Our journey, Chapter 2: Fifty years in fifty days
Our adventure began in earnest on June 28. Part of Natalie’s reason for saying to me, “It’s your turn,” is we were preparing to celebrate fifty years of marriage over fifty days.
Well, I wasn’t quite clever enough to think of that romantic moniker for our sojourn on my own. Fate had a hand in it when Natalie came home to find me putting the finishing touches to a slideshow I had created with apropos music covering our lives together. Realizing I looked guilty of something untoward when I slammed shut my computer as she entered the room, I asked her to sit with me and I shared with her what I had planned to first show her on our anniversary. After we watched it twice with tears running down our cheeks, I flipped to the calendar and counted the days from June 28 until we are scheduled to return from St. Thomas and St. John on August 16. Yup, exactly fifty days. There are no coincidences.
We had a wonderful time at Barnsley Resort and a fantastic dinner at St. Cecilia before we left for St. Thomas. Both were memorable, but better discussed another time so we can focus on our exploration of the Caribbean.
St. Thomas isn’t new to us. I would guess we have been here fifteen or twenty times over the years. Still, this time was different. When the plane landed and we walked down the stairs to the tarmac, our feet touched on land that might become our home. This wasn’t simply another vacation. It was as if we were seeing things for the first time.
The Ritz Residence Club near Red Hook was our first stop. Again, we weren’t rookies at this property. When the staff greeted us with, “Welcome home,” it felt like we were coming home.
With a relaxed elegance, the Ritz Club is perfection. As I walked from our room, looked at the tree-lined beach and St. John in the background, I felt my blood pressure come down ten or twenty points and realized if we choose to live there for part of the year, rather than purchase a full-time residence, every day would feel like a vacation.
That thought was both wonderful and troubling. As incredible as the Ritz Club is, it is a bubble. The staff is anxious to meet your every need. The beach is perfect…well, except for the sargasso that the tide deposits on it every day despite the floating barrier the Ritz installed to minimize it. Yet, once again, the staff works hard to battle the sargasso, bringing front-loaders to the beach to carry away the “gift” from the sea every morning before most guests are awake. I leaned into that bubble and delivered one of Charlesworth’s (the most gifted bartender and wonderful person ever) mimosas to my beloved.
But, breaking out of that bubble requires effort. Not serious effort, mind you, but effort nonetheless. Cabs are always available to take you to Red Hook or beyond for drinks and dinner, to one of the many other beaches on St. Thomas or even Charlotte Amalie. We discovered the locals refer to the cabs as the “taxi mafia” because they charge per person, rather than per trip, and they avoid cabs at all costs. However, the roads are narrow, we don’t know our way around and they drive on the left. So, we cab it. Getting away from the Club brings wonderful experiences. The Old Stone Farmhouse for a truly special dinner is a must for us every time we are in St. Thomas. Far more relaxed is Pesce in Red Hook where if you have reservations you can belly up to the bar and enjoy wonderful Italian food.
The problem is when we return to the Club, lethargy again sets in and once more it is difficult to leave a beach lounge chair.
Fortunately, Charlesworth introduced us to Martin. Martin is perhaps the most unusual and laid-back realtor I have ever met. Seated at the bar between Natalie and me and across from Charlesworth, Martin advised us not to buy anything quickly. Instead, he applauded Natalie’s idea of renting for a period of time. We thought a short-term rental would suffice, but he recommended a full year to give us time to really understand the ebb and flow of the island.
When we told Martin we were also considering St. John, or even the BVIs, he displayed an attitude we had seen in others. People in the USVIs can’t imagine living in the BVIs (and vice versa). The same applies to those living on St. Thomas or St. John when asked about choosing the other. It struck me as human nature. We have seen “we” vs. “them” throughout history. So, I have just stopped asking people about what they think about “them”.
Martin offered to take us to the yacht club near the Ritz when we return to St. Thomas and sent us several possible rentals to review. He understands we are going to again visit St. Kitts in October before we make any kind of decision, but he recommended we see three or four properties on St. Thomas while we are here as part of our fact-finding process.
So many choices and so many decisions to make. Frankly, the whole thing has already been exhausting. Time for a Painkiller!