| Tuxedocat |
Sep 2nd, 2008 09:09 AM |
Tuxedocat Finally Sees Turtle
At long last, I have something new to say about St. John! After a long grueling 18 months, we finally returned to our little house in Coral Bay for a short five days. I must have been the only person happy it was hurricane season and we had to make sure the house was ready for what looks like a rough season. As it was, we caught the little bit of Fay as she swung past the Virgins. In someways, there has been some shocking changes. Being in the business, I know that development of some kind is inevitable, but it should and can be controlled carefully. Coming into the new, large and industrial feeling car ferry terminal, the view of Cruz Bay was bittersweet. It was like encountering a beloved friend who is difficult to recognize under a new facelift. Cruz Bay is no longer the quaint little village we first saw five years ago. There are some sizeable developments looming above the harbor. Grande Bay condo's are a blight on its beautiful face. Like a bad nose job, there was nothing wrong with the old one which had much more character. Sirenusa condo's has morphed into a "Hulk" version of its former self. The Westin has continued to expand, infecting the hillside like a concrete fungus. Because the island is 2/3 national park, the developable land is limited, so the projects are increasingly denser, jamming as many units as possible. Whether it's affordable or high luxury. We have an ill-conceived, congested "affordable" housing project springing up in Coral Bay. 72 units on about 4 acres of land. It's not about architecture and it's not about whether it's "affordable" housing (which means anything under $500,000. in STJ), it's just too many units in one place. So, the wild, untamed nature of the Coral Bay community will soon change. I suppose, it'll be more convenient with new stores and services. Less remote with the increase in population. But I couldn't help mourn what felt like the passing of another degree of Mother Nature's magic. On the third day, we decided to go to Cinnamon Bay. I love snorkeling around the little island. Everytime I put on my gear, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I never know if it'll be wonderful or another bag of coal. After feeling down about all the changes to the island, I wasn't expecting much. With the past few years of coral bleaching in the Caribbean, the reefs have not been as colorful or plentiful with fish. Some of you may recall that I have complained for years about never seeing a sea turtle. I've seen many other wonderful and rare denizens of the deep, but the turtle always eluded me. I seethed with envy everytime a poster reported with delight the sighting of turtles. This time, as I circled the cay and turned the corner back towards shore, having seen nothing more than the odd parrot fish, French angels, and a small barracuda... there he/she was! I could hardly believe my eyes! Rising slowly up from the ocean floor was a beautiful hawksbill turtle. Its shell was a bit less than 2 feet long but it seemed enormous to me (if you know what I mean). It eyed me warily but did not rush off and let me get pretty close. I was able to swim along and take a wonderful picture. Even before all the changes to STJ, I had not been lucky enough to happen upon a turtle. I took this beautiful surprise gift as a sign that there is still plenty of magic left in Mother Nature's St. John bag. As soon as I figure out how to attach the photo, I will share it with all of you. When we returned to our hectic lives in this challenging economy, my DH and I put copies of the turtle photo in several places as a symbol of hope and a reminder... something amazing might be just around the corner.
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