Saturday, April 12th, 2003

Today I woke up early again just slightly after 6 A.M. The sun was shining through the back side of our condo and it made it easy to get up and get going. Jamie and I slept out in the front room with the sofa pulled out. The AC was blowing all night and I slept without covers. Kacie slept back in the master bedroom with Keri. She had a rough night because of her sunburn. The front of her legs was red as a strawberry. Bryant and Jeff slept in the twin beds in the back room. Keri trimmed my hair this morning trying to repair what the barber did yesterday at Winston's. As Keri trimmed my hair she kept repeating there is not rhyme or reason as to what the barber did yesterday. It was obvious he was not used to cutting the hair of outsiders. She tried to repair the big gouge in the top back part of my head; but finally gave up stating that it was better to leave it alone.

I made some buttermilk pancakes for breakfast. The kids started getting up just before nine o'clock. Kacie was the first to eat and Bryant and Jeff followed shortly. Jamie was busy attending to her sun burn and was the last to eat. Keri had taken off about 8:30 am to go run on the treadmill with her friend Leslie.

We finally left for Magen's bay just after eleven. On the way there and Iguana ran across the road in front of us. Young Joe Todesco stopped his car in front of us and bolted out of his door and across the street. He had quickly had his shirt off trying to catch the wild animal. We arrived just in time to set up lunch at a picnic table and enjoy some mid day food. The beach was truly beautiful. The water was blue and calm surrounded by a long white sandy beach. It was very different from the turbulent and somewhat rocky waters that surrounded our condo. The swimming was excellent but the snorkeling was a little sub par. The water was warm, clear, and somewhat calm -- not the ideal place for marine life. Swimming with Kacie ….. out to boat and her concern for me….

The most exciting event of the day occurred just as we were about to leave the beach. Jared spotted another Iguana up by our picnic table. As he shouted with excitement, several others turned their heads and eventually gathered around to watch the activities. Moment’s later brother Joe came running to the scene and ready to capture his second Iguana of the day. As he started getting a little aggressive in his capture, our neighbor lady who had been busily working on her tan next door came rushing to the Iguana's rescue. She called young Joe and evil and cruel person. She said she would pray for him. He told her to mind her own business. She replied that when it came to saving old people, young children, or animals that she would never mind her own business. They shouted back and forth and each other for a couple of minutes while everyone else watched on. When she left, everyone had some fun comments about our friend's little visit. She went back to her tanning and reading her book "Standing on the Devil's Doorstep".

On our way home we stopped at a view point just above Charlotte Amalie. It was awesome. The water and the city below were very stunning. We took some pictures and then made a quick stop by the local Latter Day Saint church. We found out that church started at 10 am the next morning. It was a small little chapel. It looked like a fun place to visit. Keri and I went out to dinner with Joe, Leslie, and Jordan this evening. The rest of the kids remained back at the condo ready to play and enjoy the evening. Bryant, Jeff, and Jared were anticipating some exciting games with some of the natives here on the island. We went to dinner at a place called Tavern on the Water. It was a very nice restaurant overlooking the ocean. Surprisingly, we were the only people in the place. The food and service, however, was excellent. We did talk to the owner briefly. He was originally a refugee from Poland and was now here after 20 years in the United States. He was telling us how incredibly slow business was there with the war going on in addition to our recent economy troubles. People are traveling less and not spending money. We returned home slightly before ten and just in time to spectate some intense action on the basketball court. Bryant, Jeff, and Jared had found some island natives of similar age and were playing three on three. Lindell???