That’s St. John firefighter and St. John Rescue volunteer Wendy Davis.
Wendy, like other firefighters and volunteers on St. John is an EMT, but she’d like to become a full-fledged paramedic. And that will cost some money.
Her fellow St. Johnians would also love to have a paramedic, so there’s a fundraiser in the works.
“We need a paramedic on the island. As EMT’s, there are life-saving interventions we can’t provide, like starting an IV, giving insulin or administering cardiac meds that can buy a patient more time,” Wendy tells us.
Wendy, who came down from Kentucky to visit friends on St. John 10 years ago and decided to stay, will need to spend several months off island taking courses, and she’ll also need to spend as much as $20,000, with related expenses, to get the certification. The fire department can only pay $3,000 of that.
And it won’t be much of a raise for Wendy either (the paramedic title increases her salary by 67 cents per hour.)
A TV game show-themed fundraiser is scheduled for Sunday, June 27 at Skinny Legs, and Wendy’s friends hope it will raise some of the money she’ll need.
“We’re still working out details, says Debbie Hime, one of the organizers, “but it will be something like The Price is Right, combined with Let’s Make a Deal combined with Minute to Win It. We’ll raffle off prizes and it will be fun!”
We’re always looking for ways to keep the bugs away, and these caught our eye.
The Superband, a plastic band for your wrist or ankle that is treated with Phillipine Geranoil oil, Indonesian Lemongrass oil and Citronella oil. “Lasts up to 200 hours,” says the label.
At a house close to the water…
On a hike….
At the Beach Bar.
Did they work? Mosquito mitigation is kind of like preventing terrorism. You really only know if it didn’t work. But the morning Jeep full of mosquitos scattered with a wave of the arm. The Superbands are about $2 each.
This is actually very helpful. You know right up front not to bother with it.
On the other hand, you know you’ll flick this switch a couple of times, just to make sure. Reminds us of a Steven Wright line.
In my house there’s this light switch that doesn’t do anything. Every so often
I would flick it on and off just to check. Yesterday, I got a call from a
woman in Madagascar. She said, “Cut it out.” — Steven Wright
School children on Jost van Dyke got a lesson in history last month: The art of building Bateau boats.
Small canoes fashioned out of galvanized roofing material were first built in the 1940′s, according to the Jost Van Dykes Preservation Society, but the tradition faded about 20 years ago.
“This simple 2010 project ensures that another generation of Jost Van Dykians grow up with this homegrown tradition, while also providing another way for youth to get out and enjoy our local waters,” says the Preservation Society.
After building them, the kids raced them in Great Harbour.
“Paddling the boats takes practice, so the races were pretty entertaining,” Susan Zaluski of the Preservation Society told us. “One boat capsized and another came across the finish line backwards, but in first place!”
The Preservation Society says a short film documenting the building and racing of the boats will be posted on its Website soon.
We have kept our mouths shut while watching more and more women wearing the most gigantic sunglasses they can find. Who are we to second-guess the cycles of fashion? But we have to put our foot down on this disturbing trend:
Guys wearing big, white-framed sunglasses.
And we’re not the only ones worried about it. “A guy should wear the sunglasses, the glasses shouldn’t wear him,” says one guy who works at a retailer that sells lots of glasses. “Most guys just can’t pull white off.”
Girls apparently dig it though. “If it’s the right guy, I think it’s really sexy,” said a woman working at the same store.
Disagree. No guy can not pull this off. Want proof? Look at me. That’s just silly.
Funny thing about calendars. You need one every year.
Coconut Coast Studios artist Elaine Estern, here painting with her granddaughter Lilly, has turned that into what’s become one of her best sellers: Her annual St. John calendar.
And Elaine is busy working on 2011 already, called “Windows to the Tropics.”
“The inspiration came from just looking out my window at the flamboyant tree and the sparkling water of Frank Bay,” Elaine tells us.
Elaine has been doing calendars since 2000, and she says every year has been a favorite. And it’s good business too.
“By publishing 12 originals in the calendar it gives them more value, and it also allows everyone to be able to enjoy the pieces,” she says. “I also have them printed on thicker stock so at the end of the year you can cut them apart and frame up each month for your enjoyment.”
We were going to rate these sandwiches, but they were all good, hot and hearty, so beyond that it becomes subjective. Also note, all wait times are accurate but subject to many variables including who’s cooking and how busy they are. Bon Appetit!
LOCATION: MOJO CAFE, WHARFSIDE VILLAGE HOURS: OPENS 6 A.M., SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
PRICE: $5.50
DESCRIPTION: TWO FRIED EGGS, TWO PIECES OF HAM
WAIT TIME: 11 MINUTES
NOTES: A nice place to sit and listen to the locals while you wait for your food. Best bargain.
LOCATION: DELI GROTTO, MONGOOSE JUNCTION HOURS: OPENS 7 A.M. Mon-Fri, 8 A.M. Weekends
PRICE: $6.25
DESCRIPTION: TWO NEATLY FRIED EGGS, TWO THICK SLICES OF HAM
WAIT TIME: 5 MINUTES
NOTES: Everything they do is good and so was this basic sandwich. The shortest wait time too.
LOCATION: JAKE’S, THE LUMBERYARD HOURS: 7:30 A.M., SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
PRICE:$8 DESCRIPTION: TWO EGGS, COOKED TO ORDER, POTATOES INCLUDED
WAIT TIME: 20 MINUTES
NOTES: Take your time and eat it here. Get a table on the rail. Very entertaining.
LOCATION: INN AT TAMARIND COURT, NEAR STARFISH HOURS: 7 A.M., SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
PRICE: $6
DESCRIPTION: ONE FRIED EGG, THICK CANADIAN BACON
WAIT TIME: 11 MINUTES
NOTES: Plenty of parking in back making it very easy to stop here, and it’s a very tranquil setting while you wait.
LOCATION: BIG BEN’s, CORAL BAY HOURS: 7 A.M., Mon.-Sat.
PRICE: $6
DESCRIPTION: OMELET-STYLE EGG, TWO SLICES HAM
WAIT TIME: 8 MINUTES
NOTES: Easy parking, outside tables for waiting or eating. Very friendly folks. Felt like our business was appreciated. And it was the prettiest sandwich of them all!
LOCATION: JJ’s TEXAS COAST, CRUZ BAY PARK HOURS: 8 A.M., SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
PRICE: $8.50
DESCRIPTION: ONE EGG, COOKED TO ORDER, THICK SLICES OF HAM
WAIT TIME: 12 MINUTES NOTES: If you like your ham hunky and big, this is the sandwich for you.
There are omissions here (Baked in the Sun for one) but we wanted a baseline for our breakfast sandwich comparison: English muffin, ham, egg and cheese. Baked in the Sun doesn’t serve English muffins.
We did find this combination, at varying prices and methods of preparation, at all of these fine places.
We’ll show you their versions of a breakfast sandwich tomorrow.
The Virgin Islands Online travel forum, one of the most popular Websites for St. John lovers, lost one of its loyal followers on June 2. John Baranzano, known in the online community as Mr. B, died after a yearlong struggle with cancer.
Forum members posted pages of messages cheering him on during the final days of his battle, and pages of tributes and messages of support for his wife Amy after he died. And now they’ve set up a page to raise money in John’s memory (John loved dogs) for the St. John Animal Care Center.
“Many of the donors never actually met John and yet they obviously feel connected,” ACC volunteer John Fuller tells us. “I think it shows that there is an extension of the St. John magic that drew so many of us here, and I know VIOL members are passionate about each other.”
You don’t need to be a VIOL member to donate to the ACC, and this is certainly a good opportunity to do it. Click here for more information.
That’s Jake. Jake is the host at his namesake restaurant, Jake’s.
Seriously! That little kid will greet you, and seat you, and even make menu suggestions.
Jake’s is one of a half dozen places where we recently sampled a breakfast sandwich, the most American of quick morning food. And now, many muffins, eggs, ham and cheeses later, we’ll show you where to find them. Coming up this week.
(If you’re not in the mood for a breakfast sandwich, Jake recommends the strawberry pancakes.)
Rachel Cruzcosa is one of only four of female commanding officers in the U.S. Coast Guard’s 87-foot patrol board fleet, and she captains the USSCG Reef Shark.
(Warning: Sexist and inappropriate comment.) And she’s really cute too.
The Reef Shark spent a day in Cruz Bay as part of Safe Boating Day. Meet Commanding officer Lt. Rachel Cruzcosa and take a look at the Reef Shark, below!
