The byways and buyways of St. John

The streets in the town of Cruz Bay go willy-nilly, up and down, around in circles and appear at times to go no where-FAST... Can you tell that the street above takes a very sharp right turn at the bottom of the hill?  And this road is much steeper than it looks in the picture.

We are on the way to Tom & Amy's house--more steep streets.  Good brakes are a must.

Behind the gate to their house is this lovely little pathway into a cool, shady  hidden garden...

Tom says he wants to grow herbs here so send him lots of seeds for Christmas.  Isn't this a great place for barbecues and gatherings?

 And more paths wander on to the neighbors' houses.

This is their little one room bungalow.  Amy once described it to me as a 'tree house' and the inside has that feel to it.  The screened windows are always open to the cool, tree covered glade and the sounds of birds and tree frogs fill the air.

A nearly next-door neighbor is this lovely lady and artist, Elaine Estern.  Hint--Tom would like one of her paintings for Christmas, too.

Her studio sits right on the water.  Look at the colors in the picture above.  No joke, folks--I took that picture!  I wanted to whip out my watercolors and start painting right then and there.  I could see how she is inspired every day when she steps out her front door.

And here is another one.  All that's lacking is a rum punch.

A painting by Elaine--sorry about the flash.  To see more of her work go to www.coconutcoaststudios.com

  

In the town cemetery even the deceased have a wonderful view.

We walked around downtown and once again, the bright colors were everywhere.

The shops were interesting--no chain stores and very few t-shirt shops.  And not even one store selling lampshades made out of shells!  How did that happen?

The town square where every local eventually walks through in a day.

The second floor of this building is a bar/barbecue owned by a Texan and friend of Tom's.  The name of the bar is "the Barefoot Cowboy"  or maybe it was "The Naked Cowboy"-- I can't remember.
Anyway, he has live music and a megaphone to attract customers.  The megaphone was an opening gift from Tom and Amy and a great attention grabber--especially for the girls departing the cruise ship tenders that dock just below this building.

Thanks for the tour, Tom.  Love your friends.

This Island has 'Every Ting'.