This is one busy man. Up until very recently, he played in a band. He works full-time maintenance for the National Park Service, he runs Slimman’s Parking Lot, and now he’s got a brand new business about to take off. He’s also a native St. Johnian and a really nice guy. Meet Slimman below!

That’s right. As if working for the Park Service, running a parking lot, and playing in a band (which unfortunately he says he’s given up for now) isn’t enough, now Slimman is in the livery business.  A big, beautiful, white, 1995 Lincoln was just delivered and he’s ready to launch Slim O’s Limo. (Oliver is his middle name.) Here it is just after a wash and shine Saturday afternoon. 

How in the world does he plan to get this thing up and down hills and around hairpin turns?  We’ll ask him! Stay tuned. Video Alert: Meet Slimman tomorrow On-StJohn!

Posted on the usvi-on-line forum by forumite Xislandgirl:

“I really only need a towel to go to the beach. Other people need to pack the living room.”

But it is so fun watching them pack up the living room when it’s time to go. We watched a man spend 20 minutes setting up a shade tent at Trunk Bay once, only to have it tumble down the beach in the wind while he and his family were snorkeling.  There is something about watching a big tent bounce and roll across a beach in the wind that paralyzes the people watching from doing anything about it.  

Helpful advice in a welcome book spotted at a rental villa recently: Honk once means “attention.” Honk twice means “thank you.” We would ad this. If you hear an air horn frantically blowing again and again accompanied by the sound of a big truck engine gearing down as you approach a curve, it means “slow down and get as far left as you can.”

A bad flight is one thing. When it seems to be happening a lot, that’s a real problem. We’ve had bad luck 3 times in the last 3 months with US Airways flights. All of them delays in St. Thomas, in our case because the arriving flight from Philadelphia was late. And two of those three times, those delays were compounded by missing connections in Philadelphia. Just bad luck we figured. But then there was THIS! posted on the usvi-on-line forum. Gads. That is the worst St. Thomas Airport story I’ve ever heard. Like I said. A bad flight is one thing. Lots of them, that’s an ongoing problem. “The people of US Airways area dedicated to meeting our customers’ needs. We did not do that in the first quarter of 2007 and are taking the necessary steps to improve our performance,” said US Airways chief executive Doug Parker in a news release last week. You can read the apologies and promises here.

It took God a millennium or two to make the world’s beaches. Man made this one in about a year. Not bad, all things considered. I also got run off the property shooting this video. Listen closely. You can hear the beginning of the confrontation. “Shooting video for the Westin?” “Who are you with?” Before I knew it, I was surrounded by golf carts with property managers pointing walkie talkies at me. For the record, anybody can use this beach. Go for dinner one evening, and stroll the beach after dinner when the tiki torches are lit. Very cool.

What in the world is going on behind all that plywood? Lots apparently. The new wine store is now expected to open in early September, according to Starfish’s Nedra Ephraim. She tells On-StJohn that it’ll be a lot more than just wine. Plans right now call for high-end party platters with cheeses and snacks flown in from around the world. Platters customers can call in an order in advance.And inside Starfish, she says look for more produce. Moving the wine section across the hall will mean moving grocery shelves in the front of the store further back. That will create room to greatly expand the current produce section in the front of the store. 

Look at the pump. See what’s missing? The overhauled E&C Station is self serve, but it is not self pay. Which means pre-pay. Which means you still get to interact with a human being. Twice. If it’s busy, there’s a line to prepay. And another to get your change or sign your receipt when you‘re done. It can actually take LONGER to fill up here than it used to. We miss the guy with one tooth missing and a big wad of 20s shoved down his front pocket.