Once the Virgin Island Sun sets and the sky grows dark, high overhead you will find three bright stars are dominating the sky. Since these three form a large triangle which is visible during the Summer months, up North, they are called the Summer Triangle. Each bright star marks a different, star group or constellation. Brightest and highest in the sky is Vega, in Lyra the Harp. In mythology this is the harp invented by Hermes, which Mercury gave to Orpheus, the musician who joined Jason and the Argonauts. On another occasion Orpheus took his into the infernal regions and charmed Pluto, king of Hades, with the music of his harp to win back his lost bride Eurydice.

Continue reading "Skywatch" »

Link: Skywatch

Elle's Creative Touch - 513-4879, 772-0975
Specializing in handmade soaps, body lotions, and body scrubs, all our products are made on St. Croix with natural ingredients and scents like Mango, Papaya, Ginger, Coconut, Lime and Lemongrass. We also design our own totes and baskets with tags, to carry them in or all-occasion cards to go inside! For that very special local, island made birthday, anniversary, or anytime gift to take off island with a tropical touch, give us a call. Open Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or visit us at 57B Smithfield, Frederiksted (turn right at the Boys and Girls Club next to the new Medicine Shoppe on Centerline and I’m down 3 blocks on the right on Percy Gardine Street). New location in
October!
www.ellescreativetouch.com
St. Croix Map #66, F'sted Map #8

Link: Elle's Creative Touch

Julie San Martin -- ReMax St. Croix

The US Virgin Islands real estate market is unlike the US real estate market in one important respect - limited inventory. Consequently, real estate ownership in the USVI an effective tool for wealth preservation.

2010 is one of these windows of opportunity. Inventories have begun to level off and the number of closed sales is increasing. Buyers will get their best deals on St. Croix real estate - homes, condos, and land - during the next 12 months. It's counterintuitive to buy when few others are, but a wise investment!

Continue reading "Real Estate: Window of Opportunity" »

Link: Real Estate: Window of Opportunity

The history of our island is mirrored in its old church structures, many of which have recently been restored. The Moravian brethren, arriving here in the 1730s from Saxony in today's Germany, founded their mission to bring Christianity to the enslaved part of the population. Their handsome yellow buildings at the entrance to Christiansted and red-roofed white wooden church midisland, along with a contemporary church in Frederiksted, attest to their continued importance. The historic Anglican (Episcopalian) churches built in Gothic style include St. John's in Christiansted, and in Frederiksted the beautifully restored St. Paul's church, which had been damaged by a fire in 1996. These and other Anglican churches bear witness to the large English population which settled here (and also brought us our custom of left lane driving.

Continue reading "Island Worship" »

Link: Island Worship

For centuries, labyrinths have held great spiritual significance. Now everyone, from medical professionals to religious leaders, is touting the healing effects of these intricate walkways.

The labyrinth's coiled patterns have been found on pottery and clay tablets dating back 4000 years. The oldest existing labyrinth of medieval design is in Chartres, France, built around 1200 in the floor of Chartres Cathedral.

Labyrinths were a form of pilgrimage for some; people walked the path, ascending toward enlightenment. Many could not afford to travel to holy sites so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel. Later, the religious significance of labyrinths faded though recently their spiritual aspect has seen a resurgence.

Continue reading "Mt. Washington Labyrinth" »

Link: Mt. Washington Labyrinth

Part 10 in a series

Excerpts from "Divers Information on The Romantic History of St. Croix" by Florence Lewison, 1963, St. Croix Landmarks Society.

In 1773 Europe was in another of its states of tension over quarrels between various combinations of nations. The price of sugar fell, the coffee market crashed in Germany and a general slump culminated in England's trying to enforce the Tea Tax in the colonies. That was the year of the Boston Tea Party, which in any preceding year might just as well have been a molasses or rum party. It led to the outbreak of actual fighting in 1775.

England promptly switched from French brandy to West Indian rum for its navy, and the French began their unofficial aid to the northern colonies. In the West Indies the smuggling went right on.

Continue reading "Rum and Revolution, Part 2" »

Link: Rum and Revolution, Part 2

First of all, please know that Lionfish are NOT harmful to you - just the environment! They do have venomous spines, however, so you don't want to touch them or any other fish for that matter. That being said, we could use your help with the USVI Lionfish Removal Effort!

The Indo-Pacific Lionfish is a beautiful, dramatically colored, striped fish, with a bit of an attitude. It is often stationary, resting against rocks or under coral ledges allowing you to get a close view of it. Unfortunately the Indo-Pacific Lionfish is invasive and harmful to the environment. The Lionfish have been documented eating an average of 85% of the juvenile fish on a reef in a 5-week period. They are also prolific breeders - Lionfish have been observed breeding every month of the year; a single adult female can release over 30,000 eggs as often as every 4 days!

Continue reading "Lionfish be Gone!" »

Link: Lionfish be Gone!

Link: Kendrick's

Toni writes, "I have been a permanent resident on St Croix for 30 years, painting and looking after birds. Originally growing up in Laguna Beach, California, I had a tremendous love of birds and photography from an early age. I was fortunate enough to be given a scholarship for college in that area from the Laguna Festival of Arts. For two years, at Humboldt State, I studied Photography and Wildlife Management. I was good at drawing and painting and the photography equipment was expensive, so I spent the next two years at Long Beach State studying Biomedical Illustration. That is really where I had my training for the detail and rendering. There I was being trained to paint human subjects and worked often with cadavers, but my passion was entirely birds and animal subjects.

Continue reading "Cover Artist Toni Lance: For the Love of Birds" »

Link: Cover Artist Toni Lance: For the Love of Birds

By Toni Lance

When the water is clear, the fish can see you and on a rough day, you can't see them. There are times when you see no fish at all. There are the storms, when you either stay tucked on the ground or soar with the high breeze that might take you far from home. And then there are those days, when the wind is perfect and you and your friends are drafting each other low over the water and you spot the ideal fishing ground. The day is spent flying high, circling, diving, crashing, splashing, stuffing yourself with fresh fish, sunning, preening, and relaxing. Oh to be a pelican.

The Brown pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelicans. With a wingspan of 6-8 feet, it is the only pelican that dives for fish from the air. The most distinguishing feature of the pelican is its long beak with a hooked tip and a huge gular or pouch. The Brown pelican weighs 6-12lbs and needs to consume about 4lbs of fish a day. With acute eyesight, the pelican dives for medium-sized bait fish, locally in the Virgin Islands called sprat or fry. The birds acrobatically dive from as high as 60 feet above the water to scoop up fish and as much as 30 gallons of water into their gular. As they lift their heads out of the water, the flexible pouch drains and they throw their head back to swallow the catch.

Continue reading "Oh, To Be a Pelican!" »

Link: Oh, To Be a Pelican!