# 2013, Oct., St Thomas

I am still on island time and it feels good, but before long we will be back to. MN. It’s been a Long time since I last visited St Thomas USVI and the trip is bringing back a lot of good  Caribbean memories. Past life adventures of sailing in the Keys and the. Bahamas plus cruises around the islands having fun. The first few days were days to lose the tension of life back home and start to relax. A day sail on a big catamaran to Buck Island just off St Thomas where we had time to snorkel around some small reefs and try to find under sea wild life, not a lot to be seen but fun anyway. I missed the ship wreck and the turtles but still a bit amazing to be floating around the ocean in 80 plus degree weather with puffy clouds and lots of sun.
It’s off season so there aren’t a lot of cruise ships in port this week so the beaches, bars, restaurants and shops are all but deserted. Plus the locals seem a lot more casual, it that can even be.
Bluebeard’s Castle, our home for the week is looking good. It’s our normal time share week, week 41, end of the hurricane season. The castle has been through a lot over the years and it looks to be on the upswing again. The Island trend is a place is new and well maintained, then the corp. owners pull profits out and the property loses value and interest while new places are built. Eventually someone who loves the place brings it back to life and then it happens all over again. Bluebeard’s went through the down side and now the time share owners have control with good results. The property is an icon of the island so every one seems to know about “The Castle”.
All my last 4 years focus has been going to World Masters track champs and even this last year I had thoughts about skipping the islands and racing but I held to my early season decision and came home to my little bit of island paradise, even it is only for a week. It’s fun to know I own just a little bit of this spectacular place.
My thoughts of working on shop related and track/bike related stuff while here, we’ll, it didn’t happen. Two books later, lots of new found beaches and dining spots, meeting some new friends that are also castle owners and spending time with them. Been a full week of real vacation. Not that a few shop and business related dilemmas didn’t come up, but nothing to spoil the time here.
Soon enough I will be back to full days of training, organizing and business decisions but there is still a few hours of travel time and re adjustment to life back in Minnesota.