Tropical Storm Chantal

Much Ado About Nothing...really. I was very concerned about the imminent tropical storm that was headed our way. All day I kept a wary eye on the weather radar and had spent a couple of hours lowering the hurricane shutters at work. While it was not predicted to hit us directly, I fully expected hours of drench rains and extreme winds. Well the wind did pick up, but not enough to topple a trash can. And it did rain, but was only heavy in isolated spots. At one location in the town area, there was a long puddle about 6-8" of deep water. We went to the grocery store and in usual Michigan-esque pre-storm fashion expected to see gobs of people buying supplies to get them through the storm. Not so. The grocery store was no busier than usual. At work not one local person even brought up the impending disaster. When we got home, the wind was calm, there was no rain and we had dinner out on the veranda. Went swimming in the pool and read the news on the deck. Tropical Storm Chantal? No biggie.

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Beach Combing at Dieppe Bay, St. Kitts

We spent the afternoon at a sleepy little fishing village on the northeastern edge of St. Kitts. On the way through the village we saw lobster traps being constructed and I would have taken pictures but that seemed intrusive at the time. While beach combing I observed a local fisherman with a dozen conch that he was extracting from their shells. Very interesting. He did not want his picture taken. On the way to this village we passed a large number of lobster buoys just off shore on the Caribbean side. When the restaurants say "fresh lobster", indeed it is fresh, as are the conch fritters. A reef protects the shoreline to make this a natural safe harbor for the local fishing fleet. Mount Liamauga in the background. Amy and Kyle in the distance doing some beach combing. Amy has a huge collection of beach glass from this trip. Looking south along the Atlantic coastline. Kyle is rescuing a Portugues...

My Buddy: Biscuit the Donkey

Donkeys, often overlooked and underrated, are animals with an incredible spirit and a heartwarming ability to bring joy and healing to those who care for them. These gentle creatures have been domesticated for thousands of years, serving as beasts of burden, transportation, and loyal companions. However, not all donkeys are fortunate enough to have a loving home. Many find themselves in dire situations, neglected, abused, or abandoned. This is just such a donkey. His name is Biscuit. I live and work on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. St. Kitts is rich in history and we are surrounded by that history daily, some of that history is painful. Peppered all across the island are remnants of sugar cane processing structures that date back to the 1700's. Notably these are stone windmill foundations from the 1700's and from the 1800's, in very close proximity, are 50' tall stone chimneys. It was exploring the site of one of these ruins a few years ago when I came acro...

The Leper Colony (aka Fort Charles)

History, Upon History. St. Kitts is loaded with history and sometimes the remnants of it are dissolving into the earth with little chance of rescue. Today we visited Fort Charles near Sandy Point. From 1670 to 1854 Fort Charles stood below it's much more highbrow brother Brimstone Hill. In 1854 and up until 1996 it was a Leper Colony. These Leper Colonies were also known as Hansen House(s). Wasting away and being overtaken by foliage and the ravages of the tropical environment, the wooden structures are going to be short lived. The fort itself has 20 foot brimstone walls and will stand for quite sometime to come. The very infrequent visitors are greeted by the most magnificent of entry ways. My leper colony-selfie. An old fountain. A hospital bed being overtaken by trees. An old bed frame amongst the rocks. A colonial church stands ju...

The Culps of the Caribbean

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