Nathan at Diving School

Wednesday of the Storm

Kathy's out walking the dog.  It's 7:45am - We were up most of the night from all the noise of the ice falling off the trees onto the roof and sliding down over the edge.  Freezing rain all day yesterday (28 deg) then warmed up to 32 during the night and very windy hence breaking off and blowing the ice off the trees.

Ice Storm Feb 1, 2011

Now today still windy (30 mph) and plummeting temps. We keep stoking the wood stove.  Few closings on the board are short sales so they take much longer if they even get approved to move to closing.  Living off savings that should go to Uncle Sam for income taxes but they'll just have to wait - depressing.



You can see the thick Ice



Selling T-shirts to Tourists aka Jolly Dog

First on the agenda, Nathan and Laura finally made it to FL. They left on Fri, Jan 28 intending to drive all the way thru to Marilynn's house, but it was too far and they were too tired. Ended up there on Sat, stayed about an hour and off they went to see the school. Boy, Marilynn and I were so anticipating their arrival the week before and some time with her family. Nathan's truck was in the shop for about 2 weeks. Laura flew back to MI on Sunday. Nathan stayed Sunday night with an old HS buddy who lives 10 minutes from the school. He started school today. Thanks to Marilynn, Nathan now has 2 mothers. They weren't there 15 minutes when she asked when the last time they ate. laura was laughing because she said M sounded just like something I would say. What would you expect? We were raised by the same mother!!
I got a job working at the Jolly Dog. I met a girl walking here in Privateer and we got to talking after a couple of walks and she wanted to cut some hours so she and the manager told the owner I was the one for the job. He wanted "mature" help. Well, he's got it. The mgr is 62 and lives on a 52' sail boat with her husband and my friend is 50 next month. she has a disabled husband and doesn't like to leave him alone for a 10 hour shift. So, they hired me for Sundays only. However, everyone is going on vacation, etc. next month, so it's turning out to be more hours. It's really fun and my first day alone, yesterday, my bank came out perfect!! even tho I talked to everyone. FUN!!!
Looks like a big snow storm heading for the midwest, then AGAIN to the east coast.
Bob Mosely, who lives below us, is renting out his house and asked bob and i to manage it for him. This has turned out to be some fun and we are meeting lots of people.
Blues Cruise was here last week, docked in Cruz Bay and the bands got off the boat and almost every bar in Coral Bay and Cruz Bay was ROCKIN' with those blues men. Great music. So fun to see good live music for the cost of a couple of drinks. going again this Wed. to see the same band. It was great for tourism.

o.k. Lots happening. Attached a pic of Evan and me at the airport. He spent 2 weeks here. I think that this is better than 1 because we all got into our "sinc" and everything flowed. We had a great visit and he was of a great asset to Bob in finishing the floor downtown at the restaurant. I miss him. He is so dear. I think he has truly kicked the alcholol and is ready to move on. Hope he does well in school this semester.
We have harvested 6 tomatoes so far, two of which I have given away. They are so delicious!! Tomatoes take so long to get here. They are very "pithy" and not worth your time, much less the price. We buy only the cherry tomatoes, if we buy at all, so we are thrilled to have some of our own.
We are managing the neighbor's house below us. He has it rented out from mid Jan to April and he is paying us to clean and look after it while tenants are in it. There are two women in it now from Mass. who have no car. Can you imagine? Just think how "needy" they are!! We are doing our best to accomodate, but need to charge for some services as we don't live here for free either. It's quite an experience.
I met a new friend walking about a week ago in Privateer. We have walked together 2 other times. Annie is her name. She has 4 children 19-24. She is divorced and remarried to a guy who got in a car accident when he was 21 and suffered brain damage and has severe short term memory loss. She says she took him "as is". I wonder if he remembers having sex!! LOL Anyway, she is convinced I am the person who should come in to work at the Jolly Dog near Skinny's. She is working too many hours and needs some relief and the owner wants some "mature" help. Think I qualify?? I interview with the mgr. this Sat. Tiny continues to wake us at 4 a.m and then expects to be fed by 4:30. I let her out and go back to sleep.
Bob has just about finished the job downtown. We are waiting for the rest of the crew to finish so he can seal the floor. Pretty good money in this.
Nathan is quite stressed. The deal fell through. Apparantly, there were contingencies - last inspection, etc. The woman brought her fiance thru and he said too much work for the price: $60,000. Realtor put it on the market for $55,000 cash. We only have until March 8 when it will go into foreclosure. He moved completely out of the house last night and is staying with a friend until they can leave by week's end.
All for now.
Let's BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I promised myself and Marilynn I would do something here by this past Monday, so by island standards, this is not bad and I'm glad I waited because we have some really good news. Nathan got an offer on the house today - $60K, only $100,000 less than what he paid for it 6 years ago, but it allows him to go to FL without that hanging over his head. Hope everything works out for him. Talked to him 3 times today. I think he is real stressed. $700 worth of work to be done on the truck. He is supposed to leave for NJ with his buddy who is coming from NJ to help him pack up the heavy final stuff, but with this storm,who knows.

We went to the launch of a friend's boat that he built this past year. The guy is 80 and has been on STT/STJ for nearly 50 years and has built many boats. This is just a run about that they can easily go to Jost in. Lots of friends came and they had everyone up to the house and partied all afternoonh. It was like a christening and we were all witnesses. All 4 of these guys are boat builders from way back. The guy on the right is the builder of the boat we went to see being launched.
Some friends invited me to Miss Lucy's for brunch around Christmas. Here is a pic of us all in the sunshine. the man at the end of the table if an East End legend and is 94. We had a lot of fun.
Bob's job downtown is nearly finished. many trips to Cruz Bay!!
Evan starts school tonight taking Social sciences - mental health. he has most of the classes already under his belt. I think he really wants to get out and make money. If all goes well, looks like about 1 more year in school.

My garden is doing great!! We picked our first tomato the other day. I can't believe the taste!! Of course, we get really shitty tomatoes here and I have stopped buying any at all because you cut into them and they are so pithy, but mine was spectaculay. I have to cover them with plastic bags as they get bigger to keepthem from the birds. I now have 3 green ones in the bowl on the counter. i'm having to give away a lot of lettuce as I have so much and it will soon go to seed. I've been giving it away, but it just keeps growing. Some say I am competition for Josephine (greens on island-organic for 25 years) It was her very tiny tomato that caused me to have such great plants.
O.k. I'm yammering.
hope you guys are well in the snow, even those of you who are in FL
Let's hear from yu
luv,
b

Happy New Year

Okay Folks, I put 4 pictures in, then tried to add text and it wouldn't let me. Then I did something that deleted the pictures, so now I am going to write first and then try to add the pictures. Since I have spoken to both of you since Christmas, I don't have much to say. It got down to 22 last night and will be cold again tonight and then the temp will rise again. It should be in the low 70s for New Year's Day. Rick is going to the Gator Bowl, Mississippi plays Michigan. Since we are also going to a New Year's Eve party the night before, I hope he makes it. He has two tickets, but I don't really care to go.

This time it let me add text again after the pictures were loaded. Oh well. That is Ryan and Tracy leaving for S. Carolina. They have had snow there. Those are Kyla's gingerbread houses made from graham crackers. Love, Marilynn

Thanks Herb and Kathy for "including us in your Christmas celebration" with the pics. They were great. Looks like everyone is happy and healthy.
luv,
b

Christmas Day 2010

Morning All,
Well, the year is nearly over. Can you believe it? Looks like we are going out with a bang. There have been several earthquakes near here. The one this morning was near Anagada and was 3.6 on the scale. However, those who have been here for some time say it's nothing to worry about.
Evan arrived safe and sound a week ago Friday. He has worked several days with Bob on the floor in the restaurant in Cruz Bay. He was a big help and they, hopefully, will finish up this week. They are waiting for the owner to pick the stain color. Evan went to the beach with a friend today and went and did the Cinnamon Bay trail this past week. They were surfing out there. Really big surf. Have never seen it like that. Trunk Bay was completely closed.
Evan is dating a girl who facebooked him. she was his first date in H.S. She has two children and works in a bank. He isn't taking any of this real seriously, but at least he has someone to share some of his life with. I think it is good for him and we are happy about that.

Herb, sorry you are not feeling well. A good shot of mulled wine might make you feel a little more "jolly". Sounds like a great Christmas at the Baldwin household in the woods. Did you get snow for Christmas? I really miss the cold and snow at Christmas. Christmas in Paradise just isn't the same and the decorations are sort of lame, but it's warm. Lots of people go boating to other islands for the holiday. We have been invited on New Year's Day to Lamshur (we went there, guys) for a beach party - lots of food and fun.

Talked with Nathan yesterday. He is enjoying the holiday with Laura's family and some friends. They had a second showing on the house Tues night and the showing realtor told Nathan's realtor that they thought an offer would be in the cards, but nothing so far. Nathan has until March and then the house will go into foreclosure. He is due to leave MI about Jan 15 or so. I guess if something does happen with the house, he will have to get power of attorney for the realtor.

We finally got the UV system for the water and Bob is installing it as I write this. no more "schlepping" the cases of water. that is a relief!!

The garden is coming along nicely and I have tomatoes about the size of my fist. Hopefully we will get to pick them before the birds. We have had a lot of papaya this year. Delicious with a little lime on it.

Ron and Liz are coming for dinner tomorrow along with Bob Moseley, who has the place below us. He is renting it out and has asked us to "manage" if for him. This really only entails guiding the guest to the cottage and being available in case anything goes wrong in the house while the guest is here, then arranging for cleaning for the next guest. Evan did directions in publisher for Bob while he was here. Came out great and it gave him something to do.
Well, the sugar bird and the humming bird are again fighting for "territory" in the hibiscus as I sit here in the foyer. going to do a little cleaning for company coming tomorrow and Evan may bring his buddy back for lunch.
Love to all
Send pics and notes.
Betsy and Bob

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/inside/4907/Overview11#tab-Videos/08100_00
o.k. Here's the link that didn't get posted. I'm trying it both ways. Copied from Nathan't email, above and then put it in the "link" box

updates Christmaas 2010

It's very early here on Saturday morning. Bob had to be in Cruz Bay again by 6:30. He started grinding the floor yesterday late aft. and I went with him just to fool around and watch the people in the park. He has to work on the floor when the workers aren't there, so he will work today and tomorrow. Evan comes next Fri. for 2 weeks and he can be of a great help to Bob since he went to take the classes for the grinding and polishing.
Had friends in for dinner on Thurs. They built a house here and come down now frequently. They had us all for dinner last month and so we returned the favor. We had a great time. They were here until 11 and about 8:30 is our bed time!!
I'm trying to enclose the link that Nathan sent us. It's a program from National Geo. about commercial diving. We coudn't watch most of it because we can't download that much info at one time. He will be a "tender" for about 1-2 years. He starts school in JAX on Jan 31. His best buddy is coming in from NJ in mid Jan and they will put what is left in the house into storage and drive back to NJ. Laura, girlfriend, will fly to NJ around the 24th and they will drive to FL and she will fly back to MI as he starts school.
Still has not sold the house. Price is down to 74,000. Realtor is dropping it minimally each week in order to keep it at the top of the viewing list, but is afraid that if they drop it too much, the bank won't accept any offer that comes in.
I have uploaded, just as a joke, the holes in the floor for the job Bob is working on. We have to take them for the portfolio and one of my garden from several weeks ago. It was too warm for the broccoli to fruit, but it was just an experiment. Tomaotes are doing well and i expec to have radishes soon. The lettuce is fantastic. Spinach, chives, basil, etc are all doing well. Tell Lisa I'm using donkey poo that is marinating in water for 5 days on the garden. She went "shopping" for me. David actually suggested it because he had the memory card for us and it only weight 2 oz.
I seem to be rambling here. Too much coffee.
Anyway, send some pics of the snow and the Christmas trees. It just isn't Christmas without the snow.
luv,
Betsy