USVI – Living the Dream

Family Visit #1

February 14, 2011September 21, 2011bearcruzer

Funny, as soon as we went back to work…..family began to visit. It has been a real treat to see familiar faces from home again, even though our time with you is limited. One of the hardest things about cruising is being so far away from you all. Our first visitors arrived in January. Michael’s stepdad Vince and Mike’s Aunt and Uncle, Barb and Glen Berndt. Mike’s Mom Lori was also expected but as life so often does, it took an unexpected turn when Mike’s sister Kathy was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Lori flew out to Colorado to be with Kathy while she underwent surgery. Vince, Barb, and Glen, did their best to explore the island and carry the stories of our fun time together, back to share with her.

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Our lowly state…

December 21, 2010May 22, 2019bearcruzer

Months have passed and no word from s/v Dancing Dolphin, one can only think the worst. Has she met with foul play? Perhaps blown off course by a gale, sent to Davey Jones Locker by the mighty Neptune or dashed against the rocks marooning Mike and Crystal on some deserted Island? Sorry to tell you No, although it would make for a much better story. The reality of our situation is actually much, much worse. We have chosen to plug back into society for a while and are currently living and working in the US Virgin Islands. Here is a brief recap of how we ended up in this lowly state, although I don’t think I am going to solicit much pity form those of you experiencing freezing temperatures. We have spent the last few months caring for the home and cats of our dear friends Chris and Elsa Angel who have been in the states dealing with health issues. Chris offered Mike a job working as an electrician in addition to the house sitting position. I stumbled into my job while we were riding the ferry to St. Thomas to look for a vehicle (a story unto itself). Our friend James Clayton M.D. just happened to be looking for a medical assistant for one of his Doctors. Right place, right time. I did an impromptu interview and was hired and working 3 days later. God works in mysterious ways. We have spent a couple of months plugging back into society. We have opened a checking account at a local bank picked up a P.O. Box for mail, and are considering getting a local discount card for the market here. What a strange feeling to have to jump so many hoops and to learn a whole new set of rules to fit back into society after living free spirited and independent for so long. “You’ll need two forms of picture ID for most transactions.” You CAN drink and drive, but make sure you have your seatbelt on, and don’t even think of answering you cell phone while driving! (Oh yea, we have one of those now too!) I miss my life aboard DD where the most difficult decision was whether to read 1^st then snorkel or vice versa. I don’t mind though. The people that I work with are some of the coolest and most professional people I have encountered. Mike seems to be enjoying working again too. Chris’s foreman is competent and kind and runs the business much like Mike ran BearWire.

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Arrival on St. John

December 21, 2010September 21, 2011bearcruzer

Mike and I made our way to Great Cruz Bay on St. John and picked up a mooring near our friends Ken and Katy on s/v Diana. We will spend the winter here taking care of our friends Chris and Elsa Angels’ house and their cats until they return from the States in early April. We have spent the last couple of weeks getting reacquainted with life on the rock or as s/v Daniel Storey likes to call us…..CLOD’s Cruisers Living On Dirt. Mike has reconnected with a number of old friends and we have made quite a few new ones thanks to introductions by Ken and hitchhiking from the house down to town while we looked for a vehicle. Michael is working again for Angel Electric and I am working as a Medical Assistant in a Family Practice. I came by the position by chance as we were riding the ferry to St. Thomas. We ran into an old friend Dr. James Clayton who owns and operates 3 family practice clinics, 2 on St. Thomas and one on St. John. He asked if I was looking for work. I did an on the spot impromptu interview with his office manager in the Red Hook Clinic and was working within a couple of days. I will be working mostly in the Red Hook but will rotate occasionally into the other 2 clinics and work primarily under Dr. Mark Livingston. We purchased a Car on St. Thomas that ran for all of 2 days before it decided to begin acting up. We had to negotiate with the Car Dealer to get a different car. We are did our best to get into the Christmas spirit. We attended a great Christmas performance by the St. John Singers in the old Moravian Church. There are a number of houses sporting Christmas Lights and decorations. But truthfully, it just seems wrong to see a plastic snowman under a palm tree. I put up our little table top Christmas tree that I had on the boat last year here at the house. We have 3 days off together and so perhaps we will hop aboard DD and go for Christmas cruise. S/V Daniellstorey, s/v Sanctuary, and s/v Diana and all here in the neighborhood and so we will try to plan to spend some time with them over the holidays. Many of our friends and family are happy that we are settled down in one place for a bit and we have plans for visits from a number of them already. We are looking forward to seeing them all. It has been nearly a year since our last visit with anyone from home. I am missing our traveling adventurous life on the boat but working again is opening up other opportunities. It also makes me appreciate that much more my time off and the subtle pleasures this Island life offers.