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To call this 3" long lizard a "friend"'is a bit of a stretch since I only saw him once and during our short photo session he acted like he wasn't there - I think he thought he blended in so well with his surroundings that I couldn't see him.
This little guy was one of the many residents at the Estate Linholm, the beautiful B&B Deb and I are staying at while visiting St. John.
We leave for home this afternoon and as much as I like the Islands, I can't wait to be back in South Dakota.
Deb and I are on the island of St. John for a couple of days and it turns out that our visit coincides with the annual street fair. The downtown area was open to pedestrian traffic only and was crowded with street vendors of all kinds.
I was trying to capture the spirit of the street fair when I saw this colorful gentleman, who was selling hand carved rattles and decorations. I was working on getting a good candid shot but when he saw me, he called me over a B&D agreeably posed for me. But in the end, it was when he wasn't looking directly at me that I got the photo I liked best.
His name, by the way is Delroy Anthony, and he is a life long resident of St. John.
Here's are a few examples of the many things he makes:
Check out more of my Virgin Islands photos here here
To be specific this is a photo taken from the balcony of room 106 at the Miller Manor in Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas. The view is looking east over the East Gregorie Channel and includes the June full moon, which was spectacular.
I was working on an HDR sequence and I really didn't get what I wanted but I guess I'll take this one. There were clouds moving across the moon and because these exposures ranged up to 30 seconds, it was hard to get the moon in its full glory.
This is one of those shots, by the way, that I figured was a once-in-a-lifetime shot. It's not at all likely that I'll be in room 106 at the Miller Manor when a full moon rises over Charlotte Amalie ever again. Though I'd be happy to go back to the Miller Manor.
Check out more of my Virgin Islands photos here here
Many would be surprised to hear that she handles subservience quite well - at least when I am Captain. Here she expertly steers us out of the Bitter End in the Virgin Islands.
Check out more of my Virgin Islands photos here here
For many travel is about meeting people and making friends. Surprising as it sounds I am not all that gregarious so travel for me is more about seeing and introspection. But sometimes we can't help finding new friends, such as Luna.
Luna lives at the Miller Manor, where we stayed in Charlotte Amalie on the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas. Just a puppy, Luna is brash, friendly and eager to play. In fact if you can read the look here, she's saying, "Throw the ball! Come on! Throw the ball!"
Check out more of my Virgin Islands photos here here
As forecast, the clear skies of yesterday gave way to significant rain and wind today. We spent the whole day inside the boat, though that gave us time to read, watch movies, and take a break from the hard work of vacationing in the BVI.
I decided to try to caption the rainy weather and I got several, though I like this one taken looking up through one of the ceiling mounted hatches. I would guess that only a sailor would know what we're looking at so I will help those who find this a bit too abstract: it's the mast, the two sets of spreaders, and the BVI ensign (the red blur).
As I write this, it's still raining. But as Annie said, "Tomorrow's only a day away."
(By the way, if you look closely enough, you will see the mast and spreaders perfectly focused, though a little twisted, in several of the drops.)
On Day 4 of our BVI sailing adventure we made it to what is called the "Bitter End," which is the eastern most civilized reach of the Virgin Islands. We got here around 1:30 PM after some serious sailing against winds that were gusting to 25 mph and swells up to 5 feet. Great sailing conditions, if you ask me. Our 37' Beneteau under reefed main and jib handled beautifully. But the First Mate said "Enough's enough!" So we dropped the sails and motored for 8 miles or so.
The reward was the peaceful cove where this photo was taken. The water is a beautiful blue and the sky was mostly clear. My way of enjoying the Caribbean paradise surrounding our boat?: I tethered our float to the back of "Dakota Lullybye"* and worked on my tan.
This photo was taken with my GoPro camera, safely housed in it waterproof housing. The yellow line leading to the boat is a kind of an umbilical cord for me: it keeps me connected to my beverage supply. (Dehydration can sneak up on you in the Islands.)
*Yes, that's the name give by the anonymous owners we are chartering this boat from.
We are at the Bitter End of the BVIs and I have wifi access! A true rarity. So here's a GoPro still shot of a little island called Sandy Cay, just off of Jost van Dyke. Deb and I had the island to ourselves shortly after sunrise yesterday morning. There's nothing quite like this where I come from. . .
Yesterday morning, before Deb and I boarded the ferry to Tortola (BVI), we had some time to spend in Charlotte Amalie, the first stop on our Caribbean sailing adventure. Deb suggested that we hire a cab driver to tour the island but instead we got something better: Marge, one of the proprietor's of the Miller Manor B&B, where we stayed, took us on a personal walking tour, accompanied by her dog Sam.
At one point, when I was trying to find a way to photograph the Jewish cemetery, we encountered some locals, including this child, who initially gave me a forced smile but who then quickly ignored me. That's when I started taking photos. We only had a minute or two, but this is the best of the few I took.
There are a couple things I like about the photo. One of them is not the light. Some times you take what you get. But I do like two things: the fashionably dressed child, who wouldn't be out of place in most neighborhoods in the Western world. (Note the cool watch and plastic squirt gun.) But I also like the fact that there are two adults in this photo watching me take this picture. Both are clearly wary and maybe even a little suspicious. The child, of course, is oblivious. As a photographer, I like the child's attitude best. . . .
By Scott Shephard
It is my wife's birthday today and we are observing it in the Virgin Islands, where are are going to be sailing for a week. But, of course, neither Deb nor I can stop thinking about Glenyce Jane, our new grand daughter, who is pictured here gripping her father's thumb.
As I look at this photo in the context of Deb's birthday I am wondering what Clint and Glenyce imagined about the future of their child, Debra. Would she be happy? Would she be healthy? And would she find success?
I would say that for Deb the answer is "yes" to all of the questions. And for Glenyce Jane, the expectations are the same. . .
Glenyce Jane isn't even 12 hours old in this photo, which documents GJ's first serious bath. And serious is a good word for it - the health care worker, who was very good at what she did, didn't exactly treat our new grand daughter like fine china.
In this photo, GJ is getting her right arm pit scrubbed and I suspect that years from now, she will either be grateful for the documentation of such moments in her early life. Or she will be embarrassed. . . .
My Instagram followers will recognize this shot, which was published there yesterday. But my regular readers will know that redundancy is one of my hallmarks. So why not publish it here, as well?
The subject is, of course, our new grand daughter, Glenyce Jane S. The event was her first bath, being administered by a loving, efficient medical care expert, who did not pamper GJ.
I don't know know what kind of thought 10 hour old humans are capable of, but GJ's expression seems to be one of mild frustration mixed with resignation. She seems to be say, "If you really have to, I suppose. . . "