Moving to St. Croix

St. Croix Carnival Parade 2009 - USVI

2009-01-05T20:12:00.004-06:00

Our first St. Croix Festival "Adult" Parade was a blast. We had a wonderful time and will try and have friends schedule their vacations around it in the future.

Here is a link to all the photos:

2009 St. Croix Festival Adult Parade

Sunset & Full Moon over St. Croix

2008-11-13T19:59:00.005-06:00

The moon has been close to full all of this week and with relatively minor cloud cover the reflection off the water is simply incredible. I am not a photographer, but fiddling with my digital camera I was able to take a few photos that I thought were pretty cool. All of these were taken at night time, meaning it was pitch dark outside except for the moonlight.

I also took a few sunset shots from Off The Wall Beach Bar at Cane Bay last weekend. Those are below.

The Rise of Island Girl - St. Croix

2008-11-05T20:38:00.006-06:00

After checking out the Green Cay beach area with the dogs we decided to stop at the Brew Pub on the way back through town. Shortly after arriving a salvage boat showed up in front of us to rescue one of the 40+ boats that had been sunk during Hurricane Omar. Here are a few of the photos:

If that is going too fast for you you can also check out the photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chad.p.walter/IslandGirl?authkey=0adOEra0-I0#

Hurricane Omar Update #5 Friday at 3:30pm

2008-10-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know our power just came back on a little bit ago. Much of the island is still without power however so the 6:00pm curfew remains in effect.

The real reason for this one last update is to let you know that I added additional photos to what I put out there yesterday. Emily and I went into downtown Christiansted for lunch today. The "protected" harbor was a bit of a mess to say the least. According to the newspaper there were more than 40 boats that had sunk. The paper also mentioned reports of power lines snapping in half and most trees being uprooted on the southeast side of the island.

http://picasaweb.google.com/chad.p.walter/Omar?authkey=RQGAbo15uNQ#

Omar Update #4 12:30 pm (day after)

2008-10-16T12:30:00.001-05:00

The damage from the storm doesn't seem to be to terribly bad from my vantage point. I drove around a little while ago and there are many trees down all over the place, blocking roads, knocking down fences, etc, but that seems to be the extent of it, at least on my little area of the island.

I still don't have power, hopefully later today. I saw crews out fixing downed lines.

Here are the photos I took this morning: http://picasaweb.google.com/chad.p.walter/Omar?authkey=RQGAbo15uNQ#

Omar

Omar Update #3 3:30am

2008-10-16T03:30:00.000-05:00

The storm has passed and we are all fine. It picked up speed and moved through the area quicker than I inititially expected. Omar turned into a category 3 and things were extremely loud and noisy from about 10:30 - 1:00. I was questioning whether the windows were going to hold with so much pressure put upon them. We got a bunch of water through our water facing windows (because they are crap), but other than that no issues inside the house. It is no longer raining so I walked down to the water (the sea is loud at the moment) but it was hard to tell anything. Lots of palms and coconuts on the ground.

I lost phone service around 11:15 or so. Surprisingly that just came back up a little after 3:00.

No power yet but likely tomorrow at some point. Curfew in effect until 11:00 am.

Thanks for all the concerned emails and calls.

Maybe some aftermath photos to come tomorrow.

Hurricane Omar Update #2 8:30 local time

2008-10-15T20:30:00.002-05:00

The high winds have begun and the rain is coming in sideways. The power has also just went out this very minute. But my sprint wireless card appears to be functional. I had just started watching the US Soccer game too, so that is a bummer.

They issued a 6:00pm curfew and called in the national guard earlier today, but I doubt many folks would be out in this weather. Emily just lit a few candles and the kerosene lantern which should be bright enough to read by actually. The battery operated fan is now going too. We have also moved into the interior room with no windows.

It doesn't appear that I will be able to get any storm photos this evening as it is pitch black outside. Forecast is to get worse over the next 4 hours and then hopefully be gone by early morning.

The photo is from late this afternoon. Tons of rain and more to come.

Welcome to the USVI - Courtesy of Hurricane Omar

2008-10-15T11:08:00.002-05:00

Well I haven't been here long but am already getting a Caribbean welcome from Hurricane Omar after only 2 weeks on the island. This hurricane kind of sprang up out of nowhere yesterday and pretty much caught everyone off-guard. On Monday I was thinking that we had a very easy hurricane season. Not anymore. A category 2 is bearing down on us. The eye is supposed to go directly over St. Croix around midnight. At this point we have decided to hunker down in our beach rental. We are going to see how things go this afternoon and may end up at one of Emily's co-worker's house later on. Not easy to find somebody that will take in 2 of us, 2 dogs, and 3 cats. Our one concern is the storm surge. Right now it is only estimated to be 1-3 feet on the south shore, so we should be ok. The storm is coming from the south and we are on the north shore facing northeast.

Current condition is very heavy rain with very light winds. The winds are supposed to pick-up through the afternoon.

I helped one of Emily's friends put their hurricane shutters on early this morning. We went to the hardware store to pick up a gas can and it was a freaking zoo. All the gas stations were jam-packed too.

We are well stocked on food, water and ice. The gas is topped off in the car.

I figure I should have internet at least through early evening.

You can track the hurricane here if interested (it is updated every few hours): http://www.stormpulse.com/tropical-storm-omar-2008

We made it! We have moved to St. Croix.

2008-10-03T20:57:00.002-05:00

Since Emily has been really slow at posting (yes it has been a year) I will go ahead and let everyone know we finally made it. Yes, it has been two plus years of planning and researching (of course we did other things during these two years) but we finally made it. We first arrived on August 17th. I have been back and forth several times to Dallas to get the dogs, figure out house stuff, and ship all the crap that we don't need down here. We shipped our first car at the end of July and Berry from Flemmings Transport met us at the airport with it. That was nice. Expensive, but nice.

I arrived on Tuesday as my official move date. Emily has been here 6 weeks now. We are staying in a beachfront rental temporarily. Trying to rent something off-island was a bit of a pain so we found a vacation rental that would give us a "decent" rate for a 3 month rental. I wouldn't say it is perfect, but it is on the beach. It is definitely serviceable. There has been so much water in the air this week that it is literally dripping off the fan and puddling below. The temporary screens on the window are constantly wet. The waves have been enormous as well. I have no idea how high they were, but at Judith's Fancy the other day I would wager that at a few spots they were reaching at least six feet. I could be way off but they looked really big to me.

Much has happened in the past year, but I will let Emily update you. Look for frequent posts and photos from here on out.

Tattoos in the Virgin Islands

2007-10-13T20:15:00.000-05:00

I’m back. I am sure that once our plans really get moving towards our move, I will have more interesting things to write about, but since we are not really at that point yet, I just figured no one really wants to hear about my boring day to day activities. Anyway, I can explain at least a few weeks of my absence from posting new material. We are slowly remodeling our home in case we decide that we must sell it to move to St. Croix. Last winter, we tackled all the bedrooms and two of the bathrooms. A couple of months ago we started on the other third of the house – the office, laundry room and third bathroom. We totally redid the office which included new flooring, removing the paneling from the walls, new lighting and new furniture. In doing all this work, it was necessary to unplug “my” computer and move it to another room where it remained unplugged. So that’s where I was for about a month. Then I had my appendix taken out – nothing that would have really kept me from posting here, but I didn’t have very much exciting info to write about other than bodily functions.

So now I’m back, and I have learned some disturbing news. There are apparently not any tattoo shops on St. Croix. I know – it’s life threatening and upsetting news. Here’s the thing: I really like tattoos, and I have often said that if I didn’t have a “normal” job, I would have more tattoos, and they would certainly be more prominent. I have promised H after the last tattoo which was last summer (and rather large) that I would not get any more tattoos, but who knows? He might change his mind and want one himself.

Here’s what I have learned. There was a recent post on the moving forum where someone was inquiring about this very topic. The consensus was: no shops on St. Croix. Someone suggested that they might do tattoos at Ruel’s Risqué Wear. I looked them up in the VI phone book – they are listed under “Exotic Apparel”. Now I am not trying to imply that a shop that provides exotic apparel cannot also perform killer tattoo work, but I must admit I am skeptical. (they don’t sell exotic apparel on LA Ink, but Kat Von D does have a stripper pole – coincidence?) I have not always been tattooed in the nicest of shops – the shop where I got my first tattoo was down an alley in a sketchy part of town and a guy was passed out on a pool table – but my tastes have evolved. The artist who has done my last two pieces is extremely professional – he sets up a consultation where you discuss exactly what you want, he draws it up and you come back a week later – no drunken, late night decisions here.

I Googled “tattoos” and “Virgin Islands.” There were no hits for tattoo shops, but luckily you do get a description of the tattoos on the Virgin Islands’ Most Wanted. I looked in the phone book again – this time under “Tattoos”. There were two places listed, but they were both in St. Thomas. Jimmy Buffham’s Exotic (again with the “exotic”) Piercing and Tattoo had a really nice ad so I guess there is hope for the Virgin Islands. For now, I’m going to stick with Tim – my tattoo artist. That’s one of my tattoos pictured first on his tattoo portfolio. I’ll keep an open mind though and check out Ruel’s on our next visit. You never know what I might find there.

Building a House in the Virgin Islands

2007-08-07T20:17:00.000-05:00

I hope to have many posts on this topic in the future, but for now, I just wanted to post about some of the plans that we have for our future home on St. Croix. Now that we have finally closed on the property, the next step is building our home, but like everything else on the islands, it's not that easy. I read on the Relocation Forum that the permit process just to start building can take 6-7 months. Of course, since we are building on the water, our site will require another permit from the Coastal Zone Management department. Finally, our home is located in a gated community so our building plans must be approved by the Homeowners' Association.

I've also been told that once the permits are issued, you have 12 months to complete the building of your property. That sounds like a lot of time, but you have to remember "island time" can add both days and dollars to any estimate so we are planning on being totally ready to build before we ever start the permit process. Our preliminary plans (or maybe I should say my plans) have included making a list of things that we need (and want) to have in our home. This is the first home that H and I have ever built from the ground up. It is extremely exciting and nerve-wracking.

I've broken down the list for the house by rooms. My list includes things like: solar/wind power (separate post to follow); workout room; built-in bookshelves; an outdoor shower; and, gray water irrigation. I have also included very specific items that come from preferences that I/we have developed in living in our current home for 7 years - things like: separate electrical switches for the ceiling fans and lights; cushions for the furniture with slipcovers that I can remove; a spice rack pull-out; a walk-in pantry; and, a dog shower.

We've also begun looking at various island homes on the Internet for floor plan ideas. Caribbean homes are often laid out very differently from stateside homes. We toured a home when we were on St. Croix last year. It was priced in the $800,000 range so for that price we were expecting something really nice. Instead we saw something that was really strange. The main room was a kitchen/living area that opened up to a balcony/deck. Then you continued walking on the deck to the adjacent room which was a bedroom with attached bathroom - that's right: you had to walk outside to get to the bedroom. The realtor explained that this home was West Indian style. I'm not sure what the benefit was to not being able to access the bedrooms by hallways, but all I could think of was having to walk outside at midnight in my pajamas to get a drink of water. First item on our floor plan list: hallways.

Last night, we were watching House Hunters International (we love this show, by the way). If you haven't seen it, it's a show on HGTV where they follow homebuyers who are looking for a home in another country. They always show three different options, and at the end of the show, you find out which option the buyers pick. Then they usually follow up a few months later to see how much they are loving their new home. Well, last night the show followed a family buying a home in Turks and Caicos (one of our previous vacation spots). The first option was a $1.25 million dollar home. It was on the water in a beautiful location, but get this, it was a "pod" home. It sounds like something from a science fiction movie. (It actually reminded me of the pods in a county jail nearby - remember, I'm an attorney. I was just visiting, not residing, there.)

Anyway, there were four "pods" all surrounding a central courtyard. The first pod was the kitchen and living area, the second was the master suite, the third was another bedroom, and the fourth was an office. Again, I kept thinking of crossing the courtyard in the middle of the night for a drink. I realize that in the islands, a lot of your time is spent outside. That's one of the benefits of living in a tropical environment, and H and I plan on having a very large patio and outdoor area, but I think that we can enjoy the outdoors and have hallways!

I know that once we start the real planning process, I may have to give up some of my "wants" because of budgetary or feasibility issues, but a girl's got to dream.

St. Croix Animal Rescue

2007-07-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

The welfare of animals is a subject that is near and dear to our hearts. We don’t have any children so our 5 animals are really our babies. All three cats and one of our dogs were rescued. If H wouldn’t divorce me, and I had more room, I would rescue four more. When giving to charity, we almost always give donations to animal rights and rescue organizations. There are so many organizations here in Dallas that seem to perform miracles. One of those organizations is Operation Kindness. Operation Kindness is a no-kill shelter that is also extremely active in protecting animals. The group attends hearings and trials of those accused of animal cruelty, and I believe they have been instrumental in the increased sentences that some of these criminals have received.

From what I have been told, the attitude towards animals by some locals on St. Croix is very different from what we experience in Dallas. Animals are not treated as family members. Dogs are often tied up in yards for “protection”, and cats are allowed to freely roam having litter after litter of kittens. There was also a thread on the VI Moving Center a while back about two starving horses that were in a lot just off a public street. Apparently, people were afraid to report the neglect for fear of retaliation. The horses were eventually rescued although one of them did not survive.

I would like to see St. Croix become more like the States in terms of protecting animals. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that Dallas is a utopia for animals. The reports of animal cruelty here are atrocious, but more people are becoming outraged by these reports and are effecting change.

In recent years, the Virgin Islands passed a bill making cruelty to animals a felony offense. Unfortunately, this bill took years to get passed and was vetoed twice by the former governor. This long fight speaks volumes about the attitude towards animals on the islands, but this law is definitely a step in the right direction.

Other positive steps on St. Croix are the efforts to educate children and the community about caring for animals. The St Croix Animal Welfare Center has two programs focused on this goal, the Adopt a Teacher program and Humane Education program. The idea behind these programs is to get children interested in caring for animals and making sure that they are properly treated. Hopefully, the children pass these ideas onto their families and neighbors and fewer animals are mistreated.

It would be wonderful if St. Croix could have a no-kill shelter like Operation Kindness, but sadly, the island is too small to currently accommodate the over-population of animals. According to the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center’s website, it is the “only organization on island dedicated to the humane treatment of the island's abused and abandoned animals.” Since the Center is the only facility on island, it is very important for residents and visitors to support its programs.

One way that we have started to support St. Croix’s animal rescue efforts is by donating to Pets from Paradise. Their website is temporarily not functioning, but this link explains the idea behind the program. Basically, travelers to St. Croix can fly an animal back home with them to be adopted at a “sister shelter” in the states. This way the animals find a good home, and the population of animals on island is humanely reduced. Regrettably, Dallas does not have a sister shelter, but this sounded like such an incredible program that I still wanted to support it in some way. On our last trip down to St. Croix, I brought a pet carrier filled with animal toys, treats, and food. The carrier was counted as a checked bag so it didn’t cost me anything to bring it down with me. Then we took the items to the Pets from Paradise location. It made me so sad to see all of the sweet faces at the shelter, but I hope that these items made their lives more comfortable.

Running in the US Virgin Islands

2007-06-16T16:42:00.001-05:00

One of the reasons that I am so excited about the property we chose on St. Croix is that it is in a gated community, and I will be able to safely run through the community (I hope!) On my last trip to St. Croix, I ran a short distance on the North Shore road just outside Carambola resort, and it was interesting to say the least. First of all, I was running on the opposite side of the road compared to what I am used to at home. I always run facing traffic, but that meant that I was running on the inside of some blind turns. It was a little nerve-racking. There are also hills all over St. Croix. We have what might be considered "incline changes" in Dallas, but nothing like the mountains that I experienced on this brief run on the island.

I started a marathon training class in Dallas today. It was a really great experience (despite the thunderstorm), but as I was leaving, I realized that there won't be classes like this once we move to St. Croix. It's a great program that is really well thought out, and involves several hundred people. In contrast, St. Croix's running program is in its infancy from what I have read.

I hope that running is a hobby that I will be able to continue once we make the move to the island. I've already started doing some research on the Internet. One race that I found is called "8 Tuff Miles". This race runs from west to east across St. John. I saw fliers for the race when we were on St. John last year. I'm sure the race must be beautiful as St. John was one of the most beautiful islands I've visited, but it has got some crazy hills! The race climbs from sea level to 999 feet at the midpoint and back down to sea level. Even if you're not a runner, you've probably heard about Heartbreak Hill in the Boston Marathon. I've never been to Boston (I've only done one marathon so far), but I've heard that it's not the uphill that kills you, but the downhill that tears your legs to shreds. I'm sure I would have to do some serious training to run 8 Tuff Miles, but I am definitely intrigued, and as close as I will be to St. John, I am going to make running 8 Tuff Miles a goal of mine.

Another race that I will have to run after making the move is the St. Croix Marathon. It is supposed to be relatively flat (http://virginislandspace.com/marathonmap06.pdf ) and almost the entire marathon is along the water. Scenery is very important when running 26.2 miles - it's good to have plenty of distractions. A big difference in this race compared to the last marathon I ran is the number of participants. The St. Croix Marathon is limited to 50 participants whereas the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego had over 20,000! Next year will only be the 6th year for the St. Croix Marathon so I am hoping that's a sign that the island is generating more interest in running so that by the time that I am there, it will have some great events. In the meantime, I'll have to find some hills in Dallas to get ready for the island.

Alexandra Bentley - St. Croix Realtor

2007-06-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hey, my first post. I usually let the wife write these entries, but I wanted to take a moment to recognize and recommend an excellent realtor in St. Croix, Alexandra Bentley. I figured she deserved her own post. My wife mentioned throughout this blog's short life we started looking online at properties in February 2006 after a trip to St. Croix and the rest of the Virgin Islands. We stumbled upon "the board" shortly after and found Alexandra replying to posts with super detailed information without every trying to blatantly sell her realtor service. So we began emailing her for information regarding certain real estate we had found online, and of course she provided detailed information along with her opinions of the property (ie "those lots are quite steep and would be a challenge to build on"). We then scheduled a trip for July of last year to look at vacant lots (both waterfront and non-waterfront lots) and were pleased with what we found but frustrated with the prices. At the time they seemed pretty high especially because we were carrying two mortgages. Alexandra spent an entire day driving us around all parts of the island.

Things didn't work out last summer (read previous posts) but in January we started seeing some listings show up that were "interesting". Alexandra would email us the listing the day they came on the market. The first one was a "too good to be true" lot in which I purchased a plane ticket to fly down and see, however, the next day the lot already had a contract on it. Trip cancelled.

The next week while we were in Belize for vacation we got a call from Alexandra telling us about a large waterfront property with some issues. The struggles we went through to get contract offers signed and faxed would have made for some good "third-world technology" jokes. I am sure Alexandra was as frustrated as we were when 5 offers came in on the first day. We raised our offer price to 25% above listing. They didn't accept our offer. In the end this was probably for the best.

At the end of February Alexandra emailed a listing to us. We had an offer in by noon on the first day of the listing at slightly under listing price. The listing price was high but after missing out on several properties (including one that we really wanted last summer) we were at the point of "just pay it". Anyway, after a trip down to St. Croix and meeting with Alexandra and the listing agent, I flew home happy with the lot. The appraiser was not as happy with the lot and appraised it for 5% less than our contract price. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, however, we were approaching the final day of our mortgage contingency period and needed to figure out a way to come up with the additional 5% down payment because the bank would not finance the full amount, only the appraised amount. At this point our lake house hadn't sold. Alexandra went out of her way to make things work out with the listing agent and seller, but in the end the seller wouldn't budge even 1%.

We found out Saturday that the sellers wouldn't help out and had until Tuesday to cancel the offer or risk our earnest money. Monday morning is where Alexandra truly shined. She knew we were stretching our budget and when a different property seven lots away and almost 15% cheaper came on the market Monday morning she did not hesitate to send the listing our way even though she knew her commission would be reduced and it would take much longer for her to get paid. By noon we had rescinded our previous offer (if the seller only knew all he had to do was come down 1% to make it work) and had an offer accepted on the other lot. Thank you Alexandra Bentley.

Alexandra was great throughout the whole process and I cannot recommend her enough. She was available at all hours of the day answering our calls and our emails. Hopefully it was worth it for her.

Dealing with Scotiabank who changed the terms on us at the last minute (a 15 year loan to a 5 year loan) is a story for another day.

Thank you Alexandra.

We Did It – We Now Own a Piece of St. Croix Property!

2007-05-30T21:15:00.000-05:00

We finally closed on the land. We got an email from our attorney the day before we were supposed to close saying that they had not yet received the deed from the seller and the closing would have to be pushed back one week. Then a couple of days later, we got another email asking us to wire our money to our attorney because we would be closing on Friday instead of Tuesday. No explanation why, but we didn’t care. We were just glad to get this first step out of the way.

Now that we have finally closed, the realization is setting in: what are the next couple of years of our lives going to be like? Will we be able to survive building a home over two thousand miles away? Will we be able to survive building a home on “island time”?

These are hard questions to answer. We’re not even sure if we are going to have to sell our home in Texas before we build in St. Croix. We would like to keep it and rent it out, but things seem to have a way of costing more than you have planned when you build in the Virgin Islands (according to some other blogs I have run across.)

Nevertheless, this is a really exciting time for us, and we are one step closer to living our island dream.

Where Are We Now?

2007-05-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

I mentioned we had a backup plan, but since I have now become a little superstitious, I have delayed in sharing any details. (I have to get over this fear if I am going to continue to post on our future move!)

Our realtor did the most incredible thing: while we were still in the option period for the lot with the difficult sellers, she told us about another lot that had just come on the market in the same subdivision. It was right next to the lot we wanted this summer – we couldn’t believe our luck. We rescinded our offer since we could not get financing for the purchase price on the first lot, and immediately put down an offer on the second lot. It was quickly accepted, and if all goes well, we close on it this week. We will be St. Croix landowners!

Just to address a couple of the comments that I have received – H and I have never lived on the beach. When we came down to St. Croix this summer, we looked at properties all over the island, including properties that were not waterfront. We decided that for our first home, we wanted to be on the beach. We want to be able to walk out of our back door right down to the water. We have 2 big dogs that love the water, and we want them to be able to easily enjoy the beach as well.

When we bought our lakefront property (that we sold very quickly this spring now that the lake level is back to normal), we had very specific ideas about what we wanted. We wanted open water, H wanted a sunset view, and we wanted to be close to town. We looked at close to 50 houses before we found one that met all these requirements.

We also had never lived on a lake before. Some of these things that we felt we could not live without required a bit of an adjustment. Open water means that your dock is not protected when the strong winter storms blow in from the North. Shortly after we bought our jet ski, one of these storms blew in, and the strong waves knocked it off the lift. Luckily it was locked with a cable, or we would have lost it, but you would not believe the superhuman strength that it took to get that thing back up on the lift while the storm was beating down on us.

A sunset view was beautiful in the winter when we bought the house, but by summer, we were miserable. The entire back wall of the house was glass facing the sunset view. There’s really nothing like having the 110 degree heat pounding through your windows for most of the day. We quickly adapted with both sun-blocking shades and curtains.

I guess the point of this long story is that until you experience something yourself, there’s not a lot that people can say to talk you out of that something. H and I are dead-set on living out our beach fantasy. We know there will be a period of adjustment, just like there was at the lake, but we are determined to make it work. We’ve done the research – we know that our appliances will rust, our electrical equipment may not make it a year, and our clothes will likely mildew. We also know that plenty of people make it work, and there are tradeoffs to living just about anywhere. We would love for this property to become our forever home, but if it’s not, we will find the place that is.

St. Croix Property - I Jinxed Us!

2007-04-07T18:20:00.000-05:00

I should have never posted about finding a lot. The appraisal came back below the purchase price. I won't say "way" below, but we were already at the extreme limit of what we wanted to pay, and to have to chip in this extra amount would have been really hard on us. The ironic thing about the appraisal was that the lot we had wanted this past summer sold for a really low price (or really low for an acre of beachfront property). Once again, we were kicking ourselves for not finding a way to purchase that lot, but with a large portion of our disposable income tied up in a lakefront property with a dried-up lake, it would have been nearly impossible to buy it.

We tried everything we could think of to make this sale work - the sellers just would not budge on the price. Apparently, one member of the selling couple really didn't want to sell the lot, and he or she was happy to leave it on the market until the price was right.

Don't worry though. We have a back-up plan, but I will not jinx it this time!

Our Trip to Belize

2007-03-31T18:23:00.000-05:00

Since we briefly thought that Belize might be a good alternative for living out our island fantasy, we booked a trip there this past February. Of course, by the time that we got to Belize, we had already decided that making a home there would be too difficult so this trip was going to be all about vacation and nothing about real estate. (or so we thought – see previous post!)

We started our trip in Ambergris Caye, a peninsula northeast of Belize City. It was a short flight in a small airplane which flew very close to the water. There were many hotels and resorts to choose from on Ambergris Caye, but we had decided to stay in the main city of San Pedro. We were also trying to keep this trip on the cheap so instead of staying at one of the big resorts, we stayed in a small resort in the middle of town called The Tides. The Tides had twelve rooms and was right on the beach. They also had their own dive shop which was very convenient. The Tides was definitely not the Four Seasons – we had one washcloth, no box springs on the bed, very little light in the room, and it was next door to a school with screaming kids in the morning and band practice with drums in the evening. That being said, the general location was great. We were able to walk to the restaurants in town and never felt unsafe.

One day, we rented bikes and rode up the shoreline and saw some of the other nicer, larger resorts. To ride north of San Pedro, you have to cross a bridge where no cars are allowed. Most people use golf carts. While the accommodations were much nicer up north, I’m glad we chose to stay in town where everything was more accessible.

We stayed in San Pedro three full days. One of the days, we went scuba diving. This dive was probably the most interesting dive we had been on in terms of seeing wildlife. The boat took us out to Hol Chan Park, a national park in the middle of the ocean. As the boat pulled up, I began to see fins circling. “Don’t worry, they’re just nurse sharks,” our dive master said. Needless to say, that did not reassure me, but I did get in the water. Sure enough, the sharks stayed away from us. On our second dive, we went out further and deeper. The dive master had brought some “treats” and large grouper began to follow him like little puppies. They stayed with us throughout the dive. We also saw an enormous stingray which had a wingspan somewhere around 8 feet.

From San Pedro, we flew back to Belize City and drove 3.5 hours south to Placencia. We had planned to fly, but the airstrip was shut down to be repaved. This is just one of the examples of how Third World Belize still is. The drive through the countryside was absolutely beautiful. The land was lush and green, and I have never seen so many orange trees in my life. The drive was uneventful until we turned off the main road. Luckily, we had rented an SUV because nothing could have prepared me for this “road”. It was unpaved and had potholes the size of small canyons. Unfortunately, we had to travel twenty miles on this road to get to our guest house.

We stayed at the Maya Beach Hotel in the bottom floor of a guest house. The house was literally right on the beach, and we had our own pool that was shared with the couple on the top floor of the house. The house was perfect. I felt like we had the beach all to ourselves. The main hotel was next door and had some of the best food that I ate on the whole trip. (Everything that I ate in Belize was excellent, and that’s saying a lot because I am extremely picky).

To go into the main town of Placencia, we had to get back on the unpaved road and travel about ten miles. As a result, we only made 3 trips into town. On the way into town, you travel through a fishing village called Seine Bight. Throughout this area, the road was probably in the worst condition. It was also a little sketchy. People were sitting in the middle of the road, and just expected you to drive around them.

Placencia was also a little sketchy. To get to the beach from the main road, you basically had to walk through people’s backyards. None of the walkways to the beach had sidewalks or decks, and they were all unlit. At nighttime, it was a little unsettling. The town itself was cute, and had a little bit of a hippie vibe. Most of our time in town was spent trying to send faxes, but I think we saw a representative sample of the town.

On the evening of our anniversary, we drove almost all the way into town for dinner at Turtle Inn, a resort owned by Francis Ford Coppola. Turtle Inn (even at night) was stunning. The restaurant had a very South Pacific feel, and the waiters were wearing long sarongs. The grounds were beautifully landscaped, and if the restaurant bathrooms were any indication, the accommodations were incredible as well. Oh well, maybe on our next trip – after we win the lottery.

We Found a Lot! What Now?

2007-03-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

I've been really quiet on this blog for some time because we really thought we were going to have to put our dreams on hold for a while. With the increasing prices of the St. Croix real estate market and our inability to sell our lake home, it just wasn't looking like a good time to try and buy property in St. Croix.

Well, 2007 started off in a completely new direction. We started thinking about alternate locations to live out our ocean fantasy. As mentioned in a previous post, we talked about Roatan. Then we looked at Belize. Belize seemed to have some advantages over Roatan. Most importantly, it is an English-speaking island. Also, you can live on the ocean without living on an island which can make beachfront living a little more convenient, especially for moving your belongings and that sort of thing. Plus, the prices were so much lower compared to St. Croix. Sounds perfect, right?

We bought a book on living in Belize (after we had booked our annual February trip - pictures to come) and quickly realized that living in a foreign country was not for us. First of all, for me, a lawyer, it appeared that there would be no way for me to practice law without returning to law school. There is no law school in Belize - I would have to go to school somewhere like Jamaica. After practicing law for over 7 years, there is no way I am returning to school! Secondly, being a foreigner presents difficulties for finding employment. You have to have a work permit, and to get a work permit, you have to demonstrate that you have an employable skill that no Belizean possesses. If we could afford to retire at this point, these work issues wouldn't be a problem, but unfortunately, we are not financially stable enough to retire. (see above reference to law school - I'm still paying for that)

We still took our trip to Belize, and it was wonderful, but we decided with all the obstacles that living there presented, it was not the ocean home we were looking for.

Just before our trip to Belize, a new property came on the market in St. Croix. It was on the North Shore where we wanted to be. Our realtor emailed us the listing on Thursday. The lot was waterfront and relatively in our price range. I told H that I thought it was a sign. He agreed and quickly began making travel arrangements to go view the property - who would make a life-altering purchase without seeing it? Well, apparently that logic was flawed. He was supposed to fly out on Tuesday morning. On Monday, we found out the lot already had a contract on it and had been removed from the MLS. We were absolutely shocked. This property literally sold in one day! Lesson learned: we would not try to view the next property that came up. We would just put an offer down on it. And that's what we did when the next listing came up.

We took our trip to Belize and were there for two days when we got an email from our realtor - 4 acres on the North Shore! The price was crazy cheap. Instead of thinking, "there must be something wrong with this lot," we just thought, "crap, we better offer way over the asking price." So we did, 25% over. Then we attempted to deal with the Third World technology that Belize had to offer. After spending half the day trying to fax the offer back to our realtor, we got an email from her saying that the seller wanted only cash offers or pre-qualifications. No problem - we had been working with a wonderful woman at Scotia Bank on St. Croix and felt like she would help us out. She was happy to help us out, but first, we had to fill out an 8 page mortgage application. So here we were in a tiny town in southern Belize trying to find an Internet cafe where we could print out the application, copy our passports and send them to her. It was about 10 miles into town on an unpaved road - and by unpaved, I mean potholes the size of canyons. We decided one trip per day on that road was plenty so we tried to fax the application from the hotel where we were staying. It literally took three hours! Apparently, their faxes are sent through a satellite server, and it was raining so the connection was very slow. Needless to say, the paperwork was not returned in time, and we did not get the property. It turned out that this was a blessing in disguise. The property had some building challenges, including finding a way to access the property and several drainage "guts." Getting building approval on this lot would have probably been very difficult and expensive.

We returned from Belize a little dejected - we had missed out on two lots in two weeks. We decided we would not get our hopes up on any other lots. Two weeks later, we broke our promise to ourselves. A lot came on the MLS in the same gated community we had missed out on last summer. We weren't going to let this opportunity pass us by. It was way out of our price range, but Scotia Bank had changed their mortgage terms, and we figured we could find a way to make it work. This was our dream after all.

We sent in our offer - the seller countered at $10,000 more. What the heck - we were already almost in over our heads so what was another $10,000? We accepted the counter and started the buying process. First, we figured we should get a look at the property. We still had video footage from our trip last summer to the same community, but we weren't sure exactly where the lot was so H booked a trip to St. Croix.

He just returned this weekend and said the property was wonderful! Even though I have only seen the pictures and video, I have to agree. The property is perfect for us. The streets are really safe for me to run and walk the dogs, it's located on a beautiful beach, and it's close enough to town to be convenient, but far enough away that you feel like you're getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city. (at least as "hustle and bustle" as Christiansted can get!)

Our next steps are waiting on the appraisal which hopefully the property will appraise for more than the purchase price, then the survey, and finally the closing. Luckily all of this can be done off-island, although not cheaply. Every party to a real estate transaction has to hire an attorney so that is approximately $1000 more than a regular transaction. However, with being off-island, an attorney makes things much easier for us.

So that's what is going on with us - Step One of our plan to move to St. Croix is complete. Now the fun starts - finding an architect, starting the building process, and finally the Big Move!

Book Review - Don't Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk

2006-10-08T17:42:00.000-05:00

I'm sure that I had heard about this book before we started this adventure of moving to the Virgin Islands, but I don't remember in what context. There was also a musical of the same name by Jimmy Buffett so maybe I had heard the name there. "Don't Stop the Carnival" is fiction but it is based on real events. It is based on a real Broadway press agent who buys a hotel in the Caribbean and all the outrageous things that happen to him and his family. It was written in the 60s and also based in that time, but the story is timeless.

Norman Paperman buys the Gull Reef Club, a resort on the fictional island of Amerigo. The real story took place in the Virgin Islands and some of the mishaps were similar to real tales told by Virgin Islanders, especially all the problems with the cistern.

Norman possesses some undesirable traits. He cheats on his wife and doesn't even seem to feel guilty about it. He gets a hair-brained idea and goes off half-cocked without any plans which makes all the misfortunes that befall him all the more humorous. That being said, you still root for him. You want the Gull Reef Club to succeed. The description of everything in the book is so vivid that you are there with Norman. You can feel the beauty, the allure, the pull of the Caribbean so much so that you feel if Norman fails, a part of you will fail as well.

Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but this book is 400 pages, and I flew threw it in less than a week. There is so much character development that you cheer for these people. No one is perfect, and that makes them real. From Lester Atlas, the boorish benefactor, to Hippolyte, the literally crazy handyman, to Iris Tramm, the damaged seductress. You know these people, and you want to see their stories develop.

While "Don't Stop the Carnival" is fictional, it does provide some insight into living in the Caribbean. There are adventures with bugs, unreliable service people living on island time, unpredictable storms that blow in out of nowhere, and the differences in everyday living that would cause even the strongest person to lose it just a little bit. Anyone considering a move to the Caribbean must read this book.

Bad News? Will Our St. Croix Plans Change?

2006-10-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

We recently got some bad news. The vacant lot that we wanted in the gated community now has a contract on it. Several of the other lots in this community also now have contracts on them. It definitely seems we've missed our chance for this area. You may be asking yourself, if they want the lot so badly, why don't they just put an offer on it? Well, that's easier said than done. If you've read my post about financing the lot, you know how much money we're talking about just for a down payment. Unfortunately, most of that down payment money is tied up in another property. The other property is on a great lot on a lake in East Texas. Also unfortunately, there's not as much of a lake left after this summer. Texas has been going through a really rough drought so if anyone is looking for a lakefront home that is really more of a beachfront home right now, just let me know. In the meantime, I'm going to keep playing Mega Millions and hope for the best.

Financing Our St. Croix Real Estate

2006-09-10T12:31:00.000-05:00

When H and I got home from our second trip to St. Croix, we were so excited. We had found a couple of vacant lots where we could definitely build a home, and the experience on this second trip had totally convinced us that St. Croix was where we wanted to spend the rest of our lives. Then we got a shock that we had not been anticipating. H began calling banks to find financing to purchase one of the lots. Unfortunately, we are not independently wealthy and do not have the means to buy one of these steeply priced lots outright.

H could not find any stateside banks that wrote land loans for the Virgin Islands. He did find some that would write a combination land/construction loan, but we were not planning on moving immediately so we could not afford to begin building right now.

The rates and terms for the Caribbean land loans were quite daunting. Following is a summary of his research. While these rates were obtained two months ago, I doubt the information has substantially changed or become more affordable for the common man.

First Bank VI - 35% down, 8.5%-9.5% ( I believe 7 yr loan)

Banco Popular - loans up to $125K (8.5%, 10% down, 15 years), over 125K 9.5%, 7 years, 35%-50% down

Scotia Bank - 6.99 5 yr arm, 10 years, 25% down ( I believe 1-1.5 points)

Bank of St. Croix - 25% down, 7 years, 9.75% (adjustable rate)

Virgin Islands Community Bank - 50K max land loan (didn't get any other info after that fact was stated)

Liberty - Homes only, no land and no construction

Schaffer - Homes and construction, no land

Flagstar Bank - no land or construction

Coastal Financial Co - No land and no construction

Allied Home Mortgage - no land and no construction

Family First Mortgage (STT) - no land loans

We were so depressed after he made these calls. The lots we were looking at were in the neighborhood of $350,000, much more than we had spent on our home in Dallas. With these terms and rates, we would be paying close to $100,000 as a down payment and a $3000 per month payment. That kind of money would be difficult for most people, but especially for me with the student loans that I was paying and will continue to pay for the next ten years. Scotia Bank seemed to be the best option for us, but of course “best” was all relative. Our options now included selling vital organs or winning Mega Millions. We just bought a ticket for this week’s drawing.

Book Review - A Trip to the Beach by Melinda and Robert Blanchard

2006-09-10T11:44:00.000-05:00

Of all the books that I have read about moving to the Caribbean, A Trip to the Beach has probably been my favorite. I was skeptical about reading it for a couple of reasons. First, the couple in the book, the Blanchards, were moving to Anguilla, and I was trying to accumulate information about moving to the US Virgin Islands. I reconciled this difference by realizing that many of the obstacles that exist when moving to islands must be similar on every island. Second, I had read several scathing reviews of A Trip to the Beach on Amazon. The reviewers called the Blanchards arrogant and self-absorbed. One reviewer said that the Blanchards were "quite charmed with themselves".

I'll admit that when I started reading the book, I also found them a little snooty. When they were deciding what type of food to serve in the restaurant that they planned to open, Mel contemplated French food but argued, "how much salmon mousse and foie gras can you eat?" I don't even know what foie gras is so that tells you my level of sophistication. However, as I continued to read, I was charmed by their relative naivete.

Starting a restaurant in any location seems to be a daunting task, but starting a restaurant (or any business for that matter) on an island where challenges await you at every turn seems almost insurmountable. Where do you get your food? Where do you find good help? How do you train them where their way of life is so different from your own?

The book spans approximately ten years. It shares an intimate view of Anguilla, both of its landscape and its people. One of the reviews I read claimed that the book did not conjure up images of island life. I disagree. Despite the odds facing the Blanchards, Mel's descriptions of the island made me want to pack my bags. Even the story of Hurricane Luis made me realize that even with this threat to placid island life, the tradeoff is worth the risk. Living everyday on the laidback pace of island time with the beautiful scenery as your backdrop more than makes up for the possibility of damaging weather.

Another aspect of the book that I found to be an added treat was the addition of several of Mel's recipes. What better way to sell their Caribbean cookbook than with inclusion of tempting recipes like the one for Banana Bread? (Okay, I haven't bought the cookbook yet, but I will one day!)

A Trip to the Beach is a success story. Not just financial success (even though Blanchard's is one of the premier restaurants in the Caribbean) but also or personal and emotional success. The Blanchards found a way to turn a trip to the beach for a vacation into a lifetime of happiness. Good for them, and their story gives me hope that we can do the same.

Our Second Trip to St. Croix (Days 3-5) in July 2006

2006-09-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we decided to spend the day getting a second look at some of the properties that we were most interested in buying from what we had seen Friday. But before we started that trip, I decided to give the roads of St. Croix a try with a morning run. I started out just by running around the Carambola Resort property, but soon realized that the property was not as large as it appeared. So I decided to venture off onto the North Shore Road. What better way to get a feel for living on the island than by running on the roads where I might be living and running all the time.

Running in Texas had not prepared me for running in St. Croix. The roads were much steeper than I was used to and it was very humid. Still, the backdrop of the ocean as far as the eye could see more than made up for my burning quads. There are no shoulders on this road (or many other roads on the island from what I saw) so I had to jump in the ditch a few times to avoid being hit by oncoming cars. They probably thought I was nuts running out there anyway.

I also ran along a trail that was cut through some brush at Davis Beach. We had looked at some properties there the day before, but because the road was not completed, we could not get a very good idea of what the lot was like or where the boundaries were. Running along the trail made me realize that these lots were probably too expensive for the building challenges that they presented. They seemed to be fairly steep and the beach appeared rocky from my vantage point, but with so much brush it was a little difficult to tell. I finished out the run back at Carambola. I decided not to tackle “The Beast” on this trip even though it was clearly marked and I ran past it. The Beast is one of several obstacles facing competitors of the St. Croix Half Ironman. It is a 600 foot climb with an average 14% grade and up to a maximum 18% grade. It was fairly difficult making it up the incline in our rented jeep. I couldn’t imagine the trip on foot.

After breakfast, we started out to explore the island and look at the vacant lots that we were most interested in a little closer. We took pictures and videos of some of the locations so we would be able to remember them after we got home.

We stopped in Christiansted for lunch at the Fort Christian Brew Pub where they actually brew their own beer. We ate outside on the dock and enjoyed watching the boats coming and going in the harbor.

We continued our drive around the island and attempted to drive out to Point Udall, the easternmost point of the United States. When we turned onto the road heading out to the point, we were stopped by the police. Apparently, the point was closed for a private event and were told we would have to come back the next day. We turned around and started down the Southshore Road. We had never been on the southeatern side of the island, and were a bit surprised at how undeveloped it was. Of course, the Divi Carina Casino is on the south side as is the Hovensa Oil Refinery; but otherwise, the south side is bare compared to the very populated north side.

Another reason for traveling this direction was to get back to the center of the island where the animal shelter is located. I had hauled down a pet carrier filled with lots of different pet items for an organization called Pets from Paradise. This is a great organization that is trying to do its part to correct the island’s pet population problem in a humane way. The shelter rescues animals and then transports them to sister shelters in the states where they have a better chance at being adopted. I was able to bring the carrier filled with treats, toys, bowls and other items needed by the shelter as checked baggage. Unfortunately, because of our return travel arrangements, we were unable to fly an animal home with us, but I hope to be able to do so on future trips.

We finished out the day by the pool and had dinner again at the resort. Of course, I had not learned my lesson from the day before and had two more banana coladas. As a result, I was only able to eat French fries for dinner. I really learned my lesson this time though.

We started out Sunday by diving with Cane Bay Dive Center. One reason we chose this dive center was that it was right across the street from the beach at Cane Bay and they offered beach dives. On our previous scuba diving trips, H got a little seasick so this dive was going to be a beach dive. I had gotten us seasickness patches which are supposed to be really effective in fighting seasickness, but H thought we should give the beach dive a shot since it was so convenient.

The beach dive was probably not a very good idea for me though. It took me so long to swim out to the reef because we were swimming against the waves that I was exhausted before we ever went underwater. (I’m sure my hilly run the previous day didn’t help either.) The reef was incredible though. Cane Bay is on a “wall” that runs along the north shore. It drops off to 3200 feet so there is a lot to see. I saw an eel which I had never seen before. It looked very menacing, but it didn’t pay any attention to me. We also met a very friendly sea turtle. The divemaster that we dove with tickled its fin, and it seemed so happy. It didn’t even try to swim away.

The dive was beautiful and it just reinforced our decision to move here. We would be able to dive or snorkel any time we wanted to, especially if we decided to live on the north shore. Getting out of the water was not very easy for me. During the dive, I had become buoyant as I used up my air. The divemaster had given me extra weight during the dive so getting out of the water was a major chore. I not only had all the heavy equipment strapped onto my back but I also had an additional 18 pounds of weight. When a big wave washed onto the shore, I was knocked completely over. Not very graceful, but it was a fun and exciting dive nonetheless.

We decided to have lunch in Frederiksted that day. On our previous trip to St. Croix, we just made a quick drive through the town. I wanted to see it from a closer vantage point and at a slower pace. Of course, I forgot that we also learned on our last trip that nothing is open on St. Croix on Sunday. The town was shut up like they were expecting a storm. At least some of the restaurants weren’t closed. We ate at The Sunset Grill which is just north of town. It was on a beautiful beach at Sprat Hole. We had heard that the beaches on the west end were amazing sandy beaches and we were not disappointed. We enjoyed the food, and the atmosphere was very laidback with two guys playing reggae/jazz music.

We finished up the day again at the resort by the pool. H laid in the hammock on the beach. I only had one drink that day so I was able to actually eat dinner that night. I had a really flavorful pasta dish, but as is classic island service, it took probably thirty to forty-five minutes to receive our meal.

On Monday, our last day, we checked out of the resort after breakfast and drove into town. We walked around Christiansted for a little while just to see what the city was like on a regular workday. It was fairly busy, and we had a little difficulty finding a place to park, but not overwhelming like a metropolitan area.

We had lunch at Luncheria. If I was going to live on this island, I had to know that I would not have to give up Mexican food, my favorite type of food. Luncheria is a restaurant that you would never find if you did not know that it existed. It was down a little side street and then tucked away in a little garden area. The ambience was very relaxing, but the fact that little chickens were running around influenced my menu selection. The food was very cheap – something we had not found anywhere on the island. Of course, in exchange for a lower price, you gave up some of the nicer things like silverware and real plates. The food was really great though and it would serve to satisfy my weekly cravings for Mexican food.

We finished up our trip armed with a lot of information and pictures of our future home. We were determined to make the move – now, how to pay for it.

Our Second Trip to St. Croix (Days 1 and 2) in July 2006

2006-08-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

In the middle of July, H and I decided to make our “pre-move visit” to St. Croix. This was going to be a whirlwind trip since we would fly in on Thursday and fly home on Monday. We had made arrangements to meet with Alexandra Bentley, a realtor I met on the relocation forum, on Friday. She was going to show us different vacant lots on the north and east sides of St. Croix, mostly waterfront. Vacant lots were our main agenda item as our thoughts are that we cannot afford a pre-existing waterfront home.

We chose to stay at Carambola Beach Resort for this trip as we got another great deal with skyauction.com. Carambola is located on the north side of the island and is on the edge of the “rain forest.”

We rented a car for this trip since we wanted to really get out and see all different sections of the island. We rented from Thrifty and were disappointed to find out that their cars were not located at the airport like some of the other rental agencies. When H called from the airport to see where they were located, they said that they had a car on the way for us. It turns out the “car” was also picking up two other couples and a lot of luggage in a minivan. That was a tight ride all the way to Christiansted.

After getting our neon yellow Jeep, we started the drive to the resort which probably took about thirty minutes driving fairly slow. The roads were winding with a few steep hills. The view was incredible though as most of the road follows the north shore, hence the name, North Shore Road. By this trip, H had gotten the hang of driving on the left, and I didn’t have to yell “keep left” like on our previous trip.

Carambola was a beautiful property. Unfortunately, we did not receive an upgrade like we had received at the Buccaneer. Our room was on the second floor with only a sliver of a view of the water. The room was enormous, however, and one really nice feature was the screened in porch. I think I read my book out on the porch every morning. The room also had two refrigerators which was handy with all the water we were drinking down there. The room did feel a little dated, and there seemed to be a lack of light with the very dark wood on the walls and ceilings.

One drawback (and benefit) to the property is that it is in the middle of nowhere. The North Shore Road literally dead-ends into the resort. In addition, there was no cell phone service. H had dragged his laptop computer all the way to St. Croix based on Carambola’s website that mentioned meeting facilities and wireless internet connectivity. (I had emailed them to inquire specifically about Internet service, but I never received a reply. ) When we checked in, the front desk person told H that they had wireless service outside by the bar. H tried to connect everyday but was unable to do so and not a single person that worked at the resort knew what the problem was. They simply said, "It is probably the cloud cover" as it was apparently some sort of satellite connection. He was forced to use the painfully slow dial-up computer connection in the lobby.

Friday was a really long day. Alexandra picked us up in the morning and off we went. We started out looking at properties on the north shore. It turns out that we really liked this area. It was very lush and hilly with beautiful beaches. We had dinner the previous night at the Full Moon Beach Bar in Cane Bay, and it seemed like the people in the area were really laid back.

Alexandra had convinced us that we did not have to buy waterfront to find a great property. I’m glad that we listened to her since we saw some really great properties that were elevated with beautiful views.

One funny thing about real estate in St. Croix is that there are few For Sale signs on properties that are for sale and of course directions to the unmarked properties included very specific landmarks like “the lot south of the house formerly known as ‘Garvey’”. I mean, everyone knows where that is, right? Even with Alexandra’s knowledge of the island, we were often unsure if we were looking at the vacant lot that was actually for sale or something entirely different.

We proceeded driving east (but still on the north shore) and ended up in a gated subdivision called Judith’s Fancy. There were several vacant lots for sale in this area and we were very encouraged by what we saw. The lots were approximately one acre and directly on the beach. Better still, it was a sandy beach. With the position of the property, we would also receive strong ocean breezes (and strong salt spray, we later learned.) H remarked that I would be able to run on the well-paved roads without him having to constantly worry about me, and I thought that these same roads would be a safe place to walk the dogs as well. The beachfront homes were really nice and we thought that any house that we built on these lots would be worth more than our initial investment in no time. At least that is what our optimistic instincts tell us.

At this point, Judith’s Fancy seemed perfect. One problem: the lots were a lot more than we planned to spend. When we were down on St. Croix in February, it seemed like there were even some waterfront lots in our price range. Now, unless we wanted to buy a parking lot in the middle of town, most of the lots were almost twice what we spent on our home in Texas. Still, we would not be discouraged. This is our dream, and we will find a way to make it work.

We continued east of Christiansted. We drove through Shoys which is where the Buccaneer is located – very beautiful homes here. As a result, most of the lots were smaller and not waterfront, but still more expensive.

We drove further east. The island’s landscape had been changing slightly as we drove east. Now, it was almost like a desert. It was still beautiful but a stark contrast to the west side. The vegetation was more like brush and everything just looked drier. Not really what you think of when you think "Island Paradise". It was also a bit warmer on this side of the island.

We looked at several lots in Solitude and some in Grapetree Bay. We also found one close to the yacht club that we liked. On this end of the island, most of the lots that we looked at were not waterfront but were slightly elevated with great views. These have become options for us.

The opinions vary widely as to whether or not you should live on the water. The thought of walking out our back door and directly onto the beach is so appealing to us. However, we have been told that when you live on the water, the salt spray absolutely ruins all electrical appliances in no time at all. A lady told us that when she first moved to St. Croix, she lived on the water and went through three TVs in four years, not to mention all the microwaves, computers and cable boxes she also had to replace. And of course, there is the increased danger of damage to your home should a hurricane ever hit the island due to the water surge. It was a lot to think about, but if definitely kept the off-water properties in the running.

We finished off our afternoon with drinks back at Carambola. The banana daiquiris were to die for, and the happy hour special was actually a “special” – half price drinks. Carambola has a huge “Pirate” buffet on Friday night that is all-you-can-eat. I think H was really looking forward to it since he loves seafood, but the daiquiris had really upset my stomach. I watched him eat some quesadillas and we looked in on the people enjoying the buffet. The resort had a DJ and everyone was having a lot of fun dancing. Oh well, we’ll try it next time.