More Destruction

I imagine at one time the fountain in front of the visitors center was quite lovely, but now its just a stagnant pool of rainwater filled with trash.  At least the herons are nice.

Sunset Over Water

I can't get enough of this sunset, this time without the focus on the boat.  I'm off island this weekend, but I've got pictured queued up (so that I don't go yet another weekend without posting).

Green Rock

An algae covered rock at the water's edge at Cinnamon Bay on St John.

Keep Off

I've never seen kids playing on this broken down playground, and for good reason.  If the No Trespassing sign on the other side of the slide isn't enough encouragement, this rope ladder certainly doesn't instill any confidence.

Needs Some Work

The (abandoned) hotel near my apartment has definitely seen better days.  It used to be one of the nicer hotels on St Thomas before the owners got in an argument with the VI government and left.  The visitors center needs a bit of work, as you can see.

Underwater Seascape

To be fair, I did do a fair bit of manipulation of this shot in Lightroom, but I really like the way it came out.  I don't do many B&W conversions, especially with underwater shots that have such bright greens and blues like this shot had.  Maybe I'll pick up on the Monochome Monday meme that I've seen Clueless in Boston and others do and focus on expanding my range a bit.

Cloudy Skies

These are the kind of cloudy skies that I can really enjoy.  I love the high contrast here, captured from the beaches of St John.

Beach Yoga

I spotted a woman this evening doing yoga on the beach near my house.  It looked like a pretty peaceful way to wind down from the day.

Shells and Fans

I like these little snails (maybe?) because of their decorative spots.  They look like a cheetah pattern or something similar.  I captured this guy hanging out on a sea fan on a dive a month or two ago.

Movement

I had another picture on here a while ago from the same point in Peterborg.  I really like how powerful this image looks, I think the movement in the water contrasts nicely to the solid stones that it crashes on.

Polish Horseshoes

It may not be a PC term for the game, but Polish Horseshoes is a ton of fun as a beach game.  Two PVC pipes are planted in the sand with full cans of beer balanced on top.  Each team takes turns throwing a frisbee with the goal of knocking the opposing team's can off of the pole.  You MUST have a drink in one hand at all times, and you have to catch the frisbee and can (if it is knocked off), or the other team scores points.  Had a great time a few months ago playing at Magen's Bay.

Flowers in Paradise

I'm not sure if this is a plumeria, but it certainly looks like one.  I captured this shot in Peterborg while hiking down to the point.  I couldn't get close enough to smell the flower, or I'd be able to give a more accurate account of what it was.

Self Portrait

From a dive a few months ago, my dive buddy grabbed this shot of my underwater exploits.  I haven't been diving in way too long (5 weeks!) so I'm heading out this Saturday to get back into the groove.

Sunset

I've really been falling down on the job lately, two missed posts over the weekend and another one yesterday?  Yikes!  I'll work to get back on schedule this week.

Sailing

The captain and first mate of the Heavenly Days catamaran that I got to enjoy last week.

Guest Photo: Palms On Water Island

Today features the first guest photographer on USVI Daily Photo - David Browne.  This shot captures some great palm trees on Water Island (I'm assuming at Honeymoon Beach, but I'll let David clarify).  I love the vertical camera angle, I can definitely imagine sitting below the palms and soaking up some sun.

Sailing In Sunset

Captured this sailboat while on a sunset cruise this evening.  What a great way to spend a few hours on the water (that is, drinking rum punch and enjoying great company).

Protecting The Beaches

I saw this tree trunk sitting in the surf at Cinnamon Bay on St John and it reminded me of the metal obstacles that one might encounter when invading the beaches of Normandy.  Luckily, this peaceful beach was not under assault.

Tilt - A - Whirl

I think my favorite thing about the rides at Carnival is that they all look like they were made in 1954 (and probably were). 

Carnival Rides

I am terrible about posting on the weekends.  I wish I had a good excuse at least, like going out boating all day or enjoying the beach, but the truth is that it rained all day yesterday and I barely went outside.  In any case, here's part of the Carnival village that I captured last week.  Carnival is over now, so they'll start breaking down the rides and food stands this week and hopefully parking and traffic downtown will head back to normal soon.

Theme Day: Statues

I wasn't sure I would be able to make this month's theme, but luckily I spotted a few statues downtown while walking around the Carnival preparations.  The statue above is of Rothschild Francis, a politician and civil rights advocate in the first half of the 20th century in the Virgin Islands.  His statue is set amongst 3 statues in downtown across from the post office.

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