Mom Gone Bush.

Good Morning, Buck Island.  My toes will be in your sand in just a few hours.  My body flinking {floating + drinking = flinking}  in your warm, calm waters, in just a few hours.  But alas, its been way too long since we have seen each other, and it will be quite some time before we meet again.

This BFM is about to go Bush.  For A Month.  Go Bush?  It’s a local term used when someone is crazy or missing.  I will be both.  You’ll find me in the Great State Of Texas but its pretty huge, so no telling where we will be.  Point is, we’ll be there.  Our family’s summer vacation.  To be with the rest of our family, who we miss so much and can’t wait to squeeze in our arms.  Hold a brand new baby.  Stare in amazement in how much our nieces and nephews have grown.  Watch the g-parents try to keep up with our barefoot island children’dem.

And while I will enjoy every single minute of Buck Island today, it’s no secret the Fisherman and I are just trying to get through the next few days until we can wake up, get on a plane and Go. To. Texas.

And if you don’t here from me in a while, it’s because I am enjoying myself, my family and my Texas way too much.

Hope all of you have had a terrific Summer of making the best family memories! 

until later….xo bfm

Tourist Tip #895,987,989

Don’t wear your bathing suit while you are shopping in town.  You look ridiculous.

When you live in vacation land, you see a LOT of interesting things and people.  Since our recent (old) found fame trying to please cruise ship passengers, interesting things and interesting people have increased.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the fact that we are now a regular port of call with just one massive people carrying vessel a day.  Not ten like St. Thomas, where people are herding through the streets like cattle.  MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEE.

Ok, 2 ships this day. Thanks G. Lobb for use of the photo.

Back to shopping in your bathing suits:  I spent a few hours yesterday in our beautiful little town on the west end where cruise ships dock, Frederiksted.  It was BUMPIN’!  Beaches were filled, shops were packed, Rainbow Beach was dotted with adorable blue sun umbrellas and rainbow stripe beach chairs.  Jet ski’s were racing in the water, four wheelers whizzing by, and some new thing I need to find out about:  SunBugs? (hmm, powered by sunshine.  Looks like a solar-powered adventure is in my future!)  It was really cool to see Frederiksted so full of LIFE, the return of life, and I was proud to live here.  Everytime SC see’s the massive ship, she gets a kick out of the fact that people get on a boat to come see where we live and has commented, “Mom, why don’t they just come live here, too?”

 Oh- shopping in bathing suits.  Sorry.  For what ever reason you may be visiting our beautiful, sun-shine kissed island, please don’t walk around with just your bathing suit on, unless you are at the beach.  Don’t shop in town with your bikini top exposed or your shirtless-manly-man-recently-buffed-spray-tanned body for everyone to gawk at.  I know it’s why you worked out every day in the gym for 2 hours for the past 3 months, just for this vacation, but it really is dis-respectful.  And the people who call vacation land their home, we make fun of you.

And, it’s against the law in the USVI.  You have to be covered.  You can’t be shirtless, or walk around in just your itsy-bitsy-bikini, as badly as you want to.  The officers aren’t trying to get a closer look to settle a bet if they are real or fake. They are approaching you to tell you to cover it up, honey. (they’re fake)

Take that hot body of yours to one of the many beautiful west end beaches, hop on a boat to Buck Island and pretend you are doing a Sports Illustrated photo shoot:

go diving and show those fish what its like to breathe air;  hell, you can even fish naked if you want
(now you understand The Poem from my FIL) but please don’t walk into Steele’s Smokes & Sweets to buy a rum soaked cigar (or home-made fudge, rum cakes, American Spirits, choco-covered expresso beans…) or be seated at RumRunners with your titties hanging out, despite how cute the bartenders are (sorry J&J, but it gets old)

I hope you do consider my home as your next vacation destination (but please stay in one of the many fine resorts, hotels or villas).  It’s a bit more rustic than say, Maui, a bit more adventurous than Atlantis, a bit more “country” than St. Thomas, but if that is what you are looking for, then its perfect.  And it is perfect.

Just don’t walk in town in your bathing suit.

In The Press: Buck Island

I am a self-proclaimed magazine whore.  I love magazines.  Recently, I am addicted to home decor and food titles.  One of my favs is Coastal Living.  Love seeing how people “live on the coast”.  What the magazine does not address is how to ret rid of mosquitoes, rats & roaches:  the REALity of living on a Caribbean island.

Our U.S. Post Office just returned from their USVI Emancipation/USA Independence Day 4-5 day holiday weekend.  I seriously think some Crucians/St. Thomians and what ever people are called who live on St. John purposely planned their emancipation the day before a US holiday so they get longer holiday weekends.  Well, it worked, didn’t?

SO- at the post officve today was the July/August 2009 Coastal Living.  Get home, put the kids to nap and plop on the comfy chair for a little look-see.  I usually thumb through, and then go back with a fine tooth comb, paper, pen and sometimes even little tape flags to flag something I want to come back to…but almost never do.

With a bit of time on my hands, I decided to read the first article: Top Spots to Snorkel.  Ok, interesting.  #1 sounds like a pretty cool place in the Bahamas.  Turn page to #2 and dropped my jaw to read BUCK ISLAND, ST. CROIX USVI.  Not because I don’t think it is awesome snorkeling, but was surprised at the press.  I always am.  Great little write up about the incredible snorkeling trails at Buck Island, turtles, and of course the beaches.  And then the icing on the cake- they direct readers to www.gotostcorix.com/buck_island.php.  LOVE IT!   When I produced GoToStCroix.com, I was all over the press sending them info even if they didn’t request it, and LOVED seeing my efforts turn into a bit of press for this island who is always in the need of a little push.

So, congrats to Buck Island for once again claiming the heart of a dreamy travel writer, to Coastal Living for their large viewership and GoToStCroix.com for continuing to provide the rest of the world with quality, up to date information about our little island.