Frank Bay artist Elaine Estern is busy working on the paintings for her next calendar, an annual project that’s always a best-seller. And she wants some help naming it.
“The 2010 calendar will feature different critters of St. John, both above and below the water. Lots of fish, donkeys, lizards and birds,” Elaine says. “But I’m trying to figure out a name and would like some help.”
And so there is now a contest. Elaine wants “St. John” to be part of title, and wants some alliteration. You know…Species of St. John, St. John Stuff, Sea and Sand St. John, St. John Scenery. (Hmm. Maybe we should enter!) Past years have also alliterated. The 2009 calendar is called Vessels of the Virgins.
If you win, what do you get? An autographed 2010 calendar of course.
Elaine’s Coconut Coast studio has also redesigned its Website, and you can now buy some of her tile art online.
The old Subway has undergone a patriotic face lift. It’s not a new bar. We hear it’s the Governor’s St. John re-election headquarters. Or, maybe something for Festival. (We’re flying blind on this one. The Governor doesn’t have us on speed-dial.) Anybody got a better story?
Caribbean Travel + Life managing editor Becky Strauss is one of five editors blogging from various Caribbean islands this summer, and Becky landed the plumb St. John assignment.
“I love St. John. I was there last year too, updating a travel guide, and at that time I became enamored with it,” Becky tells us. “There is a perfect mix of gorgeous scenery, welcoming people, great food and an almost mystical vibe that I haven’t found in many places.”
Becky was on-island working on a story that she says will include Caneel Bay. She spent three nights at Caneel and another three nights at a villa in Coral Bay.
Check out some of Becky’s blog entries, including her villa, a Reef Bay hike, an encounter with Pirate Bill, and her take on House Hunters International, here!
(Above: Becky at Reef Bay and, below: snorkeling Whistling Cay.)
Looks like the Park is busy stabilizing the ruins right across the road from the Trunk Bay entrance. You know, the ones that say “Don’t Enter! Unstable Ruins!” Cool. Maybe you can enter soon.
From the Trunk Bay overlook to the Coral Bay overlook it is hard to see the views right now. Sahara dust? It is that time of year. Not a great time for photographers.
Jason, at Computer Express in Cruz Bay, has been one of the island’s few Go-To guys for reliable computer repair. But after almost five years on the island, Jason is ready to move on.
And he’s looking for somebody to take over his business: Lots of customers and lots of owner hand-holding to get you up to speed, and maybe even owner financing.
Jason’s next stop is Seattle. In fact, he’s up in the far Northwest right now for a wedding. Here he is in Anchorage.
“I chose Seattle because Moriah and I are both from the Northwest. My sisters are in Oregon and both are having babies, and I feel like I’m missing some good stuff,” Jason tells us. “It’s time to move closer to home for now.”
Jason is actually looking for a way to split time between Seattle and St. John, and says he has already started up some Web sites with online computer repair educational videos.
“Whoever buys Computer Express will have a good teacher. I plan to stick around after a new owner takes over to make sure they’re comfortable and treating everyone right.”
When he sells, we only have one request for the new owners. Don’t take away Jason’s FREE WiFi that covers the park! It makes the Cruz Bay park the best open-air office in the world.
What I considered a perfectly good dumpster diving contribution apparently had no takers. A never used, just a bit rusty, ventilation grill was properly placed in front of the South Shore Road dumpster, in that “take me” way. An hour later it was indeed gone. Boy was I disappointed to see that someone had actually just thrown it into the dumpster.
That’s not fair. That was a good contribution.
One woman recently told us “My husband brings things home from the dumpster, and then finds a reason to need them.”
Dennis Hart, an artist and mechanic who moved to St. John with his wife, Angie, about eight months ago.
Dennis says he bought the Suzuki shortly after getting on island.
“It needed brakes and a few other things, and then I put a fin on it. And then teeth,” Dennis tells us. “The tourists seem to love it. One lady stopped me and said ‘Did you know there’s a fin poking out your roof?’ I said ‘I hate when that happens.’”
Dennis is also known as the “drive-by mechanic.” (Look for his ad postings at Starfish.) He makes house calls for tune ups, brake jobs and other minor maintenance. His cell is 201-6997.
You can also see some of his art work at Baked in the Sun.
When we asked Dennis why he moved to St. John from Wisconsin, he had a one word answer: “Wisconsin.”
