Thursday, December 16, 2010

MORE { st. john, usvi }

more beach fun at Hawksnest on day number two.  after spending the day at Trunk Bay on day number one we decided we would find a shop and buy a bucket and shovel.....when we were done with it for the week we would donate it to the inn that we stayed at.  as it turns out.....while walking to the parking lot at Trunk Bay we came across a bucket and shovel that someone left by the trash can.  we took it and made good use of it the rest of the week.
we buried aubrey in the sand....and made a mermaid fin.....looked pretty good until it washed away in the surf!
i think she was having fun.....

 

 


we found an awesome bay that was really calm and perfect for snorkeling.  it was just under a miles hike to get to the beach.  Leinster Bay/Waterlemon Bay kind of run together.....it's hard to tell where one ends and the other starts.....

it was a highlight of the week.  the water was calm and the snorkeling was some of the best we had that week.  the biggest highlight in this bay was the sea turtles....chuck and i saw two of them and aubrey got to see one. 
on thanksgiving day we took a power boat trip to the british virgin islands.

first stop was the island of virgin gorda, famous for the Bath's.  the last time chuck and i were there it was crowded with cruise ship people....this time there was no one but our group from our little boat......
in canada last june aubrey met molly.....this trip wasn't any different as she made a friend here as well....here she is pictured with nadia who is from Maryland.......
chillin
our day on the boat took us to four different british islands.....first stop virgin gorda.....then on to cooper island for lunch.....then snorkeling at norman island and finishing up at jost van dyke at the soggy dollar bar and the beautiful white sand beach......
after jost van dyke we headed back to st. john to fix our thanksgiving meal of steaks on the grill. 

and....can't wait for the next trip to st. john.....already want to plan another trip for next year!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A RECENTLY FINISHED QUILT

i came across the "modern quilt guild" website and found they were having a contest/challange.

you were to take a picture (or an idea) as your inspiration and design a quilt based on it.

the first thought that came to mind was pictures we have taken of monarchs during late summer.  as i attempt to photogragh the butterflies i focus in on the monarch and everything else in the backround becomes blurred.  i also thought that the colors of this butterfly would make a very striking quilt. 

here are the pictures of the final result.


contest / challange results are announce on december 15th.  at that time i'll be able to see all the other quilts that were entered and see what others drew as their inspiration.

DAY ONE IN ST JOHN usvi

day one in paradise!

our first day on the island we took a cab to Trunk Bay.....one of the well known beaches on the island.  the surf was a bit choppy but we still had an enjoyable day.  middle afternoon was the only time during the entire week that it rained on us.  it rained for less then five minutes all day!

 we move in to take claim on our section of beach with our snorkel gear, towels and snacks.  we always found trees to hang out bags in to prevent everything from getting wet or washed out into the bay.
 aubrey's first "real" time snorkeling !! 
much different then snorkeling in the hot tub!

 as much as she loved being in the water....i think she had just as much fun out of it in the sand......
 to finish up day one at Trunk Bay aubrey poses along the walk back to the parking lot to met out cab......