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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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 just outside the walls

Unsolved Mystery of the Ghost Ship

Unsolved Mystery of the Ghost Ship Facts: The sailboat was last tracked to Costa Teguise, Spain on February 26, 2018, per Marinetraffic.com. The deceased captain washed ashore in Portugal in March 2018, per his obituary. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/09/rob-mitchell-obituary The sailboat is beached on rocks on the coastline of the Caribbean island of Nevis; observed on January 2019 and remains on Nevis today [May 2019]. Distance between Costa Teguise and Nevis is 3,200 miles (as the crow flies). Hurricanes Florence and Helene crossed the Atlantic directly between Spain and Nevis in Aug/Sept 2018. Questions: What event caused the sailboat and the captain to get separated? How many days was the derelict sailboat at sea before it arrived on Nevis? "Katniss" on the rocks on Nevis The captain's obituary at The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/09/rob-mitchell-obituary Marinetraffic.com tracking info f

Independence Day Picnic (Sept 19)

Today, Sept 19 is Independence Day. St. Kitts' version of the 4th of July in wrestling their independence from England occurred 30 years ago today. All over the island there were celebrations. At work, some of the employees threw some money together and had a picnic on the beach. Not everyone showed up but several brought their families. The rustic kitchen was set up amongst the sea grapes. George Riley (AKA Twojon) is the grill master. A giant plate of food included marinated, grilled chicken, beans and rice, breadfruit casserole, macaroni pie (more commonly known in the states as macaroni and cheese casserole), and pumpkin and orange casserole. There was also a great deal of beer and bootleg rum. [George Riley is the rum runner]. Twojon and Yvette (AKA Verna) prepared all of the food. Clive Browne (Blackie) put up a tarp to prepare for rain (which did not make an appearance). The men played dominos. Clockwise from the left (Blackie, Muta, Glac

The Culps of the Caribbean

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