On the Beach

I was dumbfounded by these pictures Adam took on his phone.

He took the kids out for a grouchy grumbly walk on the beach on Saturday.  Or at least that is all I heard about it after.  He neglected to tell me about the massive iceberg that had gotten stranded there like a beached whale.

I've never seen anything like it.

Holiday 2007 :: Christmas in Maho Bay

We began our vacation in St. John, staying at Maho Bay Camps which is an eco-resort founded some 30 years ago. Maho has a devoted population of repeat visitors, including Bruce and Liz, Adam's parents. Set into a hillside above and overlooking Maho Bay, the camps are comprised of a number of "tents" connected to the dining area, store, registration, and of course, THE BEACH, via many sets of steps and boardwalks. June loved exploring and learning to walk along the boardwalks.

Here is a view of our tent. You really have to view it larger to get a feel for it. When we awoke in the morning to this lush green view out of our mesh window, June would say, "ooooh" the way she does when she sees something interesting.

It took us forever to get from the west coast the weekend before Christmas all the way to St. John. We actually arrived 48 hours late, thus missing out on some much needed relaxation time. I am sad to report that I didn't take any beach photos. But I may be able to post some later because Bruce and Liz took a bunch. The other thing I must confess is that it was the stairs that kept me from going back up for the camera! That and sand on my camera. You can see how much I love my Canon here, as I finally took my first photographer portrait.

It was really easy to get into the rhythm of things at Maho. Sometimes I wished I was not so tied to June because there were a lot of cool activities that took place after her bedtime, and we didn't get to attend those. Things like free pottery lessons and presentations by local biologists. I would have liked to go to those.

All in all, my impression of Maho was that it was like summer camp. The tents do not have bathrooms so you have to go to communal shower rooms. To preserve water you have to pull a string for the shower water to come out, and then it is cold (which doesn't matter because the islands are so warm). Meals are served at specific times, and the showers are off limits at others; I think this contributed to the camp feel of the place. It was very family friendly, and after a few days I was amazed at how many people said, "Hi June" as we walked by them. I was also told that she was this boy and his sister's favorite beach bum.

June learned to say bird as we pointed at these bananakeets every day. She pronounces it "burr."

We really didn't want to leave. Here are a few more pictures: