small world/long story
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:52 am
I've had a strange week. One of my best friend's dad died last week. I was pretty close to his dad,too. I was asked to be a pall bearer. I was stunned to find out that one of the other pall bearers was the owner of the Soggy Dollar and Peter Bay co-developer. Most of you know how much I "just love" the Peter Bay mega-development! So when I was introduced to Jerry O'Connell I said in my usual, restrained, sarcastic style, "Wow!, I've said some really nice things about you while sitting on Francis Bay Beach". Jerry looked at me with a friendly twinkle in his eye and said,"Man, I can't even get away from it 2000 miles away." After the funeral mass, the family had a get together at a local restaurant and Mr. O'Connell and I spent a long time talking about STJ/Peter Bay and the Soggy Dollar. Well, after hearing his side of things, I'll sum it up by saying that he's a really good guy that really isn't too happy with what Peter Bay became. He gave me a long history of not just his involvement, but the family that he bought it from, to the park's screw ups, his razor edge brushes with bankruptcy early on, and also a little insider stuff about the place referred to as the Monster.Com "house", which is actually incorrect. It is being built by a guy who did pretty good for himself at Qualcomm and was savvy enough to know when to get out. . Before anybody jumps in my $h*t for repeating any of this conversation, I asked Jerry if he minded me posting it and I was told, "Please do."
A long time ago a local West Indian bought Peter Farm. He died in 1926. As often happens, the family had disagreements over the ownership. Things happen slowly in the islands. The battle went from 1926 to 1976! Meanwhile, while the family battle was ongoing, L. Rockefeller did his park donation thing. Well, the story goes that the park service built the North Shore Road and cut through Peter Farm with it without permission or compensation to the family. Now the family grows to hate the park service. Eventually, around 1976, the courts settle the estate issues and determines who gets what. In comes Jerry and his partner. They bought approximately 2/3 of Peter Farm from the local W.I. family, on an owner financed deal. Then the economy turned south. They tried to sell it to the park. Thought it was a done deal. Now the local family hates the partners,' cause they really hate the park! Right before the settlement with the park was to happen a certain U.S. senator from West Virginia blocked the appropriation. Deal falls through. Our heroes are really sweating now. They owe big time. Then they sell one lot and make the payment due. A big place gets built. Too soon, the next payment's due. On the edge again, and again near the final hour, another lot sells, another house gets built. See the pattern? It snowballed, Jerry made a lot of money, buys the Soggy Dollar, the W.I. family loves him because they still own the 1/3 of Peter Farm, and who knows what it's worth! OK, now for the next chapter. A certain C&W entertainer finds STJ and buys a few properties. He sings songs about it. He talks about in in national interviews. He gets married there. Then it gets to where he has gotten so well known he can't enjoy any privacy there any more. Seems it's the same for him on Jost van Dyke now, too. It seems he wrote a song about an old chair. It seems that a certain place of business on JVD had a couple of wicker chairs mysteriously disappear right around the time "one" supposedly washed up on the beach on STJ! It seems the owner gets a call one night from a friend at a concert of our C&W star in Atlanta. The friend tells the business owner that his missing chair is on the stage! Do you think that this could be like one of those stories the day sail captains tell, seasoned with the tradewinds of the Caribbean? You judge.
One post note. When our C&W star does still come to STJ he stays at his place in Chocolate Hole. It seems because of his notoriety in the Caribbean, he and his posse have moved their playground operation to Malibu.
A long time ago a local West Indian bought Peter Farm. He died in 1926. As often happens, the family had disagreements over the ownership. Things happen slowly in the islands. The battle went from 1926 to 1976! Meanwhile, while the family battle was ongoing, L. Rockefeller did his park donation thing. Well, the story goes that the park service built the North Shore Road and cut through Peter Farm with it without permission or compensation to the family. Now the family grows to hate the park service. Eventually, around 1976, the courts settle the estate issues and determines who gets what. In comes Jerry and his partner. They bought approximately 2/3 of Peter Farm from the local W.I. family, on an owner financed deal. Then the economy turned south. They tried to sell it to the park. Thought it was a done deal. Now the local family hates the partners,' cause they really hate the park! Right before the settlement with the park was to happen a certain U.S. senator from West Virginia blocked the appropriation. Deal falls through. Our heroes are really sweating now. They owe big time. Then they sell one lot and make the payment due. A big place gets built. Too soon, the next payment's due. On the edge again, and again near the final hour, another lot sells, another house gets built. See the pattern? It snowballed, Jerry made a lot of money, buys the Soggy Dollar, the W.I. family loves him because they still own the 1/3 of Peter Farm, and who knows what it's worth! OK, now for the next chapter. A certain C&W entertainer finds STJ and buys a few properties. He sings songs about it. He talks about in in national interviews. He gets married there. Then it gets to where he has gotten so well known he can't enjoy any privacy there any more. Seems it's the same for him on Jost van Dyke now, too. It seems he wrote a song about an old chair. It seems that a certain place of business on JVD had a couple of wicker chairs mysteriously disappear right around the time "one" supposedly washed up on the beach on STJ! It seems the owner gets a call one night from a friend at a concert of our C&W star in Atlanta. The friend tells the business owner that his missing chair is on the stage! Do you think that this could be like one of those stories the day sail captains tell, seasoned with the tradewinds of the Caribbean? You judge.
One post note. When our C&W star does still come to STJ he stays at his place in Chocolate Hole. It seems because of his notoriety in the Caribbean, he and his posse have moved their playground operation to Malibu.
