Just 'cause

Just wanted to share what I was enjoying in my home today.  Really, that's it.

Short Peek

I'm not going to do a bunch of long posts about decorating the master bedroom, bath, and dressing room this year; I'm just going to give you a peek here and there then post all when complete.

Here are the great walls.  So far this is all the work I've done on the rooms-post these photos.  Kate did the stripes in chartreuse and off white and Karen painted the upper portion of the bathroom a great teal color.   I love the way they don't match at all but will compliment each other politely when we're done with them.  Something for you to look forward to tuning in for. 

Survivor-Family Edition-The Virgin Islands

Here we are taking off in stupid bliss thinking we were headed for paradise.  Okay, I'll go ahead and give you the spoiler about the whole trip.  When we flew in the weather was beautiful if not hot and humid but clear.  We got to swim at the beach and pool and we thought we were in for a week of relaxing vacation.   We even walked over and had a nice dinner at a restaurant in the compound of the resort.

Then on our first full day we took a taxi into town to shop at the tents where the real, local deals are.  It started to rain a little but nothing we couldn't handle.  We ate lunch during the hardest rain and dodged in and out of shopping malls.  Then, while walking around the tents alone, I fell.  I mean really fell.  Skidded across the pavement.  I skinned my knee and palms badly and sprained my foot.  I was sprawled across the sidewalk and no one stopped to ask if I was okay or do I need help up-nothing-I thought I was back in Maryland.  So I spent the rest of the trip hobbling around with one of those Ace things on my foot.  Then, when we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel, our taxi was rear ended-hard.  At dinner that night I thought some one's paper napkin was blowing around my leg but when I looked down I saw that it was one of those huge roaches.  As we were leaving the restaurant to take a shuttle back up to our room, a bus I was walking behind decided to back up.  No, it didn't get me...a very nice couple walking next to me grabbed me just in time.  I guess all this made the fact that it rained the whole time we were there seem innocuous.  And I don't mean the kind of rain that builds up during the day then rains for an hour or two and goes away.  This was the kind that sustains their water supply for the year then it's dry the rest of the time other than if they have a hurricane.  The locals were very happy.  But, below are many photos of the times we did get to be in the water (no thunder or lighting for the meteorologist's family), many times while it rained. 

Okay, there are some shadows here so the sun was out. 

Lots of beautiful flora...

Don't know what this is but we decided not to pick it and cook it up for dinner.

Wonder why they post this?

Oh baby!

Okay, here's why.

 Proof of my critical injury.

Boat ride to St. John and the fun/beautiful things we saw there.

We really wanted to eat at Woody's because my good friend, Woody, told me about it and because it looked cool.  We took this photo before we went to the beach and Woody's wasn't open yet.  By the time we got back in the torrential rain with everyone else from the beach, it was packed.

Can you see the date on this building?  1671!  They said it had been a church, jail, library, post office among other things over all those years.

So we ate here.  It was good, a pretty good chicken fried steak in a pinch.

Yum, we were told not to miss the rum milkshakes here and it was great advise.

Here we are at the Texas Coast Cafe.  You can see how soaked Matt is.

These are photos of Trunk Bay, one of the world's top 10 beaches.  It was really beautiful.  Note the skies in all the photos.

I had never seen water as clear as this.

This is the resort where we stayed.

Our wonderful drive in St. John.

The day we were leaving.  We weren't leaving until late afternoon so we went into town.  Bad move.  Three ships were docked including the largest ship in the world, 8500 folks just on that one ship.  So town was packed as an understatement then the rain started getting really serious and the streets were flooding.  We almost missed getting back in time for our shuttle to the airport.

Right up to the floor of the shuttle and that's high up.  We were so lucky to get through.

Got back in time to get the hell out.  Overall it was a nice trip, a definite downgrade from vacation which if it had been free would have been okay.  But it was a big penny to swallow. 

Vacation Swap Goodies!!!!

I came home from The Virgin Islands to the box of canvases by L and also the vacation swap items that Kath sent to me.  Oh boy!  And here they are:

What you see in the middle at the bottom is the collaged top to a great rustic box.  In that box were the two fab photos and the beautiful ATC on a canvas.  Also included in the goodies was a popcorn bag filled with Swedish fish and Scrabble tile spelling vacation.  Sooooo much fun!!!

A close up of the wonderful ATC on the canvas.

Close up of the cool photos.  I love it all Kath, thanks!!!!!

THIS is not Peggy's fault...

...it's Julia's fault.  She's the one who did the post about the art of L. Young from Monroe, LA, website http://www.lyoungstudio.com/.  Anyway, here are the weaknesses I purchased from her.  Just as Julia said, they are even more beautiful than in the pictures but here are mine:

A for The Big Apple/New York City for Paul and

the B for queen bee from Texas for me.  These are great; make great gifts for oneself or others.  Initials and states and...