Where I Went: Digest of a Vacation

My oldest daughter and I spent a week on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. My parents have been there serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They come home in two days. It was the best vacation I've ever had. Here are a few favorite pictures.

Iguana at Charlotte Amalie and Crown Bay. My parents herded the one on the left toward me. Funny.






On a landing going down stairs from the Pissarro Art Gallery and birthplace. On the right, shells and sea glass we collected on a few beaches.









Brain coral on a beach. We chased a sunset one night and this on the right is part of what we saw.




Coki Beach at the left was my favorite snorkeling place. Down among those rocks you see are a ton of fish. My daughter bought a dog biscuit to feed them. She let me have a turn holding it. I was surrounded by fish--that's when I managed to touch a parrot fish. There were all colors and shapes of fish at this place. Earlier, while snorkeling at Hull Bay, I swam with a sea turtle. Later, we walked along the dock at Red Hook and saw this pelican dive for fish.






On a beach near Iggie's at night and a view from inside Blackbeard's Castle.

Looking down on the spiral staircase of Blackbeard's Castle and flowers on the grounds. It was fun and surreal to go from winter to summer weather.




"I've never seen anybody do that before," said a man who worked at Blackbeard's Castle. I was lying on my back to get shots like this on the left. The amber waterfall on the castle grounds. There's a fascinating amber museum there.






We had a fun ferry ride over to St. John and rented a scooter. I'm not a good passenger, but it was fun to ride out in the open air. It was definitely more interesting than being squished into a taxi with twenty other people.

Besides hiking and snorkeling on St. John, we visited the ruins of the old Annaburg Sugar Mill. We enjoyed trying johnny cakes, passionfruit punch, sugar cane and coconut.








My parents have some friends who live on a sail boat. We rode in this dinghy through salty waves to get there and back. On the way back, he took us in two trips, but my daughter and I were still soaking wet after our trip. Mom stayed dry.





We went to the bright yellow public library and also inside an old Jewish synagogue in Charlotte Amalie.









We went to a bunch of beaches, but we stopped at one last one-- Magen's Bay-- on our way to the airport.

All I hoped was to enjoy visiting my parents and to see that gorgeous blue water. I got my wish and so much more.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for an unforgettable visit.