Bananaquit

bananaquit

“Yellow bird,
Up high in banana tree,
Yellow bird,
You sit all alone like me…”

bananaquit recording
bananaquit video
bananaquit webpage

St. John Live Music Schedule Wednesday March 21

Aqua Bistro – Rascio on Steel Pan – 5:30 – 8:30 – 776-5336Castaways
Kenny Floyd – 8:00 – 777-3316
Coconut Coast Studios – St. John Flutes – 776-6944
Cruz Bay Prime – Samba Combo – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693 -8000
Driftwood Dave’s – Paradise People – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Chris Carsel – 6:00 – 9:00 – 714-6169
Sun Dog Cafe – Wednesday Night Jam – 7:30-10:00 – 244-9713

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T’rushie

Pearly-Eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus), aka Thrushie Bird

Pearly-eyed thrashers have been described as aggressive and opportunistic. The one in the above photo was waiting for a waitress to step away from a plate of food so that it could descend and steal a bite or two before someone chased it away.

The t'rushie gets my mango

I’ll most likely be fighting my own battle with the Thrushie, which will be coming up when my mangoes are just about ready to eat. My mango tree is in flower and baby mangoes are beginning to form. It looks like a good mango year for both me and the t’rushie dem.

The not so melodic call of the thrushie – Turn Volume Up (mp4)

The not so melodic call of the thrushie – Turn Volume Up (mov)

St. John Live Music Schedule Tuesday March 20

Castaways – Karaoke Night – 9:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Michael Beason – 8:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Erin Hart – 6:00 – 9:00 – 714-6169
Island Blues – Karaoke & Open Mic – 8:00 – 11:00 – 776-6800
Morgan’s Mango – Greg Kinslow – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Rascio on Steel Pan – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-3304
Shipwreck Landing – Chris Carsel  – 6:30 – 9:30
Spyglass – T-Bird – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100

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Dead Chest Island, British Virgin islands

“Fifteen Men on the Dead Man’s Chest”

Dead Chest Island lies a little less than a half mile north east of Deadman’s Bay on Peter Island in the British Virgin islands (BVI). It’s a small scrubby cay with no fresh water and no big trees for shade. Legend has it that the notorious pirate Blackbeard punished a number of his crew by marooning them on the island for 30 days leaving each man with only a cutlass and a bottle of rum. By the time Blackbeard returned to the cay, most of the pirates had perished.

When Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island, which was modeled after nearby Norman Island, he included the well known ditty:

“Fifteen Men on the dead man’s Chest,
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.”

Dead Man’s Chest, being one of the names given to what today is called Dead Chest Island.

In 1994, the record of the surviving pirates of dead Chest island was broken by journalist, Quentin van Marle who marooned himself for 31 days on the inhospitable island. Van Marle wrote the book, Marooned, 31 Days on Dead Man’s Chest about the ordeal.

Van Marle explains: “In 1994, in conjunction with the Sunday Times, and in some sort of honour to Robert Louis Stevenson and Treasure Island, I deliberately marooned myself on the uninhabited island of Dead Man’s Chest (part of the British Virgin Islands). Surviving for a month on a barren rock of 300 square metres by 100 metres high was a tough call. The book is a weekly diary of what became quite an ordeal. I don’t think I’ll be doing that again.”

St. John Live Music Schedule Monday March 19

High Tide – Mikey P – 8:00 – 11:00 – 714-6169
La Tapa – Samba Combo – 6:30 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Maho Bay Camp – Open Mic with Lauren -6:30
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304

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St. John Photo of the Day

Carib Tide leaves Cruz Bay, St. John Bound for Red Hook, St. Thomas

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

St. John Live Music Schedule Saturday March 17

 Beach Bar – St. Patrick Day Party – Groove Thang – 4:00 – 777-4220
Castaways – Dance Party – 11:00 – 777-3316
Spyglass – James Cobb – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100
Driftwood Dave’s – Guitarist James Milne – 7:00 – 10:00 – 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 – 10:00
Shipwreck Landing – Mike Miknut – 6:00 – 9:30
Skinny Legs – Hot Club of Coral Bay – 6:30 – 9:30 – 779-4982

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Virgin Islands Photo of the Day

Diving For Lobsters

St. John Live Music Schedule Friday March 16

Aqua Bistro – Steve Sloan – 5:30 – 8:30 – 776-5336
Beach Bar – The ISH – 9:00 – 777-4220
Castaways – Mikey P – 9:00 – 777-3316
Cinnamon Bay – Eddie Bruce Drum Circle – 6:30 – 8:00
Cruz Bay Prime – James Cobb – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693 -8000
Driftwood Dave’s – John W Lee – 7:00 – 10:00  – 777-4015
Inn at Tamarind Court – Groove Thang  – 6:30 – 776 6378
Morgan’s Mango – Lauren – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – T-Bird  – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304
Rhumblines – Erin Hart  – 7:00 – 10:00
Spyglass – James Cobb – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100

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Beach Maho

The Beach Maho, Hibiscus tilaceus, is commonly found along the St. John shoreline and around mangrove swamps as it can tolerate brackish water and salt spray.The leaves are heart-shaped and the bright yellow flowers turn purple as the day passes. The small green fruit of the maho is not edible, but a bush tea can be made from the leaf.

St. John Live Music Schedule Thursday March 15

Banana Deck -Steel Pan by Lemuel Samuels – 6:00 – 9:00 – 693-5055
Beach Bar – Groove Thang  – 9:00 – 777-4220
Castaways – Dance Party – 11:00 – 777-3316
Driftwood Dave’s – Just Mike – 7:00 – 10:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Inner Vision – 8:00-11:00 – 714-6169
Island Blues – Ike – 7:00 – 10:00 – 776-6800
Morgan’s Mango – Mark Wallace – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304
Shipwreck Landing – Slammin  – 7:00 – 10:00
Skinny Legs – Lauren – 6:00 – 9:00 – 779-4982

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Virgin Islands Photo of the Day

View of Tortola From Little Harbour Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands - Photo by Ezius Ashly

Westin Hotel on St. John Makes Number 11 on RedWeek.com’s List of Top 25 Timeshare Rental Resorts.
For the fifth year running, leading timeshare marketplace RedWeek.com releases its list of Top 25 timeshare rental resorts. The Top 25 ranking is calculated using statistics from the site’s more than 1.5 million registered users. Read more…

Summer Opportunity for Virgin Islands Students
By Lynda Lohr — March 12, 2012
With a goal of developing the next generation of the territory’s leaders, the V.I. Scholars program will holds its second annual Summer Leadership Institute at Gifft Hill School on St. John. Read more…

St. John Live Music Schedule Wednesday March 14

Aqua Bistro – Rascio on Steel Pan – 5:30 – 8:30 – 776-5336
Castaways – Kenny Floyd – 8:00 – 777-3316
Coconut Coast Studios – St. John Flutes – 776-6944
Cruz Bay Prime – Samba Combo – 7:00 – 10:00 – 693 -8000
Driftwood Dave’s – Paradise People – 7:00 – 10:00 -777-4015
High Tide – Chris Carsel – 6:00 – 9:00 – 714-6169
Shipwreck Landing – Groove Thang  -7:00 – 10:00
Sun Dog Cafe – Wednesday Night Jam – 7:30-10:00 -244-9713

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Surfers at Apple Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Winds out of the ENE have brought some waves to the Virgin islands for the last week. In this photo, surfers at Tortola’s Apple Bay enjoy the relatively small swells in the late afternoon.

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Tuesday, March 13

Castaways – Karaoke Night – 9:00 – 777-3316
Beach Bar – Van Gordon Martin Band – 9:00 – 777-4220
Driftwood Dave’s – Michael Beason – 8:00 – 777-4015
High Tide – Erin Hart – 6:00 – 9:00 – 714-6169
Island Blues – Karaoke & Open Mic – 8:00 – 11:00 – 776-6800
Morgan’s Mango – Greg Kinslow – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Rascio on Steel Pan – 6:00 – 9:30 – 693-3304
Shipwreck Landing – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:30
Spyglass – T-Bird – 5:00 – 8:00 – 776-1100

See the weekly St. John live music schedule

Giant Anemone, Reef Urchins Sponges and Corals hide out in Red Mangrove roots

Green Feather Algae

Yellowline Arrow Crab

Squirrelfish

Marine Life a Mangrove Fringe Forest Environment more photos

Mitt Romney wins the Virgin Islands Republican Caucus

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — The Republican Party chairman in the U.S. Virgin Islands says Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney has won the territory’s GOP caucus….read more

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Monday, March 12

Concordia – Groove Thang – 6:30
High Tide – Mikey P – 8:00 – 11:00 – 714-6169
La Tapa – Samba Combo – 6:30 – 9:30 – 693-8141
Ocean Grill – Chris Carsel – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304

See the weekly St. John live music schedule

St. John Springtime: Vanda Orchid

We’re slowly seeing the signs of spring here on St. John. Albeit not as dramatic as springtime in America, we do, contrary to what many believe, have definite seasons. Today, for example marks the day that America goes back on Daylight Time, making Eastern Standard Time (EST) equal to our Atlantic Standard Time (AST). The seawater has become warm enough not to be so shocking (for  baby like me anyway, but not warm enough for a baby like my friend Mario). More scientifically demonstrating the coming of a new season is the appearance of flowers on my mango tree and the aloes in bloom a buzz with bees and hummingbirds in the morning.

Mango Flowers	Aloe Flowers
Key Lime Flower	Christmas Palm Fruits

St. John Live Music Schedule for tonight, Sunday, March 11

Aqua Bistro – Lauren – 3:30 – 6:30 – 776-5336
Beach Bar – The Blood Gypsies – 5:00 – 777-4220
Concordia – Bo – Sunday Brunch – 10:00 am
Driftwood Dave’s – Live Music – 1:00 – 4:00 – 777-4015
Miss Lucy’s – Samba Combo – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – 693-5354
Ocean Grill – David Laab – 6:30 – 9:00 – 693-3304
Rhumblines – T-Bird – 7:00 – 10:00
Shipwreck Landing – Hot Club of Coral Bay – 7:00 – 10:00
Skinny Legs – Groove Thang – 6:00 -779-4982
Sun Dog Cafe – David Laab – 11:00 am- 2:00 pm – 244-9713
Westin Beach Bar – Rich Greengold  – 6:30 – 9:30 – 244-9713

See the weekly St. John live music schedule