We think more villa owners should invest in a telescope. We know, we know. Most people won’t use it. Somebody will inevitably break it, or the elements will eventually ruin it. But you can get a good telescope for a couple hundred dollars and it’s big bang for the buck. St. John is amazing sky-gazing territory. Look at the moon and you feel like Neil Armstrong. (Took that picture by just putting a digital camera against the telescope lens.) One recent night, we successfully used the SkyScout to locate Saturn, then looked through the telescope and saw its rings. (And in the morning, point it at a cruise ship and you can see Capt. Steubing on the Lido Deck.) Sky-gazing with a telescope requires a fair amount of sobriety, but…it gets dark early on St. John.

Villa owners? Check out reasonably priced telescopes (and some really expensive ones) here. 

He’s a baby and he’s probably on his own. Green Iguanas lay their eggs and then abandon them. He’s also a ways from drinking age. Iguanas take 2 years to reach maturity. They also live 20 years or so, and can grow as big as 4 to 6 feet. Half of which is their tail. And the older they are, the darker they get. If you see a gray one, he’s really old. SOMETHING YOU MAY NOT KNOW: You can pull an iguana’s tail off. (This is not a suggestion to try it, because he may just turn around and bite, and they do have sharp teeth.) The tail breaks off if it’s attacked and needs it to flee. And it grows back. They can also survive a 40 foot fall, so don’t worry when you see a big one topple out of a tree. Iguanas are fascinating to watch, but it’s really best not to tease them. They’ll leave you alone if you do the same. They’d much rather munch away on plants and bask in the sun. Read more about Green Iguanas at National Geographic here! And in case you missed it posted on some of the forums, read this weird iguana story.  

The newlyweds that own Satyamuna, the new vegetarian restaurant at Marketplace, took the whole “follow your dream” thing to the extreme. They moved their lives to St. John and started a business within four months of their first visit. Ofer had never even heard of St. John eight months ago. Business is good too. So is the food. (Check out the really extensive menu here.) Ofer and Giuliana are adorable, and Ofer has a very cool falafel spoon. Meet them, and get a sample of some darned good falafel here!

Polli’s Mexican restaurant is gone. The second story, pitch black, air-conditioned restaurant with the outside patio with wonderful views of the power lines and a bank of video poker machines has closed. One less review from Charlie that will get posted. It wasn’t entirely flattering anyway. (But the fajitas and cheese dip were great.) This is a big space, and will apparently be divvied up into more than one new retailer. A nail salon has already leased part of the space. That leaves Margarita Phil’s (which hasn’t been getting good reviews lately) and JJ’s as the current Tex-Mex outposts. Are we missing any?

This week’s mystery beach shot was at the very, very western edge of Cinnamon Bay. There is a remote tanlge of rock outcroppings on the far side that is a great place to go if you need some serious soul-searching time. You’ll probably be the only one there, and you’ll have plenty of warning if other beach strollers are about to invade your private moment. If the surf is rough, be careful walking around the rocks. It can get kind of foamy and dangerous. But ten minutes by yourself here, and you’ll shed your worries and clear your head. Then you’ll go buy a beer. Because your head is too clear.

This week’s Beach Break is another mystery. It is short on production values, because it is so relaxing all by itself. There are only a couple of shots here, but all the landmarks are there for you to figure it out. We also gave the On-StJohn band the week off because the sound of the waves is music enough for this one. Know where it is? Watch here!

On-StJohn food critic Charlie Joseph stops by JJ’s Texas Coast.

Any restaurant with a sign that says “Sorry, we’re open.” deserves your attention. Some St. John restaurants come and go. They change menus, owners, chefs, locations. Some just stay the way they always are. That is JJ’s Texas Coast. Put this place on your breakfast and lunch list. From the occasional chickens pecking at your feet, to a front row seat to marvel at the the cast of crazies stumbling through the park, this is quintessential St. John. And the food is darn good and reasonably priced. Breakfast ranges from hearty to healthy. Lunches include daily specials like meatloaf and chicken fried steak, pretty good cheeseburgers, excellent Tex-Mex and a fried grouper sandwich that is perfect. And desserts are truck stop good. Want a pancake instead of toast? Not a problem here. The kitchen and wait staff are laid back and will put what you want in front of you. Biggest complaint I hear? Slow service. Trust me. The service isn’t slow. The place is just busy. One or two servers working the inside dining and patio can be a lot of work when it’s busy. But relax. The server sees you. You’re next in line. Added bonus: Good stop for the last bit of paradise before getting on the ferry. You can see your boat arrive from the patio. Bottom line: Not fancy. Good food. No rush, and you won’t want to.

Thanks Charlie. Anybody else have an opinion about JJ’s?

WELCOME OUR NEWEST ADVERTISER! Lori Walden sells real estate on St. John, and she’s also a certified yoga instructor. She holds classes in the Coral Bay area at her Eden East Yoga Studio and will also talk to you about private lessons. She hired us in 2005 to produce her very cool yoga video, which was shot entirely on Little Cinnamon beach. If you’re into yoga, you’d enjoy her unique approach and style. If you’re just curious about yoga, this is also a good starter class. If you could care less about yoga, you’d at least like all the scenery. You can read more about Lori’s DVD and order it here. And you can watch a sample of it here!