|
|
|
|
|
|
|
My enchantment with St. Croix began at the impressionable age of 18, when my grandfather invited me to escape a particularly brutal winter in upstate New York where the seasons seemed to have been divided into a) Winter, and b) The Fourth of July. The ability to dive into crystal-clear, bathwater-warm surf at the coldest time of the year, in a lush tropical setting where residents referred to nighttime temperatures of 71 degrees as “chilly,” had an immediate and lasting appeal. I soon determined that grandfathers, especially those in St. Croix, get lonely in January and February. I also observed that it’s the kind of loneliness that only a grandson can mitigate, and that it would take a visit of at least two weeks each year for this particular grandfather to get through the season. Thus began an annual pilgrimage—and love affair—with a place that has been labeled by a well-traveled international radio personality “one of the world’s most beautiful islands.” Even in later years, when I was able to travel to other islands, I kept returning to St. Croix. One big reason: in addition to breathtaking natural beauty, St. Croix is a “real” place, with real people living real lives. No Club Med, this. With land-mass that far exceeds St. Thomas and St. John combined, St. Croix allows for long, traffic-free drives in the countryside with spectacular ocean vistas around every curve. You can take leisurely, unharrassed strolls along the boardwalks of Christiansted and Frederiksted, and within minutes be on pristine beaches where 10 people constitute a crowd and 20 a hoard. So in 2003, when my grandfather indicated a willingness to sell the condo in St. Croix at a manageable price, my reaction was: “No brainer.” Melinda, took a little more time to see it that way, but eventually she fell in love with the island too. From Melinda — Rob introduced me to St. Croix in 1990, during our first year of marriage. I had never seen water that blue, and in so many shades of blue—marine, turquoise, midnight. I visited several more times after that, but if you had told me in 2003 that we'd own a condo on St. Croix by the following year, I would have laughed out loud. It was simply not on my radar. At first I was reluctant—the place needed a lot of work. But after four months of living "on Island," renovating the condo, I found myself falling in love with St. Croix and its people. Rob knows all the beach drives, but now I know all the paint and hardware stores! During brief breaks from the restoration I discovered dozens of fabulous restaurants, wonderful shopping all over the Island and an incredible variety of photo opportunities, from tropical flowers to Danish architecture to ocean and mountain vistas. What stands out from the four-month stint renovating "Dianna's Fancy" is the relaxed, leisurely pace of Island life and the warmth and friendliness of the people. They assisted me at every turn and welcomed me to their Island – which is also now MY Island. We hope you will make it YOUR Island. |
