Dr. Thornton’s home.

Ghost and I put in at the old dock that lies on Little Jost Van Dyke across Long Bay from Foxy’s Taboo. It’s a tough approach and you’ll need a shallow draft boat and some creativity to tie up here.

Once we accomplished that we hiked along the coast and picked up a trail of sorts leading to the remains of an old structure once destined to be a bar and restaurant on the western beach south of Dim Don Point. As we approached the old structure, we needed to keep alert for the numerous suckers that seemed to be just about everywhere.

From the old unfinished and crumpling, bar we bushwhacked up the hill to the ridge where we came upon the remains of the old Thornton residence.

Visit to the Home of Dr. William Thornton, Little Jost Van Dyke BVI

old dock	hillside	coconut grove
large rocks	abandoned bar	? Interior of the bar
Thornton ruin	view from thornton residence	baby goats