Island dyslexia
October 28th, 2008
Spotted on a Jeep outside the hardware store.
Take the stairs?
October 27th, 2008
How does the Banana Deck get a brand new Vulcan range and sandwich table up all those steps? They don’t.
Big debut for Café Roma and John Hiebert
October 24th, 2008
A guy from Vermont is about to make his big St. John debut.
Café Roma reopens with new owner John Hiebert tonight. John brings with him a wife, two kids, and just a few changes at the restaurant.
The new menu has been tweaked a bit, but the pizza stays the same, and the mural survived the sprucing up. And John now holds the recipe to the secret marinara sauce. Read our interview with John, and learn a bit about him, here!
Cruz Bay haircut
October 23rd, 2008
You can’t just go around pruning big trees, especially ones on a beach. But the trees along Cruz Bay had gotten so big and low-hanging that they were starting to take over the beach itself. And they were also creating little hiding places for the occasional trouble causing slackers.
With CZM permission granted, Wharfside just had the trees cut back. Just enough to fix the problems. Now you can walk from the dock to the Beach Bar without wading in the water. (Unless you want to of course.)
The actual Coconut Telegraph
October 22nd, 2008
If you are looking for the real, live, genuine St. John Coconut Telegraph, you’ll find it at Shipwreck Landing. Coral Bay darling Pace Donnelly demonstrates how fast word travels. (Local calls only.)
Beaches you may have overlooked
October 21st, 2008
Thanks to a big volunteer effort, the Coral Bay Community Council recently led a cleanup of two Coral Bay area beaches often overlooked by visitors. More than 50 volunteer hours went into cleaning up Calabash Boom and Johnson Bay. It was part of the International Coast Weeks Cleanup, and also included help from the Coral Bay Yacht Club, KATS and the Johnson Bay Homeowners Association.
“Both of these beaches are good swimming beaches, and it is great to see the trash and debris disappear so that people can enjoy these areas with safety,” says Sharon Coldren of the Coral Bay Community Council. “At our request, DPNR has been doing weekly water quality testing at Johnson Bay for over two years and the water quality has always tested excellent for swimming.”
If you’re curious, here’s a Beach Break from about a year ago at Johnson Bay. Beautiful.
Plate envy
October 20th, 2008
We’re not even sure this plate belongs to an On-StJohn.com reader. It’s a reconnaissance photo captured on the Garden State Parkway near Long Beach Island.
OSJ reader Joe Jackson sent it to us, along with a request. “If the owner of the plate contacts you, please put them in touch with me. I want that plate!”
Joe runs a construction business in NJ called…Cruz Bay Construction. (Looks like he does a little work for the rich and famous too.)
Feet tats
October 18th, 2008
Here’s more of Pat’s work at Octopus Ink. These feet belong to mother and daughter Samantha and Maria who say they got these tattoos in July, during one of their two trips to St. John this year.
“We love them! Every time we look down at our feet it reminds us of our favorite place to be,” says Maria.
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Coral Bay dog becomes Cover Girl
October 17th, 2008
Good Morning America resident veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker launched his new book, “The Ultimate Dog Lover” on the show last week. And there on the cover of the book is resident Big Fish mascot Lilly.
“Marty is a regular St. John vacationer, and when he was down last year we had his family over for drinks one night,” says Big Fish owner Christy Dove. “He took a picture of Lilly that night and a few months later he contacted me to ask if he could put Lilly on the cover of his new book.”
This is Lilly’s second brush with stardom. Last year, she showed up on the CBS Morning Show as part of a feature called Around the World For Free, when producers visited the island and went on a hike with Christy and Lilly.
Marty is returning to St. John over the Thanksgiving Holiday (and staying at fellow author Homer Hickam’s Carolina house) and Christy hopes to put together a book signing by the author and the model at the store.
Lilly seems to be taking her celebrity status in stride, but as for her owner? “I think I’ve become a stage mom,” says Christy. “She’s quite photogenic.”
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What a difference a day makes
October 16th, 2008
Hurricane Hole, Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday afternoon.
Omar threads the needle
October 16th, 2008
Hurricane Omar’s powerful core slipped right between the Virgin Islands and St. Martin overnight, moving on after drenching the VIs with endless heavy rains.
“They were very, very lucky,” the AP quotes Lixion Avila, a hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center as saying.
Captain John Brandi submits some late afternoon video, including images of a house under construction just past the mini golf course that slid down the hill, and a shout out sure to be appreciated by one On-StJohn.com reader and Mom.
Management companies prepare for storm
October 14th, 2008
If you are heading down to St. John in the next day or two, please check with the management company you rented from. Most, if not all, are preparing for the pending storm by closing up houses, relocating guests or telling them not to come at all.
Girls love a winner
October 14th, 2008
That’s St. John Brewers’ Cheech Vyas, draped with beautiful women after winning a really big beer glass. Cheech, and business partner Kevin, were named “Best Overall Brewer” at the Central Florida Beer Festival in Orlando. More than 60 breweries competed, including big names like Sierra Nevada and Blue Moon.
St. John Brewers has distribution deals in Miami and Orlando now too.
(Cheech, in Orlando, with island groupies in tow. Right to left: Cruz Bay Colette, Coral Bay Christy and STT Hull Bay Sarah.)
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