Real Grapes

As a nice juxtaposition from yesterday's Sea Grapes photo, here are some real grapes.  They're not from St Thomas however - Mrs. USVI Daily Photo took this picture on a trip to Kosovo.  I'm sure she can give you some more details in the comments.

Sea Grapes

A nice little bunch of sea grapes on a tree by the beach (shot from Cabrita Point).  I thought that these were genips at first, but a little research proved me wrong.

Sidestreet

One of the many streets downtown that connects to Water Street and looks out over the harbor.  The rusted lock from yesterday was on the third window in this picture.

Rusty Lock

Went for a walk downtown on Sunday to take some pictures.  Almost all of the shops are closed on Sundays, and I was perplexed by the sheer number of locks on the doors - some had 3 or more locks to secure a single door.  Seemed like a bit of overkill.

This door only had one lock, and the salty air is doing its best to make this lock fall apart.

Palm Tree

Looking skyward for this shot.  The wind was really whipping around, so it was tough to get a nice shot of the palm fronds spread out nicely.

Little Frog

I saw this little guy stuck to my wall as I got home and immediately ran to grab my camera and flash.  It moved down the ground in that time, so I improvised this shot (sprawled on the ground, holding the flash almost directly above the frog while framing the shot in the other hand).  Not much context in the shot, but I like the washed out background.  For reference, it was about an inch and a half long.

Stormy Weather

The moon should have been rising just above St John in the distance, but the weather had something to say about my plans for a pretty picture.  The wind was blowing really strong, as you can see from the surface of the water.

Dusk on the Beach

I went out yesterday to capture some pictures of what should have been a super harvest moon last night, but the air was way too hazing to get anything good.  I took a few pictures around Cabrita Point to pass the time waiting for a lackluster moon.

Birds In Flight

A line of birds skating across the ocean on a calm day.

Weekend Adventurer

You can see the one and only Weekend Adventurer snorkeling back to the beach at Stumpy Bay in the middle of the picture.

Stumpy Rocks Part 2

A wider view of the rocks from Friday's picture at Stumpy Bay on the west side of St Thomas.

Pelican On Its Perch

The same pelican from a couple of days ago, this time sitting and watching.

Stumpy Rocks

Close up on the rocks in the middle of Stumpy Bay from last weekend's trip.  I'm learning to be a little more adventurous with my DSLR and taking it more "risky" places (like anywhere close to the water).

Stumpy Bay

Looking out from Stumpy Bay this past weekend.  The beach was half rocky and half sandy, but completely deserted, as I'm sure The Weekend Adventurer will tell you all about soon.

Pelican

Pelican flying from one perch to the next.  I only wish the sky were a little more dramatic.

Weather

One of the interesting things about living in St Thomas is that it can be a bright and sunny day in one part of the 13 mile long island, and a torrential downpour in another part.  I captured this tiny bit of rain on the south side of the island shortly before pulling my laundry in off the line this morning.

Sunset

A great sunset a few nights ago as I was leaving the office.

Stumpy Bay

Took a trip with The Weekend Adventurer to Stumpy Bay on the west end of St Thomas today.  Our beach day was cut short by a bit of nasty weather that's been in and out of the area all day, but we still had a fun time.

Cabrita Point

Looking back towards Red Hook from Cabrita Point.  That palm took a bit of a beating during Earl, but it held up pretty well.

Repair Work

Not the most exciting picture, I know, but it does show WAPA finally getting to the light pole that has been leaning ominously over the drive to work.  The leaning light pole is still there, but now there's a brand new one right next to it.  Progress!

Pre-Earl Sailboat

Not sure how this sailboat faired in the storm, but quite a few were rock solid on their moorings around the islands (a few were also tossed about and ended up on various beaches).  This shot is from boating last weekend, captured on Sandy Spit looking towards Jost Van Dyke.  From what I hear, the BVIs took a much harder beating from Earl than St Thomas and St John did.

Great Invention, or Greatest Invention?

These Armor Screens are absolutely fantastic.  They anchor at the top and bottom of the balcony and cut the wind speed by up to 90%.  So when 150mph winds hit them, you feel a 15mph breeze inside the balcony.  They are stretched tight from top to bottom, but allow enough wind to pass around them that the pressure doesn't build up and rip them from their anchors.

Looks like we might get a chance to try them again with Gaston coming up next week!

Aftermath

Some of the trees at the top of the driveway (the ones in the background of yesterday's picture).

Some of the banana trees on our property were knocked out.  We still have a few that are standing, the ones nearest to the house were more protected.

This seems to be the extent of the damage around the island.  Lots of downed trees (and the power lines they were near), but I haven't seen too much structural damage.