You know, I'm not sure who mentioned that the "moral of the story" is that maybe it wasn't meant to be. That certainly seems to be the case for me.

My emails have gone unanswered, and the wisdom from those I trust was to pick up the phone.

So, I gathered my copious notes and picked up the dreaded phone.

Guess what ? Nobody answering...and no message machine. I am doomed to failure on this quest. But I think I finally give up !

From the voice of FRUSTRATION in Maine !

Marion

Marion:

Keep looking..I know that you will find something. If not,maybe Eleuthra could be a possiblity??

If its any consolation..when we were planning our trip to St john..I had problems reaching anyone on the phone for the villa and rental car.But after trying at different times of the day..I finally got someone.Maybe you will have the same luck.

Sorry to read about your continued frustrations. Even though spending February in Harbour Island will be about a million miles ahead of spending that month in Maine, it still might be on the chilly side, considering your quest for warm surroundings.

Any place farther south where you can do good and feel good at the same time? I don't know how much cost is a factor, but perhaps one of the less traveled places like Dominica, Statia or even a smaller island in the Grenadines could be good for a month in high season.

Per your other post, most of the kids in my life right now (my husband's grandkids to be exact) aren't of the sit in the lap and be read to variety. So now I sing and read to my cats on a daily basis and to kids at a local place about one day a month. I've never thought about doing that on my travels, but I think you're on to a great idea--I'll definitely look into it for our next weeklong stay in the Caribe.

EJ, you always make me smile !
I know the temps might be *iffy* on HI...but given the fact that it's this particular month that I want to get away, I could cope. I feel sure that I could leave my boots and mittens at home and not worry about falling on black ice.

The appeal of HI is hard to explain. It seems like a place (walkable) where I might feel like a part of the community, rather than just a tourist/visitor. Maybe it's the comfort level of it having a New England feel. I'm not sure...but I am a sucker for white picket fences ! And although I'm not a *foodie*, the idea of being able to walk to Arthur's Bakery in the morning makes me smile. When I complain about our winter weather here, people remind me that I have a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

I remind them that I'm usually fine in the vehichle, it's trying to park in unplowed parking lots and WALK that will probably kill me ;-) !


I have certainly taken up too much board space with this trip planning, but I thank you all for your help and good wishes.

If anything should work out I'll let you all know ~

Marion