Profligacy

If Spending Money on Books, Yarn, & Wine Is a Crime, Let Me Be Guilty

We were out & about today. I spent money gratuitously. I bought yarn because I got a hankering (get it hank) to make a yellow-ish scarf because I totally am in danger of freezing to death due to a sore lack of scarves. I bought a book of baking for two because YES I have tons of baking books and YES I have tons of books on cooking for two BUT DID I HAVE A BOOK ON BAKING FOR TWO? NO! I also bought wine.

The Matter with Things, 58%

“That very opposition, sacred versus secular, however, is in itself typically Western. It is a sign of a significant rupture that never existed in the same degree in other cultures, and should never have existed in our own. It is the result of the progressive sequestration of the sacred, whatever is by definition of the highest possible value, from the centre, to its present ghetto on the margins, of Western mental life.” Iain McGilchrist, The Matter with Things. A humongous tome I am 58% through, but it’s on Kindle, so I have no idea how much of it is footnotes/bibliography, though I suspect quite a bit.

USVI: Food Pix!

The Caribbean Vegatarian Platter at Morgan’s Mango. You got your salad with local greens. Not much local food to be had on the island, but there is a place supplying various restaurants with local greens which are FABULOUS! There are some zesty-mustardy ones in there, but not enough to be overwhelming.

Then you got your beans, and always my favorite part, you got your fried plantains! I had some orange squash in there on the right, a pile of quinoa, a segment of an ear of corn, and looks like I had some cauliflower too.

While there wasn’t much local food around, I wish I had sought it out more and made it more of a priority. One time we DID see a couple of guys with sternos by the side of the road and a chalkboard menu hawking all the Caribbean things you’d expect. Also saw an old man selling some unusual fruit juices. Was always kicking myself for having filled up on nondescript bar offerings.

USVI: Saltpond Bay

Again with the Beach

I’m sorry, it’s just that “beach” is all there is to do on St. John! The day after the tour we didn’t feel like spending time on a beach (see: sunburn) so we did a lot of driving. But way out on the east end just tooling around we found this awesome little beach and a little trail next to it that I would have enjoyed doing on a better day. Before 11 AM or after 4 PM. If I could do the vacation over again, I would plan more activities for those hours; and just sit in a cool beachfront bar and drink and snack from 11 to 4.

USVI: St. Thomas

Not Me Or Xopher

Well because “Snorkel with Sea Turtles” didn’t happen, we were offered a free tour the next day back on St. Thomas. Kayaking among mangroves! Hiking the coast! Snorkeling with… maybe sea turtles! You never know!

The day didn’t go well due to Xopher forgetting both his meds and his bathing suit. Also the “hike” part of the tour gave us a little sunburn. Sunburn was the cause years ago of one of our infamous Vacation Fights, and something like 20 years later it is still a powderkeg. I view sunburn as a skin condition brought on by sun exposure which can happen accidentally to even the best prepared people. Xopher views it as a moral failing. He almost started going off, but I snapped at him and ended it. There, the closest thing to a vacation fight.

I saw a big ray during the snorkeling. So that was a plus for the day.