USVI-On-Line

For me, "the moment" was traveling east on Centerline Road for the first time, when suddenly everything opened to the view down to Coral Bay and beyond, going on forever. That moment continues to astound each time.
"The essence" is the feeling of blending into the natural setting, when you are the only one on a beach...any beach, or being in the clear multi-blues water for hours, or sitting quietly as the sun sets and nature begins tuning the night sounds.
"The experience" was attending the Pan Dragons pre-Thanksgiving dinner in Cruz Bay last November. Hundreds of folks enjoying the evening together...for a great cause; it felt like the friendliness of "small town America" yet with a different sound. Then Inner Visions played in the park...children were safely playing games in the night; tourists paused to listen as they passed through. There was something so easy going and warm, yet special, about the evening that felt so "part of this place" to me.

Wow what a good question?

I think what I have fallen so deep in love with is the simplicity of it all. When I get to STJ I can truly feel my entire body relax. I am a fast paced, stressed out, workaholic. I know this about myself and it makes it so much more theraputic when I arrive because my attitude changes drastically. My moments are plenty. Each time there is another. I enjoy sitting on a beach, with a drink in my hand and I just look out at the water and just.....BREATH. It is amazing to me how I am realived of EVERYTHING at that very moment. All the troubles and cares of life just go away. It's like taking a dip in a pond of ecstasy for me anyway. When I introduced my husband to STJ he got it immediatley. I didn't even tell him how it affected me...I let him find out. Remarkably he did the very same thing as me and at that very moment I knew even more than I already had that we were meant to be together. Just like STJ and I!

xoxoxoxox

I've posted this previously but here goes anyway...
On our first trip to STJ in 05 on only day 2 or 3 we had a wondrous daysail to the BVIs with Capt Clark on White Wing.

Q: "Does this steering wheel turn the sails?"
A: (after I stop laughing) "No honey it turns the rudder"


Back on shore in the dark, we are deciding between Island Blues and Shipwreck Landing for dinner. Island Blues had given us a maybe better for lunch kind of vibe so went with Shipwreck. Crowded, had good live music, with various patrons feeling no pain dancing or even singing with the band. Great cold drinks and great blackened snapper, Mahi, and some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever tasted. Also had a blackout while waiting for food (band too loud? Maybe the guitar was turned up to 11). This caused much merriment in and around the bar. The speed with which the generator was fired up restoring power to restaurant gave the impression that this is not an infrequent occurrence. We have to slow down for our first STJ donkeys on the drive back to Estate Lindholm and I actually find myself enjoying the video game like drive back while blasting some Marley in the jeep.
All in all, one of the best vacation days ever and a memory that captures the vibe that draws us back to the island.

Fav pic from that day:

i love how the tourist environment is shared with the natural environment. st john is not a plcae to go if are freaked out by lizards and bugs and land crabs and wandering farm animals.

my most favorite memory, and one i have shared amny times on this board over the years, happened at miss lucy's.

hubby and i were the only ones there for lunch and we were sitting down at the table closest to the water's edge. we had seen the gang of goats in the parking lot and they started wandering toward us. before we knew it, the biggest one jumped up, had both front legs on the table and his mouth in the plastic sugar packet holder. hubby and i jump up (drinks in-hand of course) laughing our asses off!!!! then the waitress runs out with a yardstick screaming "hey, hey, hey...!!!". the goats scatter, the waitress apologizes profusely, we can't stop laughing... it was a good day.

I don't have a best moment, but for us the allure of the island comes from:
the people and their hospitality
the color and clarity of the water
everything that lives under the water
the green hills
the topography
the crazy twists and turns of the roads
donkeys, chickens, iguanas, hermit crabs
the bright, bright sand
the "architecture" of Coral Bay
the fact that you can't arrive by plane
the warm, humid air
wearing swimsuits, shorts & Ts all week (obviously we've not stayed at Caneel)
"island time"


the fact that it's all still there even when we're not...

Capturing the best St John experience is as difficult as capturing our granddaughter’s laugh. We could record it, and that would sound like her. We could even video tape her and you could see her eyes close, her hair bounce and her face turn red. That would be closer. The essence of the moment, however, cannot truly be captured and conveyed to others. You had to be there to get it all.

ifloat, as Jimmy Buffett has told us, “we are the people that our parents warned us about.”

SJfrom NJ, I have to disagree. It is magic! It can’t be described. It can’t be explained. It can’t be recreated. And it has rejuvenating effects on us that cannot be explained by science. It had to be magic that made Tom’s wife act like a young woman experiencing everything for the first time. Magic also allows us to be obsessed about it without having to justify the obsession.

Tom’s touching way that he describes his wife is also magical and healing for the rest of us.

In the Last Lecture (you must watch this if you have not already done so!) Professor Randy Pausch describes having those moments where you life changes. He goes on to say that it is one thing to look back and see that it happened, but it is quite another to be IN that moment and realize that you are experiencing such a moment. I feel that way from the ferry dock arrival through the reboarding of the ferry on the way home.

Although “One Particular Harbour” was written about another place far away from STJ, it has become my theme song for that rock. “I know I don’t get there often enough, but God knows I surely try.” says it all for me.

The moment that sums up our connection with STJ was probably one beautiful Spring day while we were sitting on the beach at Hawksnest – our all-time favorite. The wind was gently blowing. The sky was that wonderful blue with a few fluffy clouds and the waves were lapping on the shore. I could hear a few children playing in the water several hundred feet to our right. We had snorkeled the reefs for more than an hour and we were sitting back, resting, and not even speaking. My wife asked me, “Do you like this beach?” I replied that this was my favorite. She said, “That’s good because this is where I’m going to scatter your ashes.” I am working very hard to postpone that particular trip for another 40 or 50 years.

Some things don’t need to be explained, described or captured. Like the little child’s laugh, they simply need to be experienced.

JIM

When I first saw this thread I thought it would be about exciting days of adventure. Getting out on the water and seeing the sights. Maybe thats just my thought pattern as one who as ony been on the island for 1 full day and one evening. Maybe my thought pattern will change after spending a week on the island. I will be interested in revisiting this thread when I return home from our trip later this month.

Each trip has its moments -
One was when our daughter declared with Uncle Joe's BBQ sauce spread across her face that this was the best day of her life.
Another was when we took my Mom and her sister down with our family, they were sitting around telling progressive stories.
I know it is a healing place, when my Father died, I longed to retreat to Saint John to mourn.

I don't really have any exciting adventures on St. John. And to be honest, I kind of like it that way.

I know this sounds cheesy but my best St. John experience is when we get to our villa after a long travel day. We drop our stuff and go outside and look at the view and embrace each other and say, "I love you so much. We're here."

For me- sitting under those sea grape trees and staring at the unbelievable color of the water.

O.K. I'm a tough old guy and I'm tearing up after reading the thread. I love you people! My wife is obsessed with anything STJ and I'm the only one here who "gets it." I live every day dreaming about my next trip to the island and wish I could share it with the rest of my family. I just want them to understand our obsession with STJ and "get it."
Last night my daughter and son-in-law called to tell us that they will be joining us during our STJ trip in May. Now we get to watch their faces as they "GET IT!"

RPPlano- I am so happy for ya'll that your daughter and son-in-law will be able to join ya'll on your trip ! You will have such fun watching them discover paradise.

Lex wrote:I agree that what I really treasure are the small, subtle, absolutely perfect moments. They rarely include double rainbows and dolphins. Just a moment of absolute perfection, when there is nothing that I would change, nothing I would add or subtract. And I am absolutely and utterly content. Full.
Perfect just as it is. Nothing lacking, nothing that could make it better. These are moments in heaven. It's not like heaven, it is heaven. They fill me with joy and awe. Often they're appreciated in complete silence.

And the grace comes in that I'm able to recognize the moment while I'm in it and savor it, not just recognize how great it was in reflection after it's passed. It's especially delicious because my wife always recognizes it, too. We know that heaven has happened to us again and it fills us with awe. I have to be moving very slow to realize it while I'm in it. These are moments that I might think back on when I'm on my deathbed, taking stock of my life. These are moments spent in heaven. I can bring back photos of the dolphins and the double rainbows, but I can't photograph the perfect moments. They're my really precious memories and I keep them stored in a very special place.

So go slow. Take plenty of time to sit, listen, float, look. If you get moving too fast you miss some very special stuff. "Don't just do something. Sit there."

Are we related?
Whoa.
Awesome.
Smiles-
Jimmy