Two days now since I last wrote and I apologize for the lapse, but it has been a very busy time for me. Tuesday was spent in driving from the Savannah area all the way up to my friend Rima's house near Floyd Virginia. The drive itself was pretty routine all in all. Drive a couple hours, stop for gas and a potty stop, drive another couple of hours, stop for gas, etc... do that a couple of times and you have soon driven nearly 500 miles and your whole body feels like it needs to be pummeled by large people in gym clothing. I made it into Floyd by 6:30 in the evening though, and it was good to finally step out of the truck. What I wasn't ready for though was the cold temperature and the snow on the ground. Guess I really should of put some pants and real shoes on before I got here.

   Met up with Rima at her office and we went over to one of our favorite restaurants, Natasha's. I had a wonderful hot and steamy bowl of Shepard's Pie, filled with lamb and fresh veggies, and covered with mashed potatoes.... it tasted great. Rima in the meantime had Natasha's chicken fricassee with her own mashed potatoes, gravy and candied carrots. We ate everything and then split a piece of homemade bourbon pecan pie with fresh whipped cream. What a nice way to come back to town.

    Yesterday was just a day to unpack and settle in for awhile. I backed Esmerelda back into her little spot and leveled her up. Got the clothes I needed packed up and moved into the house and then unpacked again. Also got a couple suitcases of clothing that Rima had left for me in Florida to bring up for her.She had left them with me so she didn't have to pay an extra $100 to fly them up with her. Also drained out the hot water heater in the trailer and made sure all the water lines were drained of water as much as I could get them.

    Even with all of that I still had time to go out and take a short walk up the road a mile or so. Came back and jumped into the upper pasture and walked the fence line up there checking out trees that will need to be cut out and the fence fixed. Also walked around the place a little bit just familiarizing myself with the area. Seems like pretty much everything is still the same so there will be plenty of fun projects for me to do..... just as soon as it warms up a bit more.

   It feels slightly colder here today so I'm taking my time in stirring outside. I will eventually make it outside, but not sure what, if anything, will get done today. But I do intend to be out walking if nothing else. Tonight we are heading into town for a concert at one of the local venues. Looking forward to enjoying some good music and some good company.

  So here are some more photos from my week on St Croix. All of these have to do with a sunset sail on the schooner Roseway, something I have done every year for the past couple of them. Enjoy!

St Croix Contra Dance Week - Feb. 2014

The wooden schooner Roseway. Originally built for the fishing trade off the Grand Banks, it was bought as a private yacht and then spent most of it's life in some kind of private enterprise. Found a few years ago in sad repair, and owned by a bank, it was purchased for the grand total of $10. Of course it then took another million and a half to refurbish her. Now used as a sea going school room, it spends the winter in St Croix and the summer in Boston taking kids out for 1-3 days of on board teaching.

One of the main anchors onboard.

A little fancy work to protect the deck from one of the main sheet blocks.

Everything on board is tidy and ship shape.

The fort of Christiansted as the sun is going down.

Looking towards the top of the main mast and all the stays, shrouds and halyards needed to make it all work.

One of many private sailboats moored in the harbor.

The sun is starting to go down as we head back towards the harbor. 

Looking towards the top of the main mast and all the stays, shrouds and halyards needed to make it all work.

Several of the band members and staff were on board also... and they even brought their instruments along with them. I have to say, not much is better than hearing sea shanties being sung on an actual sailboat.  

The sun is starting to go down as we head back towards the harbor. 

Really pleasant sailing. The wind was doing maybe 15-20 knots and the boat was sailing along at maybe 5-6. So nobody got sick this time around. 

This is my favorite in this group of pictures. I have no idea who this is, but this little kid was awfully cute.

Another piece of fancy work, this time under the main sheet block.

Looking aft towards the stern and the main sheet traveler.

The sea was pretty calm as we came back into the harbor.

Throwing lines with attached monkey fists. I haven't seen these used since getting out of the Coast Guard 35 years ago, but they actually use them every time they come back into dock to get the dock lines over to the dock.

The sunset was gearing up to be spectacular.

Time to drop the sails and put them up for the night.

Faking down the foresails.

Dropping the mainsail and faking it down on top of the boom. The crew are all made up of young 16-22 year old kids who come on board for a period of several months to several years. They not only run the boat, but also help out with the teaching when they  have students on board. They are all polite and happy and I am always impressed with how well they do their jobs.

A last look at the fort as we come back into the dock.

Back at the dock and all tied up for the night.

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